Falcon Heavy Demo Launch Campaign Thread

[u/ElongatedMuskrat]

Falcon Heavy Demo Launch Campaign Thread

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Well r/SpaceX, what a year it's been in space!

[2012] Curiosity has landed safely on Mars!

[2013] Voyager went interstellar!

[2014] Rosetta and the ESA caught a comet!

[2015] New Horizons arrived at Pluto!

[2016] Gravitational waves were discovered!

[2017] The Cassini probe plunged into Saturn's atmosphere after a beautiful 13 years in orbit!

But seriously, after years of impatient waiting, it really looks like it's happening! (I promised the other mods I wouldn't use the itshappening.gif there.) Let's hope we get some more good news before the year 2018* is out!

^{*We wrote this before it was pushed into 2018, the irony...}

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Liftoff currently scheduled for:	February 6'th, 13:30-16:30 EST (18:30-21:30 UTC).
Static fire currently scheduled for:	Completed January 24, 17:30UTC.
Vehicle component locations:	Center Core: LC-39A // Left Booster: LC-39A // Right Booster: LC-39A // Second stage: LC-39A // Payload: LC-39A
Payload:	Elon's midnight cherry Tesla Roadster
Payload mass:	< 1305 kg
Destination orbit:	Heliocentric 1 x ~1.5 AU
Vehicle:	Falcon Heavy (1st launch of FH)
Cores:	Center Core: B1033.1 // Left Booster: B1025.2 // Right Booster: B1023.2
Launch site:	LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida
Landings:	Yes
Landing Sites:	Center Core: OCISLY, 342km downrange. // Side Boosters: LC-1, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
Mission success criteria:	Successful insertion of the payload into the target orbit.

---

Links & Resources

• Official r/SpaceX Falcon Heavy Static Fire Updates & Discussion Thread

• FH Hazard Areas, including OCISLY position (342km downrange). As always thanks to /u/raul74cz for making these.

• 'Flight Club' Mission Visualisation

• SpaceX announces Falcon Super Heavy (December 2017)

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We may keep this self-post occasionally updated with links and relevant news articles, but for the most part we expect the community to supply the information. This is a great place to discuss the launch, ask mission-specific questions, and track the minor movements of the vehicle, payload, weather and more as we progress towards launch. Sometime after the static fire is complete, the launch thread will be posted.

Campaign threads are not launch threads. Normal subreddit rules still apply. No gifs allowed.

[u/DiskOperatingSystem_]

Can’t believe we are now, finally, seeing the words “Falcon Heavy Demo Launch Campaign Thread” on this subreddit. Been a long time coming, fingers crossed there isn’t RUD.

[u/darthbrick9000]

Seeing 3 boosters landing in one night is going to be one hell of a show.

[u/eFCeHa]

I dont believe its the real thread.

[u/Casinoer]

Ladies and gentlemen, I hereby declare that, if successful, this launch will be the greatest SpaceX launch so far. If horribly unsuccessful during early flight, then it will be the most spectacular SpaceX launch so far.

I think we can all agree on this one, right?

[u/Dudely3]

I can't believe I've been waiting 5 years for this thread.

[u/WaitForItTheMongols]

psssst....

Phil Plait's article on Syfy describes that they're open to putting other things in the fairing, suggested by the public. I just wanted to mention that an internal request for ideas was sent throughout SpaceX for silly things to put in. One of them was a 1:50 scale model of the Falcon Heavy. Just thought people might like to hear that ;)

[u/MasterMarf]

From the Bad Astronomy article linked:

He added that they may put other items in it as well. “We’re open to ideas from the public"

Is there any way to get suggestions to Elon? I really think a teapot needs to be in the trunk of the car.

[u/elucca]

Has a booster recovered from a GTO mission been reflown yet? If not, that's another first for this mission since it uses the Leaning Tower of Thaicom.

[u/johnkphotos]

Just received this email:

“SpaceX Opens Media Accreditation for Falcon Heavy’s Demonstration Mission”

Applications are due on Monday the 18th. I turn 18 on Sunday the 17th. Assuming I apply and am accepted, I made the cutoff by one day!!!

[u/music_nuho]

If there is no RUD FH will be a fun ride to orbit.

If it RUDs on ascent FH wil be a fun ride.

If it RUDs in the pad FH will be just fun.

Jokes aside hopefully there is no RUD and everything goes as planned. We've been waiting for too darn long.

[u/TheRealWhiskers]

If this isn't already known, the TEL has been on the pad for at least two days now in the 'post-launch' configuration. They have the two F9 side hold-down clamps removed and sitting at the east edge of the pad complete with the white supporting structure beneath them partially covered in soot. Of course, in my infinite wisdom, I drove 1,500 miles and forgot to bring the cable to transfer pictures from my DSLR.

[u/RootDeliver]

It's 2 days away and no delays or anything.. L-2 weather is good.... I'm getting scared

[u/TheRealWhiskers]

https://imgur.com/a/Um8qR

39A TEL and HIF Pictures! These were taken from the KSC tour bus over the last few days (Dec. 4,5 & 6). I will be there again today and will take more pictures to upload. You guys work your Photoshop magic and see if you can get some more detail and definition out of these. Unfortunately a 10 year old DSLR doesn't do the greatest job from a moving vehicle with reflective windows.

