SpaceX Aims for 5:41 Launch Window

Back Again

 

Correction : According to the SES-8 launch broadcast, the F9 was not returned to the hanger for cleaning, but rather addressed on the pad due to ease of access to the engines.

Eight days after its initial launch attempt for the  SES-8 satellite, and five days after a second effort on Thanksgiving day, Space Exploration Technologies is prepping its Falcon 9 V1.1 for an 86 minute launch window opening at 5:41 pm ET this evening.

Following the most recent attempt on Thursday, which was cut short at the moment of ignition when computers registered a slower than expected ramp-up in thrust, SpaceX drained the booster of propellants,  lowered it, and wheeled it back into its horizontal integration building at SLC-40.

Subsequent analysis indicated the slow start up resulted when oxygen  in the ground supply degraded the potency of the TEA-TAB ignition fluid which is fed to each of the 9 first stage engines.  After inspecting each of the engines and cleaning the gas generators, engineers replaced the number 9, center mounted engine’s gas generator, the miniature rocket engine within an engine which drives the Merlin 1D’s turbopump feeding liquid oxygen and RP-1 to the main combustion  chamber. According to a twitter update from Elon Musk, the generator swap out was taken as a “precautionary measure.”

Having tested the engines with ground pneumatics and found them to be “cycling cleanly,” SpaceX, which had been considering an attempt on Monday, added an extra day to the schedule to re-check everything in advance of the launch, says it has has cleared all known anomalies and is ready to try again. Weather is not likely to be a factor, as current forecasts estimate only a 10% chance of a range violation.

If there is a problem with today’s launch attempt, SpaceX has reserved tomorrow as a backup date.

One Thing Old, Two Things New; Proton Flies, OSC and SpaceX Triumph

Cygnus on Approach
Credit : NASA

It began with a historic berthing in LEO, and ended with the successful return to flight of a troubled booster steeped in anachronism. And right in the middle, the future emerged on a pillar of fire piercing a blue Pacific sky.

To begin at the ending, the oft troubled Proton booster returned to flight  Sunday afternoon (U.S. time)  with a successful International Launch Services flight out of the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Carrying the SES Astra 2-E satellite, the Proton-M booster, this time with motion sensors presumably installed correctly, overcame a flaming July 1st disaster, and  successfully completed its complicated a 5 burn  Briz upper stage insertion of the payload into the correct orbit.

The opening action  in Sunday’s triple  header took place  in orbit, at the International Space Station. In successfully overcoming a software issue encountered on its initial approach to ISS and completing its first ever berthing to the orbiting outpost, with its Cygnus spacecraft, G. David Lowe,  Orbital Sciences Corporation secured a remarkable achievement, and in doing so, completely validated the  NASA/Commercial partnership model created in the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Program.  What stands out the most, is perhaps the fact that OSC is not SpaceX, designing, building and operating the Antares/Cygnus system in their own way, through a sub-contractor heavy arrangement which has a lot more in common with “Old Space” than “NewSpace.”  As NASA’s Phil McCalister pointed out at the OSC press conference following the Antares booster’s maiden launch earlier this year, OSC’s success is a validation that even under the COTS rubric, there are many avenues to space.

If the OSC accomplishment did not send a sufficiently clear signal, based on comments made by Elon Musk in a telephone conference following the Falcon 9 v1.1’s maiden launch on Sunday,  SpaceX is about to do so with video showing the booster’s first stage on its way back from launching the CASSIOPE mission.  While the recovery effort was by no means a complete success, and the stage slammed hard into the Pacific after an insurmountable spinning motion threw fuel away from the pickup causing a flameout (shades of Falcon I, flight II)  the fact that the company was able to bring it back into the atmosphere under control following an initial three engine deceleration burn, may go down as one of the red letter dates in space history. Quite simply, it would appear that contrary to almost everyone’s expectations,  SpaceX, on the first try, was able to bring the booster shockingly close to where the Grasshopper’s flight envelope will be in a matter of months.

