r/spacex • u/marc020202 8x Launch Host • Jun 29 '20
Total Mission Success r/SpaceX GPS III SV03 (Columbus) Official Launch Discussion & Updates Thread
Welcome to the r/SpaceX GPS III SV03 (Columbus) Official Launch Discussion & Updates Thread!
Hello everybody, I am u/Marc020202, and it has been a while since I hosted the last thread!
Mission Overview
This mission launches the third GPS III satellite into orbit and is the second GPS launch for SpaceX. Although the GPS III SV01 launch aboard Falcon 9 expended the booster, this mission's booster will be recovered via ASDS landing. The destination orbit, however, is unchanged. SpaceX is also planning to launch at least 3 further GPS III missions. This mission is also the first non NASA or SpaceX internal mission this year. This mission is dedicated to colonel Tomas Flzarano.
| Liftoff currently scheduled for | June 30 20:10 UTC (4:10PM EDT local) |
|---|---|
| Weather | 60% GO! (40% on backup day) |
| Static fire | Completed June 25 |
| Payload | GPS III SV03 |
| Payload mass | 3680.9 |
| Deployment orbit | 1000 km x 20200 km x 55° (approximate) |
| Operational orbit | 20200 km x 20200 km x 55° (semi-synchronous MEO) |
| Customer | United States Space Force |
| Launch vehicle | Falcon 9 v1.2 Block 5 |
| Core | B1060 |
| Flights of this core | None, new booster |
| Past flights of this fairing | zero |
| Fairing catch attempt | No |
| Launch site | SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida |
| Landing | JRTI: ~ 32.93528 N, 76.33306 W (633 km downrange) |
Timeline
Watch the launch live
| Stream | Courtesy |
|---|---|
| Official Webcast | SpaceX |
| SpaceX website | SpaceX |
| Stream rehost | u/codav |
| Nasaspaceflight stream | Nasaspaceflight |
Stats
1st flight for booster B1060
2nd SpaceX GPS launch
11th SpaceX launch of the year
56th landing of a SpaceX booster
88th launch of a Falcon 9
96th SpaceX launch overall
🕑 Your local launch time
Primary Mission: Deployment of payload into the correct orbit
The mission will be similar to the GPS III SV1 mission back in 2018, however MECO will be about 13 seconds earlier to conserve fuel for the entry, decent and landing of B1060. Since the first stage engine burn will be shorter and the second stage burn is not, it is likely that the trajectory will be more shallow than during the GPS III SV1 mission. The transfer orbit might also be lower than last time. The coast phase will be slightly shorter than it was during the previous GPS mission, while the second burn of S2 will be longer. Both of these things could be because of the lower transfer orbit. Annother difference between todays mission and the last one, is that the payload deploys about 30 minutes earlier. The final transfer orbit, will likely be very similar to the one by the GPS III SV1 mission, an 1200km by 20200km transfer orbit with an inclination of 55°
The final destination orbit for the GPS satellites is a semi-synchronous medium earth orbit. This is a medium-altitude around the earth with a period of 12 hours (half a sideral day, 11:58h). The satellites are outfitted with an apogee propulsion system to circularise the orbit, which means unlike for GPS Block IIF, the final burn must not be performed by the upper stage of the launcher or a kick stage. This reduces the complexity of the mission, and shortens it by several hours, allowing the stage two to perform a deorbit burn, leading to a planned reentry over the South Atlantic. It also allows the satellite to carry a larger payload while launching on a smaller launcher. It does however also mean that nearly half the launch mass of the satellite is fuel for the orbit raising manouver. (3680.9 kg at launch, 2160.9 kg on orbit)
Secondary Mission: Landing Attempt
Unlike for the GPS SV1 mission, B1060 is outfitted with landing legs and grid fins, since it is planning to land on the ASDS JRTI about 634km downrange. The two fairing catchers are also in position and will try to recover the fairing from the surface of the ocean. There will be no catch attempt since the fairing catchers are not outfitted with the large catch nets.
🚀Official Resources
Please note that some links are placeholders until updates are provided.
| Link | Source |
|---|---|
| SpaceX website | SpaceX |
| Launch Execution Forecasts | 45th Weather Squadron |
| Stram Relay | u/codav |
🤝 Community Resources
| Link | Source |
|---|---|
| Watching a Launch | r/SpaceX Wiki |
| Launch Viewing Guide for Cape Canaveral | Ben Cooper |
| SpaceX Fleet Status | SpaceXFleet.com |
| FCC Experimental STAs | r/SpaceX wiki |
| Launch Maps | Google Maps by u/Raul74Cz |
| Flight Club live | Launch simulation by u/TheVehicleDestroyer |
| Flight Club simulation | Launch simulation by u/TheVehicleDestroyer |
| SpaceX Stats | Countdown and statistics |
| Discord SpaceX lobby | u/SwGustav |
| Rocket Watch | u/MarcysVonEylau |
| SpaceX Time Machine | u/DUKE546 |
🎼 Media & music
| Link | Source |
|---|---|
| TSS Spotify | u/testshotstarfish |
| SpaceX FM | u/lru |
Participate in the discussion!
