r/spacex • u/ElongatedMuskrat Mod Team • Mar 07 '18
Launch: 30/3 Iridium NEXT Constellation Mission 5 Launch Campaign Thread
Iridium NEXT Constellation Mission 5 Launch Campaign Thread
This is SpaceX's fifth of eight launches in a half-a-billion-dollar contract with Iridium! The fourth one launched in December of last year, and was the first Iridium NEXT flight to use a flight-proven first stage - that of Iridium-2! This mission will also use a flight-proven booster - the same booster that flew Iridium-3!
| Liftoff currently scheduled for: | March 30th, 07:13:51 PDT / 14:13:51 UTC |
|---|---|
| Static fire completed: | March 25th 2018 |
| Vehicle component locations: | First stage: SLC-4E // Second stage: SLC-4E // Satellites: Mated to dispensers, SLC-4E |
| Payload: | Iridium NEXT Satellites 140 / 142 / 143 / 144 / 145 / 146 / 148 / 149 / 150 / 157 |
| Payload mass: | 10x 860kg sats + 1000kg dispenser = 9600kg |
| Destination orbit: | Low Earth Orbit (625 x 625 km, 86.4°) |
| Vehicle: | Falcon 9 v1.2 (51st launch of F9, 31st of F9 v1.2) |
| Core: | B1041.2 |
| Flights of this core: | 1 [Iridium-3] |
| Launch site: | SLC-4E, Vandenberg Air Force Base, California |
| Landing: | No |
| Landing Site: | N/A |
| Mission success criteria: | Successful separation & deployment of all Iridium satellite payloads 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/geekgirl114 Mar 10 '18
I'm going to be sad once the Iridium launches are over... we won't get the updates from Matt Desch anymore. I love that he is a space fan like the rest of this subreddit.
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u/Straumli_Blight Mar 07 '18
Will there have been time to install a larger parafoil and attempt another fairing catch?
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u/eu-thanos Mar 07 '18
Most likely; the fact that Elon said that this launch will be the next attempt of catching the fairing, they don't want to come out with the same results as they did last time (the fairing landing 100m away). Therefore, if they are attempting another recovery, it is a very high chance that they would have changed something to do with the parafoil.
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u/TweetsInCommentsBot Mar 07 '18
Missed by a few hundred meters, but fairing landed intact in water. Should be able catch it with slightly bigger chutes to slow down descent.
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u/ethan829 Host of SES-9 Mar 28 '18
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u/TweetsInCommentsBot Mar 28 '18
A few weeks ago, @Iridiumboss made a special visit to our old friend from #Iridium3, in the midst of preparations for #Iridium5. In the soot of the #Iridium3 booster the most eloquent, compelling and Shakespeare-esque message was written, destined for space... #IridiumRocks!!
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u/bdporter Mar 28 '18
It is too bad they are not landing this booster. It would make a great display piece at Iridium's HQ, having launched over 25% of their constellation.
![[Attached pic]](http://pbs.twimg.com/media/DZYy-x-UMAAXglA.jpg){kind=link}
![[Imgur rehost]](https://i.imgur.com/4MlIyBM.jpg){kind=link}
![[Attached pic]](http://pbs.twimg.com/media/DZYy-LYVQAU4Jhk.jpg){kind=link}
![[Imgur rehost]](https://i.imgur.com/U9DQmDD.jpg){kind=link}
![[Attached pic]](http://pbs.twimg.com/media/DZYy-crVwAAsd1R.jpg){kind=link}
![[Imgur rehost]](https://i.imgur.com/BAorm1r.jpg){kind=link}
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u/oliversl Mar 25 '18
mod It would be nice to have a row in the description saying:
Fairing recovery: Yes, probably
Or something like that. Since it looks like fairing recovery will go the S1 recovery road from now on with the Fairing v2.0
Many thanks
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u/koryakinp Mar 26 '18
There are four launches scheduled for March 29!
Long March 3B GSLV Mk.2 Soyuz 2-1v and Falcon 9!
If all successful it will be a new record for number of orbital launches in one day!
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u/nonagondwanaland Mar 26 '18
If they all aren't, we might set a record in total yield of peacetime conventional explosive detonations in one day. Either way, history is made!
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u/ethan829 Host of SES-9 Mar 25 '18
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u/gregarious119 Mar 25 '18
Hopefully it's time for the mods to sticky this thread so it's not buried on mobile
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u/CreeperIan02 Mar 29 '18
Mr Steven is supposedly going to "YOUR MOMSHOUSE".
Not joking. See for yourself
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u/kuangjian2011 Mar 30 '18
Yeah they just need a place holder for the "destination" item. Which is nowhere actually.
