NSLSat 1 – Astra – Kodiak LP-3B – 29.02.2020

[zandr]

http://novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/news/53271/

Компания Astra планирует запустить свою ракету 21 февраля
 После долгого молчания компания Astra, разрабатывающая легкий носитель для запуска спутников, объявила о своих ближайших планах. Правда, без излишних подробностей, сообщает SpaceNews.
 21 февраля стартовые команды компании намерены выполнить первый орбитальный пуск своей ракеты-носителя. Старт состоится по заказу Управления перспективных исследований Министерства обороны США (DARPA) с космодрома Кодиак на Аляске.
А.Ж.

[tnt22]

Анонс пуска (без указания ПН) - #46, #47

[tnt22]

(или см #48)
NOTMAR (local), стр 2



Пусковой период: с 21 февраля по 1 марта с.г. (включительно)
Пусковое окно: ежедневно с 20:30 до 24:00 UTC / с 23:30 до 03:00 ДМВ

[tnt22]

Приложение к #3 (стр. 22, 23)

Карта закрываемых зон

 

[tnt22]

https://spacenews.com/astra-emphasizes-rapid-iteration-in-its-quest-for-low-cost-rapid-launch/

Astra emphasizes rapid iteration in its quest for low-cost, rapid launch
by Jeff Foust — February 14, 2020

WASHINGTON — As Astra prepares for its first orbital launch attempt, the company is setting expectations accordingly and taking the long view towards its goal of frequent, low-cost access to space.

The launch window for Astra's first orbital launch fr om Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska now opens Feb. 25, according to a U.S. Coast Guard notice published Feb. 12. The company will have daily windows fr om 3:30 to 7:00 p.m. Eastern through March 3.

In a Feb. 13 interview, Chris Kemp, chief executive of Astra, confirmed that launch window but didn't give a specific date when the company would make its first launch attempt. The rocket, dubbed "One of Three," will be flying to the spaceport on Kodiak Island, Alaska, in a few days.

That launch, he confirmed, will be the first of two missions as part of the DARPA Launch Challenge, a competition by DARPA to demonstrate responsive launch capabilities. Astra is the sole remaining competitor in the challenge after the other two finalists, Vector and Virgin Orbit, dropped out last year.

Kemp said the company has yet to receive the payload provided by DARPA that the company will launch on that mission. "I think it shows up any day now," he said. "Part of the challenge is not knowing what the payload is and integrating the payload at the last minute." He added he expected DARPA to disclose more details about the competition on or around Feb. 18.

Astra will receive $2 million if it successfully places that payload into orbit, and $10 million if it successfully performs a second launch from another site, which would be either Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia or Naval Outlying Field on San Nicolas Island off the California coast. Kemp said the company has been preparing for launching from any of those three sites, including filing an application with the Federal Communications Commission for a license supporting a Wallops launch, but has not been informed by DARPA which site they would use.

However, Kemp said that the company, which emerged from stealth mode just this month, was aware of the long odds of success for the first orbital launch of any rocket. "The fact that we're talking now to the press is really a function of wanting to make sure that, prior to the DARPA Launch Challenge, we don't frame everything around this first launch," he said. "It's not our expectation that our first launch will succeed, but it is our expectation that a campaign will succeed if we launch, learn and iterate."

He said he expected "a few attempts" before succeeding to place a payload in orbit. He based on that on historic estimates that it takes "somewhere between three and four" launches before a vehicle is successful. SpaceX, for example, did not make orbit until the fourth flight of its Falcon 1 rocket. However, Rocket Lab achieved orbit on its second Electron mission after a problem with range safety equipment, and not the rocket itself, on its first launch.

Astra is preparing for that by building three of its "Rocket 3.0" vehicles together. Kemp said the second rocket is about 90% complete and the third 40% complete. "We're able to produce a rocket a month," he said. "That allows us to, if this first flight isn't entirely successful, make whatever changes we'd like to make," he said. "It will not be a year before we launch again. It will be maybe a month or two before we launch again."

Once Astra does reach orbit, be it on its first launch or third, the company is ready to move ahead with a "big long list of satellites on manifest." He didn't disclose any specific customers, but said it included a mix of commercial and government customers willing to fly an untried vehicle to get they payloads into orbit.

"There's just so little supply of launches when customers want to fly and wh ere they want to fly that they're willing to launch on a rocket that has no success record," he said. "The fact that we have so many customers waiting in line without yet establishing that track record is pretty encouraging to us."

The key to Astra's success, he argued, is the ability to iterate quickly, incorporating improvements in the design of the rocket. The company has already done that through its first two rockets, suborbital vehicles launched from Alaska in 2018. The first rocket had a carbon composite nose cone, which cost about $250,000 to make, which was close to the target cost of the entire vehicle. "We could not use composites, period," he said, with the company switching to an aluminum structure that is cheaper and faster to produce.