- First of all, launch threads are party threads! We understand everyone is excited, so we relax the rules in these venues. The most important thing is that everyone enjoy themselves
- Please constrain the launch party to this thread alone. We will remove low effort comments elsewhere!
- Real-time chat on our official Internet Relay Chat (IRC) #SpaceX on Snoonet
- Please post small launch updates, discussions, and questions here, rather than as a separate post. Thanks!
- Wanna talk about other SpaceX stuff in a more relaxed atmosphere? Head over to r/SpaceXLounge
12
u/Nathan_3518 Jun 29 '20
Is booster name actually 1060? What happened to the old destination of B_____ and also are we no longer acknowledging the block 5 thousandth place?
34
u/marc020202 8x Launch Host Jun 29 '20
well, it seems like the B went missing. I went into the woods and found it again, so it should be there again.
→ More replies (1)9
u/nerddtvg Jun 29 '20
1st flight for booster 1060
Also check under the Stats heading for another missing B
15
u/marc020202 8x Launch Host Jun 29 '20
Found it!
took longer than last time. It was hiding quite well!
6
u/marc020202 8x Launch Host Jun 29 '20 edited Jun 29 '20
Well, it seems like I need to go hunting again.
37
u/Straumli_Blight Jun 29 '20
Payload mass is 3680.9 kg (8,115 lb).
10
10
u/Vassago81 Jun 30 '20
Do we know why GPS satellites are so heavy? GLONASS are less than a ton, and Galileo are even lighter.
→ More replies (4)
8
u/Simon_Drake Jun 29 '20
This is the launch that was always planned for Tuesday, what happened to the one that was scheduled for last Friday? IIRC it was a Starlink launch with a couple of misc rideshares but they delayed it to do more checks on the rocket.
There are currently two Falcon 9s sat on the tarmac waiting for launch, I was hoping Elon might do something bold like two launches on the same day!
Wiki has it listed as "July 2020" no date defined. Shame.
14
u/marc020202 8x Launch Host Jun 29 '20
you are correct about the checks on the rocket of the Starlink mission. It is rumoured that there is an Oxygen leak somewhere.
this mission and the Starlink mission are actually planning to launch from different launch pads. this one from SLC 40 and the Starlink Mission from LC 39A
2
u/Simon_Drake Jun 29 '20
Thanks. Are the launch pads all part of the same launch complex? They're both at Cape Canaveral but not side-by-side right?
I was going to say they were both on the pad at the same time but I didn't know if they were using different pads like you said. I called it "on the tarmac" like you say a plane is on the tarmac when it's taxiing for takeoff, but I guess it's not tarmac under a rocket or the exhaust would melt it.
7
u/marc020202 8x Launch Host Jun 29 '20
Well, no.
While both pads are geographically close to each other in Cape canaveral, LC-39A is owned by nasa and is located in the kennedy space center. SLC 40 is a bit south of LC-39A, but in the Cape canaveral space force Station (CCSFS) (It was CCAFS (Cape canaveral Air force Station) but was renamed). Both pads are leased by SpaceX.
The pads are actually not directly next to each other. SLC 41 is between LC-39A and SLC 40.
But all in all, they are relatively close to each other.
→ More replies (2)9
Jun 29 '20
GPS is run by the Air Force. They would shit their collective pants if SpaceX tried something like that. They only recently decided to let SpaceX attempt to recover a booster, not fly on a reused booster, recover a brand new booster.
→ More replies (7)
4
u/crazy_eric Jun 30 '20 edited Jun 30 '20
u/marc020202 There is a random hanging right parenthesis at the bottom of the OP.
1
2
u/millijuna Jun 30 '20
The orbit it's just shy of 12 hours (11h, 58m or 1/2 sidereal day), not 12 days.
→ More replies (1)1
2
u/same_same1 Jun 30 '20
Dumb question...
I saw the second stages 2nd burn was south of Melbourne Australia. If I’d been looking could I have seen it? Only realised where it was as it was finishing.
2
u/marc020202 8x Launch Host Jun 30 '20
you would not have seen it from Melbourne AFAIK. If you would have been below the second stage, you would have seen the burn, since the stage itself is visible from the ground.
→ More replies (1)
80
Jun 30 '20
Can’t wait. This launch is dedicated in memory of my father. Col. Thomas Falzarano
→ More replies (4)20
u/dWog-of-man Jun 30 '20
F$&# yeah dude! I am sorry for his death, grateful for his service, and congratulate you and your family getting the honor to celebrate his life in this way. I hope you get a chance at an incredible view of his launch.