Everything did not go perfectly however, as an effort to re-start the second stage after the CASSIOPE satellite and three smaller payloads were deployed was cut short by a computer commanded abort. With second stage re-light being a critical capability for geostationary missions, according to Musk, the company will likely take a few additional weeks to thoroughly study the issue prior its next scheduled launch, that of the SES-8 Comsat headed to geostationary orbit with the new Falcon’s East Coast debut.

While another major, and equally critical milestone for SpaceX, it is not the SES launch, but the next NASA launch, CRS-3 which is already shaping up to be one of 2014’s most anticipated launch events. With the next two commercial launches pushing the Falcon 9’s limits, SpaceX is not going to attempt another recovery until the more lightly burdened NASA CRS-3 mission to low Earth orbit, and depending on how the schedule breaks down, that launch may be the first to be equipped with the retractable flight weight landing legs SpaceX showcased earlier this year.  While SpaceX will not likely be in a position to attempt a ground landing on that flight, engineers believe the stabilizing effect of the legs will be help bring the rotation encountered on the CASSIOPE flight within manageable limits.

Looking just a bit further down the road,  the SpaceX founder also revealed that the company is in discussions with the FAA and Air Force to designate a site at the eastern tip of Cape Canaveral for Falcon 9 first stage landings, one of which could lead to a re-flight as early as the end of next year.

One other point brought up in the teleconference involves SpaceX’s plans for KSC launch pad 39A. Assuming SpaceX gets past the objections raised by Blue Origin and secures a lease for the pad, plans call for the company to conduct all of its NASA launches to ISS out of that facility, while continuing to use SLC-40 for commercial and (eventually) military flights.  Very significantly, it is these launches, sponsored by NASA and paid for by the taxpayers, which SpaceX is planning to use in its ongoing efforts to achieve first stage re-usability and drive down the costs to orbit.

Could there be a more powerful symbol for the potential inherent in the new approach to space operations demonstrated by both SpaceX and OSC, than a launch pad which saw tens of billions incinerated by a Shuttle system which succeeded in other ways, but failed miserably its initial and primary objective to lower costs, serve as the mid-wife for a new, and utterly transformative era of space transportation, and all at no additional cost to the taxpayer?

Into the Blue
(and back down too)
Credit : SpaceX

Falcon 9 V1.1 Lifts Off

UPDATE: According to multiple sources, the CASSIOPE satellite and all secondary payloads have deployed successfully. By any standards, SpaceX has had an exceptional day.

The inaugural flight of the new SpaceX Falcon 9 V1.1 began with an on-time liftoff at 9:00 AM PDT this morning. With no holds, or apparent issues of any sort, the latest version of the Falcon 9, powered by 9 first stage Merlin 1-D engines arranged in a new “octaweb” pattern, clawed its way into the sky from  the Vandenberg pad on its mission to deploy MDA Corporation’s  CASSIOPE satellite.  With launch video dropping in and out of coverage, the booster successfully completed all stages of flight, including fairing separation, before passing out of signal range. Although no other details are available yet, SpaceX did confirm that the first stage engines successfully re-ignited in an effort to slow the stage and achieve a soft water landing.  More details as the mission unfolds.

A Rocket on the Edge of Forever

Showtime!
Credit : Elon Musk

It is after all, just a test launch.  But what a test launch it is. Whenever the Falcon 9 v1.1 finally lifts off from Vandenberg, Ca. it will carry much more than a 700 lb. satellite, (as well as a couple of cubesats) which got a bargain basement price for accepting an elevated level of risk.

In the immediate term, the matter seems rather clear. SpaceX has an enormous backlog of launches on its manifest, all of which depend on this booster having a good day.  Still, a test launch is in the end, exactly that, and barring some unforeseen flaw in the overall system, say the bending motion in what is now a very long, narrow,  booster,  any  difficulties will no doubt be ironed out, and the company will learn and move on, as it has throughout its decade long history.

What is more important however, are a particular subset of launches which are not yet on the manifest, but could become ever so closer with an immediate, and undeniable success, the potential launch awards under the Commercial Crew program.  As with many aspects of the Falcon 9 v1.1’s maiden flight, it’s not so much that an early stumble could severely harm its prospects, as much as it is that a strong start could substantially improve them. And it should be noted, that there are some potential issues, such as separation difficulties with the new 5.2 meter fairing, which could endanger this mission’s outcome without having any significant bearing on the Commercial Crew prospects.

And then there is ongoing struggle to fully break in to the EELV market.  Recent weeks have seen multiple stories in trade publications detailing the difficult choices the Air Force is facing in maintaining or improving various space related defense programs such as GPS III, or the Space Fence, in the face of ever tighter budgets.  There is no getting around the uncomfortable fact that wildly escalating costs in the EELV program, and the price of simply getting assets to orbit, is having a deleterious and limiting effect on just what assets will be deployed in the future. It is, quite simply, harming national security. While the Air Force does at last have a plan in place, and a schedule of sorts, for allowing new entrants to its launch program, a successful maiden flight for the new Falcon 9 would not only build on the 5 for 5 record established with the original version of the booster, if followed by equally successful outcomes in the flurry of scheduled launches leading up to the its next NASA mission, CRS-3, provide compelling evidence that it time to re-evaluate the EELV contract sooner rather than later.

For all the interest in the launch itself, it is perhaps not what is going to space, but what is coming back down, which is the biggest story line of all.  SpaceX has justifiably cautioned that the odds of achieving its effort to conduct a controlled atmospheric re-entry and subsequent near sea level soft landing of the Falcon 9 first stage are very low.  It is doubtful they are sandbagging. After failed past efforts to recover both Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 first stage boosters  by parachute, the company probably has a better understanding than just about anyone on just how difficult a task that is, in part because they have been the only ones actually trying. Nevertheless, SpaceX has clearly seen something in the data from those previous efforts which says it can be done, and is worth the expense, which can be measured not in just this launch, but the entire Grasshopper effort, to keep at it.    With few details released about the effort, it is difficult to gauge what the benchmarks for progress are, but it seems reasonable to assume that a successful engine re-start, and measurable controlled reduction in velocity prior to hitting the atmosphere would mark a substantial accomplishment, and likely spark a near panic in Evry,  France.  With SpaceX clearly repeatedly demonstrating the ability to conduct controlled landing in McGregor, and soon to expand the envelope in higher and faster testing in New Mexico, ultimate success may just reside at whatever altitude ever higher Grasshopper and ever lower returning Falcon 9 first stages happen to meet. As the first act in what could be a very long, or surprisingly short play, it’s almost showtime, and rest assured, the rest of the world’s launch providers will be watching, even as some may be frantically sticking pins in a Falcon 9 voodoo doll even now.

Finally, there is this.   Just this week, a series of papers summarizing findings from the Curiosity rover have confirmed that Mars is wetter than most of us ever thought, or perhaps even dared dream. With estimates of 2 pints of water in every cubic foot of soil, recoverable and releasable through centuries old technology, it is time to be going and SpaceX was formed for the sole purpose of doing just that. Most significantly, the tall, white booster scheduled to lift off from Vandenberg tomorrow (or soon thereafter) is the vital core component of the long awaited Falcon Heavy, and a successful launch, whenever, it comes, sets the stage for its debut by clearing away the largest piece of development risk.

So, at whatever point our attention turns back to Vandenberg and the maiden launch of the Falcon Heavy,  notably from the same transporter/erector upon which the Falcon 9 v1.1 currently sits, we will be witnessing not just another space first, but the opening of a new era in which Mars is within reach.

Falcon 9 v1,1 is scheduled for liftoff with the CASSIOPE satellite in a window opening at 9:00 AM PT, 12:00  PM EDT, on Sunday, September 29th.  A backup date is available for Monday.

Good luck, and Godspeed.

