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Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67496.jpg) Matt Desch‏ @IridiumBoss (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss) 33 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss/status/857570216687128576)

Announced Iridium NEXT launch #2 date this morning: Thurs, June 29, 1:04pm pdt. Will start sending sats to VAFB soon. T minus 9 weeks!
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/29236.jpg)

ЦитироватьIridium hails performance of new satellites, targets four more launches this year

 April 28, 2017 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/04/) Stephen Clark (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)

Спойлер

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/126378.jpg)
Artist's concept of an Iridium Next satellite in space. Credit: Thales Alenia Space

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...

Iridium's next 10 satellites are set for launch June 29 aboard another Falcon 9 booster. Desch said the spacecraft will begin shipping from their factory in Gilbert, Arizona, to the Vandenberg launch base in mid-May for fueling and attachment with the rocket's multi-payload dispenser, which accommodates the 10 satellites inside the Falcon 9 nose cone.

Спойлер

SpaceX and Vandenberg Air Force Base officials have confirmed the June 29 launch target, according to Desch.

The June 29 launch is set for 1:02 p.m. PDT (2002 GMT; 4:02 p.m. EDT), according to Iridium. That is timed to place the next 10 satellites into Plane 3 of the Iridium network.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/126379.jpg)
A Falcon 9 rocket launches Jan. 14 with the first 10 Iridium Next satellites. Credit: SpaceX

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The Iridium Next assembly line in Arizona, managed by Orbital ATK in partnership with satellite-designer Thales Alenia Space, is producing spacecraft at a rate to manufacture all of the Iridium Next satellites by the end of 2017, Desch said.

Спойлер

Thales Alenia Space and Orbital ATK have manufactured more than 40 of the 81 Iridium Next satellites under contract, according to Desch.

Iridium originally planned to launch 70 of the Iridium Next satellites on seven Falcon 9 rockets by the end of 2017, but SpaceX launch delays caused by rocket failures and production bottlenecks have pushed that target to mid-2018.

At the time of the Jan. 14 launch, SpaceX and Iridium aimed to launch the second group of Iridium Next satellites in April. But Iridium announced in February that liftoff of the next batch of Iridium Next platforms would be delayed two more months, citing rocket production issues and a cramped launch manifest at SpaceX.

Desch said Thursday that SpaceX has upped its production and launch tempo.

"With SpaceX increasing cadence on production and launch, they've also provided us launch dates for three more launches in 2017 — in August, October and December." he said. "So we're hoping they stay on track as we're ready to deploy satellites as soon as they can launch them."

Iridium booked an eighth launch with SpaceX earlier this year, a mission that will loft five more Iridium Next satellites, committing the company to launch at least 75 of the 81 new-generation spacecraft on Falcon 9 rockets. The extra launch will take off in early 2018 in tandem with two U.S.-German research satellites to make the best-ever measurements of Earth's gravity field.

The upgraded $3 billion Iridium Next network will offer faster broadband connections, improved functionality and 3G-equivalent cellular phone services for Iridium's pool of nearly 870,000 subscribers, a client list that includes the U.S. military, oil and gas companies, aviation and maritime operators, and mining and construction contractors.

"The satellites' faster processors, larger memory and modern engineering design are delivering better voice quality as well as faster data throughput for our maritime, aviation and IoT (Internet of Things) customers," Desch said. "While our current network is performing amazingly well for its age, the statistics for our newest satellites are even better.

"I can't wait for coming launches and the impact of the additional (Iridium) Next satellites will have on the overall work performance, and that's even before we introduce new services," he said.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/126380.png)
Artist's illustration of the Iridium constellation. Credit: Thales Alenia Space

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...

The arrival of new Iridium Next satellites in orbit allows engineers to retire older satellites.

...

Skywatchers used to observing Iridium satellites, known for their bright flares around sunrise and sunset, should be sure to catch a glimpse over the next year. The design of the company's refreshment satellites is not expected to produce the flares.

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67496.jpg) Matt Desch‏ @IridiumBoss (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss) 2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss/status/866667939688321025)

First two Iridium NEXT sats are on the road to VAFB for Launch #2! Tracking, of course, by Iridium M2M/IoT. F9 Stage 1 there now too
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162476.jpg)

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67496.jpg) Matt Desch‏ @IridiumBoss (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss) 3 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss/status/866669571129966592)

And here are the those first two Iridium NEXT satellites for Launch 2 arriving at VAFB. I'm hoping visibility is much better on June 29th!
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162480.jpg)

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67496.jpg) Matt Desch‏ @IridiumBoss (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss) 6 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss/status/867775598415851520)

Great progress continues towards Launch #2. Stage 2 arrived today joining Stage 1. Fairing too. 4 of 10 NEXT sats now being processed!
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162692.jpg)

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185770.png) Iridium Corporate‏Подлинная учетная запись @IridiumComm (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm) 5 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm/status/867803999390633984)

Launch Update: 2nd #IridiumNEXT (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IridiumNEXT?src=hash) launch has shifted 4 days earlier, to June 25th! http://bit.ly/2rlK3dL  (https://t.co/G53LGYIyRu) #EarlyBirds (https://twitter.com/hashtag/EarlyBirds?src=hash) @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/116407.gif) (http://investor.iridium.com/index.cfm)

May 25, 2017

New Target Date for Second Iridium® NEXT Launch

Second Batch of 10 Iridium NEXT Satellites Now Scheduled for June 25th Launch fr om Vandenberg Air Force Base

MCLEAN, Va., May 25, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Iridium Communications (NASDAQ:IRDM) today announced the second launch for the Iridium NEXT satellite constellation has been moved earlier, and is now targeted for June 25, 2017 at 1:24:59 pm PDT with an instantaneous launch window.  SpaceX informed Iridium that range availability had opened up at Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) in California, wh ere SpaceX's west coast launch facility is located, and planned to target Iridium's launch four days earlier than originally scheduled. This launch will deliver the second payload of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites to orbit, bringing the total to 20 Iridium NEXT satellites in space.

Спойлер

"We're excited for this next launch," said Matt Desch, chief executive officer, Iridium. "Satellites have already started to arrive at the launch site and are undergoing pre-launch preparations, so we'll be ready to go.  An earlier launch date is all the better for our constellation deployment plans."

Iridium has partnered with SpaceX for a series of eight launches scheduled to take place through mid-2018, delivering a total of 75 satellites to low-Earth orbit. Iridium NEXT is replacing the Company's existing constellation of satellites with more powerful capabilities, including Aireon's space-based global real-time aircraft surveillance and tracking service.

For more information and up-to-date information about Iridium NEXT, please visit www.IridiumNEXT.com (https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=AvxXeftVNX_0mLdaP6vw1ixto7azVxcYTmK2h08Wq3oqchRyyLinhkgNnq_TpROiK5D2aWGgveoNPVchTIczZyzI0JZ2mvh55N6IdQzR1F8=).

About Iridium Communications Inc.
Iridium is the only mobile voice and data satellite communications network that spans the entire globe. Iridium enables connections between people, organizations and assets to and from anywhere, in real time. Together with its ecosystem of partner companies, Iridium delivers an innovative and rich portfolio of reliable solutions for markets that require truly global communications. The company has a major development program underway for its next-generation network — Iridium NEXT. Iridium Communications Inc. is headquartered in McLean, Va., U.S.A., and its common stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the ticker symbol IRDM. For more information about Iridium products, services and partner solutions, visit www.iridium.com (https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=C-RvsJ33gF1VvuriXAN2Yk6X_VS08kDMBGvxrq_OMZm7STMQ6vkeOAs9DqoyTVWNbp2rtqlbmrzEDDdNJk6UqQ==).

Media contact:
Jordan HassinIridium Communications Inc.
+1 (202) 232-6601
jordan.hassin@iridium.com
Twitter: @Iridiumcomm

Investor Contact:
Kenneth Levy
Iridium Communications Inc.
+1 (703) 287-7570
Ken.Levy@Iridium.com
Twitter: @IridiumIR

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Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67496.jpg) Matt Desch‏ @IridiumBoss (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss) 25 мая (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss/status/867816509447446532)

Doesn't happen often, but launch dates are sometimes pulled up! L2 now scheduled for Sunday, June 25th at 1:24:59pm pdt (local) #GoSpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoSpaceX?src=hash)!

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67496.jpg) Matt Desch‏ @IridiumBoss (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss) 6 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss/status/868181379783286784)

Iridium Launch 2 sat processing going well: SVs 121 & 113 up, 115 & 120 underway, and 117 and 118 on the way. T-minus 30 days and counting!
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162774.jpg)

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185770.png) Iridium Corporate‏Подлинная учетная запись @IridiumComm (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm) 1 июн. (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm/status/870319126933233664)

Update: 2nd launch prep is humming along w/ #IridiumNEXT (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IridiumNEXT?src=hash) sats being mated to their dispensers. 6/25 here we come! @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) #NEXTevolution (https://twitter.com/hashtag/NEXTevolution?src=hash)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163063.jpg)

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185770.png) Iridium Corporate‏Подлинная учетная запись @IridiumComm (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm) 5 июн. (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm/status/871782712121540612)

Update: All 10 #IridiumNEXT (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IridiumNEXT?src=hash) SVs for launch 2 are onsite @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) VAFB facility & being prepped for their big day! http://bit.ly/2rWVuc3  (https://t.co/p8duxaoihz)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163002.jpg)

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67496.jpg) Matt Desch‏ @IridiumBoss (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss) 8 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss/status/872257623411884032)

Not only onsite, but now all mated to dispenser! We're on schedule for fueling this weekend. T-minus 18 days and counting to L2!

ЦитироватьMatt Desch Ретвитнул(а) Iridium Corporate
https://twitter.com/IridiumComm/status/871782712121540612

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185770.png) Iridium Corporate‏Подлинная учетная запись @IridiumComm (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm) 16 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm/status/873277180859559940)

All 10 #IridiumNEXT (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IridiumNEXT?src=hash) SVs attached to the dispensers ready for our second launch on June 25 @1 (https://twitter.com/1):25 p.m PDT #NEXTevolution (https://twitter.com/hashtag/NEXTevolution?src=hash) @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162817.jpg)

ЦитироватьVandenberg AFB

Campers at Jalama Beach will be evacuated June 25

By: Oscar Flores (http://www.keyt.com/meet-the-team/oscar-flores/49183770)

Posted: Jun 13, 2017 04:10 PM PDT
Upd ated: Jun 13, 2017 04:10 PM PDT
 
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/194628.jpg)
 
VANDENBERG AFB, Calif. - The Iridium NEXT satellite is scheduled to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base on Sunday, June 25.

The launch is se t for 1:25 p.m.

Спойлер

This is the second of eight planned Iridium NEXT launches. "Each launch will contribute to replacing the world's largest commercial satellite network and the only network that covers 100 percent of earth," said Vandenberg in a statement.

The statement continues, "Iridium NEXT will enable new capabilities like Aireon's real-time, global aircraft surveillance and tracking service, and Iridium Certus, the Company's next-generation communications platform that will bring broadband speeds to even the world's most remote locations."

This will be the first launch for Col. Michael S. Hough who took over as commander of the 30th Space Wing on June 9th.

"This will also be our first launch with the Autonomous Flight Safety System, which is expected to help decrease launch costs and improve turnaround times between launches," said Hough.

Jalama Beach County Park, about 30 miles south of Vandenberg Air Force Base, will be evacuated on June 25th from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. due to the Falcon 9 launch. Campers will be evacuated to the end of Jalama Road onto Highway 1, according to Santa Barbara County Parks.

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Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg) Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 35 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/875102327518244865)

Iridium NEXT-2 Static Fire at Vandy is NET June 20! Fair to say next week's forecast is SpaceXey with a high probability of Falcon 9s!

ЦитироватьFALCON 9 SCHEDULED TO LAUNCH FROM VANDENBERG
30th Space Wing Public Affairs / Published June 14, 2017

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --
Team Vandenberg is scheduled to launch the Iridium NEXT satellite on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex-4 here Sunday, June 25, at 1:25 p.m. PDT.

This will be the first launch for Col. Michael S. Hough, 30th Space Wing commander, who took command on June 9th.

"I'm excited my first launch opportunity is in partnership with SpaceX," said Hough. "And being a part of putting Iridium NEXT in orbit to meet the growing demand for global mobile communication is icing on the cake.  As a side, this will also be our first launch with the Autonomous Flight Safety System, which is expected to help decrease launch costs and improve turnaround times between launches."

The Autonomous Flight Safety System debuted on its maiden flight from Kennedy Space Center on a Falcon 9 rocket earlier this year, leveraging software developed at the 30th Space Wing.

Спойлер

This is the second of eight planned Iridium NEXT launches.  Each launch will contribute to replacing the world's largest commercial satellite network and the only network that covers 100 percent of the earth.  Iridium NEXT will enable new capabilities like Aireon's real-time, global aircraft surveillance and tracking service, and Iridium Certus, the Company's next-generation communications platform that will bring broadband speeds to even the world's most remote locations.

For questions about SpaceX, please contact John Taylor, communications director, SpaceX, at 310.363.6703 or media@spacex.com (mailto:media@spacex.com).

 For more information about the Iridium NEXT satellite, visit: www.iridium.com (http://o53xo.nfzgszdjovws4y3pnu.nblz.ru/)

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Цитировать

First ten satellites in the Iridium NEXT constellation, built by Thales Alenia Space, now validated in orbit

| 14.06.2017 |

Second batch of satellites ready for a launch scheduled on June 25

Cannes, June 14, 2017 - Following the launch of the first ten Iridium NEXT satellites in January 2017, their commissioning has proceeded very smoothly, as they passed all in-orbit tests with flying colors.

...

Having passed this milestone, the second batch of ten satellites is now ready for launch on June 25 by SpaceX from the Vandenberg Air Force base in California.

...

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67496.jpg) Matt Desch‏ @IridiumBoss (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss) 3 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss/status/875397082617696256)

Correction: L2 sats fueled and ready. SpaceX prepping for static fire. BulgariaSat-1 now Monday, with us following 6 days later on Sunday!

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185770.png) Iridium Corporate‏Подлинная учетная запись @IridiumComm (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm) 15 июн. (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm/status/875393332893057024)

Excited to share the official #IridiumNEXT (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IridiumNEXT?src=hash) 2nd launch patch! Check it out, along with other collectibles here: http://bit.ly/2sxhdaG  (https://t.co/WyKlSxQuHq)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163691.jpg)

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/69029.jpg) SpaceX‏Подлинная учетная запись @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) 2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/876522478046068737)

Iridium targeted for 6/25—could be a weekend doubleheader

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/69029.jpg) SpaceX‏Подлинная учетная запись @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) 4 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/876522258948169728)

Standing down on BulgariaSat-1 to replace a fairing valve, next launch opportunities are 6/23 and 6/24

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185946.jpg) Elon Musk‏Подлинная учетная запись @elonmusk (https://twitter.com/elonmusk) 30 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/876536951418925057)

If schedule holds there will be two Falcon 9 launches within 48 hours (Cape & Vandenberg) this weekend

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg) Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 59 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/877164950724202498)

F9 at 39A now horizontal again following an overnight test opportunity. F9 at Vandy currently aiming for 1:30pm local time Static Fire test.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163680.jpg)

ЦитироватьSpaceX testing Vandy Falcon 9 amid schedule realignment
June 20, 2017 by Chris Bergin

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/209196.jpg)

SpaceX is preparing to static fire test a Falcon 9 at the Vandenberg Air Force Base ahead of a mission to launch the next set of Iridium NEXT satellites. The test will set the stage for the potential of two launches within two days for SpaceX, as it realigns the launch date for the Falcon 9 that has already conducted a hot-fire test ahead of its BulgariaSat-1 mission.

