posted 10-16-2015 10:14 AM               

As we prepare for return to flight, SpaceX together with its customers SES and Orbcomm have evaluated opportunities to optimize the readiness of the upcoming Falcon 9 return-to-flight mission. All parties have mutually agreed that SpaceX will now fly the Orbcomm-2 mission on the return-to-flight Falcon 9 vehicle.

The Orbcomm-2 mission does not require a relight of the second stage engine following orbital insertion. Flying the Orbcomm-2 mission first will therefore allow SpaceX to conduct an on-orbit test of the second stage relight system after the Orbcomm-2 satellites have been safely deployed. This on-orbit test, combined with the current qualification program to be completed prior to launch, will further validate the second stage relight system and allow for optimization of the upcoming SES-9 mission and following missions to geosynchronous transfer orbit.

This change does not affect the timeline for SpaceX's return-to-flight mission which is still targeted to take place in the next 6-8 weeks. The SES-9 launch is currently targeted for late December 2015.

posted 10-16-2015 10:19 AM               

ORBCOMM announces launch window for
second OG2 mission

Eleven OG2 satellites to launch from Cape Canaveral aboard dedicated SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to complete next generation constellation

ORBCOMM Inc., a global provider of Machine-to-Machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions, today announced that ORBCOMM and SpaceX plan to launch eleven OG2 satellites from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on the next launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket targeted to take place in the next six to eight weeks.

SpaceX successfully launched ORBCOMM's first OG2 mission of six satellites on July 14, 2014. This next dedicated launch will mark ORBCOMM's second and final OG2 mission, completing its next generation satellite constellation.

"We are excited to launch our eleven OG2 satellites aboard SpaceX's newly upgraded Falcon 9 rocket and have full confidence in SpaceX and their dedication to this launch," said Marc Eisenberg, ORBCOMM's Chief Executive Officer. "We look forward to completing the deployment of our next generation constellation and delivering a higher level of performance, coverage and reliability through our modernized and upgraded OG2 network to our customers around the world."

Sierra Nevada Corporation, the prime contractor and spacecraft bus manufacturer for ORBCOMM's OG2 satellites, has completed all factory acceptance testing and is preparing the satellites for shipping to Cape Canaveral at the end of October.

ORBCOMM's OG2 satellites are far more advanced than its current OG1 satellites and are designed to provide customers with significant enhancements, such as faster message delivery, larger message sizes and better coverage at higher latitudes, while drastically increasing network capacity. In addition, the OG2 satellites are equipped with an Automatic Identification System (AIS) payload to receive and report transmissions from AIS-equipped vessels for ship tracking and other maritime navigational and safety efforts, increasing asset visibility and the probability of detection for ORBCOMM's AIS customers.

posted 12-01-2015 03:49 PM               

Carol Scott, who works technical integration for SpaceX within NASA's Commercial Crew Program, told reporters here at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station today that SpaceX's first attempt at a land-based rocket landing may be coming sooner than the public expects.

"You know how they want to fly the stage back, right? Their plan is to land it out here on the Cape [Canaveral] side," Scott told reporters.

SpaceX declined to comment on Scott's remarks when contacted by Space.com.

posted 12-10-2015 08:00 AM               

Aiming for Falcon rocket static fire at Cape Canaveral on the 16th and launch about three days later.

posted 12-17-2015 07:37 AM               

Update: Orbcomm's CEO Marc Eisenberg has said the test was "moved to today."

We're on the pad, vertical and will attempt SF again this afternoon.

posted 12-17-2015 10:04 PM            

Falcon 9 is vertical on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral. Working towards static fire. Deep cryo liquid oxygen presenting some challenges.

posted 12-18-2015 08:33 AM               

The Falcon 9 rocket remains vertical at Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The teams will continue working towards a static fire today to verify the rocket's readiness and aim towards launching a few days after the static fire is completed.

posted 12-18-2015 04:04 PM               

Abort triggered by flight computer on upper stage throttle valve. Adjusting thresholds and restarting count at T-10 mins.

