SpaceX (general discussion)

Hobbes said:
FighterJock said:
Interesting video fredymac, it is a wonder why SpaceX are even bothering with the Block 5 Falcon 9 rocket when they said that all future production of the Falcon 9 would be stopped and all future production would be concentrated on the BFR? ??? :-\

No, SpaceX said all future development will be stopped. They have at least 50 launches on the manifest for the next 4 years, and can't just postpone those indefinitely until BFR is operational.

SteveO said:
Watched that video earlier today and if I remember correctly they said the block 5 is the design freeze point for Falcon 9 and after seven successful launches of the block 5 standard it can be classed as human spaceflight/astronaut rated.

Design and engineering efforts switch to BFR while block 5 is in production I believe.

I would like to point out that the developement freeze is imposed on SpaceX by NASA. SpaceX likes incremental development, making small changes to almost every successive rocket, tweaking it to get a little bit more performance every launch, as opposed to making the design what they want from the beginning and sticking with it. NASA is pretty adamantly opposed to this, because they feel that each change in the rocket introduces the possibility of a previously unknown safety issue. To be fair, they have a point -- the loss of AMOS-6 was a textbook example of such an occurrence. SpaceX had introduced densified propellant, oxidizer and even densified helium pressurization fluid, to fit more into the same tanks and to push more through with the same pumps. The densified helium caused some of the oxidizer to freeze solid, which eventually caused the loss of the vehicle and it's payload. However, at the same time it was tweaks like densification that allowed Falcon 9 to reach the kind of performance that makes reusability viable at a low cost.

But anyway, one of the criteria NASA has set for commercial operators to human-rate their rockets is to launch exactly the same design, with no changes *at all* for a given number of times, IIRC 9. SpaceX has chosen "Block 5" to be this point where the development of Falcon 9 ends. Now, of course, all their development engineers had no more work to do on the F9, so it of course makes sense for them to start working on the next big thing.
 
Round up of the Falcon 9 fleet and the introduction of the Block 5.

SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 will usher in a new era of rapid reuse rockets

Despite all missions being readily in the range of recovery, SpaceX has only attempted to recover its Falcon boosters after two of the company’s five 2018 launches. If anything, the attachment to Falcon boosters and the apparent melancholy felt by many observers when they are not recovered is a testament to the staggeringly abrupt success of SpaceX’s reusable rocketry program.

Aside from Falcon Heavy’s center core and 1044, each booster expended in the last several months (Iridium-4, GovSat-1, and PAZ) was aging, flight-proven, and nearing the end of its operational life: Block 3 and Block 4 Falcon 9s were simply not designed or expected to fly more than two or three times total. Their seemingly premature deaths were thus a necessary step along the path to Block 5 and truly rapid and cheap booster reuse; perhaps as pragmatic as quite literally making space for new and superior hardware at SpaceX’s many facilities. The demise of Falcon Heavy’s center core nevertheless made for a spectacular video (skip to 1:10, or watch the whole thing…).

https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-falcon-9-block-5-rapid-reuse-rockets/
 
The notion that SpaceX will be testing BFR next year would seem to be to be a bit premature. Looks like they've just bought the property the building it will be built in will be built on.

https://www.teslarati.com/spacexs-first-bfr-manufacturing-facility-approved-long-beach-port-la-photos/

(Unless the BFR test vehicles are being built somewhere else that is.)
 
sferrin said:
The notion that SpaceX will be testing BFR would seem to be to be a bit premature. Looks like they've just bought the property the building it will be built in will be built on.

https://www.teslarati.com/spacexs-first-bfr-manufacturing-facility-approved-long-beach-port-la-photos/

(Unless the BFR test vehicles are being built somewhere else that is.)
NSF membershio believes test ship will be assembled either in Florida or Texas from components built in existing facilities.
 
Yes. Production has already started in existing facilities, but for the production volume SpaceX envisions a new factory is necessary (and has to be close to water to make transport easier), that's what the Long Beach location is for.
 
I assume they think BFR will be easier to do, backed up some comments by Mr Musk hence why it’s being left for now?
 
No, they didn't start earlier because all available engineering resources were focused on Falcon 9/FH.