Test, Test, Launch, Launch:

...

Due to the delay to the BulgariaSat-1 mission, the next event for SpaceX is another Static Fire test, this time on the West Coast.

The Falcon 9 tasked with launching the next set of Iridium NEXT satellites (https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2017/01/spacex-return-to-flight-iridium-next-launch/) will enjoy a 3.5-second firing on the SLC-4E pad at Vandenberg.

The window for the test was originally cited as 11 am local time, before it was realigned to target a T-0 of 1:30 pm local time. Static Fire tests have long windows to provide engineers an allowance for troubleshooting.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/209179.jpg)

Confirmation of a good test will come via SpaceX on its social media channels, based on the results of the "quick look" data.

The SpaceX team will then head into the Launch Readiness Review (LRR) ahead of the Sunday launch attempt with the window opening at 13:25 pm local time.

SpaceX has the ability to continue the flow towards launch, despite the schedule change with the BulgariSat-1 pre-launch flow, due to two separate launch teams for its two – currently active – launch sites.

SpaceX's mission control (MCC-X) in Hawthorne, California (https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/tag/SpaceX/) also holds the ability thanks to a recent configuration change that avoids any overlaps in procedures relating to the two individual missions taking place in close proximity.

...

(Images: SpaceX, Iridium and L2 – including a large collection of photos from this launch campaign via Brady Kennison (http://www.bradykenniston.com/) for NASASpaceFlight.com)

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185770.png) Iridium Corporate‏Подлинная учетная запись @IridiumComm (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm) 47 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm/status/877237391383252993)

All 10 #IridiumNEXT (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IridiumNEXT?src=hash) SVs are locked & loaded, in prep for launch on 6/25! @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) @Thales_Alenia_S (https://twitter.com/Thales_Alenia_S) @AireonLLC (https://twitter.com/AireonLLC) @OrbitalATK (https://twitter.com/OrbitalATK) #Iridium (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iridium?src=hash)-2
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163704.jpg)

Спойлер

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163706.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163707.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163705.jpg)

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Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg) Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 3 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/877256296487165953)

Falcon 9 (Iridium NEXT-2) vertical and ready to rock the Static Fire test on SLC-4E. Window runs to 5 pm local.

Цитировать (https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/641669651294892032/nzr9-his_bigger.jpg) Jeremy Daniel‏ @jaydee_12857 (https://twitter.com/jaydee_12857) 39 мин назад (https://twitter.com/jaydee_12857/status/877265839917019136)

Do they have the new TEL in Vandy yet? Are they going to have one there at all?


 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg) Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 23 мин назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/877269847796830208)

Yep....
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163708.jpg)


 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186119.jpg) Christian Daniels‏ @CJDaniels77 (https://twitter.com/CJDaniels77) 5 мин назад (https://twitter.com/CJDaniels77/status/877274383034830848)

When was this photo taken?
 
 
 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg) Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 3 мин назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/877274787906818048)

Not sure. It's not recent. I remember seeing that a while ago. Same with this one I'm going to use for the Static Fire until SpaceX posts.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163685.jpg)

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg) Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/877287561680613376)

STATIC FIRE! Falcon 9 fires up at SLC-4E ahead of Iridium NEXT-2 mission. Standby for SpaceX to confirm good test via quick look data.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163682.jpg)

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/69029.jpg) SpaceX‏Подлинная учетная запись @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) 2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/877291820962594816)

Static fire test of Falcon 9 at Vandenberg AFB complete—launch of 10 @IridiumComm (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm) NEXT satellites slated for Sunday, June 25.

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67496.jpg) Matt Desch‏ @IridiumBoss (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss) 3 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss/status/877328004925591552)

Static fire a success! Weekend VAFB weather looks benign so far as well, so we're on track for a Sunday launch. #Lookinggood (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Lookinggood?src=hash)!

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67496.jpg) Matt Desch‏ @IridiumBoss (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss) 3 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss/status/877328819190812672)

They're planning to land the first stage on the drone ship downrange.
...

ЦитироватьSpaceX rocket passes key preflight test before liftoff fr om California

June 20, 2017 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/06/) Stephen Clark (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)

Спойлер

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/126510.jpg)
The 10 Iridium Next communications satellites slated to launch Sunday from California were recently encapsulated inside the Falcon 9 rocket's payload fairing. Credit: Iridium

[свернуть]

Juggling simultaneous launch campaigns on both coasts, a team of SpaceX engineers put a Falcon 9 rocket through a customary countdown rehearsal and hold-down firing Tuesday at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California ahead of a scheduled liftoff Sunday.

The commercial mission will loft 10 voice and data relay satellites for Iridium's upgraded network, in the second of at least eight Iridium launches booked on SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets.

Спойлер

Liftoff is set for 1:25:14 p.m. PDT (4:25:14 p.m. EDT; 2025:14 GMT) Sunday from Space Launch Complex 4-East at Vandenberg, a hillside launch mount that has hosted three previous Falcon 9 missions since SpaceX reconfigured the facility from a Titan 4 pad.

The engine firing Tuesday afternoon at Vandenberg occurred after SpaceX filled the two-stage Falcon 9 rocket with super-chilled kerosene and liquid oxygen propellants, along with its load of helium pressurant. Following the procedures of a real countdown, the Falcon 9 rocket was readied for ignition of its nine first stage Merlin 1D engines, its fuel tanks were pressurized, and a strongback tower next to the vehicle was retracted to launch position.

SpaceX confirmed the successful "static fire" test in a tweet Tuesday evening.

The launch team conducted the hold-down ignition test without the mission's 10 Iridium satellite payloads on the rocket. The next step in the launch campaign will be the removal of the Falcon 9 from the pad for a return trip to its nearby hangar, wh ere ground crews will attach the Iridium satellites, already connected to their two-tier dispenser inside the rocket's nose shroud.

Then the rocket will roll back out to Space Launch Complex 4-East sometime Saturday and hoisted vertical before the start of Sunday's countdown.

The Iridium satellites were trucked from their factory near Phoenix two-at-a-time to Vandenberg in May and early June, then bolted to their SpaceX-built deployment mechanisms, fueled with hydrazine propellant, and enclosed inside the Falcon 9's clamshell-like fairing.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/126511.jpg)
The mission patch for Sunday's launch of 10 new Iridium communications satellites. Credit: Iridium

Built by Thales Alenia Space and Orbital ATK, the satellites are each about the size of a compact car and weigh 1,896 pounds (860 kilograms) with a full tank of fuel.

After flying to the south from Vandenberg, the Falcon 9's second stage engine will fire two times to to deliver the satellites into a 388-mile-high (625-kilometer) orbit. The satellites will deploy one-by-one from the dispenser fastened to the forward end of the Falcon 9's second stage, separating at 90-second intervals beginning around one hour after liftoff.

The Falcon 9's first stage will attempt a vertical thrust-assisted landing on a platform positioned in the Pacific Ocean south of Vandenberg. SpaceX intends to inspect, refurbish and re-fly the rocket.

Iridium's next-generation constellation, which will replace the company's aging satellites launched in the late 1990s and early 2000s, will have 66 operational spacecraft flying around Earth. The Virginia-based telecom provider ordered 81 satellites from Thales Alenia Space, a company based in France, some of which will be built as spares.

Sunday's Falcon 9 launch from California is scheduled two days after another Falcon 9 booster is set to blast off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The flight out of Florida will carry BulgariaSat 1, a television broadcasting satellite destined to cover the Balkans. BulgariaSat 1's two-hour launch window opens at 2:10 p.m. EDT (1810 GMT) Friday, four days later than previously planned.

SpaceX ordered the BulgariaSat 1 launch delay from Monday to replace a pneumatic valve in the payload fairing that will shield the spacecraft during the trip into space.

BulgariaSat 1 is set to fly on a previously-launched Falcon 9 first stage that first flew in Jan. 14 with Iridium's first set of 10 new-generation satellites.

It will be the second time SpaceX has launched a satellite with a reused first stage booster.

Matt Desch, Iridium's chief executive, said Monday that the close timing of their second launch with the re-flight of the first stage from the January mission is "an interesting twist of fate."

SpaceX has never launched two Falcon 9 rockets on such a short turnaround before.

"We've been assured by SpaceX that there is no impact between the two," Desch told reporters Monday. "They have separate flight teams. They have the ability to operate completely independently. Our flight team is on schedule and tracking well to this weekend's launch.

 "We wish our friends down in Florida well ... But it shouldn't have any impact on us," he said.

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ЦитироватьNZZO
B2911/17 - TEMPO DANGER AREA NZD029 (EAST AUCKLAND OCEANIC FIR) IS PRESCRIBED
AS FLW:
ALL THAT AIRSPACE BOUNDED BY A LINE JOINING
S 30 00 00, W 140 10 00
S 72 46 00, W 140 10 00
S 72 46 00, W 146 53 00
S 30 00 00, W 146 53 00
S 30 00 00, W 140 10 00.
ACTIVITY: SPACE DEBRIS RETURN
USER AGENCY: FOREIGN SPACE AGENCY
PRESCRIBED PURSUANT TO CIVIL AVIATION RULE PART 71 UNDER A DELEGATED
AUTHORITY ISSUED BY THE DIRECTOR OF CIVIL AVIATION. SFC - FL999, 25 JUN 22:10
2017 UNTIL 25 JUN 22:45 2017. CREATED: 18 JUN 20:22 2017

ЦитироватьHydrazine – Toxic for humans, but satellites love it.

by Iridium (https://blog.iridium.com/author/iridium/) | Jun 20, 2017 | Iridium NEXT (https://blog.iridium.com/category/iridium-next/) | 0 comments (https://blog.iridium.com/2017/06/20/hydrazine-toxic-for-humans-but-satellites-love-it/#respond)

Today's successful static fire test is yet another significant milestone passed along the way to the second Iridium® NEXT launch on June 25th. And, just like how the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has a sophisticated engine system, Iridium NEXT satellites each have their own thrusters for in-orbit maneuvering. Iridium NEXT Space System Engineer John McBride shared with us how the satellites' engines don't actually "burn" their fuel to produce thrust, among other curious facts. To get a better understanding of just how this system works, we sat down with John to learn more about the Iridium NEXT satellites' fuel, hydrazine, and how while the fuel is great for satellites, it's incredibly dangerous for people.

So just like how rockets have rocket fuel, satellites have a fuel of their own. Can you tell us a bit about the fuel for Iridium NEXT satellites?
Rockets like the SpaceX Falcon 9 develop tremendous thrust by "burning" fuel (combining the fuel with oxygen and heat), but Iridium NEXT satellite engines use only fuel and heat, no oxygen. This makes the propellant system much simpler and lighter, providing small amounts of controlled thrust using small quantities of fuel for a long mission. Block 1 (the original Iridium satellite constellation) and Iridium NEXT satellites use anhydrous hydrazine (N2H4) for the fuel because it is stable for long missions. We call this type of system monopropellant, or "monoprop."

Спойлер

What are some of the properties that make it uniquely good for satellites, but also incredibly toxic for people? Are there alternatives to hydrazine?
Hydrazine is a clear liquid that looks and behaves much like water. It has a similar freezing point, surface tension, density, and viscosity. It has a unique characteristic of producing a white vapor that resembles cigarette smoke. It has a smell of ammonia (a close chemical cousin) and fish.

Hydrazine dissociates (separates) and expands in the presences of a catalyst and heat, providing the thrust needed to move the satellite. The Iridium NEXT engines contain small crystals of rare earth metal to act as a catalyst (cat bed) and heaters to get the chemical reaction started. In order to keep the engines clean we have to make sure there are as few impurities as possible in the fuel. For this reason, we buy a rare and expensive form of hydrazine called 'ultra-pure'. We control the thrust by controlling the flow of hydrazine through valves. Despite these distinctions, we still say 'burn' when referring to what our engines do (a lot simpler than rapid energetic dissociation).

Hydrazine will burn if given the opportunity. In fact, in the presence of oxygen (air), a catalyst (a spot of rust in a room, for example), and a small amount of heat, hydrazine will spontaneously explode.

These characteristics make it desirable as a fuel for satellites, but dangerous to the humans who are around it. Besides being highly and easily combustible, it is extremely toxic, caustic, and probably carcinogenic. Humans exposed to hydrazine vapor will suffer burns in the eyes, nose, mouth, esophagus, and respiratory tract. Severe burns can be fatal. Liquid hydrazine on the skin is quickly absorbed and acts as a neurotoxin. Burning hydrazine is extremely hot, but produces no visible flame (yes, it's like invisible fire!) which can quickly spread to other combustible materials (clothes, skin, etc.).

There are some new alternatives being developed called "green fuel" but these tend to be only slightly less caustic and combustible and the long-term performance in a space mission is just now being demonstrated.

With a substance so toxic and dangerous, what are some of the safety protocols followed for fueling with Hydrazine? How is it transported fr om one place to another?
Hydrazine is always transported in a Department of Transportation approved tank called a DOT 110. These tanks are very robust, and must demonstrate that they will not rupture or leak in a variety of conditions and forces.

For Iridium NEXT, the hydrazine is shipped to Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, wh ere it is stored in an open-air fuel farm along with fuels for other missions. It is brought to the SpaceX Payload Processing Facility (PPF) days before fueling in order to stabilize to the ambient temperature. Handling these tanks require leak detectors and access to emergency breathing equipment (often called gag bags), but otherwise no special protective clothing.

Once we start moving the fuel from the DOT 110s to the satellites, all non-essential personnel are evacuated from the building and the operation is controlled from a building several hundred meters away. Personnel entering the PPF must wear Self Contained Atmospheric Protective Equipment (SCAPE). These suits are the same suits as used by Fire and Rescue departments everywhere. Breathing air is provided by hoses connected to a supply outside of the building.

Once the fuel is in the space vehicles, the tools are cleaned, the fuel transfer lines are purged, and everything including the operators are "sniffed" using a portable detector to make sure there is no contamination. The fuel valve on the satellite is closed and a secondary cover is lock wired into place.
Once the fuel tanks are pressurized to flight pressure and they have been shown to be stable and leak free, personnel are free to re-enter the PPF. However, we always operate leak detectors and have access to gag bags.

How long can Hydrazine last in space? And how much is put in to each satellite?
Hydrazine is very stable and does not undergo any long term chemical changes. It can last indefinitely in a clean tank. The hydrazine in Block 1 satellites was produced in the mid '90s and still works perfectly. The Iridium NEXT satellites each have 164 kg of hydrazine and 1.5 kg of Nitrogen to pressurize the tanks. Most of this will be used to move the satellites from their insertion orbit to mission orbit, or to deorbit them when they have finished their mission, very little is used during the course of the mission.

How much does Hydrazine cost and what is the manufacturing process?
The Ultra-Pure hydrazine for Iridium NEXT was procured by our prime contractor as part of their contract, so the actual cost is not known to us, but during Block 1 we paid about $85/lb. Typical cost is around $100/lb. The real cost of hydrazine is probably in the protective measures we take to deal with it. SCAPE, detectors, disposal of waste, and mitigation plans are all very expensive.

Hydrazine is manufactured by chemically adding an oxygen atom to an ammonia molecule, then by using something like a giant a distillation column (really big still), which separates the hydrazine molecules from the ammonia and other impurities.

What else can you tell us about hydrazine?
Hydrazine is nasty. If you see water that is smoking, or if you smell fishy ammonia it is best to get away, go outside, and move upwind. But treated carefully it is stable, predictable, and critical for our mission success.

