Falcon Heavy launch date set! Feb. 6th at 1:30 PM EST

Elon Musk announced yesterday that the Falcon Heavy could launch as soon as February 6th.  A tentative three hour launch window was set for 1:30 PM EST.

I've been waiting years for this - and I know I'm not alone!

Mark you calendars and tune in to the live launch at the SpaceX Webcast page.

Check out this this spaceflightnow.com post for more details.

Falcon Heavy is launching soon. Here's some info about this historic launch.

There is plenty of information available about the Falcon Heavy.  But here are a few for my friends that get their SpaceX news from me instead of the dozens of space related sites (as well as the SpaceX Falcon Heavy page).

• Falcon Heavy is comprised of 3 Falcon 9 rockets.  
• It will be the most powerful rocket ever launched.  
• The most powerful rocket since the Saturn V, which took us to the Moon.  
• It will be over twice as powerful as any rocket currently flying (the Saturn V was retired in the early 70's).

The first "demo" launch will also be historic.

• SpaceX will attempt to recover all three boosters: two will return to the SpaceX landing site near the lauch pad, and the center booster will attempt to land on the autonomous "drone" ship "Of course I still Love you".
• It will be the first time a private company has launched a spacecraft beyond Earth's orbit.
• It will be launching from the same historic launch pad that the Saturn V Apollo missions launched from.
• The payload will be Elon Musk's personal Tesla roadster. 

And why launch a car into orbit around the Sun?
First, because something had to simulate a payload (dummy weight is usually used).

But mostly it seems it's because Elon Musk thinks it would be cool -- and it's his rocket, and his car, so...

But Tesla or not, a successful mission would provide valuable data for future Mars missions.

So, in addition to flight testing a new rocket configuration, the mission - if successful - will also be a tangible step towards landing on Mars, which has been the company's stated mission from the beginning.

But as Elon Musk said himself, is may also end in a big fireball.  "Some things can't be tested" without launching them.  There is a lot that could go wrong in something this complex.

But when?
Who knows.  There have been delays in the critical testing that leads up to a launch.   And these have been exasperated by the recent (and potential future) government shutdown as explained here.
So there is no official launch date, but the end of January is getting close, so we could it slip into February.

UPDATE: The hold-down firing of the rocket could occur tomorrow, with a tentative schedule between 2 PM and 6 PM EST (1700-2300 GMT).  This assumes the fueling and countdown rehearsal that precedes it goes according to plan.

Falcon Heavy complete and vertical on the launch pad

The long awaited first flight of the Falcon Heavy nears, as evidenced by this photo from the spacefilghtnow.com site.  SpaceX has had to postpone the Falcon Heavy test flight many times is the past due to other priorities as well as technical difficulties.

This picture shows the Falcon Heavy as it was brought vertical on the historic Kennedy Space Center pad 39A for a short time on Thursday December 27, 2018.

SpaceX engineers conducted several tests leading to an anticipated test firing of all 27 of its engines.  This will be followed by a launch "sometime in January".  Expect some incredible video, regardless of what happens!

Here are some details for those of you that aren't familiar with this rocket.  From the article where this photo comes from.  And straight from SpaceX itself.


As for me, I've been waiting years for this.

Fall 2017 - a busy and exciting time for SpaceX

Sprinkled into the SpaceX launch manifest for this fall, and the first quarter of 2018, are two big milestones: the Falcon Heavy and Crew Dragon demos.

Also this month, SpaceX will once again have two back to back missing with the
SES 11/EchoStar 105 mission launching from Kennedy Space Center on the 7th, and the Iridium Next 21-30 mission launching from Vandenberg Air Force Base on the 9th.

Falcon 9 -SES 11/EchoStar 105
October 7, 2017 at 6:53 PM. EDT (2 hour window)
LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida

Falcon 9 - Iridium Next 21-30
October 9th, 2017 at 8:37 AM EDT (5:37 AM PDT)
SLC-4E, Vandenberg Air Force Base, California

SpaceX has 58 missions listed on its launch manifest. Of these 58, the following - which include 3 Falcon Heavy flights and the Crew Dragon Demo - have been announced:
Falcon 9 - Koreasat 5A
October 30, 2017 at 3:34 PM. EDT (window extends to 5:58 PM)
Cape Canaveral, Florida

Falcon 9 - Hispasat 30W-6
4th Quarter 2017
Cape Canaveral, Florida

Falcon Heavy Demo Flight
November 2017
LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida

Falcon 9 - Iridium Next 31-40
Late November 2017
SLC-4E, Vandenberg Air Force Base, California