Astra, unlike many others in the launch business, is eschewing the use of additive manufacturing, or 3-D printing. "We do 3D-print two components on the rocket today, and we are moving away from that as fast as we possibly can, because those 3D-printed components cost as much as the entire rocket."

That iteration will continue after successfully reaching orbit. Kemp said a version 4 of the rocket will be able to place 50 kilograms into a sun-synchronous orbit. "We think that is about right for wh ere the market is today," he said. He expected Astra to produce 25 of those, of which more than half have been sold.

That iteration also reflects competition from Rocket Lab's Electron. After Electron entered service Astra made changes to the design of its rocket, including new engines with double the thrust from those used on its 2.0 version of the rocket and larger tanks. "We were able to quickly respond to Rocket Lab's successful orbital flight," Kemp said. "We decided to double the mass of our rocket so we could directly compete with Rocket Lab. That is something that didn't take is five years to do or 11 years to do. It took us one year."

Future versions will be driven by market needs, including both vehicle capacity and launch rate. Astra, in an introductory video posted on its website, spoke of offering daily access to space, a goal he said provides a "north star" to guide the company's efforts that will take three to five generations of vehicles to reach.

"You get there by, frankly, iterating," he said. "With each generation of the rocket we'll have an opportunity to look at the market and understand what the demand looks like, and then design the rocket for a certain production rate."

Kemp emphasized near the end of the half-hour interview that the company won't be discouraged if its upcoming launch fails. "If this launch isn't entirely successful, we're going to go do it again," he said. "We're going to iterate towards orbit."

[свернуть]

[tnt22]

Дата пуска, пусковой период и закрываемые зоны переопределены:

Источник, стр 2, 20



Пусковой период: с 25 февраля по 3 марта с.г. (включительно)
Пусковое окно: ежедневно с 20:30 до 24:00 UTC / с 23:30 до 03:00 ДМВ

[поц]

https://twitter.com/DARPA/status/1230227022636634118

In preparation for the first launch in the DARPA #LaunchChallenge, Astra's rocket "1 of 3" arrives in Kodiak, Alaska, packed in a container.

[поц]

https://twitter.com/DARPA/status/1230229691329646592

Over the hills and icy roads, the rocket made the trek to Pacific Spaceport Complex-Alaska. #LaunchChallenge

[поц]

https://twitter.com/DARPA/status/1230317016231354369

L-7: The Astra vehicle is loaded in Alameda, California, and arrives at the DARPA #LaunchChallenge location in Kodiak, Alaska. Get all your updates on the Launch Challenge Channel at http://darpalaunchchallenge.org

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Источник

(0:58)

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NOTMAR

NAVAREA XII 67/20

EASTERN NORTH PACIFIC.
GULF OF ALASKA.
ALASKA.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, ROCKET LAUNCHING
    252030Z TO 252359Z FEB,
    ALTERNATE 2030Z TO 2359Z
    DAILY 26 FEB THRU 03 MAR
    IN AREAS BOUND BY:
         A. 57-24.91N 152-11.05W, 57-27.62N 152-18.13W,
             57-26.03N 152-27.94W, 57-24.19N 153-10.60W,
             54-35.69N 153-41.60W, 54-34.44N 153-33.71W.
        B. 43-45.27N 158-30.71W, 43-28.14N 156-51.07W,
            41-48.65N 157-21.32W, 42-07.57N 159-03.62W.
2. CANCEL THIS MSG 040059Z MAR 20.//

Authority: AKAEROSPACE 122251Z FEB 20.

Date: 200733Z FEB 20
Cancel: 04005900 Mar 20

[tnt22]

DARPA✔@DARPA 1:16 AM - Feb 21, 2020

Though conditions in Kodiak are improving, the weather the last twelve hours has been less than ideal. Accordingly, the launch team is taking their mandatory day of rest today and will resume preparations at first light tomorrow morning. #launchchallenge

[tnt22]

DARPA✔@DARPA 6:27 AM - Feb 21, 2020

How do you begin to ready a launch pad that has next to no existing infrastructure and is nearly 2000 nautical miles from San Francisco? One storage container at a time. Join us tomorrow as we start unpacking in earnest.

[tnt22]

https://gdbarrett.com/launches/2020/2/20/astra-rocket-30-one-of-three-darpa-challenge

February 20, 2020

ASTRA ROCKET 3.0 ONE OF THREE
DARPA CHALLENGE

infographic, Launch, Astra

"One of Three" is the first orbital attempt  of Astra Space small satellite launch vehicle.

Astra Rocket 3.0 is the third version and  first orbital version of Astra Space's small  satellite launch vehicle. It is designed to  carry 100kg in LEO.  Astra's rocket is the first mission of  DARPA's "Launch Challenge" in which The company must launch a payload by  Mar. 1 to win $2 million and then  successfully launch a second payload from  another U.S. location "within days" to win an  additional $10 million.

