SpaceX F9 v1.1 / CASSIOPE (Canada) mission thread


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For comparison -

Falcon 9 v1.0 was 156' with Dragon and ~180' with a cargo fairing.

Falcon 9 v1.1 with a cargo fairing is 224'.

Because of the Merlin 1D engine upgrade it now has 50-60% more thrust.

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Another short hotfire Saturday. Doublechecking adjustments. Fast FRR, then a 2 hour launch window opens at 9:00 AM Pacific / 12 PM Eastern Sunday. If they can't make Sunday it might be a few days to get another date from the range.

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Spaceflightnow.com already reports that sunday isn't going to happen!?! According to them the call not to launch sunday is already made, because of the new hotfire tomorrow.

 

You know something they don't DocM?

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The delay broke after that post. Things moved fast this afternoon. There are a few issues -

1) a problem with slow de-tanking cropped up. Maybe icing (my speculation.) New pad syndrome.

2) some engine parameters need tweaking and a re-test. With SpaceX this often comes down to overly tight safety limits imposed by them. They've had to loosen them before.

3) weather. Only 40% of late Sept. days at Vandenberg meet the FAA safety regs.

4) schedule. Soon there are to be missile tests that take priority. Getting another slot might take a few days.

If the Gods smile on a weekend hotfire, and FRR happens Mon/Tues, it could allow a launch mid to late next week.

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Yup, except for the fact that their Vandenberg SLC-4E pad will mainly be used for national security payloads (NRO spysats etc.) that can't go to a civilian facility.

The whole story here is 1) adjustments need to be made to the new pads GSE (ground support equipment), and 2) the USAF will have the range tied up for two Minuteman III ICBM test launches running until at least Sept 22.

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Hotfire 2!!

Pad mods made & checked out, Falcon 9 v1.1 ready to rock 'n roll.

Flight Readiness Review (FRR) next Friday (Sept. 27th), launch NET the following Sunday (Sept. 29th) pending range confirmation. Launch window: 1600-1800 GMT (12-2 p.m. EDT; 9-11 a.m. PDT)

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30th Space Wing (Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.)

FIRST SPACEX LAUNCH FROM VANDENBERG SCHEDULED

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. ? Team Vandenberg is scheduled to launch its first-ever SpaceX launch from Space Launch Complex-4 here Sunday with a targeted launch window beginning at 9 a.m. PDT.

Col. Keith Balts, 30th Space Wing commander, is the launch decision authority.

?Our mission is to provide unique capabilities for assured access to and from space for our nation,? said Balts. ?This is a huge stepping stone for Vandenberg and our SpaceX mission partners and I am impressed with the amount of innovation, dedication and professionalism that was put into making this historic event happen.?

30th Space Wing?s 1st Air and Space Test Squadron is the lead for all launch site certification activities at Vandenberg for SpaceX as an Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle New Entrant. Under the authority of the Space and Missile Systems Center, the Squadron is evaluating SpaceX?s flight and ground systems, processes and procedures for this inaugural space launch campaign for the upgraded Falcon 9 rocket.

?This is historic event for Vandenberg AFB and we are excited to be a part of it,? said Lt. Col. Joseph Imwalle, 1ASTS commander. ?The Squadron is committed to making the new process of EELV certification successful and to achieving the vision of more affordable operational spacelift capabilities for the Department of Defense without compromising reliability.?

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The Launch Readiness Review (LRR) was concluded with a GO for a Sunday launch attempt, pending weather.

Livestream: http://new.livestream.com/spacex/F9-6

Canadian satellite CASSIOPE Ready to Launch

Longueuil, Quebec, September 27, 2013 ? The Canadian satellite CASSIOPE (Cascade SmallSat and Ionospheric Polar Explorer) is ready for its second attempt to launch. The event is planned on September 29 with a launch window opening at noon (12 p.m. EDT). CASSIOPE will lift off from Vandenberg, California aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. With CASSIOPE, Canada is looking to make a significant contribution to unravelling the mysteries of space weather.

The launch will be broadcast live on the SpaceX Website

( http://www.spacex.com )

CASSIOPE is a multi-purpose mission designed to conduct space environment research and telecommunications technology demonstration. Its scientific payload ePOP (enhanced polar outflow probe) will observe the ionosphere and enable scientists to collect new data on space storms in Earth's upper atmosphere and assess their potential impacts. CASSIOPE also includes the Cascade technology demonstrator for high speed store and forward information delivery.

This science mission was developed as a result of a close collaboration between several key partners including the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), 10 Canadian universities led by the University of Calgary and 2 research organizations, amongst others.

NOTAM (NOtice To AirMen) -

!CARF 09/183 (KZLA A2319/13) ZLA AIRSPACE DCC 2 ROPS AIROP DO-1307 STAGE 1 AND DEBRIS AREA STATIONARY RESERVATION WITHIN AN AREA BNDD BY 3133N/11934W 2848N/11910W 2809N/12000W 2300N/12000W 2300N/12005W 2622N/12104W 3007N/12119W 3133N/12113W SFC-UNL WEF 1309291600-1309291953

!CARF 09/181 (KZLA A2318/13) ZLA AIRSPACE DCC 2 ROPS AIROP DO-1307 DEBRIS DISPERTION AREA STATIONARY RESERVATION WITHIN AN AREA BNDD BY 3445N/12100W 3445N/12034W 3236N/11947W 3133N/11934W 3133N/12113W SFC-UNL WEF 1309291600-1309291930

1st stage drop/landing zone

cassiope-notam.jpg

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No clue yet, but there are people keeping eyes on the company that does their Dragon recovery operations. There should get word late Saturday if they leave port. They always shoot pics & video.

USAF meteorologists are predicting an 80-90% probability of favorable weather on Sunday, going down to 70% on Monday.

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