Why 39A Matters

39A

Why 39A Matters

The ongoing fight over Kennedy Space Center’s Pad 39A has taken several interesting turns in the past week, beginning with a contentious House subcommittee hearing last Friday, and culminating in an email from Elon Musk published today in SpaceNews, which “calls the bluff” being put forward by Blue Origin and United Launch Alliance, by offering to share the pad with all comers.  With typical flair, the SpaceX founder judged the odds of Blue Origin being able to show up with an ISS ready system in 5 years as less likely than SpaceX discovering “unicorns dancing in the flame ducts.”

Although the ongoing GAO protest lodged by Blue Origin will likely delay any decision regarding the pad until December, hopefully Musk’s offer will put the matter to rest.  Despite the preferred media narrative of this being a spat between Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, as the political intrusion indicates, it is much more than that, and what may be escaping sufficient scrutiny is why 39A matters in the first place.

The House subcommittee was supposed to discuss a NASA OIG report detailing the overall agency problem of unused, aging facilities and the mounting costs of keeping them intact.  Rather than substantively address the overall issue, the meeting chaired by Steve Palazzo, (R, Mississippi) fairly quickly broke down into an argument over NASA’s plan to lease Pad 39A, and a rather thinly veiled effort to prevent SpaceX from gaining access to the facility.  The effort is ostensibly on behalf of Blue Origin, which filed a protest with the GAO over the process NASA has followed in the leasing effort, but both the inclusion of a letter of support from ULA, as well as a separate letters from members of the House and Senate, representing  “OldSpace” districts and by extension,   Boeing, Lockheed Martin and ATK, who are throwing everything but the kitchen sink at SpaceX in an effort to slow that company’s progress wherever possible, indicate that Blue Origin is at best a minor player in this battle.

Here are the four letters:

Letter in support of Blue Origin/ULA from the Senate

And from the House:

Florida Senate Letter:

Florida House Delegation Letter:

There are several notable aspects to the first two letters.  Somewhat amusingly, both seem to assert that since the taxpayer spent a great deal of money building the facility,  any lessor should be equally motivated to spend a commiserate amount to maintain it.

From the first:  “The taxpayers have invested nearly $1 billion into LC-39A, yet the lease requires only minimal costs to be borne by the selected company, clearly not a fiscally responsible way to handle such a vital public asset.”

And from the  second :  “We are also concerned about the terms of the proposed lease, which would essentially make this asset available at minimal cost to the selected entity – hardly a fair market rate for the value of the leased asset. Given that taxpayers have invested hundreds of millions, if not a billion, dollars in to develop this launch complex, there are serious questions of fiscal responsibility and transparency.”

Market value is nothing more than what someone is willing to pay at a given time, and at this point it time, as evidenced by the conspicuous absence of a serious bid from other providers, and NASA’s own assessment stated in a plan to demolish the pad if it is not leased, while the historic value is very high, the market value is painfully low. Blue Origin’s plan to lease 39A to other launch providers, a necessary distraction,  since it is not going to be in a position to use the facility  directly in the 5 year frame under discussion, is rendered somewhat moot by the fact that no other entity besides SpaceX found the value high enough to put in a bid.

And that is the crux of the matter.  Quite simply, there is absolutely no way United Launch Alliance, tied to an outdated “stacking” mode for the Atlas V booster, is going to commit the resources necessary to convert pad 39A to accommodate its particular concept of crewed launches. The last two Atlas V facilities, at SLC-41 and Vandenberg respectively, cost then owner Lockheed Martin over $200 million each. Letters offered in support are free.  SpaceX on the other hand, having learned and applied from others,  can afford to make use of 39A precisely because it utilizes a more efficient horizontal integration which naturally lends itself to “clean pad” format.

