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SpaceX Falcon 9 Iridium-2 Launch & 1st Stage Droneship Landing. Jun 25 20:25 UTC

C

cameron

Member
t1498422300z1.png

Youtube Stream: Iridium-2 Launch Webcast

Mission Overview via the Press Kit:
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will deliver 10 satellites to lowEarth orbit for Iridium, a global leader in mobile voice and data satellite communications. This is the second set of 10 satellites in a series of 75 total satellites that SpaceX will launch for Iridium’s next generation global satellite constellation, Iridium® NEXT.

SpaceX is targeting launch of Iridium-2 from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The instantaneous launch window is at 1:25 p.m. PDT, or 20:25 UTC, on Sunday, June 25. The satellites will begin deployment about an hour after launch. A backup launch opportunity opens at 1:19 p.m. PDT, or 20:19 UTC, on Monday, June 26.

Following stage separation, the first stage of Falcon 9 will attempt a landing on the “Just Read the Instructions” droneship that will be stationed in the Pacific Ocean.
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Flying with larger & significantly upgraded hypersonic grid fins. Single piece cast & cut titanium. Can take reentry heat with no shielding.

— Elon Musk‏ (@elonmusk) June 24, 2017​

SpaceX said:
Iridium-2 is the first mission Falcon 9 will fly with upgraded titanium grid fins—designed to provide greater control authority and withstand high reentry heat, which is important for rocket reusability.
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https://www.instagram.com/p/BVxWVmelhKG/?hl=en

Ars Technica: For Sunday’s launch, SpaceX to test “significantly upgraded” grid fins
This is a fairly conventional launch for SpaceX except for one novelty, revealed by SpaceX founder Elon Musk on Saturday night. After lifting 10 Iridium NEXT satellites to low Earth orbit, the Falcon 9's first stage will attempt to return to a droneship with a new, more durable set of grid fins, which help to stabilize the rocket as it descends back to Earth.

During prior missions these grid fins, manufactured from aluminum with added thermal protection, have caught fire due to atmospheric heating. To address this problem the company has forged new grid fins from titanium. "Flying with larger & significantly upgraded hypersonic grid fins," Musk tweeted. "Single piece cast & cut titanium. Can take reentry heat with no shielding." The new fins are a bit heavier, but are designed for multiple re-uses as SpaceX seeks to more toward rapid reuse of its first stage booster.
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The Falcon 9 rocket's first stage being used for Sunday's mission is a good candidate for future reuse. Friday's launch of BulgariaSat-1 employed the Falcon 9 rocket first used in January to launch 10 satellites for Iridium's new constellation. This rocket will have a similar flight profile to January's launch, and therefore will be able to perform a "boostback" burn. This helps to reduce heating during atmospheric reentry.
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Jezbollah

Jezbollah

Member
Those Titanium fins are fucking massive. Size of a small car.

Imagine forging that stuff out of that material. amazing.
 
Z

zeshakag

Member
Lach said:
Didn't they just have a launch?

edit: yep on 23rd....
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Bulgaria-Sat had to be delayed a couple times. While they don't have the onsite turnaround time that they would desire, today's launch doesn't have that problem as it is on a different coast.
 
blu

blu

Wants the largest console games publisher to avoid Nintendo's platforms.
And I was wondering what they were going to do about those burning fins..
 
C

cameron

Member
Music on stream.

blu said:
And I was wondering what they were going to do about those burning fins..
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DazzlingElementaryAmericanbadger-size_restricted.gif


Maybe we'll get to see them glow if the cam doesn't cut out.



Closeup of the titanium grid fins. Not painted, as they glow red hot during a fast reentry.

— Elon Musk‏ (@elonmusk) June 25, 2017​



Launch at 1:25 delivering 10 satellites for Iridium. Droneship repositioned due to extreme weather. Will be tight. http://spacex.com/webcast

— Elon Musk‏ (@elonmusk) June 25, 2017​
 
Jezbollah

Jezbollah

Member
Damaniel said:
Hope that fog isn't going to be an issue.
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The fog wont stop the launch. But it may hinder the landing.

When JASON-3 launched from Vandy, ice buildup from the fog caused one of the legs to fail to latch on deploy - the rocket landed and thus tipped over and performed a rapid unscheduled disassembly.

I don't fancy today's chance of a landing - weather around the ASDS is rough according to Based Elon.

Damaniel said:
EDIT: A 1 second launch window? Crazy!
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An instantaneous launch window is normal. The same constraint is used for CRS missions to the ISS.
 
A

antonz

Member
Always so great to get to watch this live. So amazing how far SpaceX has come too that we now watch 1st stage landings and its so routine now
 
I

Izayoi

Banned
antonz said:
Always so great to get to watch this live. So amazing how far SpaceX has come too that we now watch 1st stage landings and its so routine now
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It's crazy how far ahead of their competitors they are now... I remember a few years ago when people were saying that it would be impossible to do this, and they make it look routine. Amazing.
 
P

Par Score

Member
That's two landings in a row in some of the most extreme conditions.

BulgariaSat-1 was incredibly high energy and landed hard but good.

Iridium-2 was in adverse weather conditions and seemed pretty perfect.
 
D

duderon

rollin' in the gutter
Really want to see video of the Bulgariasat landing, since most landings look simple now. Must have been a huge gust of wind to blow it that far off track.
 
N

Nelo Ice

Banned
Izayoi said:
It's crazy how far ahead of their competitors they are now... I remember a few years ago when people were saying that it would be impossible to do this, and they make it look routine. Amazing.
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Yeah this is insane. 2 launches in a weekend and both 1st stages still standing. They're making the competition look like a joke and making was once thought impossible completely routine.
 
S

Sir_Crocodile

Member
Izayoi said:
It's crazy how far ahead of their competitors they are now... I remember a few years ago when people were saying that it would be impossible to do this, and they make it look routine. Amazing.
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When I was young I thought this was how all rockets landed because of tintin lol
 
cebri.one

cebri.one

Member
In another 30 minutes we'll know if the flight is succesful, if it is, this is SpaceX's best year in terms of succesful launches, and were are still in June. Lol. They really could end up launching 20 flights this year.

Edit: Falcon Heavy is made up of three cores, so three landings per flight.
 
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