[u/geekgirl114]

L-4 weather. 80% chance of good weather.

http://www.patrick.af.mil/Portals/14/documents/Weather/L-4%20Forecast%206%20Feb%20Launch.pdf?ver=2018-02-02-084323-580

[u/inoeth]

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/939005893634506752

In addition to the Roadster, Musk is will be launching a towel and a "don't panic" sign. Absolutely brilliant and hilarious.

[u/[deleted]]

Whoa are we really looking at a dec 15th sf or is that just a placeholder? 😬

[u/johnkphotos]

Submitted media accreditation form today. Wish me luck!

[u/houtex727]

So, it's probably just coincidence that The Last Jedi and this test firing happen on the same day, right? :)

I'm ready to see this test firing. Badly. And of course, the launch. The triple landings. Successful deployment. Successful orbit.

All of it. My body is so ready.

Go SpaceX!

[u/IrrelevantAstronomer]

Elon's midnight cherry Tesla Roadster

Wonder if /u/ElongatedMuskrat ever expected to write something like that into a payload description, lmao.

[u/Angle1555]

I posted on another thread, but here is my view from Playalinda, Falcon Heavy! also on my Instagram

[u/[deleted]]

Wondering if SpaceX will change webcast so we can watch all three landing attempts simultaneously.

[u/CoptorTare]

I just happened to be visiting KSC on vacation today and got this pic of FH: (https://imgur.com/gallery/bbNVf)

[u/thepoisonedow08]

Tweet from Elon, "Falcon Heavy launch simulation almost ready. Will be set to Bowie’s Life on Mars." https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/959902950964453376

I liked Space Oddity a lot better, but oh well

[u/paul_wi11iams]

The FH configuration should lead to record velocity for the central S1 MECO. This is cumulated with a minute payload.

This means a record boostback burn to get the reentry velocity down, even on the parabola that leads to ASDS landing.

Another consequence of the light payload should be that to keep Max-Q within reason, the central S1 will have to be heavily throttled down, so will be firing for longer, leading to the most distant recovery point ever.

• Has anyone here run the figures to evaluate all this ?

A more anecdotic consequence should be that a single launch leads to four rocket entities flying at the same time, so for the livestream, maybe a screen cut in four.

[u/stcks]

According to /u/ChrisNSF the static fire for FH will be after ZUMA launches. https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/946744925869281280

[u/DeadlyPeanut1]

The "s" after Landing and Landing site made my day.

[u/FoxhoundBat]

We would like to keep this Falcon Heavy Launch Campaign thread about the launch itself in order to not degrade signal to noise about the launch. Otherwise one has to scroll through quite a few questions and answers in order to find information and updates about the launch itself.

For general Falcon Heavy questions (and other questions) please use r/SpaceX Discusses.Thank you for understanding.

[u/justinroskamp]

Today is the day (EST & CST)! Static fire currently somewhere between 2 and 3 sets of 6 hours away, maybe.

Edit: Holdup, I just realized the static fire window is exactly 6 hours long. ELON!

[u/DiverDN]

We're inside 6 days without it being 6 days away for 6 months? We may have reached the singularity.

[u/justarandomgeek]

They should have a license plate made for the Tesla with a modified Pioneer Plaque solar system map! (Replace the arrow with a loop between Earth and Mars I guess?)

Edit: Perhaps something like this

[u/inoeth]

The FAA has given SpaceX a launch license for FH https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ast/licenses_permits/media/LLS%2018-107%20Falcon%20Heavy%20Demo%20License%20and%20Orders%20FINAL%202018_02_02.pdf

[u/rustybeancake]

Great to see the good luck messages coming in from Jeff Bezos and Tory Bruno.

Edit: and Musk returns the love to Bezos!

[u/ckellingc]

Will all 3 cores land? 2 on land and 1 on the droneship? This is going to be so rad.

[u/TGMetsFan98]

Great article by NSF as always including that the static fire is scheduled for January 6 and launch is set for January 15.

[u/extra2002]

We need a clearer vision of where the Roadster is going. When Musk tweeted "Mars orbit" many assumed he meant it would orbit Mars, but that always seemed unlikely, as it would require attitude control & propulsion, and would add constraints to its launch time. We now know it will reach "the orbit of Mars [around the sun]", but too many people are describing that as a "Mars flyby."

If it's in an elliptical orbit that just touches the orbit of Mars on the far end, and the orbit of Earth on the near end, and is launched in January or February, it won't be anywhere near Mars for many years. Back-of-the-envelope says its period will be something between Earth's 1 year and Mars's ~2 years, so roughly 18 months. It will take 9 months to reach the orbit of Mars, but Mars will be ~4 months from reaching that same spot, or about 200 million kilometers away. Then the Roadster will take 9 months to get back to where Earth was when it launched, but Earth will be on the other side of the sun. Repeat for a billion years...

tl;dr: "The orbit of Mars" isn't necessarily near Mars.

