SpaceX Falcon 9 historic landing thread (1st landing attempt & most recent missions)

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5 minutes ago Musk tweeted there was an abort triggered by flight computer on upper stage throttle valve. They're going to adjust thresholds and start again at T-10 minutes.

It's too bad Cape Canaveral won't live stream the test.
 
Mushtang said:
It's too bad Cape Canaveral won't live stream the test.
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You mean SpaceX won't live stream the test. Really, this is part of what aggravates me, too much 1960's Russia space program mentality. Also part of why the landing attempts are never shown live (or "tape delayed" to be shown after the payload goes into orbit), even though it is proven that SpaceX DOES have the live landing video feeds visible on their own control room screens. The landing results have been shown days later.

Anyway, an update, sort of. Musk tweeted this 18 mins ago:

"Aborted on ignition timing due to slow ground side valve. Adjusting ignition sequence by 0.6 secs for next attempt."

So, I'll check back later tonight to see if they did test fire and if so if they have enough info to set a likely launch date.

Now, in looking for that, I ran across this new story in Space News about the FAA being "Closer to approving Falcon 9 Landings at Cape Canaveral". The two key things is that the FAA approves of the plan overall, but still must issue a new license or modify an existing license for each flight. SpaceX has an existing license for this flight but it does not include anything for landing at the Cape. Now, the FAA could issue a modification, but SpaceX won't confirm if they've asked for such, and indeed no comment officially whether they would try to land this flight at the Cape, or not, if FAA gave the OK.

https://spacenews.com/faa-moves-closer-to-approving-falcon-9-landings-at-cape-canaveral/

WASHINGTON — A Federal Aviation Administration environmental review found no issues with plans by SpaceX to land its Falcon 9 first stage at Cape Canaveral, bringing the company a step closer to winning final approval to attempt such a landing on an upcoming launch.

The FAA, in a document formally known as a finding of no significant impact, concluded there would be no major environmental issues linked to SpaceX’s plans to land Falcon 9 first stages at a decommissioned launch site the company now calls Landing Complex 1.

“After reviewing and analyzing available data and information on existing conditions and potential impacts,” the document states, “the FAA has determined issuance or modification of a launch license to conduct Falcon landings at [Cape Canaveral Air Force Station] would not significantly affect the quality of the human environment” as defined in federal law.

The document, signed Dec. 4 by FAA Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation George Nield and posted on the agency’s website, reviewed various environmental factors associated with the proposed landings, including air quality, noise and visual impacts. None of the factors, the FAA concluded, posed a significant environmental impact.

The document notes that final approval from the FAA for a Falcon 9 first stage landing would require either a new launch license or a modification to an existing launch license. An environmental review, such as the one completed by the FAA, is one part of the overall launch license application process.

SpaceX currently has launch licenses for several upcoming missions, including the launch of 11 Orbcomm satellites planned for this month. Those licenses will require modifications regardless of plans to land the first stage since they refer to the Falcon 9 version 1.1, whereas SpaceX plans to use the upgraded Falcon 9 on those launches.

Neither the FAA nor SpaceX have commented publicly on any requests by SpaceX to modify existing launch licenses or seek new launch licenses, either to accommodate an attempted landing or to take into account the use of the upgraded Falcon 9. They have also not disclosed how soon before the launch the FAA would have to approve a new or revised launch license.

Any attempted landing by the Falcon 9 first stage at Cape Canaveral would also require range approval from the U.S. Air Force. Sources at Cape Canaveral have said the Air Force has informed them that the overall launch complex will be closed to non-essential personnel for a landing.

The date of SpaceX’s next launch is uncertain. The company previously announced it would conduct a static fire test of the Falcon 9 on its launch pad Dec. 16, followed by a launch attempt about three days later. However, that test was postponed first to Dec. 17, and then to Dec. 18.

SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk, in a tweet late Dec. 17, suggested delays in the static fire test were linked to plans to chill the rocket’s liquid oxygen propellant to colder temperatures than previous launches. “Deep cryo liquid oxygen presenting some challenges,” he wrote.

Cooling the liquid oxygen to temperatures of less than –205 degrees Celsius is designed to make the propellant denser and improve its performance. “We’re cooling the propellant, particularly the liquid oxygen because it’s two-thirds liquid oxygen, close to its freezing point,” Musk said in a Dec. 15 speech at the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco when discussing upgrades to the Falcon 9.

Musk said this is the first time someone has attempted to use liquid oxygen chilled to those temperatures in a launch vehicle. He added that, despite the difficulties SpaceX was experiencing on the pad at Cape Canaveral, they successfully demonstrated it at the company’s Texas test site.

Others in the industry, however, are skeptical of the benefits of supercooled propellants. “That’s why we don’t bother. Lots of complexity for little gain,” tweeted George Sowers, vice president of advanced concepts and technologies at United Launch Alliance, in response to Musk’s tweet early Dec. 18.

- See more at: https://spacenews.com/faa-moves-clo...dings-at-cape-canaveral/#sthash.IVrOBVHL.dpuf
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The launch is now set for Sunday night, with an instantaneous window of 20:29 Eastern (8:29 PM EST).

The instantaneous window means that if there is a delay for any reason and they miss liftoff at 8:29 PM EDT, they are scrubbed, and the next attempt would be the 22nd. Weather looks good for the 20th, not so good for the 22nd.

Where the first stage may try to land is still uncertain [UPDATE - will try to land at the Cape, not at sea. FAA did give final approval] . But preparations have been made to allow for a landing at LC-13 / LZ-1 at the Cape, while the ASDS landing barge is also on station about 80 miles out to sea.

A very nice article is at this link, combining an overview of the whole mission including RTF, and the updates about the launch and landing preparations for the Cape AND at sea.

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2015/12/spacex-static-fire-falcon-9-og-2-rtf/

Regarding the potential landing at the Cape, part of the article says:

“NASA Causeway, east of the Space Station Processing Facility to the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station boundary, will be closed until approximately 1 hour post launch.”

“Following the launch, SpaceX may attempt a landing of the Falcon 9 rockets first stage at Space Launch Complex 13 on CCAFS. Should there be an anomaly, personnel are to shelter in place and avoid being next to glass windows and doors."
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Of course, still no OK from the FAA yet.

FWIW - below are two satellite images a few months ago, of the Landing Zone at LC-13. The white area is concrete, the light gray color is either gravel or sand (may look different by now, if it was sand then, it might be gravel by now. Though if the booster landed outside of the concrete pad, you'd think that sand would be better than gravel for the rocket exhaust to "blast" down onto as far as blown debris hazard). These images are a few months old . Reportedly, the concrete landing pad now has a SpaceX logo "X" at the center much as the ASDS barges have had. There are no known pictures of that area by SpaceX. Don't even bother to ask about lights or other things….. nobody knows other than a limited number of people at SpaceX (ASDS barge does have lights, at least did for a previous night landing attempt). But if it lands at the Cape, the exhaust plume itself would light things up, and if it touched down then everything went DARK...... that would mean a SAFE landing. Oh, thats right, no live video, so by the time SpaceX releases video later, the fate will be known.

- George Gassaway

4UtHziZ.jpg
 
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Latest news. Tweet by Musk:

Currently looking good for a Sunday night (~8pm local) attempted orbital launch and rocket landing at Cape Canaveral
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He says about 8PM, other sources lock in at 8:29 exactly (One had said 8:20 PM).

So, the 1st stage will try a landing at LC-13 / LZ-1 at the Cape.

Apparently the FAA gave final approval some time ago (Perhaps the last few days) but SpaceX never announced that they had.

