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[cameron]

Youtube Stream: BulgariaSat-1 Launch Webcast

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/878297403685617664

Mission Overview via the Press Kit:

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will deliver BulgariaSat-1, a commercial communications satellite, to a Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO). BulgariaSat-1 is the first geostationary communications satellite in Bulgaria’s history.

SpaceX is targeting launch of BulgariaSat-1 from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The two-hour launch window opens on Monday, June 19, at 2:10 p.m. EDT, or 18:10 UTC, with a backup launch opportunity on Tuesday, June 20, at 2:10 p.m. EDT, or 18:10 UTC. The satellite will be deployed approximately 35 minutes after launch.

Falcon 9’s first stage for the BulgariaSat-1 mission previously supported the Iridium-1 mission from Vandenberg Air Force Base in January of this year.

Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage will attempt a landing on the “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/878259699367297025

 

[Jezbollah]

Nice one Cameron.

We have a double header of SpaceX launches this weekend with Iridium Next 2 from Vandy as well. And just before tonight's launch we have a Soyuz mission too...

 

[JonnyDBrit]

Sweet. Guess I should start making dinner then, so I don't miss it.

 

[Jezbollah]

Tweet from The Boss:

"Falcon 9 will experience its highest ever reentry force and heat in today's launch. Good chance rocket booster doesn't make it back."

 

[Jezbollah]

Webcast live.

 

[Dougald]

How much reconditioning do SpaceX currently need to do on these relaunched first stages, do we know? While I'm sure they have to re-check everything, I'm assuming that the engines are designed in a way that avoids say, the ridiculous amount of work that had to be done on the "reusable" space shuttle?

 

[Jezbollah]

How much reconditioning do SpaceX currently need to do on these relaunched first stages, do we know? While I'm sure they have to re-check everything, I'm assuming that the engines are designed in a way that avoids say, the ridiculous amount of work that had to be done on the "reusable" space shuttle?

We don't know. I think they themselves are learning these procedures and are streamlining them.

 

[Dougald]

Shame. I know Musk speaks earnestly of fast turnaround times, but that's clearly some way off yet

 

[Par Score]

How much reconditioning do SpaceX currently need to do on these relaunched first stages, do we know? While I'm sure they have to re-check everything, I'm assuming that the engines are designed in a way that avoids say, the ridiculous amount of work that had to be done on the "reusable" space shuttle?

We don't know, and at this point I doubt they know either.

This is the second re-use of a 1st stage, this one went up for the first time in January, so until there have been a lot more re-flights it'll be hard to say.

 

[RoKKeR]

So this particular Falcon 9 has flown before? Neat, didn't know that.

 

[Par Score]

Think of the money just to brand that fairing.

 

[AnotherDayAnotherDollar]

Elon Musk‏Verified account @elonmusk 1h1 hour ago
More
Falcon 9 will experience its highest ever reentry force and heat in today's launch. Good chance rocket booster doesn't make it back.

Interesting

 

[JonnyDBrit]

Look at that sucker go.

 

[cameron]

Yay!

 

[Jezbollah]

And there we go. Second successful use of a reused Falcon 9 first stage.

 

[Par Score]

Good job 1st stage, re-usability proven once again.

 

[legacyzero]

Daaaamn. Shit going so smoothly so far!

 

[JonnyDBrit]

God, this is making me want to play some Kerbal Space Program again.

 

[Alexlf]

Those gasps don't sound good.

EDIT: I stand corrected! Grats SpaceX!

 

[cameron]

Yes! Ahahaha!

 

[legacyzero]

GOT EEEEEEEM

 

[Par Score]

Missed by a few yards.

You're slipping Musk!

 

[dorn.]

Oh wow it landed, was about to say RIP OCISLY.

 

[JonnyDBrit]

Made it, though close enough to the edge that one could see that going badly.

 

[Jezbollah]

Oh shit it looks like it landed hard.

Used up the crush core in the legs. Sitting wonkey.

 

[RCSI]

Yes! Nice job SpaceX

 

[Trickster]

It looked like it was leaning?

 

[RoKKeR]

Hell yes

 

[JonnyDBrit]

It looked like it was leaning?