BFR breaks new ground (all-carbon structure, new advanced engine) so will take more engineering than F9.
 
Elon Musk: Making Life Multi-Planetary
By Leonard David
March 26th, 2018

Elon Musk, CEO and Lead Designer at SpaceX, presents the updated design for the Big Falcon Rocket (BFR), in a summary article published in New Space, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

The article is available free on the New Space website.

The article is a summary of Musk’s presentation at the 68th International Astronautical Congress.

http://www.leonarddavid.com/elon-musk-making-life-multi-planetary/

Here’s the article:

https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/space.2018.29013.emu
 
Fairing recovery attempt failed during today's Iridium launch. Sounds like unexpected aerodynamics fouled the parafoil.


From Musk Twitter:
"GPS guided parafoil twisted, so fairing impacted water at high speed. Air wake from fairing messing w parafoil steering. Doing helo drop tests in next few weeks to solve."


This is the kind of basic R&D that ULA should be doing if they were serious about recovering the engines from their Vulcan launcher.
 
SpaceX to Debut Falcon 9 Block 5 in April

CAPE CANAVERAL - The upgraded Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket SpaceX needs to taxi NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station (ISS) and deliver U.S. national security spacecraft into orbit will make its first flight on a commercial mission for Bangladesh, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell says. Bangabandhu Satellite-1, which was built by Thales Alenia Space for the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, will be the first Bangladeshi geostationary satellite, ...

http://m.aviationweek.com/space/spacex-debut-falcon-9-block-5-april
 
I'm not positive but I think until they get the process down, they only equip one fairing half with the parafoil/GPS guidance to cut down on costs.
 
Spot the law in need of reform.

NOAA explains restriction on SpaceX launch webcast

SILVER SPRING, Md. — A cutoff of live video on a recent SpaceX launch reflects new awareness by regulators of the imaging capabilities of onboard cameras on launch vehicles and requirements for companies to adhere to laws that some in the industry believe are outdated.

During the March 30 launch of 10 Iridium Next satellites on a SpaceX Falcon 9, SpaceX cut off the live video from the rocket’s second stage nine minutes after liftoff. The company cited “restrictions” imposed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for terminating the live feed.

http://spacenews.com/noaa-explains-restriction-on-spacex-launch-webcast/
 
This was still a recovery failure, because it ended up in the drink. In order to reuse without refurbishment costs of the same order as building new, they need it to not swim in salt water.

(A partial success like this is still great for development, because they get to tear down and examine the fairing and all the recovery equipment.)
 
Tuna said:
This was still a recovery failure, because it ended up in the drink. In order to reuse without refurbishment costs of the same order as building new, they need it to not swim in salt water.

(A partial success like this is still great for development, because they get to tear down and examine the fairing and all the recovery equipment.)

There was never any intention to recover this stage it was always intended for disposal at the extreme of the recovery envelope for data gathering purposes. These earlier blocks are being disposed of. Only the introduction of block 5 will allow for multiple reuses.
 
Flyaway said:
There was never any intention to recover this stage it was always intended for disposal at the extreme of the recovery envelope for data gathering purposes. These earlier blocks are being disposed of. Only the introduction of block 5 will allow for multiple reuses.

All true. However, what they did intend to recover, and failed to, was one half of the payload fairing.
 
Tuna said:
Flyaway said:
There was never any intention to recover this stage it was always intended for disposal at the extreme of the recovery envelope for data gathering purposes. These earlier blocks are being disposed of. Only the introduction of block 5 will allow for multiple reuses.

All true. However, what they did intend to recover, and failed to, was one half of the payload fairing.

And?
 
sferrin said:
Tuna said:
Flyaway said:
There was never any intention to recover this stage it was always intended for disposal at the extreme of the recovery envelope for data gathering purposes. These earlier blocks are being disposed of. Only the introduction of block 5 will allow for multiple reuses.

All true. However, what they did intend to recover, and failed to, was one half of the payload fairing.

And?

And fairing recovery was what my originally quoted post referred to. I probably should have quoted one post of the previous fairing recovery discussion to be more clear, but didn't.
 
An update on the loss of the secretive Zuma payload.