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Цитировать30th Space Wing (Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.) (https://www.facebook.com/30thSpaceWing/?fref=nf)
15 мин (https://www.facebook.com/30thSpaceWing/posts/10156238290009897) ·

L-2 Day Planning Forecast
 
Western Range Operation Forecast
 W7295
 Issued: 23 Jun 17 / 0800L (1500Z)
 Valid: 25 Jun 17 / 1325L (2025Z)
 Vehicle/Payload: Falcon 9/Iridium-2
 Location: VAFB SLC-4
 
T-0 Forecast: The subtropical ridge will be the dominant feature on Sunday with the marine layer influence strong over the range. Cooling overnight and sustained northwesterly flow will allow the marine layer to move in over the range and linger on the coastal areas, bringing low shallow stratus and fog through the count. By T-0, the marine layer will have broken out, the stratus will be clearing out and visibility restrictions lifted. Winds will be onshore through the count with T-0 winds out of the northwest at 10 - 15 knots. Temperatures will range from 63 - 68F and max upper-level winds will be from the west at 50 knots from 34,000 to 36,000 feet. The overall POV will be 0% with no constraints of concern.

 24 Hour Scrub Forecast: High pressure will continue to influence the range on Monday. The marine layer will again move in overnight, bringing low stratus and reduction to visibility through the count and a burn-off by T-0. Winds will increase slightly to 12 - 15 with knots by T-0 out of the northwest with a slightly enhanced gradient. Temperatures will rise to 65 - 70F and max upper-level winds will increase, with winds out of the west-southwest at 55 knots from 34,000 to 36,000 feet. The overall POV will remain at 0% with no constraints of concern.
 
Significant Clouds: Stratus
 Coverage: 4/8 ths
 Bases: 300 ft
 Tops: 900 ft
 Visibility: 7 Miles
 Weather: None
 Wind: 310 - 340 at 10 - 15 knots
 Temperature: 63 - 68° F
 Overall probability of violating weather constraints: 0%
 Area of concern: None
 Overall probability of violating weather constraints for 24 Hour Delay: 0%
 Area of concern: None
 Next Forecast Issuance: 24/0900L
 QC: TB

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/30497.jpg) Thales Alenia Space‏ @Thales_Alenia_S (https://twitter.com/Thales_Alenia_S) 2 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/Thales_Alenia_S/status/878269564508749824)

Ready for the #launch (https://twitter.com/hashtag/launch?src=hash) of the next ten #IridiumNEXT (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IridiumNEXT?src=hash) #satellites (https://twitter.com/hashtag/satellites?src=hash)! http://thls.co/kFgb30cQaFw  (https://t.co/DvwPIelIug) #VIDEO (https://twitter.com/hashtag/VIDEO?src=hash) @IridiumComm (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm) @IridiumBoss (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss) @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) @elonmusk (https://twitter.com/elonmusk)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163865.jpg)

Спойлер

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163868.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163866.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163867.jpg)

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Цитировать @CwG_NSF 3 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/CwG_NSF/status/878305720130719744)

Not to jump too far ahead, but Sunday's launch & landing weather forecast for #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash)'s #Iridiumnext (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iridiumnext?src=hash) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) launch is 100% favorable.

ЦитироватьIridium-2 Launch Webcast

 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220682.jpg)  (https://www.youtube.com/user/spacexchannel) SpaceX (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtI0Hodo5o5dUb67FeUjDeA)

Запланировано на 25 июн. 2017 г.

Цитировать

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tIwZg8F9b8

Цитировать

Iridium-2 Mission

SpaceX is targeting launch of Iridium-2 from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The instantaneous launch window is at 1:25 p.m. PDT, or 20:25 UTC, on Sunday, June 25. A backup launch opportunity opens at 1:19 p.m. PDT, or 20:19 UTC, on Monday, June 26.

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket will deliver 10 satellites to low-Earth orbit for Iridium, a global leader in mobile voice and data satellite communications. This is the second set of 10 satellites in a series of 75 total satellites that SpaceX will launch for Iridium's next generation global satellite constellation, Iridium® NEXT. The satellites will begin deployment about an hour after launch.

Following stage separation, the first stage of Falcon 9 will attempt a landing on the "Just Read the Instructions" droneship stationed in the Pacific Ocean. A mission press kit can be found here (http://www.spacex.com/sites/spacex/files/iridium2presskit.pdf).

ЦитироватьJUNE 24, 2017

Iridium-2 Press Kit

 SpaceX is targeting launch of Iridium-2 from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The instantaneous launch window is at 1:25 p.m. PDT, or 20:25 UTC, on Sunday, June 25. A backup launch opportunity opens at 1:19 p.m. PDT, or 20:19 UTC, on Monday, June 26.

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket will deliver 10 satellites to low-Earth orbit for Iridium, a global leader in mobile voice and data satellite communications. This is the second set of 10 satellites in a series of 75 total satellites that SpaceX will launch for Iridium's next generation global satellite constellation, Iridium® NEXT. The satellites will begin deployment about an hour after launch.

Following stage separation, the first stage of Falcon 9 will attempt a landing on the "Just Read the Instructions" droneship stationed in the Pacific Ocean. A mission press kit can be found here (http://www.spacex.com/sites/spacex/files/iridium2presskit.pdf).

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/69029.jpg) SpaceX‏Подлинная учетная запись @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) 26 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/878732650277617664)

Falcon 9 and 10 @IridiumComm (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm) NEXT satellites are vertical on SLC-4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163979.jpg)

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg) Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 4 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/878738306728644612)

If dev rockets could sing....
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163981.jpg)

Цитировать‏ @CwG_NSF 3 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/CwG_NSF/status/878749126111805440)

Look where I am. #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) is a vertical ahead of tomorrow's launch. #Vandenberg (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Vandenberg?src=hash) #IridiumNext (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IridiumNext?src=hash) #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163984.jpg)

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg) Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 1 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/878736938613821441)
 
Hello new grid fins.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163980.jpg)

Цитироватьdfln пишет:
Чё это там вдали - следующая ступень??

ЦитироватьElon Musk‏Verified account @elonmusk (https://twitter.com/elonmusk)  25m25 minutes ago (https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/878821062326198272)

Flying with larger & significantly upgraded hypersonic grid fins. Single piece cast & cut titanium. Can take reentry heat with no shielding.

Цитировать‏ @CwG_NSF 7 ч назад (https://twitter.com/CwG_NSF/status/878811844206407680)

Look at those sexy new grid fins! @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) #IridiumNext (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IridiumNext?src=hash)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163989.jpg)

Цитировать @CwG_NSF 25 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/CwG_NSF/status/878987852037607425)

Today's forecast is #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash)-y with a good chance of first stage booster recovery. #IridiumNext (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IridiumNext?src=hash) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) #Vandenberg (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Vandenberg?src=hash)

ЦитироватьTimeline for Falcon 9's second launch of Iridium satellites

June 25, 2017 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/06/) Stephen Clark (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)

Follow the key events of the Falcon 9 rocket's ascent to orbit with the second set of 10 next-generation satellites for Iridium's voice and data relay fleet.

The 229-foot-tall (70-meter) rocket will lift off Saturday at 1:25:14 p.m. PDT (4:25:14 p.m. EDT; 2025:14 GMT) from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

Data source: SpaceX

Спойлер

T-0:00:00: Liftoff

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/126094.png) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/126094.png)
After the rocket's nine Merlin 1D engines pass an automated health check, the Falcon 9 is released from Space Launch Complex 4-East at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

T+0:01:09: Max-Q

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/126093.png) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/126093.png)
The Falcon 9 rocket reaches Max Q, the point of maximum aerodynamic pressure. The first stage's nine Merlin 1D engines produce about 1.7 million pounds of thrust.

T+0:02:24: MECO

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/126102.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/126102.jpg)
The Falcon 9's nine Merlin 1D engines shut down.

T+0:02:28: Stage 1 Separation

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/126101.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/126101.jpg)
The Falcon 9's first stage separates from the second stage moments after MECO.

T+0:02:35: Stage 2 Ignition

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/126092.png) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/126092.png)
The second stage Merlin 1D vacuum engine ignites for an approximately 6-and-a-half-minute burn to inject the Iridium Next satellites into a parking orbit.

T+0:03:16: Fairing Jettison

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/126090.png) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/126090.png)
The 5.2-meter (17.1-foot) diameter payload fairing jettisons once the Falcon 9 rocket ascends through the dense lower atmosphere. The 43-foot-tall fairing is made of two clamshell-like halves composed of carbon fiber with an aluminum honeycomb core.

T+0:05:48: Stage 1 Entry Burn

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/126207.png)
A subset of the first stage's Merlin 1D engines ignite for an entry burn to slow down for landing. A final landing burn will occur just before touchdown.

T+0:07:45: Stage 1 Landing

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/126123.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/126123.jpg)
The Falcon 9 rocket's first stage booster touches down on SpaceX's drone ship in the Pacific Ocean.

T+0:09:04: SECO 1

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/126091.png) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/126091.png)
The Merlin 1D vacuum engine turns off after placing the Iridium satellites in a temporary parking orbit, beginning at 43-minute coast in space.

T+0:52:06: Stage 2 Restart

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/126089.png) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/126089.png)
The Falcon 9's second stage engine ignites again for a 3-second burn to circularize its orbit.

T+0:52:09: SECO 2

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/126088.png) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/126088.png)
The Merlin 1D vacuum engine shuts down after reaching a target orbit about 388 miles (625 kilometers) high with an inclination of 86 degrees.

T+0:57:10: Begin Iridium Deployments

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/126522.png)
The 1,896-pound (860-kilogram) Iridium Next satellites begin deploying from their two-tier dispenser on the Falcon 9 rocket's second stage, separating at intervals of approximately every 90 seconds.

T+1:12:00: End Iridium Deployments

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/126523.png)
The last of the 10 Iridium Next satellites will separate from the rocket.

[свернуть]

ЦитироватьFrom today SpaceX / IridiumNEXT Flight2 setup day. Crews prepped the Falcon9 rocket in anticapiton of tomorrow launch at 1:25:14pm PST, the launch window is 1

ЦитироватьFalcon 9 rocket launching Sunday sports fin upgrade

June 25, 2017 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/06/) Stephen Clark (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/126521.jpg)
The new grid fins, seen here in black, will aid in the recovery and reuse of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket boosters. Credit: SpaceX

Redesigned titanium steering fins will fly aboard a Falcon 9 rocket launching Sunday from California, part of upgrades SpaceX says will ease the reuse of future boosters.

Спойлер

The Falcon 9 rocket is set for launch at 1:25:14 p.m. PDT (4:25:14 p.m. EDT; 2025:14 GMT) from Space Launch Complex 4-East at Vandenberg Air Force Base on California's Central Coast with 10 new-generation voice and data satellites for Iridium's low Earth orbit communications network.

Mounted near the top of the Falcon 9's first stage, the hydraulically-actuated fins deploy soon after the booster separates in flight to begin its descent. On Sunday's mission, SpaceX intends to land the first stage on a drone ship dubbed "Just Read the Instructions" south of Vandenberg in the Pacific Ocean around eight minutes after liftoff.

Elon Musk, SpaceX's chief executive, tweeted that the Falcon 9 is "flying with larger and significantly upgraded hypersonic grid fins."

He added that the grid fins are cast in a single piece of titanium and cut to form their shape. Four of the fins are installed on each Falcon 9 booster.

The upgrade is important, Musk said, because the titanium fins can withstand the heat of re-entry through Earth's atmosphere without shielding. Aluminum fins on previous Falcon 9 rockets had to be replaced after each flight, and video from on-board cameras on some flights showed them on fire during re-entry.

Musk said the titanium fins are "slightly heavier" than the shielded aluminum fins, but the upgrade offers more control authority for stabilization and steering as the pencil-like 14-story booster glides back to Earth.

Depending on the profile for each mission, the first stage's Merlin engines ignite two or three times — in groups of three or with one engine — to guide the booster toward its landing site, either on the coast near the Falcon 9's launch pad, or on a recovery barge at sea.

The new fins "can be reused indefinitely with no touch ups," Musk tweeted.

Asked if the heavier fins need more hydraulic fluid to move, Musk responded: "They will, but the hydraulic system is closed loop, so no fluid lost. They do need more power and energy, but rocket has plenty of that."

The improved control authority is needed on SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket, Musk said. Made of three modified Falcon 9 first stage boosters bolted together, the huge rocket is scheduled to make its first test flight later this year after four years of delays.

The Falcon 9 rocket can land in heavier winds with the upgraded fins, Musk said.

SpaceX has reused two of its previously-flown Falcon 9 rocket boosters, most recently with the launch of a Bulgarian-owned communications satellite Friday from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Both stages needed several months of inspections, refurbishment and tests, steps that SpaceX aims to reduce on future rocket re-flights.

[свернуть]

Цитировать‏ @CwG_NSF 34 сек. назад (https://twitter.com/CwG_NSF/status/879027418895228928)

T-3hrs and COUNTING! #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) #IridiumNext (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IridiumNext?src=hash) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) #Vandenberg (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Vandenberg?src=hash)

Цитировать06/25/2017 20:24 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/196244.png)  (http://24liveblog.com/share/196880787?url=https://v.24liveblog.com/live/?id=1396034)
T-minus 3 hours. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4-East at Vandenberg remains set for 1:25:14 p.m. PDT (4:25:14 p.m. EDT; 2025:14 GMT).

The Falcon 9 launching today features changes to the second stage to correct a problem that led to a rocket explosion on a launch pad at Cape Canaveral last September, destroying the vehicle and an Israeli-owned communications satellite. The upgrades are flying for the second time after debuting on a May 15 mission launched from Florida.

Спойлер

The unspecified changes are intended to speed up fueling during launch countdowns, allowing liquid oxygen and helium pressurant to be simultaneously loaded into the launcher.

Investigators blamed a Falcon 9 rocket explosion at Cape Canaveral's pad 40 last September on voids in the skin of high-pressure helium tanks immersed in super-cold liquid oxygen inside the launcher's second stage. Liquid oxygen became trapped, and perhaps froze, in the openings, leading to friction that eventually caused the rocket to explode, destroying an Israeli-owned communications satellite during a countdown rehearsal.

After an engineering inquiry settled on a probable cause for the mishap, SpaceX said future countdown sequences would change to load helium into the rocket before liquid oxygen, a modification the company said would avoid the problem. At the same time, SpaceX said it would make hardware changes to the rocket to permanently fix the helium tank concern.

Those safety upgrades are now making their way into the vehicle.

[свернуть]

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185376.jpg) Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 16 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/879032691290771456)

Unlike Friday's launch that had the luxury of a 2-hour window, today's attempt with Iridium-2 is instantaneous with T-0 at 20:25:14 UTC.

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg) Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 19 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/879032304416509952)

I'm guessing "someone" told SpaceX rocket fans are going loopy for new Grid Fins. So here's a good quality close up! https://www.instagram.com/p/BVxWVmelhKG/?hl=en ... (https://t.co/5pk8DsCUTU)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/164014.jpg)

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185376.jpg) Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 5 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/879043210303156225)

Countdown ops started earlier today with #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) power-up & detailed checks. Range countdown is now also underway for corridor monitoring.

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185376.jpg) Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 1 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/879046722651074560)

L-1 Hour 45 Minutes: SLC-4E should be clear at this time and final RF Link Checks & Flight Termination System tests in work. #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash)

Цитировать06/25/2017 21:42 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/196244.png)  (http://24liveblog.com/share/196881302?url=https://v.24liveblog.com/live/?id=1396034)
Several major steps are coming up in the next hour, including the start of fueling of the rocket's two stages with RP-1 kerosene.