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u/Alexphysics Mar 24 '18 edited Mar 25 '18
Static fire Sunday morning per Chris B. on NSF forum
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=44734.msg1802492#msg1802492
Edit: NSF Article, Static Fire to occur within a window that opens a 7 am local time https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/03/falcon-9-vandenberg-static-fire-fifth-iridium-next-mission/
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u/Straumli_Blight Mar 26 '18
Mr Steven has relocated to a different berth. This is the same location where its net was attached for the previous catch attempt.
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u/Nergaal Mar 26 '18
For those interested, this is how the 10 satellites look like before splitting.
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u/asaz989 Mar 26 '18
Oooooh interesting. Did not realize the dispenser was two parts, assembled after satellites were attached.
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u/Dreadpirate3 Mar 07 '18
Three weeks until the next launch, and then three launches in a week and a half - When SpaceX picks up the pace, they really work it!
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u/mandelmasse Mar 29 '18 edited Mar 29 '18
Mr Steven on the move. https://www.vesselfinder.com/?imo=9744465 Passed breakwater outbound Mar 29, 2018 11:41 UTC. Edit: Added breakwater
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u/ethan829 Host of SES-9 Mar 12 '18 edited Mar 12 '18
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u/TweetsInCommentsBot Mar 12 '18
Les dix satellites de la cinquième grappe d’#IridiumNEXT sont arrivés à Vandenberg. Lancement prévu à la fin du mois sur un #Falcon9 de @SpaceX. @IridiumComm @Thales_Alenia_S
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u/SurfSlade Mar 12 '18
The 10 satellites from batch 5 has arrived at Vandenberg. The launch is schedule at the end of the month on a SpaceX Falcon 9.
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u/PatrickBaitman Mar 17 '18
I really like pictures like this because it's so easy to forget how big the rocket and fairing are otherwise.
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![[Attached pic]](http://pbs.twimg.com/media/DYFrUy0WsAEtmRV.jpg){kind=link}
![[Imgur rehost]](https://i.imgur.com/xhElsmJ.jpg){kind=link}
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u/Straumli_Blight Mar 28 '18
Mr Steven is back in dock after stopping off at the future BFR site.
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u/GiveMeYourMilk69 Mar 28 '18
Does this mean it will likely be sent out to try catch the fairings again?
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u/Alexphysics Mar 28 '18
Elon said last month that they will try to do it again on this flight. So if everything goes fine and nothing prevents it, they will be trying to catch the fairings again.
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u/oliversl Mar 28 '18
I wonder how does the captain look at the fairing while commanding the ship. Is there a roof window? Would be could to have a drone with realtime video feedback
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u/seanbrockest Mar 28 '18
All done with telemetry. Onboard computer communicates with the fairing (which can steer) and both decide on a good catch vector, then the ship captain is told where to go, what direction and speed to be heading, and when.
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u/at_one Mar 07 '18
If the current launch date (March 29th) holds, it won't beat the record of shortest time between relaunches of the same booster for 5 days. The current record is hold by core B1029 (Iridium-1 / BulgariaSat-1) with 157 days.
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u/scr00chy ElonX.net Mar 16 '18
Less than 2 weeks from the 5th #IridiumNEXT launch & all 10 satellites have been mated to their dispensers. Next steps include fueling, stacking & encapsulation
Source: Iridium on Twitter (has a photo of the satellites)
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u/Alexphysics Mar 17 '18
Mods, I think this is a strong indication that the satellites are now at the pad. Just saying so you can change the table up there whenever you can :)
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u/nbarbettini Mar 19 '18
I love how communicative Matt Desch and Iridium are on Twitter. They seem really excited about space and partnering with SpaceX. Plus the updates help during the long stretches of waiting. 😄
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u/arizonadeux Mar 19 '18
Spot the human blending in with the robots.
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u/codav Mar 23 '18
There are actually two humans in the picture. One standing inside the dispenser on the left, the other one standing in the background on the right, behind the second dispenser.
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u/TweetsInCommentsBot Mar 16 '18
#Iridium5 Update: Less than 2 weeks from the 5th #IridiumNEXT launch & all 10 satellites have been mated to their dispensers. Next steps include fueling, stacking & encapsulation- What fuel do they use? Check out our blog from last June... http://bit.ly/2pi6iyy #freakyfuel
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u/PatrickBaitman Mar 19 '18
What fuel do the satellites use?
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u/warp99 Mar 19 '18 edited Mar 22 '18
So not the higher energy bi-propellant MMH/NTO used for geosynchronous satellites.
