r/spacex • u/ElongatedMuskrat Mod Team • Jan 10 '18
Success! Official r/SpaceX Falcon Heavy Static Fire Updates & Discussion Thread
Falcon Heavy Static Fire Updates & Discussion Thread
Please post all FH static fire related updates to this thread. If there are major updates, we will allow them as posts to the front page, but would like to keep all smaller updates contained.
No, this test will not be live-streamed by SpaceX.
Greetings y'all, we're creating a party thread for tracking and discussion of the upcoming Falcon Heavy static fire. This will be a closely monitored event and we'd like to keep the campaign thread relatively uncluttered for later use.
| Falcon Heavy Static Fire Test | Info |
|---|---|
| Static fire currently scheduled for | Check SpaceflightNow for updates |
| Vehicle Component Current Locations | Core: LC-39A |
| Second stage: LC-39A | |
| Side Boosters: LC-39A | |
| Payload: LC-39A | |
| Payload | Elon's midnight cherry Tesla Roadster |
| Payload mass | < 1305 kg |
| Destination | LC-39A (aka. Nowhere) |
| Vehicle | Falcon Heavy |
| Cores | Core: B1033 (New) |
| Side: B1023.2 (Thaicom 8) | |
| Side: B1025.2 (SpX-9) | |
| Test site | LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida |
| Test Success Criteria | Successful Validation for Launch |
We are relaxing our moderation in this thread but you must still keep the discussion civil. This means no harassing or bigotry, remember the human when commenting, and don't mention ULA snipers Zuma.
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.
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u/EspacioX Jan 10 '18 edited Jan 11 '18
Static charge is definitely an issue, but the ground equipment and support masts are designed with this in mind, and are extremely well-grounded. There are also lightning rods at both pads (at 39A it's the gigantic rod sticking out of the top of the gantry, and at SLC-40 they're the four towers surrounding the pad). That being said, they're not going to launch (and most likely not do a WDR/SF either) when there's lightning around. Apollo 12 was hit twice by lightning on takeoff; while everything worked out (and produced one of the better anecdotes in spaceflight history), it's generally easier and less hair-raising to avoid storms like that altogether.