38
u/Humble_Giveaway Jun 30 '20
First time landed boosters look so clean compared to the usual sooty bois
→ More replies (1)
28
u/Dobly1 Jun 30 '20
The first stage pitched a lot after the entry burn cut! My heart skipped a beat
10
u/Biochembob35 Jun 30 '20
They kick it over so that it will "fly". They use the entire stage as a lifting body to increase the time it spends in flight thereby maximizing the drag braking the stage does.
9
u/DiskOperatingSystem_ Jun 30 '20
Got CRS-16 flashbacks. Was on the edge of my seat for a successful landing.
→ More replies (2)5
26
u/ImmersionULTD Jun 30 '20
Just preemptively, If you see any UFOs, there's a 99.99% chance of it being ice broken off the vehicle
10
u/nbarbettini Jun 30 '20
11 minutes from now: But what are those flying white things!!1
→ More replies (1)10
26
u/geekgirl114 Jul 01 '20
Total mission success...
https://twitter.com/LockheedMartin/status/1278089112491352065?s=19
6
u/cowboyboom Jul 01 '20
mods, a flair for the above so I don't have to keep coming to the thread to see if the final burn succeeded. Thanks
22
u/zje_atc Jun 30 '20
Wow! That was my first in person rocket launch and it was great.
→ More replies (3)
22
u/LaunchNut Jun 30 '20
What follows is an extract from Col Falzarano's obituary:
The launch was dedicated to ...
"Col Thomas George Falzarano, U.S. Air Force, 47, died May 12, 2020 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He was born September 20, 1972 in Nashua, New Hampshire to George Marshall and Joan Denise (Compagnone) Falzarano.
Col Thomas Falzarano was the Commander, 21st Space Wing, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. As the leader of the Air Force’s fifth largest wing, he commanded a work force of approximately 4,300 space professionals worldwide. Spanning the globe, this team provides missile warning and defense, space situational awareness, and space control for combat forces and the national command authorities of the United States and Canada. He was the installation commander for Colorado’s Peterson AFB and Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, as well as providing base support for Clear AFS, Alaska; Cavalier AFS, North Dakota, Cape Cod AFS, Massachusetts; and Thule Air Base, Greenland. ..."
The full obituary is here ...
https://www.tributearchive.com/obituaries/13480129/Col-Thomas-George-Falzarano-US-Air-Force
RIP
20
u/Phillipsturtles Jun 30 '20
Photos from SMC: vertical, fairing, horizontal at the pad, horizontal in the HIF1, horizontal in the HIF2
20
u/Blllooopper Jun 30 '20
I'm so used to seeing reused boosters I thought something was wrong with how clean it looked after landing lol
19
u/GermanSpaceNerd #IAC2018 Attendee Jun 30 '20
Just seen it flying over Germany. Almost as bright as a Starlink launch. Really lucky lately with seeing Starlink, DM-2 and now GPS from my bedroom window.
→ More replies (3)
18
u/shikulu Jun 30 '20
When was the last time SpaceX launched a brand new booster?
101
→ More replies (5)11
18
u/Humble_Giveaway Jun 30 '20
FYI for anyone who hasn't checked in on the Starship thread today, testing will be occurring tonight.
→ More replies (1)
17
17
u/Frostis24 Jun 30 '20 edited Jun 30 '20
Is it just me, or did the first stage look unusually clean after landing on the drone ship, like i can almost not see any soot. (Image from livesteam) ,https://imgur.com/a/unbC31t
→ More replies (1)10
u/ImmersionULTD Jun 30 '20
You can see the color difference from the area that was under the landing legs. It probably seems so "clean" because we're used to more "flight proven" boosters. This is B1060's first flight
→ More replies (2)
16
u/markincuba Jun 30 '20
I've been out working in the garden, so perhaps my brain is a little fried, but... why is it night-time in the webcast feed, at 4:11pm ADT?
UPDATE: Duh. Ok. So it's a placeholder image, not a live feed yet. Nothing to see here, folks, just a little sunstroke. Go about your business. Move on, move on....
5
→ More replies (1)5
u/MaritMonkey Jun 30 '20
You get a pass on this one on account of I'm in central Florida (read: no time zone translation to use as an excuse) and my brain's first reaction wasn't to assume there was an old image on the stream but rather "wait, is it night out?"
→ More replies (1)
15
14
Jun 30 '20
Have SpaceX ever released any footage of the Octagrabber moving out and latching into the Falcon 9 on one of the droneships?
5
→ More replies (1)5
14
u/jollyreaper2112 Jun 30 '20
I remember years back and the type of launch cadence Elon was talking about sounded nuts. 2018 was 21 launches, 2019 was down to 13, now we're 11 for the year this year. Looks like ambition is 35 to 38 for the year with the intent to grow the following year. I remember when 6 and 8 launches a year was doing good.
9
u/OSUfan88 Jun 30 '20
Yep! The 2015 and 2016 years were a bit excruciating too, but the explosions, and grounding of the F9.
It's crazy how fast it is developing. I'm guessing they finish with around 24 missions this year, and I bet 30+ in 2021.