Probes Point to Northrop Grumman Errors in January Spy-Satellite Failure

Government and industry experts have tentatively concluded that engineering and testing errors by Northrop Grumman Corp. caused a U.S. spy satellite to plummet into the ocean shortly after a January launch, according to people familiar with the details.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/probes-point-to-northrop-grumman-errors-in-january-spy-satellite-failure-1523220500?
 
Elon Musk on Instagram said:
SpaceX main body tool for the BFR interplanetary spaceship

https://www.instagram.com/p/BhVk3y3A0yB/
 
That's got to be close to the largest mandrel for winding carbon fiber structures ever made. It's huge.
 
Non-paywall version of the story

Northrop Grumman, not SpaceX, reported to be at fault for loss of top-secret Zuma satellite

Northrop Grumman built and operated the components that failed during the launch of U.S. spy satellite Zuma, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.
Two independent investigations point to Northrop's payload adapter as the cause of the satellite's loss, the report said.
SpaceX, which launched the mission aboard a Falcon 9 rocket, repeatedly defended its equipment in the weeks following Zuma's loss.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/09/northrop-grumman-reportedly-at-fault-for-loss-of-zuma-satellite.html
 
Iridium Announces Target Launch Date for the Iridium-6/GRACE-FO Mission

Unique “Rideshare” Mission will Deploy Two Sets of Satellites in Two Separate Orbits

MCLEAN, Va. – April 9, 2018 – Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: IRDM) announced today that the Iridium-6/GRACE-FO rideshare mission, the sixth Iridium® NEXT launch overall, has been targeted for launch by SpaceX from Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) in California for May 19, 2018 at approximately 1:03 PM PDT (20:03 UTC). An exact instantaneous launch window time will be available closer to launch. The second of four Iridium launches planned for 2018, this mission will deliver five Iridium NEXT satellites to orbit, alongside the twin satellites for the NASA/German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission. Collaboratively chosen by all parties and considering range availability, this launch date maintains scheduled completion of the Iridium NEXT manifest in 2018.

This unique “rideshare” launch, will first deploy the twin GRACE-FO spacecraft, after which the Falcon 9 second stage will continue onward to the deployment orbit for the five Iridium NEXT satellites. Upon completion, the Iridium-6/GRACE-FO mission will increase the total number of Iridium NEXT satellites in space to 55, leaving just two launches, of 10 satellites each, remaining. Iridium NEXT satellites are scheduled to begin shipping to the launch site this week while the twin GRACE-FO spacecraft are already onsite at the VAFB Harris Corporation facility, and have been stacked, attached to their dispenser and are preparing for transfer to the SpaceX launch complex.

For this mission, all five Iridium NEXT satellites will be delivered to orbital plane six. The Iridium network is comprised of six polar orbiting planes, each containing 11 operational crosslinked satellites, for a total of 66 satellites in the active constellation. The 2018 Iridium NEXT launch series will bring a total of 35 new satellites to space, completing the constellation of 66 operational satellites and 9 in-orbit spares. In total, 81 new satellites are being built, with the six remaining satellites serving as ground spares.

Iridium NEXT is the company's $3 billion, next-generation, mobile, global satellite network scheduled for completion in 2018. Iridium NEXT will replace the company's existing global constellation in one of the largest technology upgrades ever completed in space. It represents the evolution of critical communications infrastructure that governments and organizations worldwide rely on to drive business, enable connectivity, empower disaster relief efforts and more.

For more information about Iridium NEXT, please visit www.IridiumNEXT.com
 
Seems the launch of TESS is using fairing 2.0 even though NASA apparently didn’t want a block 5 booster.
 
SpaceX’s valuation is expected to climb to $24 billion

SpaceX has signaled it will be valued at about $24 billion as it continues to raise mountains of money to support its cash-intensive rocket business.

The company disclosed in a Delaware filing last week that it was authorizing a new $500 million round of financing, its Series I, and selling equity at $169 a share. That comes out to a $23.7 billion valuation if all the shares are issued, according to Lagniappe Labs, the creator of the Prime Unicorn Index, which obtained the filing.

https://www.recode.net/platform/amp/2018/4/12/17229542/spacex-rocket-space-valuation-elon-musk-fundraising
 
Musk is saying Spacex will attempt a 2nd stage recovery using an inflatable hypersonic decelerator to reduce speeds re-entering the atmosphere. The stage will then be captured using one of their fairing catcher boats. He didn't clarify if the stage would use booster burns to slow down before dropping into the net or if a parachute would also be deployed. No timeline but it will be an interesting comparison with ULA to see who pursues this technology more aggressively.
 
fredymac said:
Musk is saying Spacex will attempt a 2nd stage recovery using an inflatable hypersonic decelerator to reduce speeds re-entering the atmosphere. The stage will then be captured using one of their fairing catcher boats. He didn't clarify if the stage would use booster burns to slow down before dropping into the net or if a parachute would also be deployed. No timeline but it will be an interesting comparison with ULA to see who pursues this technology more aggressively.

Are they going to recover the first stage today? How about the fairing?
 
According to nasaspaceflight forum the booster will be recovered (new block IV so it can be re-used one more time). No mention of fairing recovery. The upper stage will be boosted into a helio centric orbit to avoid becoming space junk. Apparently the injection orbit it is sending the payload into requires more fuel for de-orbit back to Earth.
 
First stage is going to the drone ship. They don't have a fairing catcher ship on the East Coast, so it's going in the water, but they are going to try for a soft landing and as close to a recovery profile as possible.
 
fredymac said:
According to nasaspaceflight forum the booster will be recovered (new block IV so it can be re-used one more time). No mention of fairing recovery. The upper stage will be boosted into a helio centric orbit to avoid becoming space junk. Apparently the injection orbit it is sending the payload into requires more fuel for de-orbit back to Earth.

So they're going to try to recover the 2nd stage on some future flight but not this one?
 
Sometime this year they will begin the process of trying to guide the upper stage back down in controlled flight. However, this decelerator announcement is new so unless they have been working on it secretly, it probably won't be ready for a while.
 
the second stage bring TESS in 200 km by 270,000 km at an inclination of 28.5 degrees
then it will be boosted into a helio centric orbit, is to avoid becoming space junk for its Payload TESS

TESS = Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite need special orbit of 108,000 km x 375,000 km
and 90° away from the position of the Moon to minimize its destabilizing effect, so orbit remain stable for at least 20 years.
to reach that orbit it need series of maneuver and one lunar fly-by over next 2 months.

over next 2 years TESS will studied 500,000 stars around the Sun for Exoplanets
 
48 hour scrub on the Tess launch. Waiting on official statement for reason.

From SFN coverage.

Multiple sources say the next launch opportunity will come at 6:51 p.m. EDT (2251 GMT) Wednesday. The launch times change based on TESS's orbital target and the position of the moon, which the satellite will use to help maneuver into its final high-altitude science orbit.
 
Flyaway said:
48 hour scrub on the Tess launch. Waiting on official statement for reason.

From SFN coverage.

Multiple sources say the next launch opportunity will come at 6:51 p.m. EDT (2251 GMT) Wednesday. The launch times change based on TESS's orbital target and the position of the moon, which the satellite will use to help maneuver into its final high-altitude science orbit.

This article on the BBC news website on yesterday's Tess launch scrub may answer some of your questions.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-43790564
 
Some interesting shots in this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7G_ChY0Tsxw
 
Orionblamblam said:
https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/04/russia-appears-to-have-surrendered-to-spacex-in-the-global-launch-market/

"The share of launch vehicles is as small as 4 percent of the overall market of space services," Rogozin said in an interview with a Russian television station. "The 4 percent stake isn’t worth the effort to try to elbow Musk and China aside. Payloads manufacturing is where good money can be made."


What else could they say? Better to sound 'strategic' than admit failure. Of course, no one believes it other than perhaps an internal audience.
 
SpaceX’s May launch manifest takes shape; company prepares for Block 5 debut

With its two April launches behind it, SpaceX is deep into processing for its coming slate of three missions planned for May 2018. The three flights will see two flight-proven launches with SES-12 and the Iridium NEXT-6/GRACE-FO rideshare as well as the highly anticipated debut of the Block 5 variant of the Falcon 9, which will launch Bangladesh’s first satellite to orbit No Earlier Than 4 May.

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/04/spacexs-may-manifest-takes-shape-block-5-debut/
 

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