As Dan27 suggests, the landing likely impacted the legs. Not so much that it would collapse, but definitely not the most stable touchdown.

 

[shanafan]

That actually was pretty entertaining to watch. Cool seeing one of the rocket's parts land on the carrier.

 

[Daniel Jackson]

That was a close one! I hope that drone ship recorded all of it.

 

[Aruarian Reflection]

This would be a good time for the roomba

 

[Abstruse Moose]

Was this a re-flown rocket?

 

[Epsilon-delta]

Where does SpaceX get their music from? I always liked it.

 

[tuxfool]

Was this a re-flown rocket?

Yes.

 

[Jezbollah]

As Dan27 suggests, the landing likely impacted the legs. Not so much that it would collapse, but definitely not the most stable touchdown.

I suspect it landed hard in the centre, used up the crush core (a honeycomb structure used as a dampening element) and bounced out towards the side.

They need to get to that core asap to stabilise it.

 

[Abstruse Moose]

Yes.

Awesome. 2/2.

 

[zeshakag]

SpaceX might be using this opportunity to use their rocket grabbing roomba to secure the leaning Bulgaria-sat F9:

 

[cameron]

Falcon 9 first stage has landed on Of Course I Still Love You—second successful launch and landing of a flight-proven booster.

— SpaceX‏ (@SpaceX) June 23, 2017​

Does look like it's leaning.

 

[cameron]

Rocket is extra toasty and hit the deck hard (used almost all of the emergency crush core), but otherwise good

— Elon Musk‏ (@elonmusk) June 23, 2017​

 

[JonnyDBrit]

Rocket is extra toasty and hit the deck hard (used almost all of the emergency crush core), but otherwise good

— Elon Musk‏ (@elonmusk) June 23, 2017​

Dan27 called it. At least the rocket itself seems to have come through relatively unscathed.

 

[Trickster]

Rocket is extra toasty and hit the deck hard (used almost all of the emergency crush core), but otherwise good

— Elon Musk‏ (@elonmusk) June 23, 2017​

Wonder if they will say what caused the extra hard landing

 

[Jezbollah]

Wonder if they will say what caused the extra hard landing

The rocket was coming in hotter and faster due to the mission requirements, and with the same amount of fuel - so the rocket would have not been able to slow it down as much as the more comfortable landings.

Edit: Payload sep. Total mission success.

 

[Trickster]

The rocket was coming in hotter and faster due to the mission requirements, and with the same amount of fuel - so the rocket would have not been able to slow it down as much as the more comfortable landings.

Makes sense, though I imagine they would have changed something prior to launch if they expected it to land in this fashion. So I'm curious if they failed to take certain things into account or if some other factors played a part.

 

[Jezbollah]

Makes sense, though I imagine they would have changed something prior to launch if they expected it to land in this fashion. So I'm curious if they failed to take certain things into account or if some other factors played a part.

It's expected, and taken into account - they don't have enough fuel to land back on land - so they save fuel by using a ballistic trajectory to land 600-odd kilometres out into the ocean on the drone ship. This kind of thing is something they've done before - for example with JCSAT 14 - which was another hard landing from GTO. (see here)

Of course, you have other orbital parameters and different weight payloads that can affect the type of landing you can perform - and some missions like we've seen recently have been using expendable Falcon 9s because there simply isn't enough fuel for landing.

There is a final version of Falcon 9 to come that should allow more comfortable landings on launches such as this, and also to completely eliminate the missions where previously expendable versions of F9 have had to be used. That version should see first use later this year.

 

[s_mirage]

Makes sense, though I imagine they would have changed something prior to launch if they expected it to land in this fashion. So I'm curious if they failed to take certain things into account or if some other factors played a part.

To be fair, they said they weren't super confident of landing this one at all, so it looks like a good result.

 

[zeshakag]

Complete mission success. See you guys in the Iridium thread in two days, assuming weather holds.

 

[Jezbollah]

Complete mission success. See you guys in the Iridium thread in two days, assuming weather holds.

100% chance of launching at this time.

 

[Heretic]

don't think i'll ever get used to a successful landing!

 

[Mindlog]

Very nice. Really getting a feel for the edge of their current performance envelope is a bonus :]