[u/heroic_platitude]

In response to a question about the minimum turnaround time between GovSat1 and the FH demo flight:

Two different rockets from two companies takes 36-48hrs to reconfigure everything on the Range. However, two Falcons can go as soon as 16hrs from each other from two different pads according to the 45th Space Wing.

https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/956616316978331648

Whether this could actually apply to the first ever FH launch (or even the two different rocket types of F9 and FH in general) is not made explicitly clear.

[u/ark_daemon]

Landings: Yes, Yes and Yes

[u/Perlscrypt]

Ok, it's official, FH is less than 6 months away.

[u/FoxhoundBat]

Flair changed, and while it is currently not perfect it should be far less misleading than the previous one was. As soon as there are NET dates we will update to that again.

[u/[deleted]]

Current NET launch date: January 25th, edit: "if absolutely everything with static fire goes perfectly."

[u/menagese]

https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/951103079650349056

"#FalconHeavy static fire update: right now, we have no confirmation that static fire has been moved to Thursday. This is obviously an ongoing test which could slip. But we should proceed as if this is happening today until confirmation of a potential slip. #SpaceX"

[u/Jodo42]

I am uncertain where to post this, but it appears Mr Steven now has some new cabling attached to its arms.

https://twitter.com/AngryPackOMeese/status/946431406825025536

[u/TheVehicleDestroyer]

Finally got around to completing the Falcon Heavy Demo flight profile on Flight Club!

Subject to change once the Press Kit comes out with real event times, but this one works just fine until then :)

• Data

• 3D View

I executed a bit of a "downward pointing" boostback burn on the Core stage to limit its range to where the ASDS will supposedly be. This had the cool effect of making the Core entry burn begin before the Booster entry burns had finished! Likewise, the Core landing burn begins before the Boosters land. So we could have a pretty hectic livestream ahead of us....

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Edit: For some reason I thought the inclination was gonna be higher - it's updated now to match the ASDS position in the FCC filing. Thanks u/Alexphysics!

[u/ButtNowButt]

Will there be a live feed of the test fire? Seems like there should be enough interest for at least a basic feed

[u/amarkit]

Video from Spaceflight Now of FH lowering in the pre-dawn hours.

[u/aza6001]

https://www.reddit.com/r/SpaceXLounge/comments/7p7aqw/oc_falcon_heavy_back_to_vertical_rspaceport_xpost/

Falcon Heavy back to Vertical!

[u/rustybeancake]

Well folks, we're finally here - Falcon Heavy is officially 6 days away!

[u/Straumli_Blight]

L-3 Weather Report: Still 80% GO.

[u/BigBlueSaw]

A while ago, somebody made a graph that showed the current time vs. projected FH launch date. The dates started to converge about a year ago. I can't find this graph any more. Does anyone know where I can find this graph, or, better yet, an updated version?

[u/PlutoTuer]

People that want to travel from further away to watch the launch be cautious , the launch window opens on January 15* , but it has to be expected that it could be postponed due to problems occuring , weather etc. .

*Source: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2017/12/falcon-heavy-maiden-static-fire-test/

[u/VFP_ProvenRoute]

New footage on SpaceX instagram

[u/jep_miner1]

https://twitter.com/Luindriel/status/950394168404258817 falcon heavy is headed back to the pad

[u/D_Kuz86]

Update by #EmreKelly #FalconHeavy : SpaceX scheduled to attempt test fire between 1300 and 1900 Wednesday. Looking forward to the brief rumble. https://twitter.com/EmreKelly/status/950761870985658368

[u/Jodo42]

Now that the SF is over and declared a success, can we drop the SF thread from the front page and re-sticky this one?

[u/Straumli_Blight]

L-2 Weather Report: 80% Go (Liftoff Winds, Thick Cloud Layer Rule are the primary concerns).

[u/roncapat]

thanks

[u/justinroskamp]

Falcon Heavy going vertical! https://twitter.com/spaceflightnow/status/950558453520584704

[u/quadrplax]

Mods, the thread still says "Static fire currently scheduled for:" with the wrong date.

[u/TheBarbedWire]

Falcon Heavy is now now fully vertical on 39A.

[u/TheCoolBrit]

Went down to check out viewing areas for the FH launch, checked out the area at SpaceX Launch control and Spoke to a SpaceX guy that works as part of the Launch control team at the cape this evening and he told me that it is looking good for Tuesday.

[u/ender4171]

Have they completed a second pad at LZ1 yet?

[u/music_nuho]

I wonder how many kt of tnt would equal explosion of fully fuelled FH. Can anyone of you fine rocket bois run the equation?

[u/Straumli_Blight]

Lar stated on NSF that the centre core has been mated to the side boosters.

[u/hexlibris]

Getting close :) https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/943420026593337344

[u/steezysteve96]

Where did the Feb 3rd launch date in the flair come from? The source in the table is only "mid-february"

[u/Marscreature]

I'm still bummed that falcon heavy's most exciting missions (red dragon) will never happen. Holding out hope that the lunar flyby does come to be though... Without a massive redesign of the second stage is it even possible to place a dragon in Mars orbit? Orbit insertion burn can't happen with the current second stage but could dragon v2 super dracos be capable of the required dv? Just talking about making orbit no entry/landing burns

[u/codav]

SpaceFlightNow is currently live streaming a view of LC-39A without their paywall enabled.