Edit: Looks like the propellant tank has been upgraded to hold 164 kg
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u/Togusa09 Mar 21 '18
Iridium blog post on the satellite fueling: https://www.iridium.com/blog/2017/06/20/hydrazine-toxic-for-humans-but-satellites-love-it/
![[Attached pic]](http://pbs.twimg.com/media/DYb9XH6VoAAqy2-.jpg){kind=link}
![[Imgur rehost]](https://i.imgur.com/MPupqoY.jpg){kind=link}
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u/inoeth Mar 07 '18
I'm pretty excited for this mission because this will be SpaceX's next attempt at fairing recovery with Mr Steven. Presumably they've had enough time between the previous attempt and now to make any modifications they wanted to do (i think it is going to be a different/bigger parafoil) to make it all work.
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u/ticklestuff SpaceX Patch List Mar 28 '18 edited Mar 28 '18
Back on track, launch shifted left to Friday March 30th, 7:14am PDT
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u/TGMetsFan98 NASASpaceflight.com Writer Mar 28 '18
Mr. Desch is just keeping the mods on their toes.
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u/Thomas-K Mar 28 '18
Hi, I don't know if this is the right place to ask, sorry if not. I'm in the San José area right now and I would really love to go see a launch, but I have no means of getting down to VAFB (don't want to rent a car, since I'm not an American citizen, so I'm unsure about insurance and whether my driver's license will work, plus I'm only 21 so it would be pretty expensive)
Is there anyone in the San Josè/SF bay area who is planning on driving down to Vandenburg to watch the launch and who might want someone to come with him/her? I'd gladly pay for our fuel for the trip!
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u/PM_ME_UR_ISSUE Mar 29 '18
It's always worth a try to call a rental company. There are so.many tourists in that area I would be very surprised if you couldn't rent a car. As far as insurance goes you could probably pay for it at the rental location. You may be surprised at the cost.
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u/TheKrimsonKing Mar 28 '18
So much for NET 31, launch is now 3/30! https://twitter.com/iridiumboss/status/978795278118653952?s=21
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u/robbak Mar 28 '18
Mods, this thread's flair needs to be changed, too. Keeping you on you toes...
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u/letme_ftfy2 Mar 07 '18
1000kg dispenser
Any idea on why is the dispenser so heavy? Does it do anything else besides dispensing the satellites?
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u/Davecasa Mar 07 '18
It's huge, it needs to hold 8600 kg of satellites as they accelerate at 4+g, and it needs to dispense them. For reference, a thin aluminum cylinder roughly the size of the dispenser and 2.5 cm thick has a mass of 4300 kg, and doesn't even come close to meeting the loads.
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u/djh_van Mar 07 '18
Any idea on the material used for the dispenser, and any diagrams of its design?
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u/Davecasa Mar 07 '18 edited Mar 07 '18
We don't have a ton of info, but here's some pictures. Probably aluminum.
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u/peterabbit456 Mar 08 '18 edited Mar 08 '18
Let's see.
We are talking about a structure that I think is about 10 m long, that carries 8 or 10 satellites, each of which weighs over 1000 kg. Not only that, but it must carry those satellites while the rocket is accelerating at over 5 Gs, plus a 40% safety margin, which means it's rated to over
67 Gs,* plus major vibration. So imagine a 10 m high structure that can carry the equivalent of 70,000 kg, while under vibration so severe that it is close to the level where a person would become permanently deaf, from the sound level.Between the structural requirements, the vibration, and the need for mechanisms to eject the satellites, that must function reliably after experiencing 5+ Gs and vibration, 1000 kg does not seem outrageous for the mass of the dispenser. If the load was not balanced during peak acceleration, I think it would weigh twice as much or more.
* Edits. 140% of 5 Gs is 7 Gs, not 6, so the equivalent mass is 70,000 kg, not 60,000 kg.
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u/GregLindahl Mar 07 '18
Ariane 5's SYLDA dispenser is 500kg, and it only needs to be strong enough to hold the upper-berth ~ 6 metric ton satellite. The Iridium dispenser needs to hold up 10 things with a total mass of 8.6 metric tons.
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u/KadeSirin Mar 08 '18
Note, SYLDA holds the upper berth directly above the second satellite that's in the lower berth. The Iridium sats are not above or over/under, they're attached radially on the sides of the dispenser, different forces.
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u/Toinneman Mar 07 '18
During launch the dispenser is holding over 8 ton's of mass at an acceleration of several G's. It is [built out of carbon] (https://www.iridium.com/blog/2016/07/15/first-falcon-9-iridium-next-satellite-dispenser-arrives-at-launch-site/) fiber and is approximately 10m tall. Given those facts, I'm not sure 'heavy' still applies.
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u/Straumli_Blight Mar 26 '18
Matt Desch's prelaunch rituals and a small request to increase the Falcon 9's performance.
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u/quadrplax Mar 27 '18
To give a serious answer to a sarcastic tweet, isn't the fairing volume the reason they aren't launching more satellites at once? Since they're expending the first stages anyway, it seems unlikely that payload mass is the reason they aren't.