Aborted on ignition timing due to slow ground side valve. Adjusting ignition sequence by 0.6 secs for next attempt.

posted 12-18-2015 06:14 PM               

Static fire test looks good. Pending data review, will aim to launch Sunday.

posted 12-19-2015 07:57 AM            

Currently looking good for a Sunday night (~8pm local) attempted orbital launch and rocket landing at Cape Canaveral.

posted 12-19-2015 11:58 AM               

We are now targeting ORBCOMM’s OG2 Mission 2 launch for no earlier than Sunday, December 20 at 8:29 PM ET from launch pad SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

posted 12-19-2015 04:21 PM               

SpaceX Planning for Falcon 9 First-Stage Landing Attempt on Land During Upcoming Mission

Brevard County, Fla. Residents May Experience First Sonic Boom Since Space Shuttle

Today SpaceX confirmed that the company is targeting launch of the 11 ORBCOMM satellites aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. on Sunday, Dec. 20. The 60-second launch window opens at 8:29 p.m. ET. If needed, a backup launch opportunity is available on Dec. 21.

In addition to the primary mission of launching ORBCOMM's fleet of commercial communications satellites, SpaceX is attempting a secondary test objective of landing the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket on land for the first time at SpaceX's Landing Zone 1. Previous attempts to recover the first-stage of the Falcon 9 have been attempted out at sea using the company's Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ships. Landing Zone 1 was previously known as Space Launch Complex 13, a former U.S. Air Force rocket and missile testing range last used in 1978. If successful, this test would mark the first time in history an orbital rocket has successfully achieved a land landing.

Just as when the Space Shuttle returned from space, there is a possibility that residents of northern and central Brevard County, Fla. may hear a sonic boom during landing. A sonic boom is the thunder-like noise a person on the ground hears when an aircraft or other type of aerospace vehicle flies overhead faster than the speed of sound.

Residents of the communities of Cape Canaveral, Cocoa, Cocoa Beach, Courtenay, Merritt Island, Mims, Port Canaveral, Port St. John, Rockledge, Scottsmoor, Sharpes, and Titusville in Brevard County, Fla. are mostly likely to hear a sonic boom, although what residents experience will depend on weather conditions and other factors.

Residents may wish to follow the company's launch webcast for real time information concerning Sunday's launch. The webcast will be available at SpaceX.com/webcast beginning at approximately 8:05 p.m. ET.

posted 12-20-2015 03:02 PM               

Just reviewed mission parameters with SpaceX team. Monte Carlo runs show tomorrow night has a 10% higher chance of a good landing. Punting 24 hours.

Upon further review of the static fire data, SpaceX has determined that an additional day prior to launch will allow for more analysis and time to further chill the liquid oxygen in preparation for launch.

posted 12-21-2015 07:44 PM               

SpaceX returns to flight, and to the launch site: Falcon 9 stage lands at Cape

SpaceX achieved two returns on Monday night (Dec. 21): returning its Falcon 9 rocket to flight after a failure last June and returning the booster's first stage to a historic landing on land.

The spaceflight company launched its upgraded Falcon 9 rocket from Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 8:29 p.m. EST (0129 GMT Dec. 22) on a mission to put 11 Orbcomm commercial communications satellites into Earth orbit.

posted 12-21-2015 08:56 PM               

The plan is to take the booster over to Launch Complex 39A, the Apollo 11 launch site that we lease from NASA and do a static fire at the launch pad there, to confirm that all systems are good and that we are able to do a full thrust hold-down firing of the rocket.

And then I think we'll probably keep this one on the ground just because it's kind of unique, it is the first one we brought back. So I think we'll keep this one on the ground for tests that prove it could fly again and then put it somewhere just because it is quite unique.

I think we'll end up re-flying one of the subsequent boosters. We have quite a big flight manifest. We should be doing well over a dozen flights next year. I think probably sometime next year we would aim to re-fly one of the rocket boosters.

posted 12-21-2015 09:24 PM               

I ran out on the causeway just to watch the landing and the sonic boom reached me about the same time as the rocket touched down. So I actually thought, at first, that it had exploded.

But it turned out to be just that the sonic boom almost exactly coincided with the touchdown point, so that the sound reached me several seconds later.

So at first I thought, 'Oh, well, at least we got close..." but then I went back into the launch control and there was this amazing video of the rocket still standing there on the landing zone.