SAOCOM-1A, ITASAT-1 - Falcon 9 - Vandenberg SLC-4E - 08.10.2018

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Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF 2 ч. назад

It's Launch Day! The #Falcon9 is set to launch @ 19:21 PDT 0221 UTC from Vandenberg - 43 mins AFTER sunset. That should set up an AMAZING light show for the West Coast as the rocket launches & then attempts its first-ever Return To Launch Site landing at Vandy!
@SpaceX #SAOCOM1A

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К #52 - официоз

SpaceX‏Подлинная учетная запись @SpaceX 18 ч. назад

SpaceX's West Coast landing zone

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https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/10/07/falcon-9-saocom-1a-mission-status-center/

Live coverage: SpaceX prepares for launch and landing in California
October 7, 2018 | Stephen Clark

10/07/2018 07:37 Stephen Clark

SpaceX engineers at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California are preparing for the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket Sunday at 7:21 p.m. PDT (10:21 p.m. EDT; 0221 GMT Monday) with SAOCOM 1A, a radar observation satellite for Argentina. The mission will include the first landing attempt by a SpaceX booster at America's West Coast spaceport.

Спойлер

The Falcon 9 rocket will carry Argentina's SAOCOM 1A Earth observation satellite into orbit, the first of two radar reconnaissance spacecraft developed by Argentina and assigned to flights on SpaceX launchers.

For the first time, SpaceX will attempt to bring the Falcon 9's first stage booster back to land at Vandenberg, following a return trajectory pioneered on missions launched from Cape Canaveral. On previous flights from California, SpaceX has recovered Falcon 9 first stages on a drone ship in the Pacific Ocean.

The concrete landing zone at Vandenberg is similar in appearance to SpaceX's landing pads at Cape Canaveral. But the rocket's return point in California is much closer to SpaceX's launch pad than the landing zone in Florida.

SpaceX signaled earlier this year its intention to attempt the first rocket landing at Vandenberg, following lengthy environmental and safety reviews by the Air Force, the Federal Aviation Administration, NOAA, and state authorities. Regulators examined how the returns might affect wildlife and natural resources, including seals that could be spooked by sonic booms.

The Air Force said in a statement Tuesday that residents around Vandenberg Air Force Base may hear sonic booms as the rocket comes back to Earth for a propulsive landing.

"Local residents may see the first stage of the Falcon 9 returning to Vandenberg AFB, including multiple engine burns associated with the landing," the Air Force said in a statement. "During the landing attempt residents from Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties may hear one or more sonic booms.

SpaceX has named its landing pad at Vandenberg Landing Zone 4. It was formerly named Space Launch Complex 4-West, a sister pad to the SLC-4E launch facility now used by the Falcon 9 rocket.

The first stage booster assigned to SAOCOM 1A previously flew July 25 on SpaceX's seventh launch of Iridium Next communications satellites, then landed on the company's offshore drone ship. Sunday night's flight will mark the 16th time SpaceX has reused one of its rocket boosters on an orbital mission.

The satellite's purpose is to scan the Earth with an L-band steerable synthetic aperture radar, enabling all-weather imagery of the planet day and night. Radar imagers can see through clouds and are effective 24 hours a day, but optical cameras are hindered by clouds and darkness.

SAOCOM 1A is the first of two identical radar observation satellites developed by CONAE, Argentina's national space agency, and manufactured by a consortium of Argentine companies led by INVAP.

The final phase of construction of the SAOCOM 1B satellite has started at INVAP's factory in Bariloche, Argentina. Its launch is planned on a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base some time between October and December of 2019, according to Laura Frulla, principal investigator for the SAOCOM mission at CONAE.

The new radar satellites will help measure soil moisture, and will watch for oil spills, floods, wildfires and other natural and human-caused disasters. The soil moisture data will provide scientists and agricultural planners information about the wetness of soil to a depth of more than 6 feet, or 2 meters, information that will help predict harvest yields, floods and droughts.