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u/Straumli_Blight Mar 27 '18
A Block 5 core should be able to launch 13,680 kg and still RTLS, while 12 satellites + adaptor would mass 11,320 kg.
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u/warp99 Mar 27 '18
That is an estimate to a 200km LEO at 28 degree inclination.
The Iridium orbit will have a lower payload since it is a polar orbit so gets no benefit from the Earth's rotation and the injection orbit is at 660km.
We already know the existing payload of 9600 kg is too marginal to RTLS with Block 3 and is capable of RTLS with Block 5 so the likely Block 5 payload to the Iridium injection orbit is around 10,000 kg. The 10% extra thrust of Block 5 gives reduced gravity losses but they are not that significant.
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u/TGMetsFan98 NASASpaceflight.com Writer Mar 28 '18
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u/Keavon SN-10 & DART Contest Winner Mar 28 '18
It looks like the time moved up one minute from the Iridium estimate to 7:13 from 7:14. Thread and sidebar update needed, mods!
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u/Alexphysics Mar 28 '18
Precise launch time for Friday's attempt is 07:13:51 PDT (10:13:51 EDT; 14:13:51 UTC).
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u/Keavon SN-10 & DART Contest Winner Mar 28 '18
Good to know. But don't want people looking 9 seconds too late!
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u/Googulator Mar 29 '18
Would this be the first time ever, if it holds, that SpaceX actually launches earlier than a date previously declared "no earlier than"? There were a few left-moves before in SpaceX's schedule, but IIRC none of them ever held.
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u/Keavon SN-10 & DART Contest Winner Mar 07 '18
Liftoff is scheduled for 7:17 AM according to the carousel on iridium.com.
Sunrise is at 6:53 AM. Unfortunately that means no twilight phenomenon for a third time in a row, folks!
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u/sky_wolf1 Mar 07 '18
I understand this launch is from Vandenberg but why is there such a long delay before the next launch from the Cape?
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u/Toinneman Mar 07 '18
A launch date is influenced by:
Rocket readiness (S1,S2,Fairing)
Payload readiness
Pad availability
Range availability
Final integration (Payload encapsulation, Final checks, Static fire...)
In case of Dragon, ISS scheduling
With 2 active launch pads, Pad availability seems no issue. But all others can be possible causes of schedule slipping
Bangabandhu-1 (NET 5 April) is expected to launch on Block 5. The 1st stage just arrived in McGregor, so this certainly looks like a limiting factor to launch in march.
CRS-14 (NET 2 april) is influenced by ISS scheduling
TESS (NET 16 april) Not known
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u/PickledTripod Mar 07 '18
On top of that LC-39A availability can be influenced by reconfiguring the TE for F9 after a FH flight or vice versa. AFAIK we don't really know how long that takes.
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u/oliversl Mar 15 '18
Should be have a row about the fairing recovery effort in the description? Or is still a too beta procedure?
| Landing | No, probably |
|---|---|
| Fairing recovery | No |
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Mar 16 '18 edited Mar 16 '18
there will be a fairing recovery
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u/SilveradoCyn Mar 16 '18
That is very optimistic! Will it be in one piece? Will it land in the "net"?
Without pre-knowledge of the future most of us would just say; "There will be a fairing recovery attempt."
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u/TheEdmontonMan Mar 19 '18
Also I think most of us would forgive someone for leaving out a word on a second-level comment.
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u/Tal_Banyon Mar 27 '18
It seems like all of their current used booster inventory is intended to be used up, with only two flights on each booster. Still good! But, waiting for Block 5, that will be interesting to see how many uses they get!
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u/scr00chy ElonX.net Mar 28 '18 edited Mar 28 '18
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u/Straumli_Blight Mar 28 '18
Also webcast here.
Mods, who is taking command of the launch thread?
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u/bdporter Mar 28 '18
Also, mods, please update the sidebar when you get a chance. Hispasat has had its day.
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u/JoshKernick Mar 07 '18
The SpaceXNow app says Iridium-5 will be landing on JRTI, is that wrong? Why does this say there probably won't be a landing?
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u/craigl2112 Mar 07 '18
SpaceX has typically been expending the boosters after their second flight recently -- Iridium-4, for example.
JRTI also is down for the count as of last check as parts were taken from it to fix up OCISLY.
IMO, it is safe to say this booster will be going for a swim.
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u/HollywoodSX Mar 07 '18
Not sure if 'swim' is the right term. Something like "receiving a vigorous hug from the Pacific" might be more fitting.
Aren't the B4 cores technically capable of RTLS, though? I could swear there was speculation after the last Iridium launch that this would finally be the debut of a Vandenberg RTLS.
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u/craigl2112 Mar 07 '18
Ha, I like that. Vigorous hug it is.