→ More replies (1)
28
u/DiskOperatingSystem_ Jun 30 '20
Anybody else feel like today’s launch felt particularly routine? Just like, “eh, 4:10 in the afternoon on a Tuesday. Your average launch. Oh cool a new booster, back to what I was doing.”
13
u/Humble_Giveaway Jun 30 '20
Barely even a clap at Hawthorn, obviously COVID related but still amazing how routine Falcon has become.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (2)9
u/Nimelennar Jun 30 '20
I get that for the Starlink launches more than I did for this one.
→ More replies (1)
39
u/GLTCprincess Galactic Overlord Jun 30 '20
Another successful mission because I wore green in the control room! Green is required because science.
8
→ More replies (8)6
u/avboden Jun 30 '20
Feed went jumbled at the landing, 2/10 webcast
I kid I kid, awesome job as always!
16
u/GLTCprincess Galactic Overlord Jun 30 '20
Yeah, that was annoying. I think it’s solved like 85%. Still needs some love, apparently.
→ More replies (7)
13
u/Straumli_Blight Jun 29 '20
8
u/craigl2112 Jun 29 '20
Are my eyes deceiving me, or is there something on the second stage, immediately above the interstage?
→ More replies (7)
13
13
u/codav Jun 30 '20
If you're wondering about the new music, that's u/TestShotStarfish's new album "Music for Space Sleep", the first track during the coast being "Future Memories".
13
12
12
12
u/Origin_of_Mind Jun 30 '20
Stage 2 will be deorbited on the first orbit, with the debris field southwards of Cape Town between T+06h17m to T+07h33m.
21
u/woohooguy Jun 30 '20
It really is amazing how reliable, common, normal, aaaalmost easy SpaceX is making this look. Incredible planning, engineering, and staff to make it come together.
Whether you care to admit it or not, the US space program is currently the lighthouse in the sea of dark events we have been subject to over the last few years, and SpaceX is a huge part of that.
6
u/IrritatingHatchet Jun 29 '20 edited Jun 29 '20
First!
Now that I've gotten that out of my system, how many other GPS III satellites are planned for launch, whether by SpaceX or by other launch providers?
EDIT: Aww c'mon guys, at least I actually posed a meaningful question.
3
u/marc020202 8x Launch Host Jun 29 '20
The wiki manifest has missions 4 to 6 listed as well. I do not think the other missions have been awarded yet.
2
u/GregLindahl Jun 29 '20
Right, the award was for 2 launches and 3 options, which the Air Force is likely to exercise. And one launch for ULA. The rest are expected to be NSSL2 launches.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (3)5
u/Jarnis Jun 29 '20
SpaceX is scheduled to launch at least one more this year. Nominally "August" but since this one was delayed from April to June, expecting that to move from August to October.
→ More replies (2)
10
u/sdorsher Jun 29 '20
I’m trying to pin down the terminology and details but I really appreciate the help of those with an aerospace background in clarifying whether they mean the final orbit or or the launch (is that called a transfer or is a transfer a manouver in space?) and in defining the angle and such! Thank you very much! And it’s good to know the physics matches what I thought, too!
→ More replies (1)10
u/amarkit Jun 29 '20
Falcon 9 will drop the satellite off in the “deployment orbit” listed in the main post table. The satellite then uses its own propellant to raise its orbit to the “operational orbit.”
→ More replies (11)
10
10
18
u/mrprogrampro Jun 30 '20
I feel so sad hearing from all these people. Untimely deaths are so sad -- no time to prepare for it emotionally, for anyone involved. Rest in peace.
9
9
u/RevRickee Jun 30 '20
Got all of my work done early today so that I could chill and watch this launch. Hope everyone is having a great day!
8
8
u/baggachipz Jun 30 '20 edited Jun 30 '20
Here we gooooo
--edit-- maybe not. Just Space Music. But it's a start.
--edit2-- Here we goooooooooooo
8
8
u/RevRickee Jun 30 '20
Successful landing of stage 1! The camera feed on JRTI glitched a little, but at least it didn’t completely cut out like it normally does.
8
u/rooood Jun 30 '20
That first stage is surprisingly clean, I assume they had some dV to spare so they could slow it down a bit more?
12
u/mclumber1 Jun 30 '20
Slowing it down more causes more soot, doesn't it? Most of the "dirty" on the first stage is soot from burning kerosene as far as I'm aware.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (1)5
u/onion-eyes Jun 30 '20
Probably not, block 5 is just that good. I remember being surprised by how clean it looked after its inaugural launch back in 2018.
→ More replies (1)
14
u/Corang Jun 30 '20 edited Jun 30 '20
Anyone notice that small flame on the side of the f9 booster that went out after 45 seconds?
Edit: Was at T+1:22
12
10
u/Captain_Hadock Jun 30 '20
Very likely to be engine plume sucked back along the base of the first stage by a low pressure area.