The SpaceX launch conductor will poll the Falcon 9 team at 12:17 p.m. PDT for a "go" to begin fueling the rocket. RP-1 kerosene should begin flowing into the vehicle at 12:25 p.m. PDT, followed by liquid oxygen at 12:50 p.m. PDT.

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185376.jpg) Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 3 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/879047948532895746)

Iridium launches have instantaneous T-0 opportunities as they target a specific plane in the constellation. Today's launch goes into Plane 3

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185376.jpg) Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/879050399252140032)

L-90 Minutes: Automated Countdown must start 30 minutes from now (19:25 UTC). Any hold will mean an automatic scrub for the day. #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash)

Цитировать06/25/2017 21:46 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/196244.png)  (http://24liveblog.com/share/196881333?url=https://v.24liveblog.com/live/?id=1396034)
Some statistics on today's launch:

Спойлер

[/li]
• 37th launch of a Falcon 9 rocket since 2010
• 42nd launch of Falcon rocket family since 2006
• 4th Falcon 9 launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base
• 17th launch of the upgraded Falcon 9
• 2nd upgraded Falcon 9 launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base
• 2nd launch for Iridium by SpaceX
• 24th overall launch with Iridium satellites
• 4th launch of Thales Alenia Space payloads on Falcon 9
• 23rd Falcon 9 day launch
• 9th Falcon 9 launch of 2017
• 3rd launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in 2017
• 18th attempt to land a Falcon 9 first stage
  

[свернуть]

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185376.jpg) Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/879054171340763137)

L-75 Minutes: Liquid Oxygen ground systems enter chilldown and conditioning prior to the start of the auto sequence. #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash)

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185376.jpg) Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/879055811108110336)

#SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) Launch Controllers & engineering support in Hawthorne will be going through a final pre-tanking status check in 5 minutes.

Цитировать06/25/2017 22:24 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/196244.png)  (http://24liveblog.com/share/196881506?url=https://v.24liveblog.com/live/?id=1396034)
T-minus 60 minutes. The launch autosequence has started, kicking off the first steps to begin pumping propellants into the 229-foot-tall Falcon 9 at Space Launch Complex 4-East at Vandenberg.

RP-1 kerosene will be pumped into the two-stage Falcon 9 rocket first, followed by liquid oxygen chilled to near minus 340 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 206 degrees Celsius) at T-minus 35 minutes.

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185376.jpg) Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/879057976195244032)

T-1 hour & COUNTING. #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) enters its automated countdown sequence, picking up with RP-1 load. Range showing a RED status at this time.

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185376.jpg) Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/879058272115937280)

No countdown hold will be called until T-30 seconds. Any issues will be brought to the attention of the MD/CE who'll make the call. #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash)

Цитировать06/25/2017 22:26 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/196244.png)  (http://24liveblog.com/share/196881512?url=https://v.24liveblog.com/live/?id=1396034)
Water canons at the launch pad are being aimed at the base of the Falcon 9 rocket in preparation for ignition and liftoff.

Цитировать06/25/2017 22:27 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/196244.png)  (http://24liveblog.com/share/196881516?url=https://v.24liveblog.com/live/?id=1396034)
Downrange tracking station status is reported "green" for launch. It's not clear what issue was identified by the Western Range during the launch conductor's poll a few minutes ago.

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/69029.jpg) SpaceX‏Подлинная учетная запись @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) 5 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/879058139693240321)

~60 minutes until Falcon 9 launch of Iridium-2. Webcast will go live about 15 minutes before liftoff → http://spacex.com/webcast (https://t.co/gtC39uBC7z)

Цитировать06/25/2017 22:31 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/196244.png)  (http://24liveblog.com/share/196881530?url=https://v.24liveblog.com/live/?id=1396034)
The area around the launch pad and the Falcon 9's flight path is reported clear.

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185376.jpg) Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 23 сек. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/879061678482219010)

The Drone Ship 'Just Read The Instructions' is holding position 300km from the launch site, #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) 1st stage will land 7:45 after launch.

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185376.jpg) Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 31 сек. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/879062966724960257)

T-40 Min: LOX load is picking up in 5 minutes. The faster sequence is enabled by changes to the 2nd stage in the wake of the Amos-6 incident

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67530.jpg) Spaceflight Now‏ @SpaceflightNow (https://twitter.com/SpaceflightNow) 2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceflightNow/status/879063689718116352)

Air Force's Western Range is trying to clear vessel in downrange waters in time for 1-second Falcon 9 launch window. https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/06/24/iridium-next-mission-2-mission-status-center/ ... (https://t.co/acmdWKqOs3)

Цитировать‏ @CwG_NSF 2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/CwG_NSF/status/879064008308936704)

If these are going through, vessel in exclusion zone. Range go aside from that. LOX load coming up. #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) #IridiumNext (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IridiumNext?src=hash)

Цитировать06/25/2017 22:48 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/196244.png)  (http://24liveblog.com/share/196881604?url=https://v.24liveblog.com/live/?id=1396034)
The Air Force's Western Range tells the SpaceX launch team they are "go" for launch, pending clearance of a vessel somewhere downrange from Vandenberg in the Pacific Ocean.

06/25/2017 22:50 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/196244.png)  (http://24liveblog.com/share/196881604?url=https://v.24liveblog.com/live/?id=1396034)
Super-chilled, densified liquid oxygen should now be flowing into the two-stage Falcon 9 rocket.
Both stages of the launcher burn the same RP-1/liquid oxygen propellant mixture.

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185946.jpg) Elon Musk‏Подлинная учетная запись @elonmusk (https://twitter.com/elonmusk) 1 мин назад (https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/879065552060260352)

Closeup of the titanium grid fins. Not painted, as they glow red hot during a fast reentry.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/164037.jpg)

Цитировать06/25/2017 22:59 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/196244.png)  (http://24liveblog.com/share/196881625?url=https://v.24liveblog.com/live/?id=1396034)
Today's launch will target Plane 3 of the Iridium constellation, which is designed to have 66 satellites spread out evenly in six orbital planes around Earth.

The launch is timed to the second -- 1:25:14 p.m. PDT -- to target a hole in Plane 3 where one of Iridium's aging communications satellites failed last year.

Today's mission is the second of at least eight Falcon 9 flights to deliver at least 75 next-generation satellites to replace Iridium's network with upgraded services and new spacecraft designed to operate for the next 15 years.

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185376.jpg) Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 54 сек. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/879066722795487232)

T-25 Minutes: The Iridium-NEXT satellites are starting their final preparatory steps at this point - switching to battery power. #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash)

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185946.jpg) Elon Musk‏Подлинная учетная запись @elonmusk (https://twitter.com/elonmusk) 25 сек. назад (https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/879067060558417921)

Launch at 1:25 delivering 10 satellites for Iridium. Droneship repositioned due to extreme weather. Will be tight. http://spacex.com/webcast (https://t.co/6ZcSG29B74)

Цитировать06/25/2017 23:03 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/196244.png)  (http://24liveblog.com/share/196881629?url=https://v.24liveblog.com/live/?id=1396034)
Media representatives gathered at Vandenberg report fog in the area, but that is not expected to be a problem for the launch.

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185376.jpg) Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 40 сек. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/879067994000896003)

LOX on Stage 1 enters a pre-planned pause ahead of topping up to flight level in the last six minutes, Stage 2 throttles up/down as well.

Цитировать06/25/2017 23:06 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/196244.png)  (http://24liveblog.com/share/196881643?url=https://v.24liveblog.com/live/?id=1396034)
T-minus 18 minutes and counting. There are no issues being discussed at this time by the SpaceX launch team, but there has not been an official update on the readiness of the Western Range.

Цитировать06/25/2017 23:14 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/196244.png)  (http://24liveblog.com/share/196881678?url=https://v.24liveblog.com/live/?id=1396034)
The first stage is reported fully fueled with RP-1 kerosene, and the second stage is nearly full. Liquid oxygen loading continues on both stages.

06/25/2017 23:12 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/196244.png) (http://24liveblog.com/share/196881678?url=https://v.24liveblog.com/live/?id=1396034)
Conditions are marginal for a landing of the Falcon 9's first stage, SpaceX's Falcon 9 product manager John Insprucker says. High winds are reported in the recovery zone.

06/25/2017 23:10 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/196244.png) (http://24liveblog.com/share/196881678?url=https://v.24liveblog.com/live/?id=1396034)
The Iridium Next spacecraft are confirmed on internal power and "go" for launch.
All stations report they are ready for launch, other than the Western Range, which is attempting to clear a boat downrange.

Цитировать06/25/2017 23:16 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/196244.png)  (http://24liveblog.com/share/196881686?url=https://v.24liveblog.com/live/?id=1396034)
SpaceX confirms a boat near the drone ship in the Pacific Ocean has been cleared out of the keep-out zone. All is reported "go" for liftoff at 1:25:14 p.m. PDT (4:25:14 p.m. EDT; 2025:14 GMT).

Цитировать06/25/2017 23:17 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/196244.png)  (http://24liveblog.com/share/196881687?url=https://v.24liveblog.com/live/?id=1396034)
Prevalves leading to the Falcon 9's Merlin 1D first stage engines are opening, permitting super-cold liquid oxygen to flow into the engines to condition the turbopumps for ignition.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185376.jpg) Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 1 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/879070835734188032)
 
T-9 Minutes: The ground-based TEA-TEB Engine Ignition System is setting up. Flight software final setups are complete. #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash)

Цитировать06/25/2017 23:18 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/196244.png)  (http://24liveblog.com/share/196881692?url=https://v.24liveblog.com/live/?id=1396034)
Chilldown of the Merlin 1D engines is confirmed underway.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg) Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 4 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/879070564878610433)
 
Range GREEN! No Throwback with this TEL. That's only with 39A's at the moment.
 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/164039.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67530.jpg) Spaceflight Now‏ @SpaceflightNow (https://twitter.com/SpaceflightNow) 4 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceflightNow/status/879070781162086401)
 
SpaceX says a boat near the Falcon 9's landing ship has been cleared. All is go for liftoff in 10 minutes. https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/06/24/iridium-next-mission-2-mission-status-center/ ... (https://t.co/acmdWKqOs3)
 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/164040.jpg)

Цитировать06/25/2017 23:20 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/196244.png)  (http://24liveblog.com/share/196881702?url=https://v.24liveblog.com/live/?id=1396034)
The strongback umbilical tower is being lowered a few degrees to clear the rocket for launch. The procedure begins with opening of cradles gripping the rocket at attach points, then hydraulics lower the tower into launch position.

06/25/2017 23:20 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/196244.png)  (http://24liveblog.com/share/196881702?url=https://v.24liveblog.com/live/?id=1396034)
The Merlin engine on the Falcon 9's second stage is now going through a steering check.

06/25/2017 23:19 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/196244.png)  (http://24liveblog.com/share/196881702?url=https://v.24liveblog.com/live/?id=1396034)
T-minus 5 minutes and counting.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185376.jpg) Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 59 сек. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/879071952471818240)
 
#Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) has entered preliminary pressurization to add stability to the stack for Strongback retraction. http://bit.ly/2t6afJy (https://t.co/BQKBzTWsqz)

ЦитироватьТитановые рули избавят нас от забитых сажей камер?

Цитировать06/25/2017 23:35 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/196244.png)  (http://24liveblog.com/share/196881769?url=https://v.24liveblog.com/live/?id=1396034)
The 14-story Falcon 9 first stage has landed on the drone ship in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. The touchdown marks the fifth successful recovery of a SpaceX rocket at sea, and gives the company a 8-for-13 record since the experiments with ocean landings began in 2015.
Overall, SpaceX has recovered 13 Falcon 9 rocket boosters in 18 tries, including five touchdowns on land.

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185376.jpg) Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/879075615391002631)

Good initial orbit. Stage 2 aimed for a slightly elliptical Parking Orbit, peaking around 625km in altitude, 2nd burn will circularize.

ЦитироватьMax Andriyahov пишет:
Даже трансляция не прервалась

Цитировать06/25/2017 23:36 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/196244.png)  (http://24liveblog.com/share/196881772?url=https://v.24liveblog.com/live/?id=1396034)
T+plus 11 minutes. The first phase of tonight's launch appears to have gone according to plan. SpaceX reports the upper stage and the Iridium Next payloads are on the right trajectory following liftoff, as the rocket continues coasting toward the point where the Merlin vacuum engine will reignite for its second burn.

Цитироватьkonti пишет:
Подробнее на ТАСС:
 http://tass.ru/kosmos/4364673
  :?:  

ЦитироватьНЬЮ-ЙОРК, 25 июня. /ТАСС/. Американская компания SpaceX запустила в воскресенье ракету-носитель Falcon 9 с 10 телекоммуникационными спутниками Iridium NEXT. Старт состоялся в 13:25 по времени Западного побережья США (23:25 мск) с базы ВВС США Ванденберг (штат Калифорния).
Прямую трансляцию запуска SpaceX вела на своем сайте.


Подробнее на ТАСС:
http://tass.ru/kosmos/4364682

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185376.jpg) Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/879075972452147200)

Most of the coast phase will be out of ground station range, taking #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) across the Pacific, over Antarctica before heading north again.

Цитировать06/25/2017 23:38 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/196244.png)  (http://24liveblog.com/share/196881778?url=https://v.24liveblog.com/live/?id=1396034)
Here's a view from a camera aboard the Falcon 9's second stage just before engine cutoff.

(https://cdn6.24live.co/images/2017/06/26/1498423155953002.png) (http://24liveblog.com/show?img=//cdn6.24live.co/images/2017/06/26/1498423155953002.png)

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185376.jpg) Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 3 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/879076566206164994)

A short engine re-start is planned at T+52 minutes & 6 seconds inject the Iridium satellites into a 625-Kilometer, 86.6° orbit. #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash)

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185376.jpg) Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/879076818426482689)

From there, five satellites will spiral up into the operational constellation at 780km, the others will be drifted into adjacent planes.

ЦитироватьSpaceX Launches Through Fog

ЦитироватьSpaceX Land 13th Falcon 9 First Stage after Iridium NEXT Flight 2 Mission

Цитировать‏ @CwG_NSF 3 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/CwG_NSF/status/879078415055282176)

First Vandenberg mission patch from SpaceX unlocked. #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) #IridiumNext (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IridiumNext?src=hash)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/164018.jpg)

ЦитироватьDmitry пишет:
Почему, кстати, российские СМИ перестали освещать спейс экс? Лента не написала о первом болгарском спутнике. Это впервые так.

ЦитироватьSpaceX Falcon 9 launches Iridium-2 & Falcon 9 first stage landing, 25 June 2017

ЦитироватьPirat5 пишет:
очень даже будничная посадка. нет переживаний, как в случае с BulgariaSat-1.

ЦитироватьElon Musk‏Verified account @elonmusk (https://twitter.com/elonmusk)  54m54 minutes ago (https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/879067060558417921)

Launch at 1:25 delivering 10 satellites for Iridium. Droneship repositioned due to extreme weather. Will be tight. http://spacex.com/webcast  (https://t.co/6ZcSG29B74)

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185946.jpg) Elon Musk‏Подлинная учетная запись @elonmusk (https://twitter.com/elonmusk) 1 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/879080848359686144)

New titanium grid fins worked even better than expected. Should be capable of an indefinite number of flights with no service.

ЦитироватьDmitry пишет:
Почему, кстати, российские СМИ перестали освещать спейс экс? Лента не написала о первом болгарском спутнике. Это впервые так.