"The SAOCOM mission is mainly dedicated to soil moisture, but you can identify features in urban areas, too," Frulla said in an interview Saturday with Spaceflight Now. "The sensitivity of the instrument is quite good. We can have applications in agriculture, fishing, forestry, climate science, oceanography, natural resources, urban planning and geology.

"In the case of the environment, you can estimate biomass," Frulla said. "This is a good feature of using L-band. You can also have snow maps and water maps, and these give you some knowledge about the management of water, mainly for regions that don't have it."

SAOCOM 1A is the first radar imaging satellite built in Argentina, and it will comprise part of a joint Argentine-Italian project to share complementary radar surveillance data between the SAOCOM satellites and Italy's Cosmo-SkyMed constellation.

Frulla said the entire SAOCOM project, including two satellites, two launches and a ground station, cost around $600 million.

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Michael Baylor‏ @nextspaceflight 1 ч. назад

B1048, we meet again.




1 ч. назад

The SLC-4E launch pad is directly adjacent to the LZ-4 landing zone. #SpaceX

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Michael Baylor‏ @nextspaceflight 14 мин. назад

Perfect weather for remote setup. Fingers crossed for tonight. #SpaceX

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CONAE‏ @CONAE_Oficial 1 ч. назад

CENTRO CONTROL DE MISION - EQUIPO A Comienza el trabajo ! Estamos en conteo y listos para el lanzammiento! Vamos #SAOCOM 1A Vamos

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Michael Baylor‏ @nextspaceflight 16 мин. назад

Humans for scale. #SpaceX

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Похоже, пуск будет в тумане...

Kerbal Space Academy‏ @KSpaceAcademy 36 мин. назад

Soon™ #SAOCOM1A

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INVAP‏ @invapargentina 18 мин. назад

Listos para el lanzamiento de #SAOCOM de @CONAE_Oficial en Vandenberg y en Córdoba. Vamos Argentina!

Спойлер

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Michael Baylor‏ @nextspaceflight 6 мин. назад

Mr. Steven remains at the Port of LA and will not attempt to recover a fairing half. No word on the reason.
#SpaceX

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10/08/2018 00:05 Stephen Clark

A shortened Falcon 9 countdown is now the norm with the introduction of SpaceX's upgraded "Block 5" version of the launch vehicle.

After power-up and initial checkouts of the Falcon 9 rocket at Space Launch Complex 4-East, SpaceX's launch conductor will electronically poll the launch team at T-minus 38 minutes -- 6:43 p.m. PDT (9:43 p.m. EDT; 0143 GMT) -- for a "go" to proceed into the automated countdown sequence.

Assuming all systems are go, refined, super-chilled RP-1 kerosene will begin flowing into both stages of the Falcon 9 rocket three minutes later at T-minus 35 minutes -- 6:46 p.m. PDT (9:46 p.m. EDT; 0146 GMT).

At the same time, cryogenic liquid oxygen will begin pumping int the Falcon 9's first stage. Liquid oxygen loading into the second stage will commence at T-minus 16 minutes.

At around the same time, the SAOCOM 1A spacecraft will be switched to internal battery power and configured for liftoff.

Chill down of the first stage's nine Merlin 1D engines will begin at T-minus 7 minutes, followed by the alignment of the Falcon 9's guidance system and retraction of the launch pad's strongback structure a few degrees from the vehicle in preparation for engine ignition.

In the final couple of minutes of the countdown, the Falcon 9 will switch to internal power and its propellant tanks will be pressurized, prior to the command to ignite its nine main engines at T-minus 3 seconds.

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SpaceX‏Подлинная учетная запись @SpaceX 4 мин. назад

Falcon 9 and SAOCOM 1A are vertical on SpaceX's launch pad at Vandenberg AFB. Following today's launch at 7:21 p.m. PDT, SpaceX will attempt to land Falcon 9's first stage on Landing Zone 4. Webcast starts ~15 minutes before liftoff → http://spacex.com/webcast 

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Русскоязычные трансляции:

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https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/10/07/photos-falcon-9-rocket-landing-pad-ready-for-action-at-vandenberg/

Photos: Falcon 9 rocket, landing pad ready for action at Vandenberg
October 7, 2018 | Stephen Clark


The Falcon 9 rocket set to launch the SAOCOM 1A satellite stands on its launch pad Sunday. Credit: SpaceX

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was raised vertical at Space Launch Complex 4-East at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Sunday ahead of a planned liftoff with Argentina's SAOCOM 1A radar observation satellite, and the first landing of a SpaceX booster on the U.S. West Coast.