And then there is the very inconvenient, but so far seldom discussed issue of pricing and its likely effect on the Commercial Crew process.  ULA goes to great lengths to conceal its prices, which is perhaps an understandable tactic when one considers where they appear to be, but the public disclosures of NASA launch procurement offer occasional glimpses behind the curtain.  The upcoming launch of a barebones  Atlas  V 401 booster for the Mars Maven mission was procured at $187 million, an award granted  before the recent round of highly publicized EELV cost increases.  The most recent public launch award, a 411 configuration for NASA’s 2016 OSIRIS-Rex mission at $183.5 million, shows the results of modest cost cutting measures on the part of ULA,  but more significantly, also indicates a limit has probably already been reached.

One thing is for certain; with the necessity to add both a crew vehicle adapter as well as a second, ($30 million dollar plus)  RL-10 engine to the Atlas V upper stage in order to allow for a safe ascent profile, the Commercial Crew Atlas V with either the Boeing or SNC vehicles, is going to be at least twice the cost of the SpaceX Falcon 9/Dragon combination.   And that of course, is assuming that the ULA product continues to receive its EELV Launch Capability contract subsidy, despite its supporters’ newfound devotion towards “competition” such as that  expressed by Alabama Representative Mo Brooks in decrying the proposed lease to SpaceX during the course of last week’s hearing. A full accounting of the cost differential would yield an even greater difference.

Quite simply, ULA is perfectly aware that from a financial standpoint at least, its Commercial Crew prospects are not looking good, and despite long range efforts such as the joint ULA/XCOR upper stage engine work, there is no practical way to address what will be revealed to be a gaping cost disparity for identical services in the near term, thus the desperate turn to its preferred innovation of choice, political manipulation, to hinder the competition.

Regardless of the motivations, which Musk describes as “malicious,” the real question is this. What is the value to NASA, and to the national interest, in seeing 39A put to actual use as soon as possible?  Very likely it is quite a bit.

The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex annually hosts more than 1.5 million visitors from across the U.S. and around the planet to a world class museum facility which highlights the pinnacle of U.S. national accomplishments, and it is an experience which has become even more compelling with the addition of the Space Shuttle Atlantis display.  At the same time though, it is also deeply unsettling.  Situated as the KSC Visitor Center  is, not in a sterile museum environment, but at the very site of the history it encapsulates, KSC, and by extension NASA, is a victim of its own history.

One cannot look at the imposing VAB and the two Saturn/ Shuttle pads without getting a sinking feeling that America’s best days are in the rear view mirror.   NASA can issue all the “We are the explorers”  PR videos it wants, but with the first crewed  flight of the SLS almost a decade away, and only one test flight in between,  and further schedule slips likely,  both are so far over the horizon as to actually reinforce the notion that we just haven’t got “the right stuff” anymore.

The truth of course is something very different.  As both SpaceX and Orbital Sciences have demonstrated through the COTS program, NASA has made truly remarkable progress in developing the infrastructure to support the ongoing American human space flight program taking place at ISS.  Unfortunately, with OSC launching out of Wallops, and SpaceX currently launching on military property out of adjacent, but far less conspicuous, (and accessible) SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the world’s most visible, and most famous space launch pad, 39A, is painfully and obviously vacant, particularly to the tens of thousands of visitors who take the bus tours to the Pad 39 observation gantry and Saturn V display.    It is in a word, sad.

Bringing the pad back to life quickly, with actual as opposed to vaporware launch vehicles under preparation and lifting off, particularly as Musk’s response indicates, on crewed NASA missions to ISS, will not only keep the pad active and actively maintained, but will also lend a justifiable and much needed sense of progress and value to NASA’s overall space program in the most direct manner possible, with compelling visual evidence. It is likely to be the best PR NASA gets in the coming years, and SpaceX is willing to pay for it.  Furthermore, with SpaceX more than a year ahead of Boeing in their respective Commercial Crew schedules,  preparation for activities at the 39A are likely to begin in very short order.  The value to the agency, and to the nation, as VISA might say; “Priceless.”