ЦитироватьSGS_67 пишет:
Что это было? Туда и сюда

Цитировать06/25/2017 23:59 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/196244.png)  (http://24liveblog.com/share/196881828?url=https://v.24liveblog.com/live/?id=1396034)
The Falcon 9's upper stage is now flying over Antarctica. Restart at T+plus 52 minutes, 6 seconds.
(https://cdn6.24live.co/images/2017/06/26/1498424419363253.png) (http://24liveblog.com/show?img=//cdn6.24live.co/images/2017/06/26/1498424419363253.png)

ЦитироватьЧто это было? Туда и сюда.

Цитировать06/26/2017 00:00 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/196244.png)  (http://24liveblog.com/share/196881833?url=https://v.24liveblog.com/live/?id=1396034)
The Falcon 9 second stage is now flying within range of the Troll ground station in Antarctica.

Цитироватьzandr пишет:

ЦитироватьDmitry пишет:
Почему, кстати, российские СМИ перестали освещать спейс экс? Лента не написала о первом болгарском спутнике. Это впервые так.

ТАСС и РИА к российским Вы не причисляете?

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185376.jpg) Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 1 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/879082889413095424)

Stage 2 passed the South Pole, now headed north. 13 minutes to the burn. #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash)

ЦитироватьТелевизор-60 пишет:

ЦитироватьSGS_67 пишет:
Что это было? Туда и сюда

стеклоочиститель?

ЦитироватьNilk пишет:

ЦитироватьЧто это было? Туда и сюда.

Дворник?

ЦитироватьDiZed пишет:
это агентства

Цитировать06/26/2017 00:10 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/196244.png)  (http://24liveblog.com/share/196881851?url=https://v.24liveblog.com/live/?id=1396034)
The restart of the Merlin vacuum engine for its three-second orbit adjust burn is scheduled for 2:17 p.m. PDT (5:17 p.m. EDT; 2117 GMT).

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg) Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 6 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/879083446064336898)

Whoa, hold your horses! Wait until S/C Sep! (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125474.png)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/164025.jpg)

ЦитироватьDmitry пишет:
Почему, кстати, российские СМИ перестали освещать спейс экс? Лента не написала о первом болгарском спутнике. Это впервые так.

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185376.jpg) Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 1 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/879085531140952065)

Stage 2 back in ground station coverage, controllers are checking electrical systems & flight control parameters. http://bit.ly/2t6afJy (https://t.co/BQKBzTWsqz)

Цитировать06/26/2017 00:17 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/196244.png)  (http://24liveblog.com/share/196881866?url=https://v.24liveblog.com/live/?id=1396034)
SECO 2. The second stage's Merlin vacuum engine has completed its second burn on today's mission, firing for three seconds to place the Iridium Next satellites into the right orbit.

The burn targeted a near-circular orbit 388 miles (625 kilometers) high at an inclination of 86 degrees.

Цитировать06/26/2017 00:19 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/196244.png)  (http://24liveblog.com/share/196881875?url=https://v.24liveblog.com/live/?id=1396034)
SpaceX reports a good orbit was achieved by the second burn of the Merlin engine on Falcon 9's upper stage.

Цитироватьzandr пишет:

ЦитироватьDiZed пишет:
это агентства

По BulgariaSat1 сообщения в 53-х русскоязычных источниках
 https://news.yandex.ru/yandsearch?text=BulgariaSat&rpt=nnews2&grhow=clutop (https://news.yandex.ru/yandsearch?text=BulgariaSat&rpt=nnews2&grhow=clutop)

По сабжу - уже 22
 https://news.yandex.ru/yandsearch?lr=10746&cl4url=tass.ru%2Fkosmos%2F4364682&lang=ru&rubric=index&from=index (https://news.yandex.ru/yandsearch?lr=10746&cl4url=tass.ru%2Fkosmos%2F4364682&lang=ru&rubric=index&from=index)
Игнор?

Цитироватьzandr пишет:

По BulgariaSat1 сообщения в 53-х русскоязычных источниках
 https://news.yandex.ru/yandsearch?text=BulgariaSat&rpt=nnews2&grhow=clutop (https://news.yandex.ru/yandsearch?text=BulgariaSat&rpt=nnews2&grhow=clutop)

По сабжу - уже 22
 https://news.yandex.ru/yandsearch?lr=10746&cl4url=tass.ru%2Fkosmos%2F4364682&lang=ru&rubric=index&from=index (https://news.yandex.ru/yandsearch?lr=10746&cl4url=tass.ru%2Fkosmos%2F4364682&lang=ru&rubric=index&from=index)
Игнор?

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185376.jpg) Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 31 сек. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/879087521073963008)

S/C Sep #1 - The first Iridium-NEXT Satellite has departed the launch vehicle. 100-second intervals. http://bit.ly/2t6afJy  (https://t.co/BQKBzTWsqz) #FAlcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/FAlcon9?src=hash)

Цитировать06/26/2017 00:24 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/196244.png)  (http://24liveblog.com/share/196881892?url=https://v.24liveblog.com/live/?id=1396034)
The second Iridium satellite has deployed from the Falcon 9.

Цитировать06/26/2017 00:26 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/196244.png)  (http://24liveblog.com/share/196881900?url=https://v.24liveblog.com/live/?id=1396034)
SpaceX confirms the third of 10 Iridium Next communications satellites is safely away from the launch vehicle.

Цитировать06/26/2017 00:26 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/196244.png)  (http://24liveblog.com/share/196881904?url=https://v.24liveblog.com/live/?id=1396034)
Telemetry from the Falcon 9 rocket is now being radioed through a ground station in Dubai.

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185376.jpg) Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 38 сек. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/879088783022534658)

S/C Sep #4 - #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) signals currently being relayed by a ground station in Dubai.

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185376.jpg) Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 38 сек. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/879090031167754243)

S/C Sep #7 - Three more to go. #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash)


2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/879089619912073221)

S/C Sep #6 #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash)


4 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/879089202826285059)

S/C Sep #5 confirmed. Halfway there. #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash)

ЦитироватьDiZed пишет:
но пока что самое любопытное - что это было с якобы отменой пуска в ленте тасс прямо перед стартом, причем со ссылкой прямо на Маска

Цитировать06/26/2017 00:34 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/196244.png)  (http://24liveblog.com/share/196881935?url=https://v.24liveblog.com/live/?id=1396034)
Eight of the 10 satellites are confirmed released from the Falcon 9 dispenser.

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185376.jpg) Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/879090947895816192)

S/C Sep #9 - Good view from the onboard camera for this one. Just one more to go for full mission success. #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) http://bit.ly/2t6afJy  (https://t.co/BQKBzTWsqz)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/164031.jpg)

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185376.jpg) Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 58 сек. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/879091291954581505)

SPACECRAFT SEPARATION COMPLETE - All ten Iridium satellites have been released into their initial checkout orbit. http://bit.ly/2jguwYj (https://t.co/MJPat77bQ3)

ЦитироватьЗловредный пишет:

ЦитироватьDiZed пишет:
но пока что самое любопытное - что это было с якобы отменой пуска в ленте тасс прямо перед стартом, причем со ссылкой прямо на Маска

Возможно, написавший это журналист очень хотел, чтобы у Маска не получилось и, одновременно, не очень хорошо владеет английским языком.

Но пока что в матче "SpaceX -- РФ" SpaceX ведёт со счётом 9 : 6.

ЦитироватьDiZed пишет:
но пока что самое любопытное - что это было с якобы отменой пуска в ленте тасс прямо перед стартом, причем со ссылкой прямо на Маска

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185376.jpg) Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 52 сек. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/879091514445582336)

The ten Iridium-NEXT satellites will undergo activation & checkout over the coming days and weeks before joining the constellation. #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash)

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185376.jpg) Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 51 сек. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/879091673367760896)

Five of the satellites will maneuver up to 780km to enter Plane 3. The other five will be drifted into Planes 2 and 4 over several months.

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/69029.jpg) SpaceX‏Подлинная учетная запись @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) 3 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/879091392470933504)

Successful deployment of 10 @IridiumComm (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm) NEXT satellites to low-Earth orbit confirmed.

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg) Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 5 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/879091304742957056)

S/C Sep for Iridium NEXT-2 sats! ARTICLE: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2017/06/spacex-falcon-9-iridium-next-2-launch/ ... (https://t.co/paEhhhAdKR) - COVERAGE: https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=43149.0 ... (https://t.co/1SYBVC0KVT) Top work @spacex (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) Congrats @IridiumComm (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/164026.jpg)

Спойлер

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/164027.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/164028.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/164032.jpg)

[свернуть]

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185376.jpg) Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/879092165384835072)

Stage 2 will continue coasting ahead of a retrograde deorbit maneuver to set up for re-entry over the South Pacific. #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash)

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67530.jpg) Spaceflight Now‏ @SpaceflightNow (https://twitter.com/SpaceflightNow) 4 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceflightNow/status/879092103778893826)

All 10 Iridium satellites have deployed from Falcon 9 rocket. "It's a clean sweep," SpaceX commentator says. https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/06/24/iridium-next-mission-2-mission-status-center/ ... (https://t.co/acmdWKqOs3)

Video (https://twitter.com/i/videos/tweet/879092103778893826)

ЦитироватьВиктор Кондрашов пишет:
Чего это? 9:8. :)

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185946.jpg) Elon Musk‏Подлинная учетная запись @elonmusk (https://twitter.com/elonmusk) 5 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/879092174390001665)

Sped up version of today's rocket landing on the Droneship Just Read the Instructions (guess it... https://www.instagram.com/p/BVxysOlA04j/ (https://t.co/0wFgXMgeqZ)

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185376.jpg) Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 4 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/879092774104162304)

Two drone ships currently out at sea with #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) boosters sitting on top, both will return to their respective ports in the coming days.

ЦитироватьSpaceX Falcon 9 - Iridium Next 2 Launch Part2 Iridium deploy

ЦитироватьSGS_67 пишет:
Рули не красные. Скорость явно меньше, чем в прошлый раз.

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg) Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 4 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/879094417306603524)

SpaceX Falcon 9 B1029.2 Launches and Lands - Mission Success. SpaceX Falcon 9 B1036 Launches and Lands - Mission Success. 49 hours apart.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/164036.jpg)

Спойлер

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/164033.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/164034.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/164035.jpg)

[свернуть]

ЦитироватьЗловредный пишет:

ЦитироватьSGS_67 пишет:
Рули не красные. Скорость явно меньше, чем в прошлый раз.

А температура свечения зависит от материала? Или не зависит?

Цитироватьtnt22 пишет:

ЦитироватьElon Musk ‏Подлинная учетная запись @ elonmusk 5 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/879092174390001665)

Sped up version of today's rocket landing on the Droneship Just Read the Instructions (guess it... https://www.instagram.com/p/BVxysOlA04j/ (https://t.co/0wFgXMgeqZ)

ЦитироватьGeorgea пишет:
После entry burn ступень слегка наклоняется набок. Похоже это на аэродинамическое торможение корпусом

ЦитироватьFalcon 9 Dispatches 2nd Batch of Iridium Satellites, First Stage aces Landing in tough Weather

 June 25, 2017 (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-iridium-next-flight-2/falcon-9-launches-second-iridium-satellite-batch/)

After successfully launching Bulgaria's first telecommunications satellite on Friday with the added bonus of an 'extra-toasty' first stage landing, a Falcon 9 took to the skies again on Sunday – blasting off fr om SpaceX's West Coast launch site to send the second batch of Iridium-NEXT communications satellites on their way and returning the rocket's first stage to the company's second Drone Ship for future re-use.

Sporting new titanium grid fins, a factory-new first stage and slight modifications on its second stage, Falcon 9 blasted off from Vandenberg's Space Launch Complex 4E at 20:25:18 UTC on a heavy-haul to Low Earth Orbit with a total payload upmass in excess of nine metric tons. Firing its nine Merlin 1D engines at full throttle, the 70-meter tall vehicle entered an ascent path almost directly south, intending to place the ten Iridium satellites into a high-inclination orbit to enable coverage of the entire planet.

Спойлер

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152623.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-iridium-next-flight-2/wp-content/uploads/sites/165/2017/06/iridium2-launch-1.jpg)
Falcon 9 lifts off in dense fog – Photo: SpaceX Webcast

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152628.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-iridium-next-flight-2/wp-content/uploads/sites/165/2017/06/iridium2-launch-8.jpg)
1st Stage Landing on JRTI – Photo: SpaceX Webcast

The two stages parted ways two and a half minutes into the flight with the first stage booster homing in on the 'Just Read The Instructions' Drone Ship and the second stage firing up on a burn of six and a half minutes to put the stack into a preliminary orbit.

Unlike Friday's first stage return from a particularly high-energy mission that required a do-or-die three-engine landing burn, Sunday's mission featured a more lofted trajectory for the first stage with manageable speed and a more-controllable single engine landing burn – culminating in a soft touchdown on the drone ship in some sporty weather to give SpaceX its eleventh recovered first stage.

The second stage coasted for half a lap around Earth before firing its MVac engine for just three seconds to circularize the orbit over 600 Kilometers in altitude, setting up for the methodical departure of the ten Iridium-NEXT satellites over the course of a 15-minute sequence, allowing SpaceX to put the check mark behind another successful orbital delivery and probably the busiest weekend in the company's history.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152619.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-iridium-next-flight-2/wp-content/uploads/sites/165/2017/06/DCySwHOV0AEd1zW.jpg)
Ten Iridium-NEXT Satellites around their payload adapter – Photo: Iridium Communications

Sunday's launch was the 37th of a Falcon 9 rocket, the 17th in the Full Thrust configuration and the ninth in 2017 – breaking the record for most SpaceX missions in a calendar year just as 2017 reaches its half-way mark. The first stage landing was the ninth recovery success in a row with SpaceX now 13/18 overall, and 8/13 for Drone Ship landings, it was the second successful Pacific-based landing.

Sunday's launch was the second of eight planned Falcon 9 missions in support of Iridium, facilitating the complete replacement of the previous Iridium communications satellite constellation of 66 active satellites plus in-orbit spares – the largest constellation upgrade in history coming with a price tag of $2.9 billion including around $800 million for launch services & ground infrastructure.

The Iridium constellation was in dire need for replacement as most of the satellites had been in operation since the late 1990s and no more orbital spares were available when the first of the next generation satellites reached orbit on January 14, 2017.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152631.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-iridium-next-flight-2/wp-content/uploads/sites/165/2017/06/Iridium-NEXT-4.jpg)
Iridium Constellation & Satellite Crosslinks – Image: Iridium

The Virginia-based communications provider hailed the performance of the new additions (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-iridium-next-flight-1/first-iridium-next-satellites-enter-operation-after-stellar-performance-next-launch-re-aligned-for-june/) to the constellation after the first eight NEXT satellites assumed active roles within the global communications infrastructure, routing data packets and voice communications across the globe.

Iridium contracted Thales Alenia Space to build 81 identical Iridium-NEXT satellites – 75 of which will be launched through mid 2018 to fully rejuvenate the active constellation and have at least one spare available in each orbital plane with more spares available on the ground to be launched when needed.

Each Iridium-NEXT satellite, weighing in at 860 Kilograms, hosts a powerful communications terminal that covers a 4,700-Kilometer footprint on Earth to provide different services from telephony over short-burst data delivery all the way to newly introduced high-capacity services that can reach data speeds up to 8Mbit/s – not possible with the heritage satellite generation.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152632.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-iridium-next-flight-2/wp-content/uploads/sites/165/2017/06/IridiumNEXTSatConfig.jpg)
Image: Iridium

Iridium-NEXT also facilitates three hosted payloads – two dedicated to global monitoring of ship and air traffic and the third comprising a series of sensors to establish an unprecedented Earth observation capability with a global revisit time of just two hours. Known as GEOScan, the instrument suite will be capable of global image collection, space environment measurements, sensing of atmospheric properties and delivering unique data on mass movements on Earth as well as the planet's radiation imbalance which, up to this day, could not be measured directly but represents a key parameter for climate research.