And it turns out that the ASDS landing barge is not on station in the Atlantic. Now, it may well have been for awhile, but now it is located at Port Canaveral:

HfIZwuB.jpg


The tugboat that tows it has departed for Jacksonville and its captain radioed that the crew was going back home for Christmas (So, they are done with the ASDS for awhile, at least). It seems that Jacksonville was a temporary location, all of the SpaceX equipment at the dock has been removed (A carnival Cruise Line ship with webcam provided frequent images of what was going on there when it returned to port, and now that part of the dock is bare). So it seems that the ASDS barge is setting up "home" at Port Canaveral (or if not, then staying there for now pending a new home). SpaceX will still need the ASDS barge for some missions, especially for Falcon-Heavy cores. Someone noted that the ASDS barge first appeared in Jacksonville on Dec 16 2014, and departed Dec 16 2015, which is not necessarily just a coincidence but that there may have been a one year lease.

- George Gassaway
 
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Launch still set for 8:29 PM EDT Sunday night.

Some interesting speculation that the landing attempt MIGHT be live streamed. The logic is that since other people in the area will have video cameras going (some of the media such as Florida Today and probable live breaking news on some Orlando TV stations). So, the logic is that if it's going to be shown "live" from other sources, SpaceX might as well be on top of it.

I myself would be surprised if SpaceX did show it live. But then, a year ago I thought OF COURSE they'd show the landing attempts live and wow was I wrong.

Since it will be night time, that will actually help other cameras to see it coming in, once the engine ignites. Of course they'll be far off, some hopefully with decent zoom lenses. But still nothing like the live footage SpaceX can get with on-the-ground cameras near the landing area and likely one or two R/C multicopters (they used a multicopter for the last landing attempt). Anyway, the far-away public cameras won't be able to get a view of the landing area itself due to trees. But, as the point of light slows down more and more then the lighting get much brighter for a moment (exhaust spewing outwards across the ground, and THEN goes totally dark, that should mean a successful landing. Another crash would cause an even more intense flare-up of light, probably with a small rising fireball and debris spreading outwards, and get dimmer with some fire continuing for many seconds. So a brief increase in intensity then darkness should be an indicator of a safe landing.

The Falcon does not have MUCH propellant left in it for landing, but even so those few gallons have been enough to cause quite a pyrotechnic display and burn damage in the two crashes (Just realized some of the crash explosion visual effects are related to the fact that the nearly empty tanks are pressurized, so even with zero fuel there'd be a burst due to pressure once the tanks are damaged enough. And the fuel and oxygen would not mix together until after the tanks burst, most of the energy after tanks burst then is mostly just flames. And not the kind of pyrotechnic-based explosion most would think of if the oxygen and RP-1 were pre-mixed before the tanks structurally failed and spewed out the contents)

I might go see Star Wars for the 2nd time Sunday night. If so I won't be posting any updates close to before or hours after the planned launch time. I'm sure others will, such as Mushtang.

BTW - since this is not a NASA related flight like the CRS missions, I do not think NASA TV will have this, would be nice to be wrong about that . So, go to the SpaceX webcast at the link below. The webcast will start at 8 PM EST.

Of course, if SpaceX did show the landing, it would only be on their webcast anyway, not NASA TV, unless NASA TV simply carried the SpaceX feed (In the past, NASA has had their own feed, though mostly using shared cameras).

https://www.spacex.com/webcast/
 
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georgegassaway said:
You mean SpaceX won't live stream the test. Really, this is part of what aggravates me, too much 1960's Russia space program mentality. Also part of why the landing attempts are never shown live (or "tape delayed" to be shown after the payload goes into orbit), even though it is proven that SpaceX DOES have the live landing video feeds visible on their own control room screens. The landing results have been shown days later.



I think our space program should be kept secret. You want to show the Chinese and Russians all our secrets? Not me!!
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Just under 7 hours to go!

Winston said:
I that a video "webcast" link? There's no window anywhere on that page that looks like an inactive browser video plug-in.