[tnt22]

Michael Sheetz✔@thesheetztweetz 2:37 AM - Feb 20, 2020

Astra's rocket for the first mission of @DARPA's "Launch Challenge" arrived in Kodiak, Alaska.

The company must launch a payload by Mar. 1 to win $2 million and then successfully launch a second payload from another U.S. location "within days" to win an additional $10 million.

[tnt22]

DARPA Launch Challenge: What is the Payload?

DARPAtv

21 февр. 2020 г.

DARPA Launch Challenge seeks to demonstrate "just in time" payload integration as part of the overall goal for rapid and responsive use of space. In contrast with typical launch campaigns where payload data is given to the launch provider months prior, details of the payloads for Launch 1 were shared with the launch team on January 22, 2020 (L-30 days). The Launch 1 payload manifest consists of four CubeSats and one hosted payload. The team received the payloads at the launch site, where integration with the rocket is being finalized.


Today, space launch is a process that begins years in advance, and it relies on a limited number of launch ranges that have complex, expensive, and one-of-a-kind, fixed infrastructure. The DARPA Launch Challenge is stressing the time, technology, systems, and processes that currently constrain access to space. The Challenge aims to minimize launch infrastructure, improve responsiveness, and take advantage of advances in commercial launch cadence to demonstrate flexible launch capabilities in days rather than years, for our nation's defense.

[свернуть]

https://www.youtube.com/embed/kUCf-7j4weM (1:06)

[tnt22]

L-6: Payload Integration & Weather Testing - DARPA Launch Challenge

DARPAtv

22 февр. 2020 г.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/lyVmhDkVMNs (1:03)

Upper Level Winds Tracking - DARPA Launch Challenge

DARPAtv

22 февр. 2020 г.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/hBLQLldcvQ0 (1:13)

Launch One Location - DARPA Launch Challenge

DARPAtv

22 февр. 2020 г.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/nFmfUuiDH54 (2:27)

[tnt22]

L-5: Testing Weather Conditions for Launch - DARPA Launch Challenge

DARPAtv

22 февр. 2020 г.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/MnewibrnY9k (1:03)

[tnt22]

L-4: Ground Support Equipment Delivery & Offload - DARPA Launch Challenge

DARPAtv

22 февр. 2020 г.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/uD_AE9pmLTo (0:54)

Payload Integration: DARPA Launch Challenge

DARPAtv

22 февр. 2020 г.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/O4iHYXNHyKo (1:55)

[tnt22]

Исходя из последних уведомлений воздухоплавателям, пуск, скорее всего, смещен на 27 февраля в том же временном окне.

NOTAMs

PAZA

FDC 0/7573 (A0144/20) - AK..AIRSPACE KODIAK, AK..TEMPORARY FLIGHT
RESTRICTIONS PURSUANT TO 14 CFR SECTION 91.143
TEMPORARY FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS ARE IN EFFECT WI AN AREA BOUNDED BY
572122.24N/1524637.20W TO 572858.94N/1524348.00W TO
573146.97N/1524124.00W TO 573450.91N/1523646.80W TO
573700.00N/1522927.60W TO 573741.70N/1522204.80W TO
573725.60N/1521651.60W TO 573605.05N/1520946.80W TO
573330.27N/1520339.60W TO 572931.27N/1515851.60W TO
572502.69N/1515638.40W TO 571908.13N/1515714.40W TO
571434.10N/1515906.25W TO 571050.49N/1520912.21W TO
570950.41N/1522314.19W TO 570617.22N/1523109.71W TO
565853.51N/1523958.43W TO 565520.95N/1525348.72W TO
564924.23N/1530435.01W TO POINT OF ORIGIN.

SFC-FL600 DUE TO ROCKET LAUNCH ACTIVITY.
ANCHORAGE ARTCC TELEPHONE (907-269-1103) IS THE FAA
COORDINATION FACILITY. 27 FEB 20:30 2020 UNTIL 27 FEB 23:59 2020. 27 FEB 20:30
2020 UNTIL 27 FEB 23:59 2020.
CREATED: 21 FEB 15:34 2020


02/173 (A0154/20) - AIRSPACE DCC PSCA-DARPA LAUNCH STNR ALT
RESERVATION WI AN AREA DEFINED AS 5738N15222W TO 5737N15217W TO
5736N15210W TO 5734N15204W TO 5730N15159W TO 5725N15157W TO
5719N15157W TO 5710N15202W TO 5704N15204W TO 5640N15215W TO
5506N15255W TO 5336N15336W TO 5222N15407W TO 5220N15407W TO
5054N15444W TO 5053N15444W TO 5052N15444W TO 4329N15656W TO
4205N15722W TO 4221N15855W TO 4345N15827W TO 5721N15247W TO
5729N15244W TO 5732N15241W TO 5735N15237W TO 5737N15229W TO POINT OF
ORIGIN SFC-UNL. 27 FEB 20:30 2020 UNTIL 28 FEB 00:01 2020.
CREATED: 24 FEB 11:03 2020