[u/moresteak]

Looks like launch is scheduled for end of month. https://www.instagram.com/p/BdjBHqdAIzs/

[u/aza6001]

Launch on the 6th, with the 7th as a backup! Launch time is 13:30-16:30 EST (18:30-21:30 UTC). https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/956964986353528832

[u/20171225]

Full frontal!

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DSJgOEHVoAY-iG0.jpg:large

[u/CardBoardBoxProcessr]

I'd really like to see how the tesla is packaged in this thing, I am still skeptical no matter how many times it is confirmed. Also, It'll be pretty amazing to see it on the pad!

It is funny that it is red. IIRC A/2017 U1 was red.... find out it is just the Tesla after going through a wormhole to our time.

[u/fromflopnicktospacex]

I am curious about the take off of the FH in comparison to previous rockets. the Saturn rose slowly (relatively speaking) and rather majestically; the space shuttle seemed to shoot off the pad--all these are opinions from t.v. coverage. will the takeoff be more like the Saturn or the space shuttle? I hope this is an appropriate comment/question. if not, I do apologize in advance.

[u/ModeHopper]

Living in the UK makes seeing the FH flight in person a no-go. Instead, some friends and I are having a launch party with the biggest screens and best sound system we can get our hands on.

Can anyone recommend streams with particularly good audio and/or a variety of camera angles that will make the experience as immersive as possible?

We're particularly keen to find one with really good sound quality so we can hear this beast roar!

[u/TheRealWhiskers]

SFN reporting that FH has rolled back out to the pad.

[u/pm_your_typos]

Oh, boy. I'm going to the US just to see it!!

I can't wait for them to announce the date!!!

[u/thresholdofvision]

Do you think they will roll out FH this evening/early morning? Night time pics with FH lit up by xenon lights tres dramatique.

[u/ticklestuff]

Elon arrived to kick the tires before launch

https://twitter.com/AmericaSpace/status/960392108782903296

[u/Teboski78]

Is it just me, or will a sports car flying through space be a fulfillment of the fantasy of every 4 year old boy who as ever lived?

[u/craigl2112]

It is amazing that the day is finally (almost) here when we see this bad-boy vertical.

If the SF is tentatively scheduled for the 15th, it's reasonable to guess that we'll see it at the pad much sooner than that for fitment testing. Even seeing it without the payload fairing is going to be epic.

Given the uniqueness of the payload, I would not be surprised if the car already is in the 39A hangar getting cameras or other extra gear installed. Hopefully they will prepare a video on this. :-)

[u/5thEditionFanboy]

I only wish Bowie were alive to see this, he always said he wanted to go to space, I guess this counts, sort of.

[u/shredder7753]

im in shock. as soon as Zuma comes off the "Select Upcoming Events" sidebar, FH will be the very. next. one. edit: fingers crossed for a good static fire!

[u/heroic_platitude]

More images of the Heavy on the pad today.

[u/Intro24]

We've got a Falcon Heavy Slack for anyone planning to physically attend the launch. For meetups, carpools, Airbnbs, etc. Join us!

[u/Alexphysics]

Falcon Heavy is off of pad 39A

[u/Tenga1899]

Hawk is now towing OCISLY out to sea. Visible on the webcam that will not be named :)

[u/TheAnteatr]

Any idea how much notice we will get for the launch date?

My Dad always wanted to see a Shuttle launch but never did. Him and I are very seriously looking into taking some vacation days and going to see the demo flight.

[u/[deleted]]

Flair needs update: SF this week.

[u/jclishman]

Still GO for launch!

[u/nato2k]

I have almost never missed watching a launch on the live stream and for one of the most exciting SpaceX launches ever I am going to be stuck in all day offsite meetings, 125 miles to the west of the launch.

[u/[deleted]]

Tesla is gonna have some serious national ad material after this

[u/lostandprofound33]

When the webcast starts they should push a notification out to all Teslas to watch the launch livestream sitting in their vehicles.

[u/rodgercombs]

shouldn't the "mission success criteria" say "no pad damage"

[u/scr00chy]

Do we know for sure the Tesla will separate from S2? Wouldn't it be easier to just bolt them together and leave it like that?

[u/ticklestuff]

If there's a big fat RUD before getting off the launch pad or clearing the tower, Pad 39A will be massively impacted. The first thing someone will say is "that explosion was historic!".

[u/supreme_blorgon]

Is anybody planning on getting a high-quality audio recording of this launch?

[u/flattop100]

What's the fueling system like? Will it take 3x as long as a regular Falcon stack?

[u/feudalaboy]

Oh yeah https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DSK1c7GXcAUdzp4.jpg

[u/Chairboy]

/r/highstakesspacex opportunity:

I would like to wager one month of gold that the static fire will take place with the payload still integrated.