I don't see any mention of the launch in NASA TV's list of upcoming live events:

https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/schedule.html
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The webcast link does show a static image for now since it's not live yet. When I checked it last night it said 7:00 CENTRAL as the time for the webcast to begin, Now it says "event begins" at 7:29 Central, but that's launch time so I presume the webcast still will begin at 7 PM Central (8 PM EST). Now, sometimes the SpaceX webcasts do not start till 15 minutes in advance, so don't give up on it unless it's after 8:15 PM Eastern.

I had not tried the Spacexstats site before for viewing since the SpaceX weblink works for me.

But SpaceX also has their webcasts on Youtube, so after a quick Google this is today's live stream for Orbcomm-2:

[video=youtube;O5bTbVbe4e4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5bTbVbe4e4[/video]


As for NASA TV, since this is not a NASA related launch (No NASA payload), they probably won't cover it.

But also, if they do intend to, the TV schedule listings are not necessarily updated very quickly. Although, I did miss recording the Antares launch for an ISS resupply a few weeks ago, when, after that's days attempt was called off, I set the DVR to record whatever programming was on NASA TV at the time of the launch the next day. The DVR did not record it. I later found out that the NASA TV schedule did change to show the Antares launch attempt the next day..... and since the DVR was not set to record THAT, and the program I had set it to record was no longer there, it recorded nothing. This is why I wish that that DVR's had a "be dumber" option so they could be set to record a block of time on a channel, like VCR's.

- George Gassaway
 
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Orlando Sentinel reports FAA issued permission for the landing on Friday.

Press release on Business Wire:

Press release:

HAWTHORNE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today SpaceX confirmed that the company is targeting launch of the 11 ORBCOMM satellites aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. on Sunday, Dec. 20. The 60-second launch window opens at 8:29 p.m. ET. If needed, a backup launch opportunity is available on Dec. 21.

In addition to the primary mission of launching ORBCOMM’s fleet of commercial communications satellites, SpaceX is attempting a secondary test objective of landing the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket on land for the first time at SpaceX’s Landing Zone 1. Previous attempts to recover the first-stage of the Falcon 9 have been attempted out at sea using the company’s Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ships. Landing Zone 1 was previously known as Space Launch Complex 13, a former U.S. Air Force rocket and missile testing range last used in 1978. If successful, this test would mark the first time in history an orbital rocket has successfully achieved a land landing.

Just as when the Space Shuttle returned from space, there is a possibility that residents of northern and central Brevard County, Fla. may hear a sonic boom during landing. A sonic boom is the thunder-like noise a person on the ground hears when an aircraft or other type of aerospace vehicle flies overhead faster than the speed of sound.

Residents of the communities of Cape Canaveral, Cocoa, Cocoa Beach, Courtenay, Merritt Island, Mims, Port Canaveral, Port St. John, Rockledge, Scottsmoor, Sharpes, and Titusville in Brevard County, Fla. are mostly likely to hear a sonic boom, although what residents experience will depend on weather conditions and other factors.

Residents may wish to follow the company’s launch webcast for real time information concerning Sunday’s launch. The webcast will be available at SpaceX.com/webcast beginning at approximately 8:05 p.m. ET.

https://www.businesswire.com/news/h...Planning-Falcon-9-First-Stage-Landing-Attempt
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According to Mashable.com (https://mashable.com/2015/12/20/spacex-launch-livestream/) it will be livestreamed.

One thing that strikes me as interesting is that they are trying to "tweak" the performance by cooling the fuel and oxidizer. From https://www.cbsnews.com/news/spacex-return-to-flight-features-upgraded-falcon-9-rocket/ they are cooling the fuel (kerosene) from its "normal" temperature of 70F to 20F and the LOX from -298F to -340F (melting/freezing point is -362F). This is a non-trivial adjustment. Both of these liquids will be more dense. This affects how the turbo pump transfers them, and affects how they are metered going into the combustion chamber. They static fired the rocket on the stand, so it will light off, and I assume they've run the numbers, but this is not something they've done before.
 
