Falcon 9: GPS III SV-03 (US Space Force)


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Next-Gen GPS satellite launch for the US Space Force 

 

Launch date: June 30

Launch time: 1555-1610 Eastern (1955-2010 GMT)

Pad: LC-40

Booster recovery: ASDS

Fairing recovery: Ms Tree, Ms Chief

 

 

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Are there currently 2 vertical falcon 9s? 39a and lc-40 or has starlink been taken back down?

 

Any photos?

 

With this being air force will the stream cut out early?

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9 hours ago, anthdci said:

Are there currently 2 vertical falcon 9s? 39a and lc-40 or has starlink been taken back down?

 

Any photos?

 

With this being air force will the stream cut out early?

 

The F9 booster was laid down and moved to the hangar, and the payload de-mated because it prefers to be stored vertical.  

 

It's a Space Force launch. Military launches were transferred to USSF, along with Vandenberg, Cape Canaveral and several other bases. A big chunk of this year's USAF Academy graduates also switched to Space Force.

 

Two Falcon 9's, an Atlas V and the Northrop-Grumman OmegA launch platform

 

IMG_20200630_123356.thumb.jpg.4df2975bf9a0a22fd0cf9e07ac84c836.jpg

Edited by DocM
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9 hours ago, anthdci said:

Are there currently 2 vertical falcon 9s? 39a and lc-40 or has starlink been taken back down?

 

Any photos?

 

With this being air force will the stream cut out early?

I see you got an Air Force/Space Force lecture...lol.

 

Anyway, this guy did get a shot when both Falcons were vertical (L-9 isn't now)...

 

 

With regards to the cutting the stream ... when SpaceX launched the Air Force's GPS III in December 2018 ... it carried the stream from launch to deployment (~2 hours after launch).  I would assume today will be the same...though GPS deployment is around +90 minutes.

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18 minutes ago, Jim K said:

I see you got an Air Force/Space Force lecture...lol.

 

On checking it has both USSF and USAF  livery, but previous military launches flew  under USSF. Could be a transitional thing with the GPS III program.

 

18 minutes ago, Jim K said:

 

With regards to the cutting the stream ... when SpaceX launched the Air Force's GPS III in December 2018 ... it carried the stream from launch to deployment (~2 hours after launch).  I would assume today will be the same...though GPS deployment is around +90 minutes.

We can certainly hope so.

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They haven't said 

 

https://spacenews.com/spacex-successfully-launches-a-u-s-space-force-gps-3-satellite-recovers-rockets-first-stage/

 

Quote

SpaceX launches a U.S. Space Force GPS 3 satellite, recovers rocket’s first stage

 

WASHINGTON — A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched a U.S. Space Force GPS 3 satellite on June 30. The rocket lifted off at 4:10 p.m. Eastern from Cape Canaveral, Florida,

 

About eight minutes after liftoff, SpaceX landed the Falcon 9’s brand-new first stage on the “Just Read the Instructions” d droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

 

This was the Falcon 9’s 87th successful mission and the 49th first stage recovered by SpaceX. It also marked the first time the company recovered a booster following a National Security Space Launch mission.

>

 

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