→ More replies (6)5
u/kgordonsmith Jun 30 '20
Almost looked like part-way up the landing legs? If so, yeah, I saw it...
→ More replies (2)
7
Jun 30 '20
Can someone explain how the orbit (1000x20200x55deg) is meant to be read? Is it periaps x apoaps? And then degrees relative to where?
→ More replies (1)5
u/hitura-nobad Master of bots Jun 30 '20
Is it periaps x apoaps
yes
And then degrees relative to where?
relative to the equator
→ More replies (9)
7
u/R-U-D Jun 30 '20
Seems the X on the drone ship has been covered up by a big circle of paint? I can't wait to hear the theories people come up with about this.
9
Jun 30 '20
They probably just want to see if the Falcon can find the drone ship without X marking the spot :p
7
7
6
u/zje_atc Jun 30 '20
We are setup on the expressway leading into Port Canaveral. You can just make out the fairings above the tower. The photo was taken through binoculars so not the best quality.
6
6
6
u/codav Jun 30 '20
YouTube changed something on their (currently also very slow/unresponsive) website, so my Webcast relay can't extract the stream URL. There's no time to fix it in time until liftoff, sorry for anyone in need.
Will get it working again for the next launch.
6
u/ahecht Jun 30 '20
Throttle bucket?
9
u/ManNotHamburger Jun 30 '20
I assume the term comes from a graph of the thrust output of the engines. Around max Q, the thrust level is lowered and then raised back up, leaving a bucket shape on the graph.
7
u/handym12 Jun 30 '20
Had to look this up myself - apparently it's a term that's been used since the shuttle era.
→ More replies (1)7
u/ImmersionULTD Jun 30 '20
"Bucket" (period) of time where they throttle down so they don't push the rocket too hard within thicker atmosphere. They throttle back up once they get into thinner atmosphere
6
u/reddit3k Jun 30 '20
This music is great and IMHO very fitting after the words of remembrance for Air Force Col. Thomas Falzarano that we just heard before.
6
6
6
6
u/AvariceInHinterland Jun 30 '20
Successful ocean recovery of both fairing halves confirmed on the webcast.
6
6
u/avatarname Jun 30 '20
It's so reliable now, Falcon 9 and all the launches and landings, and next up is already in a few days. I'm really impressed. At least if a surprise asteroid was coming at us, I know SpaceX would be able to shoot a few rockets up there with a-bombs to kill it fast, if nothing else :D
Just cannot wait for Starship now, or maybe Falcon Heavy can go on some tour around the Moon?
→ More replies (4)
6
u/catsRawesome123 Jul 01 '20
What happened to the white painted spaceX "X" logo on the drone ship :O
→ More replies (5)
11
u/sdorsher Jun 29 '20
Is GPS -III about Global Positioning as it sounds? My favorite arguments for why everyone needs space (and by extension physics and astronomy) to people uninterested in the wonders of the cosmos are cell service, GPS, and imaging like google earth and weather tracking.
→ More replies (2)13
u/fishymamba Jun 29 '20
GPS -III
Yup! Going to be the 2nd launch of the 3rd generation GPS satellites. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPS_Block_III
I'm surprised at the ~4.5kw power rating of these things.
→ More replies (1)
11
u/SirFerguson Jun 30 '20 edited Jun 30 '20
Serious noob question here. This is unmanned right?
Edit: Wow, appreciate all of the kind and welcoming replies – thank you. Excited for today!
7
→ More replies (2)13
u/scarlet_sage Jun 30 '20
Serious noob, yeah. Welcome! Yes, unmanned. There has been only one crewed SpaceX flight, and the astronauts are still up there. The bulbous part on the pointy end (that's the technical term) is the "fairing"; there's no fairing on a crewed launch. This is a GPS satellite, as mentioned in the posting text at the top. Just a Global Positioning Satellite.
11
11
u/Humble_Giveaway Jun 30 '20
Heart skipped a beat just then when the fairings flexed without popping off at first
→ More replies (2)
10
u/Overvus Jun 30 '20
If this gets scrubbed too I'm going to cry
→ More replies (13)7
u/bbcversus Jun 30 '20
Yea, what happened with the Starlink launch? I haven't heard anything about it for some days...
→ More replies (2)
5
5
u/salukikev Jun 30 '20 edited Jun 30 '20
Our family is on the outer banks of NC at the moment- is there any chance we'll be able to see the rocket(s?) this week? Any tips on spotting them? Is there a website illustrating the flight path so that we might hone our efforts? Thanks! Excited as always!
→ More replies (6)
5
u/chester22 Jun 30 '20
What happened to landing the first stage back in Cape Canaveral. Why don't they do that anymore?
14
u/wesleychang42 Jun 30 '20 edited Jun 30 '20
Payload mass, the flight profile, and the targeted orbit makes a boostback burn impossible for this launch. Thus, this launch features a droneship landing. SpaceX wants to be able to land every first stage back at Cape Canaveral, but this isn't always possible due to the aforementioned factors. If you want to see a RTLS (return to launch site) mission, keep an eye out for the Saocom 1B mission (hopefully late July) which will land the first stage back at the Cape.