Falcon 9 - SpaceX CRS 13
November 28 (launch time TBD)
Cape Canaveral, Florida

Falcon 9 - Bangabandhu 1
December 2017
Cape Canaveral, Florida

Falcon 9 - SES 16/GovSat 1
Late December 2017
Cape Canaveral, Florida

Falcon 9 - Iridium Next 41-50
January 2018
SLC-4E, Vandenberg Air Force Base, California

Falcon 9 - SpaceX CRS 14
February 9 (launch time TBD)
Cape Canaveral, Florida

Falcon Heavy - Arabsat 6A
Early 2018
LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida

Falcon 9 - TESS
Sometime after March 20, 2018
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida

Falcon 9 - Crew Dragon Demo 1
April, 2018
LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida

Falcon Heavy - STP-2
Sometime after April 30, 2018
LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida

Back from a short break to talk SpaceX

Landing failure video

Although it's old news by now, if you didn't catch the SpaceX YouTube video "How Not to Land an Orbital Rocket Booster", head on over and check it out at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvim4rsNHkQ.  Who doesn't want to see things blow up?

But seriously, it shows some confidence to create a blooper reel of your failures.  Of course, these weren't really mission failures, as the booster recovery was never the primary mission goal.  Still, it was capability that SpaceX wanted to be able to demonstrate, and crucial to it's long term rocket reusability goal.

For the record, SpaceX has completed 39 of its 41 missions and has now landed every one of its last 12 attempts - both at land and at sea.  So, with the failures in the video being pretty much a thing in the past, its a bit easier to show the failures.

SpaceX has never been a company that glosses over their failures – probably because rockets that explode are pretty visible failures. Now, Elon Musk’s company has taken this transparency to a whole new level: A blooper reel.

Falcon Heavy

The long awaited first launch of the Falcon Heavy is drawing nearer.  The three Falcon boosters have completed their testing at the SpaceX engine development center in McGregor, Texas.  They are likely on their way to the Florida by now (if they're not there already).

A hold-down firing with all 27 Merlin engines is planned at pad 39A in the days before the test launch.

The plan is for to attempt to recover all three rocket cores.  The two side boosters will be able to return to landing zone, while the third will travel father and will need to land at sea on the drone ship "Of course I still Love you".

Elon Musk was tamping down expectations for the mission in July stating that it may not even make it out of orbit.  The reason: “It was actually shockingly difficult to go from a single-core to a triple-core vehicle,” Musk said.  Fingers crossed that the launch exceeds expectations.  Either way, as SpaceX has proven in the past, they will learn a great deal and will make it seem routine more quickly that seems possible.

Then, around the Moon and off to Mars.

SpaceX to launch from the historic Kennedy Space Center site LC-39A [Update 2/18]

[Update 2/18] The launch was scrubbed at T-0:13 "out of an abundance of caution"  because of an upper stage thrust vector control issue.  Per Elon Musk on Twitter "the movement trace of an upper stage engine steering hydraulic piston was slightly odd" according to Elon Musk.  He added "If this is the only issue, flight would be fine, but need to make sure that it isn't symptomatic of a more significant upstream root cause".  Better to error on the side of caution.  The next window is tomorrow, Sunday the 19th, at 9:38 AM EST.

[Update] Elon Musk said on Twitter that there is a (very small) leak in the upper stage.  They are investigating and if it checks out they will attempt to launch tomorrow.  The rocket is on the pad and ready to go otherwise.

Launch Complex 39 at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is steeped in history.  It is comprised of two launch complexes: LC-39A and LC-39B.  These sites, built to support the Apollo program, launched the most powerful rockets built - the Saturn V.  They were later adapted for the Space Shuttle program.  So they've witnessed many historic launches (with some really big rockets).  LC-39A was used for most of the manned Apollo launches, including the Apollo 11 mission that landed the first men on the moon, and was watched by millions on TV.

SpaceX secured a lease for LC-39A and has been adapting it for it's Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets. This site will be used by SpaceX for the first time this Saturday with the launch the CRX-10 mission to resupply the ISS.  With this mission being a LEO mission, there will be ample fuel to make a landing at the SpaceX Landing Complex 1 at Cape Canaveral .  Coming off of a string of successful landings at sea, this will attempt to be the third landing at Landing Complex 1 (with the first being the second OG2 mission landing, which was the first successful landing for SpaceX anywhere).

This will be the first launch from LC-39A since the Space Shuttle program ended.  The launch is scheduled for 10:01 AM EST (15:01 GMT) tomorrow (Saturday February 18th) - weather permitting of course, which is questionable at this time.

The Falcon 9 has been lifted onto the pad (watch this nice time-lapse video of the process) in preparation for launch.  Unlike the Saturn V that was assembled vertically in the vertical assembly facility and wheeled to the pad standing up, the Falcon 9 rocket is prepared while laying horizontally, and is then stood up at the launch pad.

