Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 03-05-2018 04:12 PM
From Elon Musk on Twitter:
Falcon 9 flight 50 launches tonight, carrying Hispasat for Spain. At 6 metric tons and almost the size of a city bus, it will be the largest geostationary satellite we've ever flown.
From SpaceX:
SpaceX is targeting a Falcon 9 launch of the Hispasat 30W-6 satellite to a Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO) on Tuesday, March 6 from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The two-hour launch window opens at 12:33 a.m. EST, or 5:33 UTC. The Hispasat 30W-6 satellite will be deployed approximately 33 minutes after launch.
A two-hour backup launch window opens on Wednesday, March 7 at 12:33 a.m. EST, or 5:33 UTC.
SpaceX will not attempt to land Falcon 9's first stage after launch due to unfavorable weather conditions in the recovery area off of Florida's Atlantic Coast.
Blackarrow Member
Posts: 3120 From: Belfast, United Kingdom Registered: Feb 2002
posted 03-06-2018 12:13 PM
I suppose a rocket is only as good as its last launch, but Falcon 9 has now launched 50 times. Has the rocket been man-rated? If not, why not? Who decides?
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 03-06-2018 01:38 PM
The rocket that flew this morning was a Block 4. The first Falcon 9 to be man-rated will be the Block 5, to be introduced later this year.
In addition to improving reusability, the Block 5 Falcon 9 also incorporates changes driven by the needs of NASA's commercial crew program.