Space News
space history and artifacts articles

Messages
space history discussion forums

Sightings
worldwide astronaut appearances

Resources
selected space history documents

  collectSPACE: Messages
  Commercial Space - Military Space
  SpaceX Falcon 9/SES-9 and droneship attempt

Post New Topic  Post A Reply
profile | register | preferences | faq | search

next newest topic | next oldest topic
Author Topic:   SpaceX Falcon 9/SES-9 and droneship attempt
Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 02-08-2016 04:08 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
SES release
SES-9 Launch Targeting Late February

SES S.A. announced Monday (Feb. 8) that it is targeting a Feb. 24, 2016 launch date (with a backup date of the 25th) for its new satellite, SES-9.

This date was mutually set by SES and the launch operator for SES-9, SpaceX, the Hawthorne, California based company that designs, manufactures and launches the Falcon 9 rocket and other spacecraft. SpaceX is currently completing an extended series of testing and pre-flight validation in advance of the SES-9 launch, which will take place at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

In order to minimize the impact of moving the launch from late last year, SpaceX is supporting a mission modification. The changed mission will reduce the time needed for SES-9 to reach its orbital slot, keeping the Operational Service Date (OSD) in the third quarter of 2016, as previously foreseen.

SES-9 will be positioned at 108.2 degrees East and provide both replacement and incremental capacity for a video neighborhood over Asia which already serves over 22 million households with high quality broadcast solutions. The spacecraft will be co-located with SES-7 and increases SES's global video capabilities to serve fast-growing markets in Asia, including South Asia, Indonesia and the Philippines.

The spacecraft is also designed to deliver reliable data connectivity to homes and enterprises across Asia, and provides dedicated beams to support growing mobility communications needs across the Indian Ocean.

SES-9 is part of a fleet investment program that supports SES's strategy to further globalize its services and grow its offer in the dynamic emerging markets. Along with six other spacecraft under construction, this program will increase SES's satellite capacity for emerging markets by 21 percent by end of 2018.

SES-9 was built by Boeing Satellite Systems and is designed to operate for 15 years in geosynchronous orbit with a 12.7-kilowatt payload and 57 high-power Ku-band transponders (equivalent to 81 by 36 MHz transponders). SES-9 will use a chemical bi-propellant apogee motor to quickly achieve a 24 hour synchronous orbit and then electric propulsion to circularize the final orbit and to remove eccentricity at 36,000 kilometers over the equator. Subsequent on-orbit maneuvers will be executed with electric propulsion.

OV3Discovery
Member

Posts: 100
From:
Registered: Mar 2015

posted 02-21-2016 01:58 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for OV3Discovery     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Ground firing of the Falcon 9 has not taken place apparently. So there might be a push back on the launch date.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 02-21-2016 09:22 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
According to Chris Bergin on NASA Spaceflight, the static fire will be on Monday and (assuming it goes as planned) the launch will still be on Wednesday (Feb. 24).

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 02-23-2016 07:33 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
From SpaceX on Twitter:
Full-duration static fire completed. Targeting Wednesday for launch of SES-9 satellite.

The launch window on Wednesday (Feb. 24) extends from 6:26 p.m. to 8:23 p.m. EST (1126 to 0123 GMT). The weather forecast predicts a 60 percent change of favorable conditions, with the concerns being cumulus and thick cloud layers and winds. The forecast improves to 80 percent favorable on Thursday.

OV3Discovery
Member

Posts: 100
From:
Registered: Mar 2015

posted 02-24-2016 04:28 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for OV3Discovery     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
According to SpaceX it is very unlikely that Falcon 9 will perform a successful landing due to changes to trajectory and other factors.

OV3Discovery
Member

Posts: 100
From:
Registered: Mar 2015

posted 02-24-2016 05:30 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for OV3Discovery     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Falcon 9 launch is delayed for a day due to weather. SpaceX:
Team opting to hold launch for today. Looking to try again tomorrow; window also opens at 6:46 p.m. ET. Rocket and spacecraft remain healthy.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 02-24-2016 08:06 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by OV3Discovery:
Falcon 9 launch is delayed for a day due to weather.
Further from SpaceX, it was not a weather scrub:
The Falcon 9 remains healthy in advance of SpaceX and SES’s mission to deliver the SES-9 satellite to Geostationary Transfer Orbit. Out of an abundance of caution, the team opted to hold launch for today to ensure liquid oxygen temperatures are as cold as possible in an effort to maximize performance of the vehicle.

SpaceX is now targeting tomorrow, Thursday Feb. 25, at 6:46pm ET for launch of SES-9.

OV3Discovery
Member

Posts: 100
From:
Registered: Mar 2015

posted 02-25-2016 05:53 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for OV3Discovery     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Scrub on today's launch opportunity.