It will also be valuable to whatever company whose banner, and booster, is on display at the pad.  If that should happen to benefit SpaceX, so be it.  In producing the first new all American launch vehicle in years, and then using it to support the nation’s commitment to the International Space Station as the only supplier for two way transportation, it has honor which has been well earned.  ULA knows this as well, and that is quite likely the real reason behind the last ditch effort to deny SpaceX ready access to 39A.

It is also the reason why the matter needs to be resolved in favor of SpaceX, and the American interest.

SNC Conducts First Captive Carry Test at Dryden

Dream Chaser Captive Carry
Credit : NASA

From SNC Press release yesterday: Sparks, NV – August 22, 2013 – Today Sierra Nevada Corporation’s (SNC) Dream Chaser® spacecraft successfully completed a full-scale captive-carry test. The test in which the Dream Chaser was carried under an Erickson Air-Crane helicopter was conducted at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, Calif. The captive-carry test was performed in order to test and validate several of the Dream Chaser systems and sub-systems prior to the upcoming free-flight test. The software tested included: flight computer; guidance, navigation and control; aero surfaces; and the landing gear and nose skid, which was deployed during flight. In May 2012, SNC performed a similar, but less extensive, captive-carry test in Broomfield, Colo., under the Commercial Crew Development 2 (CCDev2) agreement with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. “Today is the first time we have flown a fully functional Dream Chaser spacecraft, and we are very pleased with the results,” said Mark Sirangelo, corporate vice president and head of SNC’s Space Systems. “Our team represents the very best in collaboration between industry and government. We have worked closely with NASA, Dryden and the Air Force to reach this important milestone in our flight test program. We will continue to work together to prepare for the approach-and-landing free-flight test. We look forward to seeing Dream Chaser land on the same runway as the space shuttle orbiters once did as we move forward in the development of the next-generation crew transportation vehicle.” Note:  A number of observers have pointed out that NASA really seems to want to see the Dream Chaser project come to fruition, and given the agency’s long history with the Shuttle it is an understandable sentiment backed by some sound reasoning regarding the benefits of winged re-entry.  One thing to keep in mind however, is that NASA has also actively promoted the Commercial Crew program for its potential in serving other, non-NASA customers in low Earth orbit.  At this point,  aside from very speculative satellite servicing missions, that would appear to be pretty much limited to Bigelow Aerospace and its proposed BA-330 station.  It is somewhat surprising then, that there has been little information released regarding any pricing agreement between the two companies for service to the Bigelow station,  as there has been with both SpaceX and Boeing. There is another point of consideration concerning pricing, and the Atlas V launch vehicle.

Boeing, a 50/50 partner in United Launch Alliance, and perhaps reading the writing on the wall regarding the Atlas V and pricing which does not seem to be coming down, has recently re-iterated its willingness to look at the SpaceX Falcon 9 as an alternate booster for the CST-100 capsule following the first two test flights. Although it is perhaps not entirely out of the question, it seems much less likely that Sierra Nevada would follow a similar path, considering its partnership with Lockheed Martin in building and integrating the Dream Chaser.