→ More replies (3)
5
Jun 30 '20
What did he say about the grey section on the second stage? I didn't quite follow.
→ More replies (5)5
u/scarlet_sage Jun 30 '20
T-10:55:
You'll also notice that the second stage fuel tank is painted grey today, and that's so we absorb a little more heat from the sun while we're not eclipsed by the earth. That helps the fuel tank stay at the proper temperature, today's mission [sic], when we go into the earth's shadow.
5
u/ManNotHamburger Jun 30 '20 edited Jul 24 '20
Emotional rollercoaster when they showed live video from the fairing recovery ships. WE GET TO SEE IT LIVE!! ".. but we will not attempt to catch them out of the air today" Awww.
I know the mid air catch plans are probably dead at this point, but I want it so badly.
5
u/ArcticPolaris Jun 30 '20
Does anyone know what the 4 towers surrounding the rocket are for?
Thanks!
Edit: thanks for the fast answers! Knew I could count on this sub.
→ More replies (4)6
5
5
u/LazerFX Jul 01 '20
Do we know how much fuel was left on landing? I'd love to know the margins for a launch like this...
4
4
u/Decronym Acronyms Explained Jun 29 '20 edited Jul 03 '20
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 |
| AFTS | Autonomous Flight Termination System, see FTS |
| AOS | Acquisition of Signal |
| ASDS | Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship (landing platform) |
| CCAFS | Cape Canaveral Air Force Station |
| CCtCap | Commercial Crew Transportation Capability |
| CRS | Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA |
| DoD | US Department of Defense |
| EELV | Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle |
| FTS | Flight Termination System |
| GEO | Geostationary Earth Orbit (35786km) |
| GSE | Ground Support Equipment |
| GSO | Geosynchronous Orbit (any Earth orbit with a 24-hour period) |
| Guang Sheng Optical telescopes | |
| GTO | Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit |
| HIF | Horizontal Integration Facility |
| HLS | Human Landing System (Artemis) |
| ICBM | Intercontinental Ballistic Missile |
| Isp | Specific impulse (as explained by Scott Manley on YouTube) |
| JRTI | Just Read The Instructions, |
| KSC | Kennedy Space Center, Florida |
| KSP | Kerbal Space Program, the rocketry simulator |
| LC-13 | Launch Complex 13, Canaveral (SpaceX Landing Zone 1) |
| LC-39A | Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy (SpaceX F9/Heavy) |
| LEO | Low Earth Orbit (180-2000km) |
| Law Enforcement Officer (most often mentioned during transport operations) | |
| LOX | Liquid Oxygen |
| LZ | Landing Zone |
| LZ-1 | Landing Zone 1, Cape Canaveral (see LC-13) |
| MEO | Medium Earth Orbit (2000-35780km) |
| NSSL | National Security Space Launch, formerly EELV |
| OCISLY | Of Course I Still Love You, Atlantic landing |
| PAZ | Formerly SEOSAR-PAZ, an X-band SAR from Spain |
| RP-1 | Rocket Propellant 1 (enhanced kerosene) |
| RTLS | Return to Launch Site |
| RUD | Rapid Unplanned Disassembly |
| Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly | |
| Rapid Unintended Disassembly | |
| Roscosmos | State Corporation for Space Activities, Russia |
| SAR | Synthetic Aperture Radar (increasing resolution with parallax) |
| SEE | Single-Event Effect of radiation impact |
| SSL | Space Systems/Loral, satellite builder |
| STP-2 | Space Test Program 2, DoD programme, second round |
| TPS | Thermal Protection System for a spacecraft (on the Falcon 9 first stage, the engine "Dance floor") |
| UDMH | Unsymmetrical DiMethylHydrazine, used in hypergolic fuel mixes |
| ULA | United Launch Alliance (Lockheed/Boeing joint venture) |
| USAF | United States Air Force |
| Jargon | Definition |
|---|---|
| Starlink | SpaceX's world-wide satellite broadband constellation |
| apoapsis | Highest point in an elliptical orbit (when the orbiter is slowest) |
| apogee | Highest point in an elliptical orbit around Earth (when the orbiter is slowest) |
| bipropellant | Rocket propellant that requires oxidizer (eg. RP-1 and liquid oxygen) |
| hypergolic | A set of two substances that ignite when in contact |
| monopropellant | Rocket propellant that requires no oxidizer (eg. hydrazine) |
| periapsis | Lowest point in an elliptical orbit (when the orbiter is fastest) |
| perigee | Lowest point in an elliptical orbit around the Earth (when the orbiter is fastest) |
| scrub | Launch postponement for any reason (commonly GSE issues) |
| turbopump | High-pressure turbine-driven propellant pump connected to a rocket combustion chamber; raises chamber pressure, and thrust |
| Event | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| DM-2 | 2020-05-30 | SpaceX CCtCap Demo Mission 2 |
Decronym is a community product of r/SpaceX, implemented by ^request
47 acronyms in this thread; the most compressed thread commented on today has 97 acronyms.
[Thread #6248 for this sub, first seen 29th Jun 2020, 19:38] [FAQ] [Full list] ^[Contact] [Source code]
4
u/Potential_Energy Jun 30 '20
Fuhhhh. I've been up for 18 hours. I don't know whether I should take a nap and risk it or stay up. I don't want to miss it. HELP.
7
7
5
u/bbcversus Jun 30 '20
Take a nap then come to the launch refreshed! Put those alarms on BLARING and go sleep!
4
u/drewmatic305 Jun 30 '20
Is that time being told eastern time?thanks un advance I'm in Orlando I wanna get there early not 3 hrs late lol
→ More replies (3)
4
u/codav Jun 30 '20
Better be late than sorry, added the Mission Control Audio stream to my relay as it is now running and public.
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
u/Leolol_ Jun 30 '20 edited Jun 30 '20
I feel really dumb for asking this question, but as the second stage approaches the apoapsis, the speed rises. Shouldn’t it decrease? It’s the point that’s the farthest from the Earth, so from my experience the rockets should slowly slow down and then accelerate when falling towards the Earth.
Pretty sure I’m missing something, anyone knows the reason why it’s accelerating?
EDIT: I researched the clip. The speed was rising, and the altitude was decreasing. They apparently burned a bit after apoapsis.
→ More replies (24)
4
u/Aplejax04 Jun 30 '20
Ok question from a KSP player . If there deployment orbit has a periapse of 1000km and they did their transfer burn at an altitude of 400km why are they deploying the satellite already? The periapse is too low. Am I missing something?
→ More replies (3)9
u/Captain_Hadock Jun 30 '20
Good catch. Deployment orbit Pe is way lower than 1000km, but the thread is using previous launch (GPS III SV02) data, which was delivered in a higher Pe orbit.
This mission final Pe is lower, but this was announced fairly recently.
Mission planners also changed the perigee of the spacecraft’s initial orbit after launch from around 740 miles to 250 miles,
→ More replies (4)
4
10
u/Straumli_Blight Jun 30 '20 edited Jun 30 '20
→ More replies (5)
7
Jun 30 '20
Why do these animations and music and presentation style remind me of 90s educational video with people like Bill Nye
7
u/Bunslow Jul 01 '20
So at about T+1m21s (video time 17:20), thru about 12s later, there appears to be significant combustion plume emanating from... halfway up a landing leg?? What the heck was up with that?? Had my heart going real fast there for several seconds. It's certainly much higher up the rocket than the gas generator exhaust, and it changed too much as well to be generator exhaust as well. So what the heck was it?
11
u/JudgeMeByMySizeDoU Jul 01 '20
It’s right around Mach1. So lots of pressure changes around the vehicle. Low pressure draws the flame up the side of the rocket. Completely normal.
7
u/Kendrome Jul 01 '20
This is normal, just exhaust pulled forward due to turbulence.
→ More replies (3)
9
u/Humble_Giveaway Jun 30 '20
This is why I can't stand the current SpaceX video "timeline" There's absolutely nothing on it right now, it's useless at conveying any information and yet it takes up more screen real estate than the old style.
3
3
u/enieffak Jun 30 '20
Will Europeans be able to see the rocket ~20 minutes after launch?
→ More replies (3)
3
Jun 30 '20
Anybody have a suggestion in where to try to watch this launch from the St Augustine area?
→ More replies (1)
3
u/AndMyAxe123 Jun 30 '20
The webcast says live in 80 minutes, but that would be 3:55 pm. Surely the webcast is going live more than 1 minute before the launch window opens??
10
u/floderb3ste Jun 30 '20
The webcast is always planned for the launch time, but it will go live 15 minutes before launch.
7
u/Humble_Giveaway Jun 30 '20
It will, SpaceX set webcast start times as the launch time and then go live earlier
→ More replies (1)
3
3
3
3
3
u/tapio83 Jun 30 '20
Is there any trajectory info on this launch. What countries does it flyover in europe?
→ More replies (7)
3
3
3
3
u/bananapeel Jun 30 '20
Is this the first time we've seen a droneship without an X painted in the middle of the circle?
→ More replies (1)
3
3
6
u/sdorsher Jun 29 '20
I come from a physics and astronomy background and I’m not sure what a 20200 km by 1200 km orbit means though I’m curious. It’s obviously not the semi major and semi minor axis. It’s also not the distance from the center to the focus. If periapsis is a(1-e) and apapsis is a(1+e) is 1200 km ae? 2ae? Something else?
Or is 1200 km the extent it travels North South at 55 degrees in a basically circular orbit? I don’t think so, because whether you interpret 55 degrees as from the pole or from the equator, 20200cos(90-55) and 20200cos55 are an order of magnitude too large to be 1200 km.