OV3Discovery
Member

Posts: 100
From:
Registered: Mar 2015

posted 02-27-2016 12:00 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for OV3Discovery     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Falcon 9 flight no earlier than Sunday.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 02-27-2016 01:26 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
From SES:
SES and SpaceX are now targeting to launch #SES9 on Sunday, 28 February, at 6.46pm ET, with a backup date on Monday, 29 February!

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 02-28-2016 06:25 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Abort! At just about T-0, during engine startup, the Falcon 9's computer declared an abort and engine cutoff.
Ignition sequence aborted in final seconds of countdown; update pending from launch team after data review.
The launch attempt had earlier been delayed to 7:21 p.m. EDT (0021 GMT) due to a boat straying into the hazard area.
Launch aborted on low thrust alarm. Rising oxygen temps due to hold for boat and helium bubble triggered alarm.
SpaceX has scrubbed tonight's launch attempt. A new date has yet to be set.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 02-28-2016 08:19 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
45th Space Wing release
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the SES-9 payload was aborted at Space Launch Complex 40 prior to liftoff at 7:21 p.m. EST. Following the abort, the launch then officially scrubbed at 7:34 p.m. EST and the range will begin evaluating new launch dates from the customer no earlier than 48 hours from Feb. 28, 2016.

dabolton
Member

Posts: 419
From: Seneca, IL, US
Registered: Jan 2009

posted 02-29-2016 05:55 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for dabolton     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Musk is saying the droneship landing success is iffy based on the trajectory, etc. Why dont they just move the droneship farther out to sea to increase the odds of a successful landing?

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 02-29-2016 06:01 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The droneship is further out to sea. The problem isn't the targeting, but the amount of fuel that will remain when the Falcon begins its final approach.

The first stage is expected to expend almost all of its propellant reserves by lofting the SES-9 satellite and then braking and reentering the atmosphere.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 02-29-2016 09:53 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
SpaceX will target 6:35 p.m. EST (2335 GMT) on Tuesday (March 1) for its next launch attempt of the SES-9 satellite. The window remains open until 8:05 p.m.

OV3Discovery
Member

Posts: 100
From:
Registered: Mar 2015

posted 03-01-2016 02:17 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for OV3Discovery     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
For anyone wondering, the vessel that caused the range violation on Sunday was a tug boat moving a barge.

OV3Discovery
Member

Posts: 100
From:
Registered: Mar 2015

posted 03-01-2016 03:18 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for OV3Discovery     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Today's launch has been scrubbed due to violating upper level winds. Launch is pushed back to Friday. Elon Musk:
Pushing launch to Friday due to extreme high altitude wind shear. Hits like a sledgehammer when going up supersonic.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 03-04-2016 08:12 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Tonight's (March 4) launch window opens at 6:35 p.m. EST (2335 GMT).

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 03-04-2016 05:48 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Successful launch: the second stage and SES-9 satellite reached Earth orbit and is now in a 17-minute coast phase.

Video from the drone ship cut out just as the first stage was approaching. Waiting on word on the outcome of the landing attempt.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 03-04-2016 06:04 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Good second stage re-light and burn.
Second stage re-light complete. Awaiting satellite deploy.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 03-04-2016 06:08 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
SES-9 satellite deployed. From Elon Musk:
Target altitude of 40,600 km achieved. Thanks @SES_Satellites for riding on Falcon 9! Looking forward to future missions.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 03-04-2016 06:55 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The first stage landing attempt was unsuccessful. From Elon Musk:
Rocket landed hard on the droneship. Didn't expect this one to work (very hot reentry), but next flight has a good chance.

David Carey
Member

Posts: 782
From:
Registered: Mar 2009

posted 03-05-2016 11:13 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for David Carey   Click Here to Email David Carey     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
It's a shame that many of the initial headlines emphasized the known-troublesome drone ship landing over the successful deployment.

'FAIL', 'Flubbed', 'Botched', 'Fails for fourth time'. I guess negativity sells but it would be nice to see more balanced coverage (which some articles certainly provided).

Congrats to SpaceX.

OV3Discovery
Member

Posts: 100
From:
Registered: Mar 2015

posted 03-08-2016 03:05 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for OV3Discovery     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
True, most articles focused on the landing attempt than the deployment of SES-9 it self.

OV3Discovery
Member

Posts: 100
From:
Registered: Mar 2015

posted 03-09-2016 08:07 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for OV3Discovery     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Drone ship has returned to Cape Canaveral with what is left of Falcon 9.
SpaceX confirmed to Florida Today that the ship was towed into Port Canaveral this morning.

The high-resolution photos of the unmanned ship show what appears to be charred debris scattered across its surface.

All times are CT (US)

next newest topic | next oldest topic

Administrative Options: Close Topic | Archive/Move | Delete Topic
Post New Topic  Post A Reply
Hop to:

Contact Us | The Source for Space History & Artifacts

Copyright 2020 collectSPACE.com All rights reserved.


Ultimate Bulletin Board 5.47a





advertisement