>>Tech Overview of the Iridium-NEXT Space Segment & Hosted Payloads (http://spaceflight101.com/spacecraft/iridium-next/)

It was a busy weekend double header for SpaceX with two launches just over 48 hours apart – a new record for the company and a feat only few launch vehicle families have achieved in the past.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152618.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-iridium-next-flight-2/wp-content/uploads/sites/165/2017/06/35496027525_01adff43ae_k2.jpg)
BulgariaSat-1 Liftoff – Photo: SpaceX

Operations kicked off at the East coast with the launch of BulgariaSat-1 aboard SpaceX's second re-flight mission, (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-bulgariasat-1/) utilizing the first stage from the first Iridium-NEXT mission. Bulgaria's first commercial satellite enjoyed a smooth ride, departing the second stage of the rocket after being placed into the expected Supersynchronous Transfer Orbit peaking over 65,000 Kilometers in altitude.

Booster 1029.2 beat the odds and managed a very challenging drone ship landing, surviving the hottest re-entry encountered by any Falcon 9 and acing a three-engine landing burn despite a last-second lateral deviation, either by a heavy gust of wind or a problem onboard the vehicle. Nevertheless, the booster managed to remain upright on the drone ship's deck despite using most of its emergency crush core capability within the four-fold-out landing legs.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152630.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-iridium-next-flight-2/wp-content/uploads/sites/165/2017/06/iridium2-prelaunch.jpg)
Photo: SpaceX

The Falcon 9 rocket launching on Sunday was slightly different from Friday's vehicle – featuring a new first stage, new titanium grid fins and a slightly modified second stage that allows for a faster propellant loading sequence.

The new grid fins, cast & cut from a single piece of titanium, replace previously used aluminum fins that featured an ablative coating for thermal protection. As evident in onboard video from numerous landings, the old fins were prone to burn during the peak-heating portion of re-entry, requiring refurbishment and/or replacement after flight which is not in-line with SpaceX's drive to create a first stage that can be easily re-flown with minimal refurbishment cost.

The new titanium fins can easily withstand the re-entry heating environment with no need for refurbishment after landing, even for particularly hot entry speeds. Additionally, the new grid fins are around 16% longer than the previous generation, increasing the cross section area by a factor of 1.4 to provide more control authority during atmospheric descent. They also feature a new aerodynamic design to improve air flow in the hypersonic phase of the descent and can provide more lift.

>>Falcon 9 FT Launch Vehicle Overview (http://spaceflight101.com/spacerockets/falcon-9-ft/)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152620.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-iridium-next-flight-2/wp-content/uploads/sites/165/2017/06/iridium2-fins-close-up.jpg)
New Grid Fins, close up – Photo: SpaceX

These changes are primarily relevant for future Falcon Heavy (http://spaceflight101.com/spacerockets/falcon-heavy/) missions but will also help Falcon 9 navigate through heavier winds heading back in for landing. Another benefit of the new fins will be a reduction in fuel margins for the landing maneuvers, resulting in an overall increase in performance.

The change on the second stage (Block 4) is one of several measures implemented after the September 1st explosion (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-amos-6/) of a Falcon 9 during tanking ahead of a Static Fire Test. In the immediate aftermath, the propellant loading sequence for subsequent missions was stretched from 35 to 70 minutes and SpaceX said hardware changes to the second stage's Liquid Oxygen and Helium systems will enable to compress the tanking sequence once again. These changes are now finding their way into operational vehicles and will ultimately allow Liquid Oxygen and Helium to be loaded simultaneously as part of a rapid sequence without creating potentially hazardous conditions that could lead to a catastrophic deflagration.

To that end, Sunday's propellant loading sequence was compressed by ten minutes with Falcon 9 entering its Automated Countdown Sequence at the T-1-hour mark, coinciding with the start of Rocket Propellant-1 loading followed at T-35 minutes by Liquid Oxygen flow to fill the two-stage rocket with over 500 metric tons of sub-cooled LOX at -207°C and Kerosene at -7°C.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152621.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-iridium-next-flight-2/wp-content/uploads/sites/165/2017/06/iridium2-launch-10.jpg)
Photo: SpaceX Webcast

Propellant loading time is critical for the Falcon 9 due to the fact that its propellants will warm up the longer they are in the tanks, causing a decrease in density and with that propellant mass & performance. The Block 5 second stage will implement further changes to fully avoid buckling issues within its pressurant tanks that were found to be the at the root of the September 1st mishap.

Falcon 9 enjoyed a particularly smooth countdown on Sunday, coming after an equally smooth launch campaign that started on May 19 with the arrival of the first stage followed by the second stage & fairing six days later. The ten Iridium satellites also arrived in that time frame and took their places around a two-tier dispenser system, meeting their Falcon 9 rocket earlier in the week after Tuesday's Static Fire Test.

With no issues encountered in the rapid propellant loading operation, Falcon 9 entered its fast-paced countdown sequence at T-7 minutes when starting the chilldown of its engines that was followed in close succession by final checks of engine trim valves & actuators, the transition to internal power, the retraction of the Strongback, arming of the Autonomous Flight Termination System and the handoff to Falcon 9's triple-redundant computers.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152624.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-iridium-next-flight-2/wp-content/uploads/sites/165/2017/06/iridium2-launch-2.jpg)
Photo: SpaceX Webcast

Falcon 9 came to life at T-3 seconds, soaring to a launch thrust of nearly 700 metric ton-force for a liftoff timed precisely for 20:25:18 UTC – the in-plane time for Plane 3 of the Iridium constellation.

Rising from its SLC-4E launch pad, Falcon 9 climbed vertically for less than 20 seconds before beginning to depart on a due southerly trajectory, targeting an orbit inclined 86.66 degrees. Guzzling down 2,500 Kilograms of chilled propellant per second, the nine Merlin 1D engines quickly pushed the rocket to the speed of sound and throttled back briefly around the period of Maximum Dynamic Pressure 69 seconds after liftoff. From there, the first stage continued firing on all cylinders until its burn ended at T+2 minutes and 24 seconds.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152625.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-iridium-next-flight-2/wp-content/uploads/sites/165/2017/06/iridium2-launch-4.jpg)
The second stage's plume impinges on the first stage booster shortly after separation – Photo: SpaceX Webcast

The first stage boosted the rocket's speed to 1.9 Kilometers per second as opposed to Friday's high-energy delivery that had a staging velocity of 2.35km/s – highlighting the drastic differences between heavy-haul missions to LEO and high-energy GTO deliveries.

Four pneumatic pushers provided separation of the stages four seconds after MECO and Booster #1036 wasted no time in preparing for its homecoming, starting to home in on the Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship located 300 Kilometers from the launch site, much closer than for Friday's mission that had the 'OCISLY' drone ship park 680km from Cape Canaveral to catch its Falcon 9.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152626.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-iridium-next-flight-2/wp-content/uploads/sites/165/2017/06/iridium2-launch-6.jpg)
Stage 1 Entry Burn – Photo: SpaceX Webcast

Stage 1 fired up its cold gas thrusters immediately after staging to initiate the flip to an engines-first position followed by ignition of the central Merlin 1D engines at T+2 minutes and 43 seconds followed by two of the outer engines at T+2:49 on a partial boost back burn that lasted ~27 seconds and slowed the vehicle's forward velocity to control the downrange travel distance. Accelerating back toward the atmosphere, the booster deployed the new grid fins and fired up on a 19-second entry burn at T+5 minutes and 53 seconds to slow down by some 550 m/s and set the course toward the drone ship.

'Just Read The Instructions' had to be relocated shortly before launch because of extreme weather in the landing area, but even in the new landing zone, the ship's deck was more of a moving landing pad rather than a stable landing surface – adding difficulty to what would have been one of the easier returns for the Falcon 9.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152627.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-iridium-next-flight-2/wp-content/uploads/sites/165/2017/06/iridium2-launch-7.jpg)
Photo: SpaceX Webcast

Hitting the atmosphere significantly slower than Friday's mission, the booster encountered a significantly lower heat load, using the grid fins to fine tune its course for the final landing maneuver. The disturbed weather became evident in stronger vibration seen as the booster approached a dense cloud layer associated with quite some movement by the grid fins to keep Falcon 9 on course.

With plenty of propellant reserves, Sunday's mission had the luxury of a 32-second single-engine landing maneuver that provides more time for corrections and finer control over the landing speed. Balancing on the central engine, Falcon 9 was in for some heavy throttling to arrest its vertical speed when coming into contact with the drone ship.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152629.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-iridium-next-flight-2/wp-content/uploads/sites/165/2017/06/iridium2-launch-9.jpg)
Photo: SpaceX Webcast

The four landing legs deployed in the last seconds of powered descent and Falcon 9 gracefully touched down near the center of the JRTI drone ship at T+7:44, continuing a streak of successful landings – now up to nine. Coming home from the edge of space through a fairly gentle entry, this booster is a prime candidate for re-flight following its return to the Port of Los Angeles in the coming days.

While all eyes were once again on the first stage, it was the second stage that earned the money on Sunday – lighting up its 95,000-Kilogram MVac engine two minutes and 35 seconds into the flight on a planned six-minute and 29-second burn to lift the stack into a slightly elliptical Low Earth Orbit. The fairing split open and dropped away three minutes and 16 seconds into the flight after the vehicle had reached 110 Kilometers in altitude wh ere aerodynamic forces are no longer a concern.

 :o  (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-iridium-next-flight-2/wp-content/uploads/sites/165/2017/06/iridium2-launch-11.jpg)
Second Stage Re-Start – Photo: SpaceX Webcast

Stage 2 continued flying true and level, safing its Flight Termination System and shutting down the engine nine minutes and eight seconds into the mission, transitioning to a lengthy coast phase of 43 minutes, or half an orbit. While coasting, the second stage crossed the Pacific, flew over Antarctica and entered a leg to the north, passing over the Indian Ocean and climbing up to the apogee of the transfer orbit, 625 Kilometers in altitude so that the second burn could serve as a circularization maneuver.

MVac fired up again 52 minutes and 15 seconds into the mission on a very brief burn of only four seconds that accelerated the stack by 126 meters per second, aiming for a circular orbit of 625 Kilometers that acts as a staging and maintenance orbit for the Iridium constellation. Having arrived at the planned orbital destination, the second stage coasted for another five minutes before initiating the delicate deployment sequence that saw one satellite depart the dispenser every 100 seconds to ensure proper spacing between the spacecraft.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152622.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-iridium-next-flight-2/wp-content/uploads/sites/165/2017/06/iridium2-launch-12.jpg)
Iridium Deploy – Photo: SpaceX Webcast

SpaceX confirmed all ten Iridium satellites made a clean separation and Iridium will work through the night to confirm all ten are alive and well. All satellites are activated in the coming days for a series of checks involving their communications payloads and the L- and Ka-Band space-to-ground links and Ka-Band inter-satellite links. Five of the satellites will raise their orbit to Iridium's operational altitude of 780 Kilometers to enter an active role in Plane 3 via instantaneous handovers from retiring satellites to avoid any outage in service.

Five of the satellites launched on Sunday will enter multi-month drift campaigns into Planes 2 and 4 of the constellation in a carefully planned replacement sequence that will ensure the constellation is up to operational strength as soon as possible after all new satellites are in orbit.

Currently, Iridium Mission 3 is looking at a provisional launch date of August 24, targeting Plane 2, to be followed by the fourth launch no earlier than October to place another ten satellites into Plane 4. Provided SpaceX can keep up its current pace, all eight Iridium launches – the last featuring only five Iridium satellites – will be complete by mid-year 2018.

[свернуть]

ЦитироватьDiZed пишет:
tnt22 в этой теме на 4-й странице постил
 http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-iridium-next-flight-1/wp-content/uploads/sites/133/2017/01/8200921_orig.jpg

ЦитироватьGeorgea пишет:  
Полагаю, траектория на этой схеме условна (за исключением маневра к барже перед посадкой).

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185770.png) Iridium Corporate‏Подлинная учетная запись @IridiumComm (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm) 22 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm/status/879097493325312001)

Successful second launch doubles the number of #IridiumNEXT (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IridiumNEXT?src=hash) satellites in space #Iridium (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iridium?src=hash)-2 #TwoForTwo (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TwoForTwo?src=hash) http://bit.ly/2tKoUaO (https://t.co/sCvKGnx0W7)

Цитироватьkonti пишет:
НЬЮ-ЙОРК, 25 июня. /ТАСС/. Американская компания SpaceX отложила запланированный на воскресенье запуск ракеты-носителя Falcon 9 с 10 телекоммуникационными спутниками Iridium NEXT. Старт должен был состояться в 13:25 по времени Западного побережья США (23:25 мск) с базы ВВС США Ванденберг (штат Калифорния).
"Запуск с целью вывода 10 спутников Iridium переносится ввиду экстремальной погоды", - уточнил глава компании Илон Маск. Он не сообщил, на какое время запланирован новый запуск.

ЦитироватьDmitry пишет: 
Почему, кстати, российские СМИ перестали освещать спейс экс? Лента не написала о первом болгарском спутнике. Это впервые так.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/116407.gif) (http://investor.iridium.com/index.cfm)       
Jun 25, 2017

Successful Second Launch Doubles the Number of Iridium® NEXT Satellites in Space

SpaceX Delivers 10 More Iridium NEXT Satellites to Orbit, Continuing Infrastructure Build for Aireon's Real-Time Aircraft Surveillance System and Iridium Certus℠

MCLEAN, Va., June 25, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ:IRDM), the only communications company with truly global coverage, announced today the successful second launch of its next-generation network, Iridium NEXT. This payload of 10 satellites was deployed into low-Earth orbit, approximately one hour after a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off fr om Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, at 1:25pm PDT (20:25 UTC). With this launch complete, there are now 20 Iridium NEXT satellites in orbit, establishing the infrastructure for groundbreaking technologies such as Iridium Certus and Aireon's space-based Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) aircraft tracking and surveillance service.  Iridium Certus is poised to disrupt industry norms by enabling truly global L-band satellite broadband speeds through smaller, more cost-effective antennas.

Спойлер

Since the successful January 14, 2017 launch, Iridium NEXT satellites have already been integrated into the operational constellation and are providing service. The first eight operational Iridium NEXT satellites are already providing superior call quality and faster data speeds with increased capacity to Iridium customers. The two additional satellites from the first launch are continuing to drift to their operational orbital plane, wh ere upon arrival they will begin providing service. Iridium NEXT satellites from today's launch will be tested and integrated into the constellation over the coming weeks.  Just as with the first launch, on-orbit testing and validation will be completed by the Iridium and Thales Alenia Space teams.  Five of the 10 satellites from this launch will be sent to adjacent orbits ("planes" ) to optimize the network deployment and ensure eleven operational satellites, and at least one in-orbit spare, are in each of Iridium's six polar orbiting planes following full deployment.

"Right now, it's two down with six more launches to go," said Matt Desch, chief executive officer, Iridium. "Our operations team is eagerly awaiting this new batch of satellites and is ready to begin the testing and validation process. After several weeks of fine-tuning, the next set of 'slot swaps' will begin, bringing more Iridium NEXT satellites into operational service, and bringing us closer to an exciting new era for our network, company, and partners."

Among the many technologies enabled by Iridium NEXT is a unique hosted payload from Iridium's partner, Aireon, which will provide a real-time, global aircraft surveillance and tracking service.  Today, air traffic controllers and aircraft operators face the problem of being unable to see the location of aircraft at all times, worldwide. This is largely due to the lack of aircraft tracking infrastructure on the ground in remote regions and over the oceans. The AireonSM system is designed to solve this problem. To date, more than one billion aircraft position reports have been received by the first eight operational Aireon payloads, activated after the first Iridium NEXT launch this past January.

