Comments on: SpaceX to launch EchoStar satellite in early January https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/spacex-to-launch-echostar-satellite-in-early-january/ Tue, 29 Nov 2016 13:55:52 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 By: Ron https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/spacex-to-launch-echostar-satellite-in-early-january/#comment-948813 Tue, 29 Nov 2016 13:55:52 +0000 http://behindtheblack.com/?p=42879#comment-948813 Has there been a final reason for the launch pad explosion?

]]> By: mkent https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/spacex-to-launch-echostar-satellite-in-early-january/#comment-948686 Tue, 29 Nov 2016 01:22:17 +0000 http://behindtheblack.com/?p=42879#comment-948686 18 launches per year isn’t going to cut it. According to NASAspaceflight.com, SpaceX has 36 launches on their manifest between now and the end of 2017. The most they’ve ever successfully launched in any calendar year is eight.

I’d be worried if I were one of their customers.

]]> By: Edward https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/spacex-to-launch-echostar-satellite-in-early-january/#comment-948673 Tue, 29 Nov 2016 00:01:06 +0000 http://behindtheblack.com/?p=42879#comment-948673 I count three SpaceX launches expected in January in addition to the one in December. Iridium payload in December, and Echostar-23, SES-10, and CRS-10 payloads in January.
http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/launch-schedule/

Perhaps the coming year will give them their desired 18-launch cadence.

As Robert’s linked article points out, there seems to be some pressure to launch certain satellites, especially when government-imposed deadlines are involved. However, the penalties for missing these deadlines may be financial rather than losing licenses to operate, so the pressure may not cause people to launch when it is unsafe (for the payload).

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