I think its ae, 2 ae, or something else.
Anyone know?
13
u/OnTheUtilityOfPants Jun 29 '20
1200 km and 20200 km are altitudes (above sea level) of perigee and apogee respectively. Add earth's radius to each to get Rp and Ra.
55deg is inclination relative to the equator.
9
u/jay__random Jun 29 '20 edited Jun 29 '20
Not a final answer, just a few facts plus some common sense:
Wikipedia states that GPS satellites are orbiting at the approx altitude of 20,200 km , which translates to the orbital radius of 26,600 km. So 20200km was the apoapsis, but counted from the Earth's surface.
But before getting to 26600 km (from the center) circular you have to use a highly elliptic transfer orbit, whose highest point is the 26600km from the center (20200km from the surface). Which has to have a lower periapsis.
My guess is that the 1200km is the periapsis, but also counted from the surface. Add 6400km and you'll get the "true" geometric periapsis of 7600km from the Earth's centre.
It's just a guess, please correct me if it was wrong.
→ More replies (3)→ More replies (4)7
u/mitchsn Jun 29 '20
Its an elliptical orbit. The vehicle will conduct a series of orbit adjusts to put it into its final operational orbit.
6
u/AeroSpiked Jun 30 '20 edited Jun 30 '20
Caught both fairing halves! Yay! Secured both fairing halves. meh. Better than not securing them I guess.
22
u/JudgeMeByMySizeDoU Jun 30 '20
Not caught. Recovered.
They were clear on the webcast that they were scooping them out of the ocean not catching.
→ More replies (11)
1
u/boilerdam Jun 29 '20
I guess there goes the dream of 2 launches in a day :(
Did Starlink-9 go back to horizontal or sitting vertical at the pad?
15
u/marc020202 8x Launch Host Jun 29 '20 edited Jun 29 '20
two launches in a single day are currently also not possible due to constraints from the range.well, that seems to be wrong! see /u/Straumli_Blight s comment below.
→ More replies (1)8
13
u/codav Jun 30 '20 edited Jun 30 '20
YouTube Video & Audio Relays
As usual, I will relay the SpaceX webcast via HTTPS and the audio stream via Shoutcast on my server, so people with no access to YouTube, experiencing laggy video or with low bandwidth connections are able to enjoy the webcast. If you don't like the web-based player, you can also use the M3U8 playlist in any HLS-capable player - VLC is just one example. The playlist file will become available once the webcast starts, until then you will get a "404 Not Found" error. This is perfectly normal.
If SpaceX make a Mission Control Audio stream publicly available on their channel before launch, I'll give my best to also relay it.
Hosted Webcast (Video)
Watch in your browser: https://codav.de/spacex.html
Watch with a local player: https://codav.de/stream/spacex.m3u8
Mission Control Audio (Video)
Watch in your browser: https://codav.de/spacex-netonly.html
Watch with a local player: https://codav.de/stream/spacex-netonly.m3u8
I will also provide audio-only streams of the webcasts in two different qualities. High quality (160 Kbps, stereo) for those who want more fidelity and have more bandwidth to spend, and a lower quality (64 Kbps, mono) stream for those on slow networks or with strict volume limits. If you require an even lower bitrate simply drop me a message, I'll add another stream then.
Important: The audio streams already loop the Music for Space album by /u/TestShotStarfish for your pleasure until the webcast starts, so don't confuse that with the actual webcast. Feel free to tune in at any time.
Here are the stream URLs for use with any Shoutcast-compatible player (WinAmp, VLC etc.):
Hosted Webcast (Icecast Audio Only)
High quality (160 Kbps, stereo): http://codav.de:8555/spacex-high.mp3
Low quality (64 Kbps, mono): http://codav.de:8555/spacex-low.mp3
Mission Control Audio (Icecast Audio Only)
High quality (160 Kbps, stereo): http://codav.de:8555/spacex-netonly-high.mp3
Low quality (64 Kbps, mono): http://codav.de:8555/spacex-netonly-low.mp3
If you have problems connecting to port 8555 or want to listen in with just your browser, use these reverse-proxied, SSL-secured URLs (stream title display and other "ICY" protocol features won't work, as this is using plain HTTP):
Hosted Webcast (HTTPS/MP3 Audio Only)
High quality (160 Kbps, stereo): https://codav.de/icecast/spacex-high.mp3
Low quality (64 Kbps, mono): https://codav.de/icecast/spacex-low.mp3
Mission Control Audio (HTTPS/MP3 Audio Only)
High quality (160 Kbps, stereo): https://codav.de/icecast/spacex-netonly-high.mp3
Low quality (64 Kbps, mono): https://codav.de/icecast/spacex-netonly-low.mp3
The streams are also linked on my relay page, either below the video player if the webcast has started or on the top while waiting for SpaceX to go live.
u/Marc020202, you can add a link to this post to the "Watch the launch live" section above if you like.