- Joined
- Jul 23, 2012
- Messages
- 1,901
- Reaction score
- 879
If the static fire test happens today, and everything goes well, the launch window will be Sunday from 8:02pm to 11:02pm.
Eastern time?
If the static fire test happens today, and everything goes well, the launch window will be Sunday from 8:02pm to 11:02pm.
Eastern time?
It's too bad Cape Canaveral won't live stream the test.
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
Of course, still no OK from the FAA yet.“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."
Currently looking good for a Sunday night (~8pm local) attempted orbital launch and rocket landing at Cape Canaveral
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!!
I that a video "webcast" link? There's no window anywhere on that page that looks like an inactive browser video plug-in.Launch still set for 8:29 PM EDT Sunday night.
https://www.spacex.com/webcast/
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
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
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
Confused here, too.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."
Confused here, too.
SpaceXstats.com has added one day to the count:
https://spacexstats.com/missions/orbcomm-og2-launch-2
But SpaceX hasn't:
https://www.spacex.com/webcast/
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.
The SpaceX webcast page now also shows the launch on Monday.
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!!!!
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!!!!
"Landing speed, Elon Musk."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!!!!
Really getting excited about this launch. You guys in Florida are so lucky!
Enter your email address to join: