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Space Exploration megathread (https://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/showthread.php?t=284057)

Less than 24 hours till next spacex launch bump. Will be a F9 launch for this one, but another falcon heavy is coming in 12 days.

Quote:

Originally Posted by allen_kcCard (Post 14303940)

Less than 24 hours till next spacex launch bump. Will be a F9 launch for this one, but another falcon heavy is coming in 12 days.

Rollout video:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Falcon 9 and RADARSAT Constellation Mission have rolled out to SLC-4E. Tomorrow’s 13-minute launch window opens at 7:17 a.m. PDT, 14:17 UTC → <a href="https://t.co/gtC39uBC7z">https://t.co/gtC39uBC7z</a> <a href="https://t.co/CqTCQyHrPg">pic.twitter.com/CqTCQyHrPg</a></p>— SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1138474014152712192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 11, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Looks like we confirmed that the visibility near ground level can be absolute crap and everything go off without a hitch anyway. I would say it was another cool launch/landing, but I sure couldn't see anything to confirm it :)

Pretty cool watching it come up out of all that fog.

Quote:

Originally Posted by stumppy (Post 14305279)

Pretty cool watching it come up out of all that fog.

Pretty neat. As were the shots of the first stage falling away. You could see it for a long time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by stumppy (Post 14305279)

Pretty cool watching it come up out of all that fog.

Going down too. I had always been under the impression that it had to go with visual guidance in the final seconds to hit the bullseye, but I sure couldn't see the target until it was practically on the ground. Clearly their GPS systems are pretty precise.

Yes, we needed a twist to the most awesome people's standard cast where, well. it's usually perfect. The fog was COOL!

They have really gotten their shit together.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Static fire of Falcon Heavy complete—targeting June 24 launch of STP-2 from Launch Complex 39A in Florida → <a href="https://t.co/QjQ85Pfc1O">https://t.co/QjQ85Pfc1O</a></p>— SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1141569552330870784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 20, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This will be our most difficult launch ever</p>— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1141375028321062912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 19, 2019</a></blockquote>
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24-hour bump for Falcon Heavy. I'm stoked for the night time launch (and landing). Seeing two boosters coming down side-by-side in the dark is gonna be fun. Window opens at 11:30pm Eastern tomorrow night (Monday).

Quote:

SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket will attempt its most technically demanding mission yet on Monday night, with a rideshare flight organized by the US Air Force. Company founder Elon Musk has characterized the mission as "Our most difficult launch ever."

During this Space Test Program-2 flight, the world's most powerful operational rocket will attempt to deliver 24 different payloads into three different orbits, resulting in multiple re-lights of the Merlin 1D engine powering the rocket's second stage.
Further Reading
This may be the moment SpaceX opened the cosmos to the masses

It is a critical mission for SpaceX and its Falcon Heavy rocket for a few reasons. First of all, this is the first time the Air Force has flown payloads on a Falcon Heavy rocket. And while this mission will not be carrying anything critical to national security—such as large satellites valued at $1 billion or more used for observation, communication, or other purposes to advance the national interest—Air Force officials will be watching closely.

The US military is in the middle of determining which providers among SpaceX, United Launch Alliance, Blue Origin, and Northrop Grumman will win lucrative launch contracts from 2022 to 2026. The Air Force is only expected to pick two winners, and SpaceX has said its Falcon Heavy rocket can meet all nine of the Air Force's "reference orbits," which means sending heavy payloads to some exotic orbits that require a lot of energy to reach.

article linky

Wow. I hadn't really paid attention to how complex this mission is. Here's the timeline from the press kit:

Code:

00:00:42 Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket)

00:02:27 Booster engine cutoff (BECO)

00:02:31 Side boosters separate from center core

00:02:49 Side boosters begin boostback burn

00:03:27 Center core engine shutdown/main engine cutoff (MECO)

00:03:31 Center core and 2nd stage separate

00:03:38 2nd stage engine starts (SES-1)

00:04:03 Fairing deployment

00:07:13 Side boosters begin entry burn

00:08:41 Side booster landings

00:08:38 2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-1)

00:08:53 Center core begins entry burn

00:11:21 Center core landing

00:12:55 Spacecraft deployments begin

01:12:39 Second stage engine restart (SES-2)

01:13:00 Second stage engine cutoff (SECO-2)

02:07:35 Second stage engine restart (SES-3)

02:08:04 Second stage engine cutoff (SECO-3)

03:27:27 Second stage engine restart (SES-4)

03:28:03 Second stage engine cutoff (SECO-4)

03:34:09 Final spacecraft deployment

Combined with a 4-hour window, this could make for a late night. I might try and make it to SECO-2 if they get it off on time, but that'll probably be it for me.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Falcon Heavy and STP-2 are vertical on Launch Complex 39A. Tonight’s four-hour launch window opens at 11:30 p.m. EDT, or 3:30 UTC on June 25 → <a href="https://t.co/gtC39uBC7z">https://t.co/gtC39uBC7z</a> <a href="https://t.co/NTblKjmFxT">pic.twitter.com/NTblKjmFxT</a></p>— SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1143170850973077504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2019</a></blockquote>
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