The NASA page for the mission is here, and the live webcast of the launch can be found on the SpaceX Webcast page or at the SpaceX YouTube site (choose the hosted version unless you're a seasoned launch watcher).

SpaceX has a very busy launch schedule - 8 possible launches before year end

SpaceX appears fully recovered from it's single mission failure last year. They have managed several landings - first at it's new landing site at Cape Canaveral and then at sea - a much more difficult task, but an important one as not all missions are able to send the rocket all the way back to the cape. Landing the Falcon 9 rocket has always been a secondary mission objective - but a very important one in support of SpaceX's reusable rocket goal.

Rocket reusability is not only important for its cost savings, but also for the ability to shorting the time between launches. Even now the company is turning out missions faster than has ever been done before. And with the current schedule it will be launching multiple rockets in a single month. Here is the current launch schedule (with a lot of the exact launch dates still TBD):

Sept. 3	Amos 6
Sept. 19	Iridium Next 1-10
October	SES 10
October	EchoStar 23
October	Fermosat 5 and Sherpa
November	SES 11 (EchoStar 105)
November	Falcon Heavy Demo Flight
Nov. 11	CRS 10 (SPX 10)

Even with the their track record of quick turn arounds, this schedule would not be possible if all of the launches were from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral. But with some flights out of Vandenberg AFB, and Falcon Heavy launching from the reconfigured SLC-39A at Kennedy Space Center, it could just happen.

Speaking of Falcon Heavy, with several rockets having been successfully landed now, it is what I'm looking forward to next (and I'm sure I'm not alone). Falcon Heavy has been anticipated for some time now. And had the big rocket just made a successful flight and ended up as the foundation of a new reef in the Atlantic, I would have been thrilled. But with the current landing success rate - and the presence of the landing complex - the possibility of the three Falcon 9 rockets separating and each landing itself autonomously is a real possibility. Would that be a sight to see!

Then what? We still have the manned Dragon 2 as well as the new Raptor engine (with greater power and re-useablity) to look forward to. And with these the company truly will be on course toward its big, red goal.

Falcon Heavy

Test fire of the upgraded Falcon 9

[Dec. 18th] Update: The test firing of the Falcon 9 was completed, and the is data being analyzed.

Elon Musk tweeted:

"Falcon 9 is vertical on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral. Working towards static fire. Deep cryo liquid oxygen presenting some challenges."

It is very encouraging to see a Falcon back on the pad. Hopefully any issues - such as the "deep cryo" LOX fueling (part of the the new Falcon's "densified propellant") - can be sorted quickly in order to have plenty of time to test fire the engines and analyze the data. I don't think this would be the time to rush the process. This flight is important for getting the company back into full swing again, and I'm hopeful about watching a great launch on Sunday. But I wouldn't be surprised if it has to be delayed either, considering the new challenges that inevitably arise with any changes to the vehicle. But the thing that makes SpaceX so exciting is that they keep pushing and are continually moving forward.

Which brings me to what has always been a couched as a secondary goal of recent Falcon launches - landing it in one piece. There have been astonishing close attempts, with each getting closer and closer. And while the payday is earned by hurtling payloads into orbit, having a rocket as big as Falcon hurtle back from space and land itself would be a huge success. And one that would bring a big competitive advantage to SpaceX. There is speculation that the company may be attempting a landing on, well, land. Previous attempts have targeted a platform at sea (the "autonomous spaceport drone ship"), which I assume was to prove it could consistently hit a reasonably small target for safely reasons. But it can do that now, so if the FAA issues a landing permit they seem poised to give it a go.  They've obtained a landing site at the cape designated Landing Complex 1.

So, here's hoping the next few days are fruitful.

SpaceX "coming attractions" - what's next? [Updated]

The next mission kicks off in just 10 days, followed by a packed launch manifest for the remainder of the year and beyond.  Here is the schedule as it stands now.

April 27th [Updated]

TürkmenÄlem, the first telecommunications satellite for Turkmenistan

May TBD

Dragon V2 (manned spacecraft) pad abort test - while not actually a "flight" is worth noting (NASA)

June TBD

Second launch of Orbcomm satellites to complete the OG2 constellation

June 19

ISS resupply mission CRS-7 (NASA)

July TBD

SES-9 geo-transfer orbit (GTO) mission, with the SES-9 spacecraft joining the previously launched SES-8 in geosynchronous orbit

July 22

Jason 3 Earth observation satellite for monitoring and measuring the world’s oceans (NOAA)

Sept 2

ISS resupply mission CRS-8, Bigelow Aerospace's Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) - an expandable (as in inflatable) compartment (NASA)

Sept TBD

The second dual-GTO mission for the Eutelsat 117W B and ABS-2A satellites

Dec 9

ISS resupply mission CRS-9 (NASA)

Mar TBD (2016)

Falcon Heavy Test Flight!