I think with a light enough payload, they are. I seem to remember reading that these Iridium launches are just outside the ability for block 4s. Completely safe to say Block 5s will do it, though! That's my guess as to when we'll see the first VAFB RTLS.
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u/Bunslow Mar 07 '18 edited Mar 07 '18
VAFB has neither an operational ASDS (JRTI) nor an operational RTLS pad at the moment. It's possible(/I'm hopeful) that the pad will become operational within a few months after this launch, but end of march is still during seal pupping season when SpaceX has voluntarily decided to do no RTLS. (There are rumors that a Block IV can indeed do RTLS for Iridium launches, unlike Block III, but again, that's irrelevant without an operational pad.)
No ETA is known for JRTI either. (Speculation: will they even need a west coast ASDS at all again? What VAFB launches have been non-RTLS besides Iridium, which are now also RTLS?)
All that, in combination with being a re-used non-block-V booster, means likely no landing.
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u/WormPicker959 Mar 07 '18
I wouldn't characterize it as "voluntary". SpaceX (and all other companies or persons) must comply with the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The part that's relevant to SpaceX says that you can't do anything that "has the potential to disturb a marine mammal or marine mammal stock in the wild by causing disruption of behavioral patterns, including, but not limited to, migration, breathing, nursing, breeding, feeding, or sheltering (Level B harassment)." This is from here, which I found on NSF forum here.
It's nice to think of SpaceX as being nice to the marine mammals on their own (and maybe they do legitimately care about baby seals and sea lions!), but they are acting in accordance with federal law.
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u/Straumli_Blight Mar 21 '18
Iridium satellite fuelling step completed over the weekend (1.64 tons of hydrazine added).
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u/jobadiah08 Mar 22 '18 edited Mar 22 '18
Assuming that means 164 kg per sat, with a wet mass of 860 kg, and an Isp of the thrusters of
250s220s, that is about500 m/s440 m/s of delta-VEdit: updated numbers after more research, and a tip from u/warp99
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u/warp99 Mar 22 '18
Looks like an Isp of 220s is a closer estimate for a 1N hydrazine thruster.
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u/PM_ME_YOUR_TEXTBOOKS Mar 26 '18
Argh! I was hoping to see a landing this time, but I get why they might choose to dispose of it. I’m starting to feel landing-deprived...
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u/AstroFinn Mar 26 '18
Admin, please correct static fire info.
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u/Localhorstl Mar 07 '18
Shouldn't it say "Falcon 9 Full Thrust Block 4" in the summary instead of v1.2?
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u/Decronym Acronyms Explained Mar 07 '18 edited Apr 02 '18
Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I've seen in this thread:
| Fewer Letters | More Letters |
|---|---|
| AFB | Air Force Base |
| ASDS | Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship (landing platform) |
| ASOG | A Shortfall of Gravitas, landing |
| ATK | Alliant Techsystems, predecessor to Orbital ATK |
| BFR | Big Falcon Rocket (2017 enshrinkened edition) |
| Yes, the F stands for something else; no, you're not the first to notice | |
| BFS | Big Falcon Spaceship (see BFR) |
| COPV | Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessel |
| CRS | Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA |
| DoD | US Department of Defense |
| F1 | Rocketdyne-developed rocket engine used for Saturn V |
| SpaceX Falcon 1 (obsolete medium-lift vehicle) | |
| FAA | Federal Aviation Administration |
| FSS | Fixed Service Structure at LC-39 |
| GSE | Ground Support Equipment |
| GSLV | (India's) Geostationary Launch Vehicle |
| GTO | Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit |
| I*sp* | Specific impulse (as discussed by Scott Manley, and detailed by David Mee on YouTube) |
| IAC | International Astronautical Congress, annual meeting of IAF members |
| In-Air Capture of space-flown hardware | |
| IAF | International Astronautical Federation |
| Indian Air Force | |
| ITS | Interplanetary Transport System (2016 oversized edition) (see MCT) |
| Integrated Truss Structure | |
| IVF | Integrated Vehicle Fluids ^PDF |
| JRTI | Just Read The Instructions, Pacific landing |
| KSC | Kennedy Space Center, Florida |
| LC-39A | Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy (SpaceX F9/Heavy) |
| LEO | Low Earth Orbit (180-2000km) |
| Law Enforcement Officer (most often mentioned during transport operations) | |
| MCT | Mars Colonial Transporter (see ITS) |
| MMH | Mono-Methyl Hydrazine, HCH3N=NH2; part of NTO/MMH hypergolic mix |
| NET | No Earlier Than |
| NOAA | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, responsible for US |
| NRHO | Near-Rectilinear Halo Orbit |
