Weather delays SpaceX launch
Capitalism in space: Weather has delayed a SpaceX launch from Vandenberg.
This launch is significant because once launched the first stage will become the first to have flown three times. It also will be the first to have launched from all three of SpaceX’s operating launchpads and to have landed on both of the company’s drone ships. And it will have done all this in less than seven months.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Capitalism in space: Weather has delayed a SpaceX launch from Vandenberg.
This launch is significant because once launched the first stage will become the first to have flown three times. It also will be the first to have launched from all three of SpaceX’s operating launchpads and to have landed on both of the company’s drone ships. And it will have done all this in less than seven months.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
This makes a busy December schedule for SpaceX:
Dec 1: SSO-A from Vandenberg
Dec 4: CRS SpX-16 from Canaveral SLC-40
Dec 18: USAF GPS III-1 from Canaveral SLC-40
Dec 30: Iridium NEXT (Flight 8) from Vandenberg
SpaceX launched twice per month from December 2017 through July 2018, and once per month since August. If they manage all four of these in December, it will best their record of three per calendar month from both June and October of 2017.
That GPS launch is interesting in that it will be the first expendable launch of a block 5 booster. There has been a lot of debate on the lists as to why they don’t plan to recover this one since placing the < 4000 kg satellite in its expected transfer orbit should leave plenty of reserves for recovery.
Interestingly, JRTI is going to be only 30 someodd miles off the coast. I.e. They are doing an RTLS, but using a mobile pad, since the D-4H with an expensive NRO payload is too close to the landing pad.
The GPS 3 launch is an important event. Problems with the new ground system, OCX, and with the payload have delayed this for more than three years. Its signal will be three times more powerful which will make it harder to spoof or jam it. Let’s hope that they don’t have any problems with the satellite.
SpaceX: Now targeting December 2 for launch of Spaceflight SSO-A: SmallSat Express from Vandenberg Air Force Base.
https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1067959871230726144
SpaceX: Standing down from tomorrow’s launch attempt of Spaceflight SSO-A: SmallSat Express to conduct additional inspections of the second stage. Working toward a backup launch opportunity on December 3.
https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1069133406586363904
SpaceX CRS-16 ISS resupply mission is still scheduled for Tuesday, December 4, at 13:38:53 EST, from the Cape’s SLC-40. But they are predicting only a 40% chance of suitable weather for launch that day due to thick cloud concerns. The weather for delay day Wednesday is looking much better, at 90% chance suitable.
And in other news, Administrator Bridenstine is hinting at delay to DM-1, the SpaceX uncrewed test flight, currently penciled in for 7 January. NASA program to launch astronauts to space station facing delays but 2019 still on target
Apparently they are still looking into some anomalous and unmodeled behavior observed during the ultimately successful deployment of parachutes both during Dragon 2 drop tests and during Dragon 1 operation. Some parties believe that they should fly the DM-1 mission as is, and if they do ultimately decide to make changes in the parachute system, they could validate those changes via additional drop tests. Others, including NASA ASAP, feel that the final parachute configuration must be flown on an orbital uncrewed Dragon 2 test mission prior to the first crewed flight, and flying DM-1 now risks requiring an additional test flight. The administrator’s recent comments suggest that NASA administrations may be siding with the ASAP view.
Some observers are crying foul, saying that this is purely a delaying tactic to allow Boeing time to catch up with their Starliner, but ASAP revealed that Boeing, among their other problems, is also facing similar concerns over anomalies observed during their parachute test deployments.
Kirk–
Thanks for all the tidbits & information! Good stuff.