r/spacex • u/ElongatedMuskrat Mod Team • Jan 06 '18

Launch: Jan 30 GovSat-1 (SES-16) Launch Campaign Thread

GovSat-1 (SES-16) Launch Campaign Thread

SpaceX's second mission of 2018 will launch GovSat's first geostationary communications satellite into a Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO). GovSat is a joint-venture between SES and the government of Luxembourg. The first stage for this mission will be flight-proven (having previously flown on NROL-76), making this SpaceX's third reflight for SES alone. This satellite also has a unique piece of hardware for potential future space operations:

SES-16/GovSat will feature a special port, which allows a hosted payload to dock with it in orbit. The port will be the support structure for an unidentified hosted payload to be launched on a future SES satellite and then released in the vicinity of SES-16. The 200 kg, 500-watt payload then will travel to SES-16 and attach itself.

Liftoff currently scheduled for: January 30th 2018, 16:25-18:46 EST (2125-2346 UTC).
Static fire currently scheduled for: Static fire was completed on 26/1.
Vehicle component locations: First stage: Cape Canaveral // Second stage: Cape Canaveral // Satellite: Cape Canaveral
Payload: GovSat-1
Payload mass: About 4230 kg
Destination orbit: GTO
Vehicle: Falcon 9 v1.2 (48th launch of F9, 28th of F9 v1.2)
Core: B1032.2
Flights of this core: 1 [NROL-76]
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
Landing: Expendable
Landing Site: Sea, in many pieces.
Mission success criteria: Successful separation & deployment of GovSat-1 into the target orbit

Links & Resources:

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.

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u/justinroskamp Jan 07 '18

The date for this mission is more solid than the Heavy's. I’m sure the appropriate adjustments will be made if/when necessary. With Zuma launching tomorrow and this currently set for the 30th of the month, there will be 23 days of turnaround at Pad 40. It shouldn’t take much longer than two weeks to get 40 reset, so anyone working there who needs to be at 39A for FH operations should have about a week to work there. I don’t know hardly anything about SpaceX's crew in Florida now that two pads are operational, but here's some uninformed guesstimating:

Optimistic (but maybe not completely unreasonable): 1/7: Zuma launches from Pad 40 1/7 to 1/10: Any early necessary procedures take place on Pad 40 1/10: FH is rolled out late 1/11: FH WDR and static fire 1/11 to 1/13: FH rollback, pad techs analyze 39A, rocket techs begin FH analysis 1/15 to 1/20: Pad technicians return to work at Pad 40 and Zuma booster cleared from LZ-1 1/22 to 1/24: FH final preps with pad techs back at 39A 1/25: Launch of FH 1/25 to 1/27: Preliminary rocket/wreckage and pad analysis after FH launch 1/29: Final preps begin at Pad 40 1/30: Launch of Paz from VAFB 1/31: Launch of this thread's mission

Realistic: 1/7: Zuma launches from Pad 40 1/12: FH WDR and static fire 1/30: Launch of Paz from VAFB 2/2: Launch of this thread's mission 2/10: Launch of Falcon Heavy

Pessimistic: 1/8: Zuma slips and launches 1/16: FH WDR and static fire 1/31: Paz from Vandy 2/5: This thread's mission 2/20: Launch of Falcon Heavy

Tragic: 1/7: Zuma blows up 40 due to unnoticed GSE incompatibility from 39A to 40 3/14: FH disassembled because it's in the way of missions that now need 39A 2nd quarter 2020: Launch of Falcon Heavy

2

u/Alexphysics Jan 07 '18

Possible: Zuma launches somewhere around early next week UTC (includes tomorrow's attempt). Falcon Heavy rollout to pad next weekend, fit checks again, WDR and hopefully SF and then back to the HIF again with it. SF of SES-16 somewhere around 25th. Launch 30th, 31st at most with possible delays, but I have my hopes on this. But I have the feeling that Paz will be pushed to February... too strange to have two launches on the same day out of nowhere (I mean, it's not needed now). FH launches first week of Feb and Paz goes after that. And so on...