24 HR delay? A Tweek by Musk confuses me.

"Just reviewed mission params w SpaceX team. Monte Carlo runs show tmrw night has a 10% higher chance of a good landing. Punting 24 hrs."
 
They would need a system to compensate for density/temperature even if they were not cooling the fuel and oxidizer. The fuel temp could vary greatly due to environmental.
As a side note , some of the airplanes in the Bendix Trophy Race cooled the gasoline (by dropping blocks of dry ice in the fuel trucks) to get more range. The gas was consumed way faster than it expanded.

M
 
Mushtang said:
But to say that it's time to reconsider the commercialization of space flight based on that makes about as much sense and saying it's time to reconsider trying to carry supplies to the ISS.
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I highly agree. Commercialization of space flight is absolutely imperative and required for the long term survival of the Human race. In the end, we are going to HAVE to be a multi-planet species.
 
Musk just tweeted "Launch & landing can be seen on the SpaceX.com webcast or in person from Cape Canaveral public causeway at 8:33pm local tmrw"

So we'll be able to watch it!!!!
 
Mushtang said:
Musk just tweeted "Launch & landing can be seen on the SpaceX.com webcast or in person from Cape Canaveral public causeway at 8:33pm local tmrw"

So we'll be able to watch it!!!!
Click to expand...


Live stream of the landing? Yes please!

Nate
 
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Mushtang said:
Musk just tweeted "Launch & landing can be seen on the SpaceX.com webcast or in person from Cape Canaveral public causeway at 8:33pm local tmrw"

So we'll be able to watch it!!!!
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"Landing speed, Elon Musk."
 
Launch still set for 8:33 PM EST tonight.

On various space forums, many people are taking Musk's tweet to mean that yes, indeed, that the SpaceX live stream/webcast will show the landing attempt.

I hope so.

Below is an interesting graphic that someone made up, using Google Earth.

L8NI2WX.png


The red lines represent the safety exclusion zones in the Atlantic, where parts might fall if it fails.

The green line is the Falcon with payload, from liftoff flying towards orbit. The purple line is the first stage after separation. Burn Start is when the first stage begins its retrograde burn to push back to the Cape, Burn end is when it has adjusted its path to fall close to the Cape.

The end of the re-entry burn leaves the Falcon a little bit shy of ballistically falling onto land, so it would splash into the ocean if it lost control on the descent back. So the grid fins aerodynamically steer it to extend the descent path across the beach and over the landing pad area where the center engine later ignites at a few thousand feet up to slow it down for landing.

Now, the image is homemade, so don't take the purple line to be dead accurate. But the downrange distance and altitude seem to be about right, based on other info on past flights. The purple path seems to come in at a steeper angle near the end than some 2D drawings, but those other 2D drawings I recall did not account for ballistically "landing short" to avoid land in case of loss of control, then using control (mostly if not all aerodynamically) to nudge itself to the landing zone. In any case, a good general representation of the flight.

Again, below is the youtube SpaceX livestream for the flight, as an alternative to the webcast on the SpaceX website. The countdown to "the event" is liftoff time, I presume though that the stream will come up well before that. For last night's 8:29 attempt, they were going to start at 8:05, so for tonight's it may start around 8:10 EST.

The landing itself, IIRC previous ASDS barge landings were a bit after 9 minutes after liftoff. This may take a bit longer, but probably down (one way or another) by 10 minutes after liftoff. If SpaceX does not show the landing, look for excited happy faces, or "Oh crap" faces, in any possible control room views between 9 and 10 minutes.

- George Gassaway

[video=youtube;O5bTbVbe4e4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5bTbVbe4e4[/video]
 
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Really getting excited about this launch. You guys in Florida are so lucky!
 

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