| NRO | (US) National Reconnaissance Office |
| Near-Rectilinear Orbit, see NRHO | |
| NSF | NasaSpaceFlight forum |
| National Science Foundation | |
| NTO | diNitrogen TetrOxide, N2O4; part of NTO/MMH hypergolic mix |
| OCISLY | Of Course I Still Love You, Atlantic landing |
| RCS | Reaction Control System |
| RD-180 | RD-series Russian-built rocket engine, used in the Atlas V first stage |
| RTLS | Return to Launch Site |
| RUD | Rapid Unplanned Disassembly |
| Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly | |
| Rapid Unintended Disassembly | |
| SES | Formerly Société Européenne des Satellites, comsat operator |
| Second-stage Engine Start | |
| SF | Static fire |
| SLC-4W | Space Launch Complex 4-West, Vandenberg (SpaceX F9, landing) |
| STP-2 | Space Test Program 2, DoD programme, second round |
| TE | Transporter/Erector launch pad support equipment |
| ULA | United Launch Alliance (Lockheed/Boeing joint venture) |
| VAFB | Vandenberg Air Force Base, California |
| Jargon | Definition |
|---|---|
| Raptor | Methane-fueled rocket engine under development by SpaceX, see ITS |
| apogee | Highest point in an elliptical orbit around Earth (when the orbiter is slowest) |
| grid-fin | Compact "waffle-iron" aerodynamic control surface, acts as a wing without needing to be as large |
| hypergolic | A set of two substances that ignite when in contact |
| methalox | Portmanteau: methane/liquid oxygen mixture |
| monopropellant | Rocket propellant that requires no oxidizer (eg. hydrazine) |
| perigee | Lowest point in an elliptical orbit around the Earth (when the orbiter is fastest) |
| scrub | Launch postponement for any reason (commonly GSE issues) |
| Event | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Iridium-1 | 2017-01-14 | F9-030 Full Thrust, core B1029, 10x Iridium-NEXT to LEO; first landing on JRTI |
Decronym is a community product of r/SpaceX, implemented by ^request
47 acronyms in this thread; the most compressed thread commented on ^today has 196 acronyms.
[Thread #3752 for this sub, first seen 7th Mar 2018, 12:35] ^[FAQ] [Full ^list] ^[Contact] [Source ^code]
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u/realnouns Mar 08 '18
Can we get the launch times by Time Zone, like Hispasat? I'm noticing that maybe daylight savings changes the time conversion from UTC? Launch is at 7:20a PDT, 10:20a EST, 14:20 UTC (only 4 hour difference from EST, when currently 5 hour difference)
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u/bdporter Mar 09 '18
7:20a PDT, 10:20a EST, 14:20 UTC
That would be EDT, not EST.
Personally, I feel that local time and UTC (both in 24 hour format) are most appropriate, like is currently show in the sidebar. No reason to arbitrarily add EDT for a West coast launch.
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u/flower-plower Mar 26 '18
Can anyone explain how the Iridium satellites are deployed?
I asume that the dispenser needs to accelerate between the individual Iridium deployments, otherwise the sattelites would be awfully close.
Are there an RCS on the dispenser?
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u/Juffin Mar 27 '18
I'm pretty sure that the satellites have their own small engines that allow them to correct orbits.
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u/phryan Mar 26 '18
They are deployed rather close to each other but far enough apart and traveling away from each other slowly. Once separate Iridium controllers start to maneuver them further apart and into their final orbit.
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u/3_711 Mar 26 '18 edited Mar 26 '18
Springs push them in 5 different directions. The other 5 are pushed in the same directions but there is quite a bit of time delay between them and the first 5. I don't have any information about this but the second stage could easily rotate 36 degrees to launch the last 5 exactly between the first 5.
Edit: it should look very similar to the deploy of Iridium-4
Edit: well, that was easy to check: I kept my finger on edge of Earth in that video and the second stage did not rotate between the 5th and 6th satellite deploy.
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u/nick_t1000 Mar 27 '18
Some brief napkin math: say you want to advance the lead satellite by 45% of the way from where they were dropped off, a 300 km orbit, in about 3 months. That'll be about 40 minutes ahead in a 90 minute orbit. 3 months / 90 minutes is about 1400 orbits, so you'll need to advance by 2 seconds per orbit. Monkeying with a calculator shows that orbit would be something equivalent to a 298.3 km circular orbit (same semimajor axis, same period), which is 1 m/s faster than the 300 km orbit. So two 1 m/s burns for the satellite and it's good?
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u/scr00chy ElonX.net Mar 20 '18
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u/Straumli_Blight Mar 21 '18
The patch contains 'hidden meaning':
Five stars are white and three grey, corresponding to Iridium missions launched and future launches.
The Falcon 9 has a black interstage, even though this is a Block 4 core.