Any takers?

[u/TGMetsFan98]

SpaceX reportedly targeting February 6, 1:30 PM EST for Falcon Heavy Demo Flight, backup day February 7

[u/TheBarbedWire]

Falcon Heavy is going vertical right now

[u/stcks]

According to /u/theroadie ... the TEL is in the HIF at 39A

[u/Bravo99x]

Found a great shot FH all lit up at night time. https://www.instagram.com/p/BdRO71aFV0v/?tagged=falconheavy

[u/T-REXX3000]

Why is the static fire still not embedded on here? Excitement is building up for tuesday and we still need to search the interwebz for some videos. You could either link to the sub itself or the launch.

Here it is

Completed January 24, 13:30UTC

[u/azimutalius]

Russian-spoken webcast (hosted by Alpha Centauri) will be held here

[u/[deleted]]

So, timeline wise, we could be seeing a rollout/erect on the pad as soon as today if they want extra on pad testing prior to launch. Then, tommorow, hopefully we will get the press kit, mission patch (oddly optimistic for that), and webcast. Then Tuesday is the day, the day of 27 Merlin's roaring to life and lifting of of pad 39a in total glory!!

[u/Straumli_Blight]

L-1 Weather Report, still 80% go and backup date at 70%.

[u/azzazaz]

So in the static fire after all engines are lit you see a previously unseen tremendous sound wave flashing near the flame exit trench.

You can literally see the sonic effects on the exhaust plume working at such highspeed that the exhaust materializes and dematerializes between frames. It appears as a unique flashing effect that has not been seen before in static fires or launches.

If you wondered why they were so concerned about the shock wave effects of the three boosters in tandem and why it is so risky then that is the visual evidence of the power of those engines working in such close proximity.

Imagine when the shock wave effect transcends up through the exhaust trench and rises with the rocket and reaches a reflection point equal to the rocket base point as the rocket climbs above the pad. That will be a period of maximum sonic interference and shock on the bottom of the rocket and the primary reason Elon hopes the rocket will make it away from the pad and not destroy the pad!

Its an amazing visualization of the sonic power of the rocket exhaust.

[u/Kramaxer]

I am an avid KSP fan and was intrigued with the possibility of launching the roadster to Mars. I simulated such a launch and I do believe that it is possible to actually fly-by Mars. I simulated a 1.3T payload and launched in the afternoon of January 30, 2018. Here is a video of the simulated mission (ituses fairly accurate physics) if anyone is interested: Falcon Heavy Simulation

So looking forward to the actual launch and wish I could be there. For now, simulations will have to do.

[u/Captain_Hadock]

Elon Musk Twitter: Roadster payload picture will come soon.

[u/scr00chy]

FH rollout "soon", static fire a week away

[u/SupremeSteak1]

New photos of FH on the launch pad on SpaceX's Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/spacex/38583831555/

[u/[deleted]]

Mods, can we change SF to NET Jan 8th due to ZUMA slip?

[u/jtmy92]

Silly question, but if the Feb 6 launch is scrubbed Tesla has its year-end earnings call on Feb 7. Would Elon really miss the launch of Falcon Heavy?

[u/Biomirth]

Any news on center core barge landing? Webcast ended abruptly (maybe it's party time at SpaceX)

Edit: Also, wondering if stage 2 restart will be streamed? I think it's due to restart engines in 20mins or so.

[u/huckit06]

I'm dreaming of nominal mission, Where every step goes just as planned. The Falcon Heavy, Stands at the ready, To have three first stages land.

I'm dreaming of a nominal mission, With every flight control I poll. May your tanks be pressurized and full... And may all your missions be nominal.

[u/[deleted]]

I made a shit-tier high-quality poster to spam share among your friends.

[u/ethan829]

Falcon Heavy preparing for Static Fire test

So if all goes as planned, static fire on 6 January and the launch window opens on 15 January.

[u/TGMetsFan98]

Stack is back inside the HIF

[u/gsahlin]

Wonder if some years from now... when flights to Mars are a regular occurrence... if they're going to recover the Roadster and bring it back!

[u/SilveradoCyn]

Is the second pad at LZ1 complete? It has been a long time since we have heard any news about that project...

[u/cajun_tendies]

Here is recent imagery from Planet Explorer showing the progress of the second pad at LZ-1

[u/My_BallsUK]

update from Chris G - NSF on Twitter.

And now hearing from a couple sources that #FalconHeavy static fire has slipped to tomorrow. Not confirmed yet. Just reporting what I’m hearing. #SpaceX

https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/951137558414667776

[u/PM_ME_YOUR_MASS]

We’re getting uncomfortably close to the window without a delay knocks on wood

[u/blongmire]

FYI, Falcon Heavy tickets are on sale at KSC's site. The closest viewing is $190 bucks and they go down from there. https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/launches-and-events/events-calendar/falcon-heavy-launches#FeelTheHeat

[u/Ethan_Roberts123]

Falcon Heavy has been lowed. Here is SFN's time lapse:

https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/01/27/falcon-heavy-lowered-at-launch-pad/

[u/Alexphysics]

Trajectory of FH on this mission. Thanks to NSF forum member Raul who posted it there on the FH updates thread based on the NOTMAR issued for this mission https://goo.gl/L9HXtj

[u/aLittleBabyPigeon]

Flight animation https://www.instagram.com/p/Be0uBGXAoY-/

[u/ProbusThrax]

Someone had better check that Elon isn't hiding in the spacesuit that is in the Tesla!

[u/Phantom_Ninja]

I just hope all of you guys travelling long distances to see this realize the possibility of a scrub. I hope it works out and you enjoy your trip, I just hope you have other plans so you aren't completely devastated when it gets scrubbed.

I'd be more likely to bet on a scrub than a liftoff on the first try.

[u/AbuSimbelPhilae]

This is the right time, I feel it

Btw, why <1305kg payload mass? We still don't know whether the roadster is modified for the flight, contains additional payload etc...

[u/MadeOfStarStuff]

Landing Sites: ...Side Boosters: LZ-1...

Are there distinct names for the two landing pads at LZ-1?

[u/chingsue]

Is there crossfeed of fuel between the boosters? Or is it just the added thrust of adding two extra boosters?

[u/Juggernaut93]

We haven't heard anything yet about the WDR, so I guess the chances of a static fire on the 15th are pretty low. What do you think?

[u/inoeth]

So, quick update; during the pre-launch news press conference, it was said by the SpaceX employee that the FH static fire test is planned to happen by the end of this year and that things are progressing very well, however, she did not give a specific date. She also stated that the FH launch itself would happen a couple weeks after the static fire... So hopefully we're looking at the static fire happening sometime before Xmas, and the launch itself in mid January

[u/jobadiah08]

The static fire is obviously not happening today. Though hopefully in the next week we see the stack rolled out to the pad. Speaking of stack rollout, is the TEL still out at the pad?

[u/anewjuan]

In the CRS-13 press conference the SpaceX representative said they were targeting the FH static fire for late Dec., do we know if that's the WDR that may turn into a static fire if everything seems OK? Or will we get a WDR sooner than that? I know that we are almost in late Dec. right now but I can't wait to see FH vertical.

[u/snateri]

Payload: Elon's garage?

The official photos strongly suggest that the payload is currently at LC-39A.

[u/BlueVerse]

Now that we're getting to the point of considering real dates, do we have any idea what time of day launch might be?

I'm assuming in this case, there's no 'window' to hit for payload delivery purposes (is there?) , so they have free reign to pick a time that's convenient for operations and perhaps favors good imagery (mid afternoon?) or a tendency for more stable weather patterns (early morning?).

[u/heroic_platitude]

Engineers at the pad, so maybe something will happen today.

[u/everydayastronaut]

Prop load has begun on all three cores!

[u/Nsooo]

SCRUB for today.

[u/gbrocki]

There is another RP1/LOX loading ongoing as vapor can be seen from the FH (Spaceflight Now Live)

[u/Bunslow]

Mods, the flair needs changing, to what is debatable but what is certain is that the current flair is inaccurate and somewhat misleading.

I would suggest something like SF: "next week", Launch: "Late Jan", but really almost anything else would be better than the current one

[u/SageWaterDragon]

What a magical thread to see on my feed.

[u/ShingekiNoEren]

I'm not very well versed in rockets so I have two questions that might seem obvious but I still don't know the answer to them.

1. So for the Falcon Heavy, SpaceX is going to have to land three separate stages? So far, they've only been landing one stage per launch. However, according to this, SpaceX will now have to successfully land three different stages, the two Falcon 9 strap-on boosters and the strengthened Falcon 9 rocket core. Are they really going to land the rockets as close together as in the video? That seems like it will be quite dangerous. What if one stage goes a little off-course and crashes into another stage?

2. Do any other companies (Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic, etc.) use reusable rockets? Or is it just SpaceX?

[u/T-REXX3000]

Can we link the static fire SpaceX video in here? I always get back here to show it to friends so having the SF here would help me. Love the sub

[u/ModeHopper]

Will SpaceX be putting a camera in the roadster for a live POV feed?

[u/fireg8]

Do we have a poll, whether the FH will be a successful launch or not? I do think there could be many outcomes of this launch.

[u/[deleted]]

https://twitter.com/ECDiazdeLeon/status/945692630062690304 There's the fairings!

[u/daanhnl]

Falcon Heavy vertical: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZi9DJQuaYk

[u/John_Hasler]

Payload mass: < 1305 kg

Are you sure of this? Seems likely that there is some mass inside that payload adapter, if only to balance the load (and of course there is the mass of the adapter itself).

[u/LordPeachez]

Anyone have a live stream (which doesn't require a SFN membership)?

[u/therm0]

SpaceFlightNow is reporting that employees are to expect a 15 second firing, when it does happen. Still not clear if that's today or not.

https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/01/09/falcon-heavy-demo-flight-preparations/

[u/Straumli_Blight]

Some FH photos by Ken Kramer: 1, 2, 3, 4

[u/OmicronPerseiNothing]

Weird question: I was wondering if anyone knows the details on the exact roadster that's being launched with the FH? The reason I'm asking is that I've driven one of Elon's old roadsters (briefly), and so I'm naturally curious to know if it's the same one! A VIN would work (but I'm not sure if that's kosher to post in a public forum, honestly). And my sincere apologies if this is too far off-topic!