"Since first launch, our technology has exceeded all expectations," said Don Thoma, chief executive officer, Aireon. "With just eight payloads, we have seen an incredible amount of data, from aircraft and vehicle antennas of both high and surprisingly low wattage.  We've conducted flight tests with the FAA and NAV CANADA, which were designed to really push our system's limits, while also helping to fine-tune its capabilities.  We're on a path to revolutionizing how the world sees the skies, and with each launch come one step closer to making it a global reality."

According to analyses conducted by the Flight Safety Foundation (https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=cHd96OBKaoy9gHjGxO_NcKNUD82hvLZmCRlIB8yRSVi9HyulxwZ4fc-QOfly0ejkhBdxrS_KAqWZDrmd9WIegH0jtpI_yEuiX7ssre7Re53q5R7l9V1q0TyUTDC-p-2UKxtICSTZLf6Wj5d6jWn33qvFLKmde4j6S7eZlyWIOsw=) and Purdue University's School of Aeronautics and Astronautics (https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=H_sZpGN0EDgrkre-RXaFvPQ3keJNMaayN6acNFvSOGuGtnSM41fVWeq8tmUpzXIL6dSYNMN4mNz9pH8OLdJoo9SQXz9jKL6d5SkOXdRr5Em-TEmmtAqZH_eddC6GPmMpTyt74CJdVt0oKNjxxR_W3ySI7FbKLcuyPJPAmps61FIugb-4Zt3ehTBH_mzCs7I-jnIq-kPtXqBBV_q4gpI-LQ==), space-based ADS-B, utilized by the Aireon system, can increase safety while also reducing the environmental impact of the aviation industry.

Through a series of eight launches, SpaceX will deliver 75 Iridium NEXT satellites to low-Earth orbit, with 66 making up the operational constellation.  In total, 81 new satellites are being built, with nine serving as on-orbit spares and six as ground spares. The satellites were designed by Thales Alenia Space, which serves as system prime contractor, and are being integrated by Thales's subcontractor, Orbital ATK, at its Satellite Manufacturing Facility in Arizona.  The production process features an 18-station, state-of-the-art assembly line system for all 81 Iridium NEXT satellites.

For more information about Iridium NEXT, please visit https://www.iridiumnext.com (https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=oH9EwA07jVsZ-4Y3kp0yDYApVt1Jf5fZdNyJcIipYkBnbN3WZaO7yKfRtYgV0ZYYIVu13us9PaPUMy9k4ouVYstIZcKEUN0F-8F3rXWMzro=).

About Iridium Communications Inc.

Iridium is the only mobile voice and data satellite communications network that spans the entire globe. Iridium enables connections between people, organizations and assets to and from anywhere, in real time. Together with its ecosystem of partner companies, Iridium delivers an innovative and rich portfolio of reliable solutions for markets that require truly global communications. The company has a major development program underway for its next-generation network — Iridium NEXT. Iridium Communications Inc. is headquartered in McLean, Va., U.S.A., and its common stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Sel ect Market under the ticker symbol IRDM. For more information about Iridium products, services and partner solutions, visit www.iridium.com (https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=KcCdrElQnHt0d-0USvI13ESQvqvcpSB0WZStzLj4s8kKo19H4agkl7nufQTAYM08gSMKhsOyjkyVPRy5OxVgXfMgIc1M-qbmQne8cRjCVxPdK4NQFNLaSQmCuAU9I4j3IX6H14otI5telGzJufVsWWCBgUzkrVsfO3zoEHxA2W5fsmtc7RgRuR1p2FB3e1ApG_YiiEemx4zWA-bJGj4YYLuORFOzF67zTMYCn7T9OKM=).

Forward Looking Statements
 
Statements in this press release that are not purely historical facts may constitute forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company has based these statements on its current expectations and the information currently available to us. Forward-looking statements in this presentation include statements regarding the deployment and capabilities of the Iridium NEXT constellation and products and services to be offered over the constellation, including Iridium Certus and the Aireon system. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the words "anticipates," "may," "can," "believes," "expects," "projects," "intends," "likely," "will," "to be" and other expressions that are predictions or indicate future events, trends or prospects. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Iridium to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, uncertainties regarding potential delays in the Iridium NEXT deployment, the development and functionality of Iridium NEXT and related products and services, and the company's ability to maintain the health, capacity and content of its satellite constellation, as well as general industry and economic conditions, and competitive, legal, governmental and technological factors. Other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements include those factors listed under the caption "Risk Factors" in the Company's Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC" ) on February 23, 2017, as well as other filings Iridium makes with the SEC from time to time. There is no assurance that Iridium's expectations will be realized. If one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if Iridium's underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially fr om those expected, estimated or projected. Iridium's forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release, and Iridium undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements.

Press Contact:

Jordan Hassin
Iridium Communications Inc.
+1 (646) 872-0067
Jordan.Hassin@iridium.com
Twitter: @IridiumComm

Investor Contact:

Kenneth LevyIridium Communications Inc.
+1 (703) 287-7570
Ken.Levy@Iridium.com
Twitter: @IridiumIR

[свернуть]

ЦитироватьJune 25, 2017

Iridium-2 Mission

On Sunday, June 25 at 1:25 p.m. PDT, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched 10 satellites to low-Earth orbit for Iridium, a global leader in mobile voice and data satellite communications. This is the second set of 10 satellites in a series of 75 total satellites that SpaceX will launch for Iridium's next generation global satellite constellation, Iridium® NEXT.

Following stage separation, the first stage of Falcon 9 successfully landed on the "Just Read the Instructions" droneship stationed in the Pacific Ocean, despite challenging weather conditions.

You can watch the archived mission webcast below and find more information about the mission in our press kit (http://www.spacex.com/sites/spacex/files/iridium2presskit.pdf). Additional photos are also available on our Flickr page (https://www.flickr.com/photos/spacex).

ЦитироватьIridium and SpaceX – A Partnership Launching a New Generation of Space

by Iridium (https://blog.iridium.com/author/iridium/) | Jun 25, 2017 | Iridium (https://blog.iridium.com/category/iridium/), Iridium NEXT (https://blog.iridium.com/category/iridium-next/) | 0 comments (https://blog.iridium.com/2017/06/25/iridium-and-spacex-a-partnership-launching-a-new-generation-of-space/#respond)

In this industry, innovation, precision and collaboration are key in bringing revolutionary technologies to market. As Iridium CEO Matt Desch has said, "In the satellite space industry, we have to work with others. Partnerships are crucial, and ours with SpaceX proves how important it is to work together to be successful."

Спойлер

SpaceX is known as a leading commercial space exploration company that designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft. It provides regular cargo resupply missions for NASA, and is the first rocket provider planning to send a human to Mars. But before all of its fame and notoriety, SpaceX was a startup with lofty goals. In 2010, Iridium believed in the company's vision, and contracted with them to launch its entire next-generation global satellite constellation, Iridium NEXT, becoming SpaceX's largest commercial customer. Iridium placed its largest initiative in the hands of a startup, essentially entrusting the future of the company with SpaceX.

(https://d24f1sdg4tqdi.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/23105343/32312416415_b90892af0a_o-200x300.jpg)

As Iridium's sole launch provider, the partnership with SpaceX is an example of trust, ingenuity and perseverance. "There are so many variables that need to be considered when finalizing launch preparations, and a slight deviation or unexpected behavior by any of them can jeopardize the launch integrity," notes Iridium COO, Scott Smith.

Today, SpaceX employs more than 4,000 people, and Iridium remains its largest commercial customer. Seven years ago, Iridium purchased a new SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that was going to set a new standard of excellence for the Space industry, with the goal of launching nine satellites per launch. Over the years, the rocket evolved and exceeded performance expectations, which now allows Iridium to launch 10 Iridium NEXT satellites per Falcon 9 rocket, an amazing technological feat.

Every Iridium NEXT satellite weighs 1,900 pounds, which is about the size of a Mini Cooper automobile. To put this into perspective, each rocket will carry approximately 19,000 pounds into space – that is the weight of a semi tractor trailer truck!

The two companies have been through numerous challenges; however, on January 14, 2017, the first Iridium NEXT launch occurred. On that date, SpaceX successfully launched the first 10 Iridium NEXT satellites on its Falcon 9 rocket. All subsequent launches will be on the same type of rocket, which is manufactured entirely in the United States, and is designed to be the world's first fully reusable rocket, ultimately reducing the cost of space travel.

SpaceX's President and Chief Operating Officer, Gwynne Shotwell shares, "I think both (Iridium and SpaceX) are incredibly innovative companies. Iridium and SpaceX obviously like the concept of change – change to make it better, not change just for change's sake."

Desch continued that, "In order to build successful LEO networks, you have to take it up a level of magnitude. You need to be 10 times better than the competition. Working with SpaceX allowed us to find an achievable and cost-effective launch plan to set us apart and allow us to start the largest tech refresh in space history."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O35hOO2HBjc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O35hOO2HBjc)

[свернуть]

ЦитироватьFALCON 9 LAUNCH SUCCESS

By 30th Space Wing Public Affairs, 30th Space Wing Public Affairs / Published June 25, 2017

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --
Team Vandenberg supported the successful launch of ten Iridium NEXT satellites on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4E here Sunday, Jun. 25, at 1:25 p.m. PDT.

This was the first launch for Col. Michael S. Hough, 30th Space Wing commander, since he took command on June 9th.

"We are once again proud to support another successful launch of Iridium NEXT," said Hough. "This launch is a perfect demonstration of the high level of teamwork and precision that exists between Team Vandenberg and SpaceX."

This was the second of eight planned Falcon 9 launches supporting the deployment of Iridium's next generation global satellite constellation, Iridium NEXT. Each launch contributes to replacing the world's largest commercial satellite network and the only network that covers 100 percent of the earth. Iridium NEXT will enable new capabilities like Aireon's real-time, global aircraft surveillance and tracking service, and Iridium Certus?,  the Company's next-generation communications platform that will bring broadband speeds to even the world's most remote locations

ЦитироватьЗловредный пишет:

ЦитироватьВиктор Кондрашов пишет:
Чего это? 9:8.  :)  

А, точно. Можно ещё засчитать два из Куру.

ЦитироватьSGS_67 пишет:
Рули не красные. Скорость явно меньше, чем в прошлый раз.

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185770.png) Iridium Corporate‏Подлинная учетная запись @IridiumComm (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm) 36 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm/status/879114071160885251)

SNOC Report: Received telemetry from all 10 #IridiumNEXT (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IridiumNEXT?src=hash) satellites. #NEXTevolution (https://twitter.com/hashtag/NEXTevolution?src=hash) #Iridium (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iridium?src=hash)-2

Цитироватьmakandser пишет:
Можно и парочку индийских защитать, если очень хочется вперёд выйти.

ЦитироватьЗловредный пишет:

Цитироватьmakandser пишет:
Можно и парочку индийских защитать, если очень хочется вперёд выйти.

Каким образом? Скорее запуски Атласа и Антареса (российские двигатели).

ЦитироватьГеоргеа пишет:
Думаю, Союзы с Куру надо считать уж как минимум за половину "наших"  :)  А то и за 0,8.

Цитироватьmakandser пишет:

ЦитироватьЗловредный пишет:

Цитироватьmakandser пишет:
Можно и парочку индийских защитать, если очень хочется вперёд выйти.

Каким образом? Скорее запуски Атласа и Антареса (российские двигатели).

Если запуски Arianespace засчитывать, то и индийские можно, и Атлас, и Антарес. Было бы желание.

Цитироватьzandr пишет:

ЦитироватьDiZed пишет:
это агентства

По BulgariaSat1 сообщения в 53-х русскоязычных источниках
 https://news.yandex.ru/yandsearch?text=BulgariaSat&rpt=nnews2&grhow=clutop (https://news.yandex.ru/yandsearch?text=BulgariaSat&rpt=nnews2&grhow=clutop)

По сабжу - уже 22
 https://news.yandex.ru/yandsearch?lr=10746&cl4url=tass.ru%2Fkosmos%2F4364682&lang=ru&rubric=index&from=index (https://news.yandex.ru/yandsearch?lr=10746&cl4url=tass.ru%2Fkosmos%2F4364682&lang=ru&rubric=index&from=index)
Игнор?

Цитироватьpnetmon пишет:
Как хороша у Маска трансляция

Цитироватьtestest пишет:

ЦитироватьГеоргеа пишет:
Думаю, Союзы с Куру надо считать уж как минимум за половину "наших"  :)  А то и за 0,8.

При помощи какой методики получены эти коэффициенты?

По формальным признакам запуски из Куру - французские. Оператором является французская компания, этого уже достаточно.

Но при оценке промышленного потенциала отрасли они должны считаться в пользу российской РКО.

Цитироватьmakandser пишет:

ЦитироватьЗловредный пишет:

Цитироватьmakandser пишет:
Можно и парочку индийских защитать, если очень хочется вперёд выйти.

Каким образом? Скорее запуски Атласа и Антареса (российские двигатели).

Если запуски Arianespace засчитывать, то и индийские можно, и Атлас, и Антарес. Было бы желание.

ЦитироватьGeorgea пишет:

Цитировать...

Коэффициенты получены с помощью грубого приближения  :)
Число страновых запусков, по логике, должно указывать на состоятельность космической отрасли данной страны. При этом представляется вполне очевидным, что для состоятельности космической отрасли технические компетенции более важны, чем маркетинговые, и поэтому более важно, кто произвел ракеты, чем кто является оператором пуска.

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg) Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 48 мин назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/879315497669599236)

SpaceX Falcon 9 (Iridium NEXT-2) rising through the Vandenberg clouds, via Sam Sun (L2 collection). https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=43149.msg1695239#msg1695239 ... (https://t.co/HpbtlkhcWq)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/164095.jpg)

ЦитироватьSpaceX launches and lands second Falcon 9 rocket in two days
June 25, 2017 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/06/) Stephen Clark (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)

Two days after launching a Falcon 9 rocket fr om Florida, SpaceX sent another mission into orbit Sunday fr om California's Central Coast with 10 new satellites for Iridium's voice and data relay network.

Спойлер

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/126524.png)
The Falcon 9 rocket accelerates downrange south fr om Vandenberg Air Force Base in California after Sunday's liftoff with 10 Iridium Next satellites. Credit: SpaceX

Like Friday's flight from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Falcon 9's first stage plunged back through the atmosphere and made a propulsive vertical landing on a barge stationed several hundred miles downrange from the launch site.

The back-to-back launchings and landings set a record for the shortest turnaround between two SpaceX flights from different launch sites, a milestone the company could repeat as it reactivates a damaged launch pad at Cape Canaveral later this year and begins service from a Texas spaceport as soon as next year.

The last time two orbital-class U.S. rockets of similar type lifted off two days apart was in March 1995, when a Lockheed Martin Atlas 2AS rocket and a similar Atlas-E launcher flew separate missions from Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg Air Force Base, delivering an Intelsat broadcast satellite and an Air Force weather satellite to space.

Russian Soyuz rockets, on the other hand, have flown the same day from different launch pads, most recently in March 2015, when Soyuz boosters took off two hours apart from the Baikonur Cosmodome in Kazakhstan with a three-man space station crew and from the European-run space base in French Guiana with two Galileo navigation payloads.

A four-day delay in SpaceX's previous launch from Florida, which carried a Bulgarian-owned communications satellite to orbit on a previously-flown, reused Falcon 9 booster, set up the weekend doubleheader.