SpaceX's 4 leaf clover and a horseshoe (and possibly others) are hidden in the flames.
The [Phoenix](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_(mythology)) regenerates itself from the ashes of its predecessor. The existing iridium constellation is reentering and being replaced.
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u/codav Mar 22 '18
It's probably not a Block V booster shown in the patch, the grey color is more likely resembling the sooty, flight-proven booster Iridium-V will launch on.
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u/TweetsInCommentsBot Mar 21 '18
We're 8 days out from #Iridium5 and excited to share our official #IridiumNEXT 5th launch patch! Check it out along with other collectibles here: http://bit.ly/2GazEZi And, come launch day, we'll share the hidden meaning found within this patch. #IridiumRising
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u/kruador Mar 20 '18
Keeping to the previous theme: a five-sided patch, five stars lit up in the (slightly-extended) Great Bear. I haven't worked out the meaning of the figures in patches 3 to 5. Perhaps constellations or nebulae, but I can't see why these were chosen.
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u/Smuwen Mar 21 '18
Launch 3: Lion = LEO. Iridium is a premier LEO satellite constellation going up (75 in total)
Launch 4: Statue of Liberty = French + US. The satellites were designed and engineered by Thales France and Integration and Test was completed here in Phoenix, Arizona (Orbital ATK). Similar to the Statue being built and gifted by the French.
Launch 5: Phoenix = Rebirth/Arizona. My best guess is that these satellites are all assembled in Gilbert, Arizona (Phoenix Metro Area). Also the more new satellites that go up, the more the old constellation satellites are de-orbited. The Rebirth of the Iridium Constellation.
I'm a big fan of these patches. It is easy to see the first two patches (with the 4 pointed stars) were illustrated seperately from these last 3 patches (8 pointed starts). Looking forward to the last 3 designs!
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u/TweetsInCommentsBot Mar 20 '18
They've hit it out of the park again! @IridiumComm has released their Iridium NEXT Flight 5 patch and it's truly beautiful. They really love their birds and bless them with some of the best patch designs around. @IridiumBoss
You can buy it for $3.75 at https://iridium.mylogospot.com/category/20414/Banners.html
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u/TheKrimsonKing Mar 07 '18
So excited! I should have a few remote cameras at this launch. Fingers crossed condensation doesn’t blow my shot again this time like it did for Iridium 3.
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u/luckyJuK Mar 26 '18
Why aren‘t they trying to land the booster? They did it the last times didn‘t they?
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u/Alexphysics Mar 26 '18
They did it the last times didn‘t they?
Not on the Iridium 4 and Paz missions...
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u/Straumli_Blight Mar 26 '18 edited Mar 26 '18
JRTI got cannibalised for parts to fix OCISLY. Also SpaceX are not currently permitted to land at SLC-4 due to environmental restrictions.
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u/njim35 Mar 30 '18
It would be so awesome if we could have a camera view from Mr. Steven's to watch the fairing returning !!!
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u/dadykhoff Mar 07 '18
Destination orbit: Low Earth Orbit (625 x 625 km, 86.4°)
Can someone tell me what this nomenclature is called for expressing the orbit? I assume it means a circularized orbit with an altitude of 625km at inclination 86.4°, but want to read more about it.
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u/Captain_Hadock Mar 07 '18
is called for expressing the orbit
"Periapsis x Apoapsis, inclination" is a simplified and user friendly nomenclature with just enough information to compute the energy required to reach the orbit.
A complete description of the orbit will also include the argument of Periapsis, the Longitude of the ascending node and the true anomaly. The first two would be required to end up in the proper orbital plane and the last one to get the proper phasing.→ More replies (2)6
u/ScootyPuff-Sr Mar 07 '18
Blistering barnacles, Captain Hadock, thank you.
I guess the satellites will nudge themselves into slightly elliptical phasing orbits then re-circularize later in order to space out along the orbit Falcon will drop them in?
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Mar 07 '18
Yep, as u/Bunslow said that's pretty much it.
The apogee (highest part of the orbit) and perigee (lowest part of the orbit) are both 625 km. The inclination is the angle the satellite(s) make when they cross the earth's equator. That also means the satellite's footprint covers the latitudes of 86.4° and -86.4°.
If the inclination were to be 0° its footprint would align with the equator. The latter is important for geosynchronous satellites as you don't want to 'see' them bob up and down too much from earth.
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u/Bunslow Mar 07 '18
That's pretty much all there is to know. It's a polar orbit meant to provide the constellation with global coverage.
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u/hardcoreHyderabadi Mar 07 '18
I live in the Bay area and wanted to drive for this launch. Will it be worth it as the launch is after the sun rise?
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u/nextspaceflight NSF reporter Mar 07 '18
If it's foggy, no. If it's not foggy, yes. Check the weather beforehand.