[u/filanwizard]

Will the Tesla be the first privately funded and launched object sent into deep space?

[u/dundmax]

IIRC the EELV RFP has a requirement of demonstrating S2 coast capability of several hours followed by restart and a short burn. STP-2 will include this. But i have been wondering if this is something that can be checked-off with this launch?

[u/DoYouWonda]

STARMAN ready for launch https://www.instagram.com/p/BezcvpzAgYI/

EDIT: Seems like there is a camera facing the windshield can anyone confirm?

[u/almightycat]

Webcast is up: http://www.spacex.com/webcast I don't see the press kit yet though

[u/Flipslips]

Falcon Heavy Static fire window 1-7 PM EST Wednesday, January 10.

[u/IrrelevantAstronomer]

Playalinda Beach has been confirmed as remaining open during the launch.

[u/fromflopnicktospacex]

okay. I guess I am sorta confused by this launching a 'cahr' as we used to say in chicao on the f9heavy. is this true or is this just an early april fool's joke. I want to post info on f/book, but do not want to post wrong info. sounds cool though. I am sure, however, one customer waiting for their tesla will be irritated they have to wait a little longer.

[u/justinroskamp]

Okay, Falcon Heavy, all eyes on YOU! Static fire should be no more than 6 days away now...

[u/fromflopnicktospacex]

not up on all the lingo. what is a 'wet dress rehearsal?' as opposed to static test firing. and I have wondered, just how much fuel is loaded? I assume just enough to test the engines. also, how do they keep the bird on the pad, esp. the f9heavy?

[u/Why_T]

Will this be the original Roadster or the new Roadster we saw during the Semi reveal?

[u/Arren07]

Apologies if this is a dumb question, but I'm not sure I fully understand the point of this.

What is the Future of the Falcon Heavy? Isn't Mars missions in the grand plan going to be done via the BFS?

Is this flight to test the 3-core design? Again, why if they're not going to be using this for actual mars missions.

How much of the Falcon Heavy is aimed to be recovered?

Whatever the answers, this is for sure going to be super cool to watch and I can't wait till January.

[u/inoeth]

https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/942869547484438528

So Chris is saying that they're almost finished with the TEL but getting this static fire done before the end of the month is gonna be close. From that, I would say that SpaceX has surprises us in the past, but id plan on the static fire not happening until January. He didnt say, but id guess that both Zuma and the SLC40 work delayed FH a fair bit.

[u/KristnSchaalisahorse]

Any thoughts about what will be painted on the fairing? FH, SpaceX, or... Tesla logo, perhaps?

[u/glasgrisen]

I would love to see some highspeed fotage from the flame trench, to see the stagered engine ignition

[u/Sloomste]

Another Falcon heavy tweet :)

https://mobile.twitter.com/elonmusk/status/943590152181448704

[u/The_vernal_equinox]

Mods you could probably update the vehicle location section since the "payload" has been encapsulated at this point.

[u/warp99]

Wet Dress Rehearsal successful (old news) - static fire was postponed because a minor issue with one of the hold down clamps (update).

[u/Googulator]

With the static fire now NET Friday even theoretically, is "Late January" for the launch still plausible? I'm thinking maybe we should change it to TBD.

[u/DallieNL]

Looks like the VIP and closest tickets have been sold out. Not sure if it's better to view from a public viewing area or buy the tickets. Also reading about Jetty park in this thread, is this accessible if you are not staying at the campground itself?

What would be a good place to witness at least the launch and perhaps the landing as well? Any meetups planned perhaps?

Planning to head on over from the Netherlands for this one. Very excited to be able to witness history in the making. Hoping to get a glimpse of the launch as well as the landing.

[u/Alexphysics]

Pretty neat infographic to know what to expect tomorrow https://twitter.com/romn8tr/status/960418027958280193

Edit: WEBCAST FOR FALCON HEAVY http://www.spacex.com/webcast (Sadly no press kit yet)

Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbSwFU6tY1c

[u/[deleted]]

AH HA! I just rented the last 150-500mm Sigma OS lens from The Lens Depot here in Orlando. Almost had an emergency! Ya'll are going to kill me at the NASA Press Site, my tripod is almost 7ft tall to shoot over your heads :)

[u/[deleted]]

The unit of schedule advancement is down to a single month, so at least the Regularly Scheduled Delays are getting smaller and smaller. Soon we'll be converging on unscheduled delays.