TBD

AMOS-6 satellite
JCSat 14 satellite
SAOCOM 1A and 1B Earth observation satellites (separate launches).

Launch postponed until tomorrow (4/14)

The launch of the SpaceX NASA CRS-6 mission has been delayed due to a potentially hazardous weather-related launch condition (the anvil cloud rule for thunderstorm clouds).  The next launch window is tomorrow at 4:10 PM (eastern).  Watch live on the SpaceX Lifestream channel.

This launch will include the latest attempt at landing the Falcon 9 rocket's first stage, hopefully advancing the goal of a reusable rocket,  This capability has been called a game changer by Elon Musk, shattering not only the launch price, but also the interval between launches.
 
So far 2015 has been very busy, with three flights in as many months.  With as many as 12 more flights slated for this year - including tomorrow's CRS-6 - this year should see more than twice the number of launches as 2014 (six missions) - and may include the first Falcon Heavy demo flight.

Exciting times for this visionary, but still quite young, company.

SpaceX launches new rocket from a new launch facility

SpaceX successfully launched its new 1.1 version of the Falcon 9 rocket yesterday under a beautiful blue California sky.

The 1.1 version of the rocket is longer (for more fuel) and features the new, more powerful, Merlin 1D engines.  It also flew with a larger cargo faring that provides both more protection and more cargo volume.  There are other minor differences in the 1.1 version as well, such as updated flight avionics, and the rearrangement of the booster's engines in a circular arrangement as opposed to the 3x3 grid of the previous rocket.

This is also the first launch from the new Vandenberg Air Force Base launch site.  This is the site that should soon see the first test of the Falcon Heavy rocket.  While I haven't heard much about the Falcon Heavy lately - its still on the launch manifest for 2014.  Additionally, the Vandenberg site provided the chance to try a controlled decent of the booster - an important capability that the Grasshopper project is working towards.  The first part of the controlled decent went well, but the second burn put the booster into a spin, so controlled decent didn't happen - but it really wasn't expected to.  Since this launch provided an opportunity give it a try, an attempt couldn't be passed up, and I'm sure it yielded valuable data.  The next two launches will not afford another attempt as they will require all of the rocket's available fuel to get its payloads into geosynchronous orbit.  So, although SpaceX is still firmly committed to booster reusability, full flight testing will have to wait a while.

And those next launches will be another first for SpaceX, as all of its launches to date have been to LEO (low earth orbit).  In case you aren't intimately familiar with the different Earth orbits, Low Earth Orbit (LEO) is generally between 160 kilometers (99 mi) and 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles).  Geosynchronous orbit however is approximately 35,786 km (22,236 mi) -  nearly 20 times higher!

Additionally, after deploying the payload, an attempt to reignite the second stage Merlin 1D in order to demonstrate its ability to restart in space, was unsuccessful.  During the restart the engine detected a problem and aborted the burn.

But the primary missions of demonstrating the Falcon 9 v1.1 rocket, and of placing its six payloads into stable orbit were complete successes.  The primary payload was the Cascade Smallsat and Ionospheric Polar Explorer (CASSIOPE) satellite.  The secondary payloads included the Polar Orbiting Passive Atmospheric Calibration Spheres (POPACS) CubeSat, the Drag & Atmospheric Neutral Density Explorer (DANDE) spherical spacecraft, and the CUSat technology demonstrator satellite.

Read more about these payloads, and all of the mission's details in the press kit, and be sure to check out these hi-res photos and videos.

Older Posts

This is my new blog, which will be dedicated to Space.  Primarily, Commercial Space and especially the news from commercial companies that are advancing human exploration and space tourism, such as SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin, Bigelow Aerospace and others.  My original posts were mixed into a blog that contained everything I blogged about, and an index to them is below.

12/18/2012 SpaceX winning more commercial space launch business. Busy year ahead.

11/20/2012 SpaceX Grasshopper takes another hop

10/30/2012 SpaceX Dragon is home, safe and sound

10/23/2012 SpaceX COTS Demo 2/3 mission launched May 22nd also a memorial to "Mr. Scott" and others

10/12/2012 SpaceX's Secondary Payload, the Orbcomm satellite falls from orbit

10/11/2012 SpaceX Dragon completes first leg of mission

10/08/2012 SpaceX Dragon on it way to ISS

10/06/2012 SpaceX: All systems are "Go"