SpaceX Completes 7th CCiCap Milestone

Halfway There
Credit : S Money

NASA Press Release RELEASE 13-255 NASA Commercial Crew Partner SpaceX Completes Orbit and Entry Review NASA Commercial Crew Program (CCP) partner Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) recently reviewed the systems critical to sustaining crews in orbit and returning them safely to Earth aboard the company’s Dragon spacecraft. SpaceX is one of three commercial space companies working under NASA’s Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) initiative to develop spaceflight capabilities that eventually could provide launch services to transport NASA astronauts to the International Space Station from U.S. soil. During the preliminary design review at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, Calif., company engineers presented NASA representatives and aerospace industry experts detailed analyses of Dragon systems critical to keeping crews safe in orbit and during re-entry operations. From basic life support functions, including pressurizing Dragon with breathable air, to stocking the capsule with enough food and water for as many as seven crew members, the spacecraft must be designed to protect humans in the harsh conditions of space. Company designers and NASA engineers dissected the plans carefully to make sure no details were overlooked. “NASA has learned a lot about keeping our astronaut crews safe throughout a mission, and we don’t want those lessons to be forgotten,” said Ed Mango, NASA’s CCP manager. “So, we’re sharing a lot of what we already know, and the company is adding its own innovations to suit its needs and meet its challenges.” The review detailed equipment and software aboard Dragon that would help guide crews to the International Space Station for rendezvous and docking operations. This included discussion on SpaceX’s planning for software code which, in this modern era of spaceship design, just as critical as the hardware design. The company also described how the spacecraft will be operated both by its onboard crew and by ground controllers. While SpaceX works to further develop its crewed Dragon spacecraft, it also is preparing for the upcoming launch of the third of at least 12 cargo missions to the space station with a remotely controlled Dragon under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services contract. “SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft was designed from the outset to accommodate the upgrades necessary to safely carry people, so we’re excited to have reached the halfway point in our agreement with NASA to design those features,” said Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX president and chief operating officer. “As we leverage our experience successfully delivering cargo both to the International Space Station and back to Earth, SpaceX remains committed to providing the safest manned flights ever conducted.”

SpaceX Awarded Launch Orders for 2018, 2019; First From a European Government

Ticket Dated 2019 Please
Credit S. Money

SpaceX Press Release: August 8, 2013 SPACEX IS AWARDED LAUNCH OF GERMAN RADAR RECONNAISSANCE SATELLITE SYSTEM Falcon 9 rocket will deliver three-satellite SARah Constellation that will serve German Ministry of Defense Hawthorne, CA – Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) will provide the launch services for Germany’s second-generation radar reconnaissance satellite system. The satellites, provided by OHB System AG and Astrium GmbH, will replace the current constellation and will be delivered to orbit by two Falcon 9 rockets in 2018 and 2019. “SpaceX looks forward to working with OHB and Astrium, and we appreciate their confidence in SpaceX to reliably deliver these satellites to orbit,” said Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX President and COO. “These missions are very meaningful for SpaceX as the first contracted for a European government.” OHB will build two passive-antenna synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites, and Astrium GmbH will build a larger, phased-array-antenna satellite under contract for OHB. The three-satellite constellation will replace the current OHB-built five-satellite SAR-Lupe constellation.

SpaceX Introduces Retooled Website Featuring Falcon 9 Reusability

Screenshot
Credit : SpaceX

In case you haven’t been to the SpaceX website lately,  its a good time to check it out.   Gone are the old Battlestar Galactica stationary clipped corners, and in its place a slick new look which feels decidedly more corporate, (but not stodgy.) Two features should not be overlooked.   The company is now actively promoting its private crew transport capabilities to commercial  interests for multiple destinations in low Earth orbit.  Also, stock images of the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy, complete with info-graphics,  prominently feature the fold away landing legs on the booster’s  first stage.   And yes, the Falcon Heavy includes them on all three cores. One more subtle change, the two Dragonlab flights flights which have been on the manifest for a long time, have been moved back to 2016 and 2018 respectively.

SpaceX Awarded Canadian Launch Reservation Contract

SpaceX Press Release:

SPACEX AWARDED LAUNCH RESERVATION CONTRACT FOR LARGEST CANADIAN SPACE PROGRAM

Falcon 9 rocket will deliver RADARSAT Constellation to orbit

Hawthorne, CA – Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) was awarded a launch reservation contract with MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA) to support the largest space program to date in Canada, carrying the three satellites to orbit that will make up the RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM) on a Falcon 9 rocket in 2018.

“SpaceX appreciates MDA’s confidence in our ability to safely and reliably transport their satellites,” said Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX President and COO. “We hope this agreement is the second of many with MDA.”

RCM is a three satellite configuration and will support Canada’s need for maritime surveillance, disaster management and ecosystem monitoring. The mission will build on the successes of RADARSAT-1 and RADARSAT-2.

SpaceX will conduct its first mission for MDA. this year, launching the CASSIOPE satellite on a Falcon 9.