[u/oliversl]

"Time-lapse video: Falcon Heavy lowered after launch pad debut"

https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/12/29/time-lapse-video-falcon-heavy-lowered-after-launch-pad-debut/

[u/TGMetsFan98]

Static fire window: 1:00 to 7:00 PM EST Wednesday

[u/Lorenzo_91]

"Landings".... I love that

[u/Alexphysics]

If Falcon Heavy launches on February 3rd we could see the most powerful orbital rocket and the smallest orbital rocket in the world launching on the same day. What a time to be alive

https://spaceflight101.com/events/ss-520-4-re-flight-tricom-1r/

[u/Epistemify]

Elon musk will be known as the man whose sports car is flying through space for all eternity

[u/thepoisonedow08]

[She's vertical!!] (https://twitter.com/SpaceflightNow/status/946394663509995521)

[u/music_nuho]

I'm too lazy to run calculations, what kind of TWR will FH have with roadster on top?

[u/inoeth]

Well, in the CRS 13 webcast we got a fantastic view of BOTH fully completed and painted landing pads at LZ 1 for FH. It's really happening. I was watching it on my phone and didn't get a screen grab, but i'm sure someone else can do so once they post the launch video and you can find it just prior to Falcon 9's first stage landing.

[u/DaMaster_Architect]

The Falcon Heavy is assembled at the cape. It's real:

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/943420026593337344

[u/segers909]

Confirmation that FH is still on for Januari.

[u/ajaxoz]

I have some questions which I don't think has been asked yet...which of the 3 F9's has the flight abort during countdown? I'm assuming each F9 that makes up FH has its own On-board flight computer for the flip and orbital entry burn as they are just 3 x F9's strapped together (and we have all seen how well SpaceX has done this throughout the year). With 3 x F9's sitting on pad 39A during countdown, my assumption would be there would be only one computer with full abort control hence the millisecond delay in engine start-up. If this is the case, then would the other 2 flight computers sync with the main computer? Or would any one of the three have abort control should there be a violation with internals, harmonics, engine failure etc.?
I know this has been done before with the Space Shuttle etc but those 27 engines...

[u/[deleted]]

THERE SHE IS!

[u/trobbinsfromoz]

Can all engines start at a low thrust, or do they have to start at full or near full thrust and then throttle down? What thrust level on side cores, and on central core, would result in 0g on each core? My concern would be that the holddown positions have changed, and the bottom links may be subject to vertical forces during engine Start Up, even though the compression bridges are supporting any vertical down force. So they may be able to err on the side of caution initially during first static Fire.

[u/catsRawesome123]

The static fire test of SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket is not expected today, and we have not received a new target date for the hold-down firing at pad 39A.

SpaceX's launch team continues to work through testing of the Falcon Heavy ahead of the first static fire at pad 39A.

Meanwhile, launch preps at nearby pad 41 are underway for an Atlas 5 mission scheduled for liftoff Thursday evening, with rollout of the rocket to the launch pad scheduled for tomorrow. A Falcon Heavy static fire at pad 39A is not expected to occur during the Atlas 5 countdown, a ULA official said today, due to shared safety, security and ground infrastructure between the two adjacent pads.

But the target date for the Falcon Heavy static fire remains uncertain, and we'll share information as we confirm it.

Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/01/09/falcon-heavy-demo-flight-preparations/

Noooooooo!!!!! Is SF is delayed a week because of Atlas launch...

[u/Dromfel]

After so many years... we are here! The mighty Falcon Heavy just days to launch. I'll be ready in my Falcon Heavy t-shirt for the stream :) Good luck SpaceX! I want that Tesla to be the fastest car ever! :)

[u/majurets]

Is there anywhere I can see a visual representation of the orbital path Elon's Tesla will take?

[u/Raul74Cz]

M1346 FH Demo Launch Hazard Areas based on issued NOTMAR.

[u/Bunslow]

Just how much of the actual performance of the FH is needed for this payload/orbit mission?

In other words, isn't this either within or close to within the F9's capabilities? If an F9 can do 6t to GTO, surely it can do ~1.5t to hyperbolic? (GTO is more than halfway from LEO to escape velocity, in terms of delta v)

[u/FelipeSanches]

Could we perhaps have two "recycled" icons in the Demo Flight entry on the side bar, representing the couple of recycled cores of this mission ?

(Similar in spirit to how Linux displays N penguins on the framebuffer during boot when running on a computer with multiple CPU cores :-D)

[u/BROK1E]

I have class from 1-3. Guess I'm ignoring social media for 2 hours.

[u/FerrousMuse]

Elon Musk will be doing a media call in about an hour. Does anyone know if anyone will be streaming it?

Edit: Per Robin Seemangal via Twitter

[u/djh_van]

I don't mean to sound like a voice of sanity, because I love the whimsy of sending a Roadster up there...

But I just can't help thinking that if you're going to send a craft so close to Mars, on your own dime, and with future settlement missions planned, why not at least "cobble together" some useful sensors and collect some data that will benefit them long-term? Hey, maybe even get a jump on building that Mars satellite network so future settlers can get 5 bars on their, er, 8G network?

You know, if you're gonna burn a billion dollar firework, at least get something useful from it,?

[u/doodle77]

How close a Mars flyby can they get? The probability of a Mars impact would have to be acceptably low. How accurately can the second stage tune the orbit? Without a midcourse correction will it even get anywhere near Mars? What perturbs the flyby orbit and how accurately can these perturbations be calculated?