The 229-foot-tall (70-meter) rocket was set for liftoff at 7:21:29 p.m. PDT Monday (10:21:29 p.m. EDT; 0221:29 GMT Tuesday) from the SLC-4E launch pad at Vandenberg. The Argentine-built SAOCOM 1A spacecraft, carrying a synthetic aperture radar imager for Earth observation, will ride the commercial launcher into orbit around 385 miles (620 kilometers) above Earth.

For the first time, SpaceX plans to return the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket to Vandenberg, a military facility located on California's Central Coast between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Спойлер

SpaceX has landed 11 rockets at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station following launches from Florida, and another 18 boosters have touched down intact on the company's ocean-going downrange drone ships. But none have returned to landings in California.

That is set to change with Sunday's launch after lengthy environmental reviews and final preparations of the concrete landing pad at Vandenberg, dubbed Landing Zone 4. The landing target sits on the site of a former Titan 2 launch pad, around a quarter-mile (400 meters) from the Falcon 9 launch pad at SLC-4E, a site previously used by Titan 4 rockets.


Credit: SpaceX

The relatively light weight of the SAOCOM 1A spacecraft — around 6,600 pounds (3,000 kilograms) — combined with the payload's target orbit less than 400 miles above Earth allow the Falcon 9 to reserve sufficient propellant for the return to launch site landing maneuvers.

Less fuel reserve is needed to steer the first stage toward a drone ship downrange at sea.

SpaceX plans to inspect the stage for potential reuse on a future mission. Going into Sunday's launch, the booster already has one flight in its history — a July 25 launch with 10 Iridium communications satellites. The rocket landed on SpaceX's drone ship and returned to port in California for inspections and preparations for another launch.

These photos show the Falcon 9 rocket at the SLC-4E launch pad Sunday.

Credit: SpaceX
Credit: Gene Blevins/LA Daily News


Credit: Gene Blevins/LA Daily News


Credit: Gene Blevins/LA Daily News


Credit: Gene Blevins/LA Daily News


Credit: Gene Blevins/LA Daily News


Credit: Gene Blevins/LA Daily News


Credit: Gene Blevins/LA Daily News


Credit: Gene Blevins/LA Daily News

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SpaceX‏Подлинная учетная запись @SpaceX 2 мин. назад

T-60 minutes until Falcon 9 launch of SAOCOM 1A. Launch webcast will go live about 15 minutes before liftoff → http://spacex.com/webcast 

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10/08/2018 04:36 Stephen Clark

T-minus 45 minutes. Some statistics on today's launch:

[/li]
• 62nd launch of a Falcon 9 rocket since 2010
• 68th launch of Falcon rocket family since 2006
• 12th Falcon 9 launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base
• 2nd launch of Falcon 9 Vehicle No. 48
• 2nd launch of an all-Block 5 version of the Falcon 9 from Vandenberg
• 1st launch for Argentina by SpaceX
• 23rd Falcon 9 night launch
• 16th Falcon 9 launch of 2018
• 17th launch by SpaceX in 2018
• 8th launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in 2018
• 6th flight of a Falcon 9 Block 5 first stage
• 9th flight of a Falcon 9 Block 5 second stage
• 36th attempt to land a Falcon 9 first stage
• 1st attempt to land a Falcon 9 first stage at Vandenberg AFB
  

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D. Stamos/Helodriver‏ @SpacecoastPix 10 мин. назад

Sunset light illuminates the #Falcon9 of #SpaceX less than on hour from launch @NASASpaceflight

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10/08/2018 04:42 Stephen Clark

The U.S. Air Force's Western Range reports they are "go" for launch and landing of the Falcon 9 rocket at this time.