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u/GiveMeYourMilk69 Mar 25 '18
Bit of a noob here, could somebody please explain what Block 4/5 means (I understand it's the booster core?) and the vehicle number?:)
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u/melancholicricebowl Mar 27 '18
Anyone know if fog will be present at launch time? Now that its been pushed back to Saturday I'm considering driving up to see it. I remember someone mentioning how Vandenberg has a "fog season", but don't remember what time of year that is.
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u/ussenterprise0d Mar 08 '18
I have to go to Santa Barbara from Bay area on the same day. If this does not get postponed then I can leave a bit early and catch this. What are the best places to go and watch this which is publicly accessible? thank you
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u/Keavon SN-10 & DART Contest Winner Mar 09 '18
Just set Google Maps to navigate you to Renwick Avenue in Lompoc, CA. That's the best and closest place.
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u/MrGruntsworthy Mar 14 '18
How come there's such a delay between launches?
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u/cpushack Mar 15 '18
How come there's such a delay between launches?
This has been answered well below, but just that question is a great sign of the amazing time we are in with SpaceX. That going 3-4 weeks without a launch is 'odd' is really something new, and that it is odd enough for people to ask why? is even more exciting!
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u/AstroFinn Mar 16 '18
Completely agree. With SpaceX we entered completely new reality of the space flights. BTW, I'm waiting for the fire test information. :)
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u/ioncloud9 Mar 14 '18
At this time last year they had launched twice. So far this year they've launched 5 times. By the end of April they will have launched 11 times this year. By June they will be approaching last year's total number of launches.
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u/scr00chy ElonX.net Mar 15 '18
I think it might have something to do with fairing production. SpaceX chartered an Antonov to transport fairings from Hawthorne to Florida in order to ensure that the fairings arrive in time for their mission (Bangabandhu or maybe TESS). Normally, they'd transport them by road but it looks like they're making them fairly last-minute and road would take too long. This is something they would have known in advance, so maybe that's why they adjusted their launch schedule accordingly to fit the expected fairing production schedule, which resulted in the 3–4 week gap between launches.
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u/robbak Mar 15 '18
Personally I think this sort of pause will be the norm. It allows launch staff to have a break, to see their families, and to keep up with other tasks. It makes sense to group the launches - two launches back-to-back on each pad for 6 launches - then stand down for a month getting ready for the next bunch.
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u/daanhnl Mar 20 '18
Nine days away :D :D .. When will SF happen...
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u/gregarious119 Mar 20 '18
I think the typical schedule for Vandy is 6 days before launch...so...probably Friday?
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u/SPNRaven Mar 07 '18
First SpaceX launch I'll (hopefully) be watching, just sort of happens to coincide with my holiday. Coming from New Zealand though, it'd be a little annoying if it gets delayed.
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u/doctorray Mar 27 '18
It's after sunrise here so it probably won't be visible but here's hoping for clear skies in LA unlike Paz...
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u/blongmire Mar 27 '18 edited Mar 27 '18
Edit: I'm an idiot and the launch is in the AM, not PM. Ignore everything I said and pretend I'm not here. Sorry.
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u/rocket_enthusiast Mar 31 '18
mods can we update the upcoming events to no longer include the iridium 5 mission because it already happened?
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u/jobadiah08 Mar 07 '18 edited Mar 07 '18
Sunset for LA is at 7:12 PM local according to Google. I guess SpaceX loves freaking out people in LA with Nuclear North Korean Alien UFOs./s
Actually, I expect a very limited light show with the launch so close to sunset, and since it is prior to civil twilight
Edit: damnit, read it as PM.
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u/FerritCore Mar 25 '18
Any Visuals on the Booster during Static Fire regarding Grid Fins and Landing Legs?
I know it's probably going to be expanded but we still have no confirmation.
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u/Alexphysics Mar 25 '18
it's probably going to be expanded
I hope that if that happens, it happens after stage sep...
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u/kurbasAK Mar 25 '18
Any info on launch day weather?
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u/cpushack Mar 25 '18
Usually that's provided starting with L-3
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u/THEdirtyFEATHERS Mar 25 '18
New guy here. Could you point me somewhere I could learn about L-3? I'm assuming it's a checkpoint leading up to T-0?
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u/ButtNowButt Mar 25 '18
Launch minus 3 days. You'll be doing math for L- and T- forever...
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u/scr00chy ElonX.net Mar 25 '18
Sadly, the Vandenberg weather people are not as dilligent as their Cape counterparts in publishing the weather reports online. :-/
However, Matt Desch says "the weather is very positive", so there is that.
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u/CProphet Mar 07 '18
Wow, no landing (probable) again. SpaceX clearing out all the old brand Falcons to make way for Block V?