Sunday's mission began at 1:25:14 p.m. PDT (4:25:14 p.m. EDT; 2025:14 GMT), the instant when the Falcon 9 rocket could dispatch its 10 satellite passengers directly into one of the six orbital pathways populated by more than 60 Iridium communications spacecraft.

The 229-foot-tall (70-meter) Falcon launcher lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4-East at Vandenberg, the primary launch site on the U.S. West Coast. After climbing through a soupy fog bank enshrouding the hillside launch pad, the Falcon 9 steered through clear skies on a southerly trajectory with its nine Merlin 1D main engines producing 1.7 million pounds of thrust, chugging a super-chilled combination of RP-1 kerosene and liquid oxygen propellants.

After consuming most of its propellant, the first stage dropped away from the Falcon 9's upper stage to begin a descent toward a SpaceX barge in the Pacific Ocean.

Four upgraded titanium grid fins, flying of the first time Sunday, extended from the top of the 14-story first stage and helped steer the rocket on its glide back to Earth. The booster ignited a subset of its Merlin engines twice, first to slow down for re-entry through the atmosphere, then to brake for landing.

A four-legged landing gear opened at the base of the booster just before touchdown, and the rocket braved high winds and challenging seas as it dropped through a low cloud deck onto the football field-sized drone ship, dubbed "Just Read the Instructions," around eight minutes after blastoff.

The rocket will return to port in Southern California in a few days for inspections and possible reuse.

Elon Musk, SpaceX's founder and chief executive, said the new, larger grid fin design is more robust than the Falcon 9's previous aluminum fins, which had to be shielded against the extreme heat during re-entry, then replaced before the first stage could fly again.

The new fins are cast in a single piece of titanium and cut to form their shape, Musk tweeted. He said the titanium fins are "slightly heavier" than the shielded aluminum fins, but the upgrade offers more control authority for stabilization and steering as the pencil-like 14-story booster glides back to Earth.

The Falcon 9 rocket can land in heavier winds with the upgraded fins, Musk said.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/126525.jpg)
An up-close view of the Falcon 9's redesigned titanium grid fins. Credit: SpaceX

"New titanium grid fins worked even better than expected," Musk tweeted after Sunday's landing. "Should be capable of an indefinite number of flights with no service."

The billionaire entrepreneur also gave a brief upd ate on SpaceX's efforts to recover pieces of the Falcon 9 rocket's payload fairings, the nose cone that protects satellites during the first few minutes of each launch. SpaceX intends to guide the fairing parts, which jettison from the rocket like a clamshell, with tiny thrusters and gently land them in the ocean with a parafoil.

"Getting closer to fairing recovery and reuse," he tweeted. "Had some problems with the steerable parachute. Should have it sorted out by end of year."

While the first stage made its daring descent, the second stage of the Falcon 9 rocket fired its single vacuum-rated Merlin engine into a preliminary parking orbit. After sailing over Antarctica, the upper stage reignited the Merlin engine for three seconds to reach a targeted 388-mile-high (625-kilometer) orbit to begin releasing the 10 Iridium satellites.

Fastened to a two-tier dispenser specially designed and built by SpaceX, the 1,896-pound (860-kilogram) satellites separated one-by-one at intervals of approximately 90 seconds. The deployments were complete by T+plus 1 hour, 12 minutes.

SpaceX and Iridium officials declared the launch a success, and ground controllers established radio contact with all 10 of the new satellites to verify they survived the trip into orbit.

"Ten for ten, it's a clean sweep," said Falcon 9 product manager John Insprucker, who provided commentary on SpaceX's live webcast of the mission. "We can tie a broom to the Falcon 9."

Sunday's launch targeted Plane 3 of the Iridium constellation, which is designed to have 66 satellites spread out evenly in six orbital planes around Earth. One of of the satellites will fill a hole in Plane 3 wh ere one of Iridium's aging communications platforms failed last year.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/126526.jpg)
Credit: Gene Blevins/LA Daily News

It was the second of at least eight Falcon 9 flights to deliver 75 next-generation satellites to replace Iridium's network with upgraded services and new spacecraft designed to operate for the next 15 years. Twenty of the satellites are now in space with the conclusion of Sunday's mission.

Iridium ordered 81 of the new-generation "Iridium Next" satellites in 2010 from Thales Alenia Space, a French aerospace contractor. Thales partnered with Orbital ATK to build the spacecraft in an assembly line fashion in Orbital's factory near Phoenix.

"Right now, it's two down with six more launches to go," said Matt Desch, chief executive officer of Iridium, in a post-launch press release. "Our operations team is eagerly awaiting this new batch of satellites and is ready to begin the testing and validation process. After several weeks of fine-tuning, the next set of 'slot swaps' will begin, bringing more Iridium Next satellites into operational service, and bringing us closer to an exciting new era for our network, company, and partners."

"Specifically for this launch, five satellites ... will go into mission in Plane 3, replacing existing satellites, or in one case, filling a hole in our network we've had for the last year or so," Desch said in a pre-launch conference call with reporters. "Four satellites will be sent drifting down to Plane 2, wh ere three of those satellites are expected to go into mission and one will be positioned as a spare."

One more satellite launched Sunday will drift to Plane 4 and go into operation there next year. It takes 10 or 11 months to reposition an Iridium satellite to another orbital plane.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/126527.jpg)
Artist's concept of an Iridium Next satellite. Credit: Thales Alenia Space

The satellites will boost themselves to a higher altitude — around 485 miles (780 kilometers) above Earth — in the coming weeks and months, rendezvousing with the older spacecraft each is intended to replace.

Desch said the satellites launched Sunday will replace aging members of the Iridium fleet that lifted off on a Russian Proton rocket from Kazakhstan in September 1997, and on two Boeing Delta 2 rockets from Vandenberg in March 1998 and February 2002.

The first-generation satellites were designed to last eight years, but most of them are still providing service, more than 20 years after the first batch of Iridium spacecraft reached orbit.

"Iridium Next features the same unique interconnected satellite architecture as the original constellation, which is the key feature that distinguishes Iridium from all other commercial satellite operators," Desch said. "Cross-links, as we refer to them, allow our satellites to bounce data and voice calls around the world nearly instantaneously, creating a true web of coverage around the entire planet, the key advantage of our network and one of the biggest reasons for our growth and success."

Improved service for Iridium's nearly 900,000 subscribers will also come with the new satellites.

Besides faster connections on voice calls and data relays, the modern satellites are the cornerstone of Iridium Certus, which the company says will link customers on-the-go via an L-band network that is not as susceptible to interference from poor weather and other factors.

Desch said the Certus initiative will provide Iridium customers with up to 1.4 megabits per second of L-band connectivity, up from 128 kilobits per second available with the existing satellites.

"Certus is an L-band service built for reliability, coverage, mobility and able to be certified for safety services to ships and the cockpits of aircraft," he said, adding that Certus will go to market in early 2018.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/126528.jpg)
Artist's illustration of the Iridium network. Credit: Thales Alenia Space

Iridium's clients include the U.S. military, oil and gas companies, aviation and maritime operators, and mining and construction contractors.

Piggyback payloads on the Iridium satellites orbited Sunday will help commercial companies track and stay in contact with airplanes and ships outside the reach of land-based radars.

All of the Iridium Next satellites host radio receivers for Aireon, an affiliate of Iridium established in partnership with air traffic control authorities in Canada, Ireland, Italy and Denmark.

"Aireon technology is hosted by us on every Iridium Next satellite and is poised to change how the world views the skies," Desch said. "The only way to really provide 100 percent global aircraft tracking and surveillance in realtime is through the Iridium network and our unique cross-link functionality that's provided by our satellites."

Don Thoma, Aireon's CEO, told reporters his company's service will help usher air traffic control into the modern era, making for more efficient use of airspace over oceans, wh ere ground-based radars cannot see aircraft on intercontinental flights.

"When aircraft leave terrestrial airspace, they fly very rigid formations, typically conga lines or highways in the sky, along fixed routes to ensure that the aircraft maintain safe separation distances from one another, and make sure the air traffic system is as safe as it is," Thoma said.

"That's all in the process of being changed," he said. "There's a major upgrade by the world's air traffic control organizations to move from a radar-based technology to a new GPS-based technology called Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast, or ADS-B."

While ADS-B signals were originally meant to be received by ground stations and other aircraft, the Aireon payload on each Iridium Next satellite can detect them from space.

"ADS-B will provide realtime, very accurate, frequent updates on aircraft location to air traffic control," Thoma said. "What Aireon represents is the ability to provide that not just over land-based areas, but over the entire world."

Touting financial and environmental benefits in fuel costs and pollution reductions, Thoma said Aireon's position data will help ensure airplanes are not lost over remote oceans, like the case of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370, a Boeing 777 that went missing with 239 passengers and crew in March 2014.
"We'll be able to pick up those (position) signals and provide them in realtime to air traffic controllers," Thoma said. "This will truly be a revolutionary aspect of air traffic control, not only supporting the surveillance across remote areas like the oceans, but also providing a backup capability and additional gap-filling surveillance over significant parts of land masses around the world."

The first eight Aireon payloads aboard Iridium Next satellites launched in January are already receiving ADS-B position signals, he said.

Nine of the 10 Iridium Next satellites launched Saturday also have antennas to monitor maritime traffic for exactEarth, a Canadian company, and Harris Corp. of Melbourne, Florida, according to Nicole Schill, an exactEarth spokesperson.

Like all eight of Iridium's launches booked with SpaceX, Sunday's flight used a brand new Falcon 9 first stage.

SpaceX has racked up two successful launches with recycled Falcon 9 boosters, including Friday's mission from Florida, which coincidentally was powered by the first stage that sent the first 10 Iridium Next craft to space in January from California.

"I believe previously-flown boosters are fantastic," Desch said. "I think it's revolutionizing the industry. I think it's fantastic, in the future, for the availability and cost of launches."

Desch said he was inclined, for now, to continue launching Iridium satellites on newly-built Falcon 9s.
"Our using them or not using them is not a statement around the quality or capability of those boosters," he said.

Instead, Desch would like to see a steeper discount for flying on a reused Falcon 9 booster than SpaceX currently offers. Perhaps most importantly, he said, is determining whether a switch to a previously-flown Falcon 9 rocket will get Iridium's satellites up sooner.

Iridium's first 10 satellites were supposed to launch last September, but the flight was grounded until January in the wake of a Falcon 9 rocket explosion in Florida. A manufacturing bottleneck at SpaceX's headquarters near Los Angeles delayed the second Iridium Next flight from April to June.

"When would they be available, and would they improve the current launch plan we have with brand new rockets that I basically contracted for a number of years ago, and have budgeted for and have paid for?" Desch said. "That's the first thing. Will they improve my schedule because schedule, to me, is very, very important."

"Secondly is the cost, and really the cost and risk are kind of aligned," he said. "I believe the risk is pretty low right now, but it's not zero because it's a new thing."

He said the reduced cost of a reused Falcon 9 is "minor right now, at least in our perception of it."
"If that changes as there are additional launches, I'll reconsider that, but right now I think we've made the right decision."

"While we are currently flying first-flown launches, I'm open to previously-flown launches, particularly for maybe the second half of our launch schedule — maybe in 2018 — but I really want to see the answers to all those questions before we'd ever make that kind of decision," Desch said.

The next Falcon 9 flight is set for takeoff from Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39A some time next month. It will send an Intelsat high-throughput communications satellite toward its perch in geostationary orbit more than 22,000 miles (35,000 kilometers) over the equator.

Vandenberg is set to host its next Falcon 9 launch in late August, when it will loft a long-delayed Taiwanese Earth observation satellite, according to Taiwanese news reports.

Then 10 more Iridium satellites are se t to go up on another Falcon 9 from Vandenberg some time in early fall.

[свернуть]

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185770.png) Iridium Corporate‏Подлинная учетная запись @IridiumComm (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm) 13 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm/status/879417158312308738)

SNOC Report: 2nd set of #IridiumNEXT (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IridiumNEXT?src=hash) satellites provide telemetry and are functioning nominally. http://bit.ly/2teKuHt (https://t.co/hW1IOEub9V)

ЦитироватьSecond Set of Iridium® NEXT Satellites Arrive in Orbit and Provide Telemetry

by Iridium (https://blog.iridium.com/author/iridium/) | Jun 26, 2017 | Uncategorized (https://blog.iridium.com/category/uncategorized/) | 0 comments (https://blog.iridium.com/2017/06/26/second-set-of-iridium-next-satellites-arrive-in-orbit-and-provide-telemetry/#respond)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/135632.jpg)

Iridium Communications announced today that the second set of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites, launched yesterday by SpaceX, are functioning nominally and have begun the testing and validation process. This batch of 10 satellites was launched out of Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, increasing the total number of Iridium NEXT satellites in space to 20.

Спойлер

"We are thrilled with yesterday's success. These new satellites are functioning well, and we are pressing forward with the testing process," said Scott Smith, chief operating officer at Iridium. "Since the last launch, the team at our Satellite Network Operations Center (SNOC) has been anxiously awaiting this new batch of satellites. There is a lot of work to do, and we are up for the challenge."

Now, and for approximately the next 45 days, these newly launched satellites will undergo a series of testing and validation procedures, ensuring they are ready for integration with the operational constellation. Once testing is completed, Iridium will also hand over control of Aireon's Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast hosted payload, to the team at Aireon's Hosted Payload Operations Center (HPOC), also in Leesburg, Va.

For more information about Iridium NEXT, please visit www.IridiumNEXT.com.

[свернуть]

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185421.jpg) Spaceflight101‏ @Spaceflight101 (https://twitter.com/Spaceflight101) 11 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/Spaceflight101/status/879329912288620548)

Ten objects cataloged in a 610 x 625-Kilometer, 86.67° orbit. Confirming an on-target injection of the Iridium sats & 2nd stage deorbit.(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DDQB0rnXkAA6BAZ.jpg)

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67496.jpg) Matt Desch‏ @IridiumBoss (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss) 32 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss/status/879701198999359488)

This was my favorite part of Sunday's launch - the deployment of SV113 a little more than one hour into the flight. So, so cool!
https://video.twimg.com/tweet_video/DDVTNDHWsAExF1X.mp4 (https://video.twimg.com/tweet_video/DDVTNDHWsAExF1X.mp4)

ЦитироватьАлексей пишет: 
Раньше обгарало защитное покрытие, что и приводило к красному свечению.

ЦитироватьРанее Spacex заявлял что новые рули большего размера позволят увеличить угол атаки и снизить тепловой поток.

Цитировать  Интересно, можно ли определить угол из видео трансляции со ступени?

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67496.jpg) Matt Desch‏ @IridiumBoss (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss) 2 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss/status/879790603634188288)

Launch 2 picture, as Bryan, Tatiana and I watched our satellites head toward space. Hand on heart trying to manually control heart rate...
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/164268.jpg)

ЦитироватьSGS_67 пишет:
А они точно большего размера?

Цитироватьmakandser пишет:

ЦитироватьSGS_67 пишет:
А они точно большего размера?

Можно убедиться на гифке (https://i.imgur.com/Qa6hChc.gifv) . Увеличились в длину.

ЦитироватьSGS_67 пишет:
А в ширину - уменьшились.

Цитироватьmakandser пишет:

ЦитироватьSGS_67 пишет:
А в ширину - уменьшились.

Ширина та же, насколько я могу судить.

ЦитироватьDr.Cox пишет:
И какие чувства Вы при этом ощущаете?
Чувство глубокого удовлетворения, или
"Гребаный стыд"?

ЦитироватьIRIDIUM 113 - 42803 / 2017-039A
 IRIDIUM 123 - 42804 / 2017-039B
 IRIDIUM 120 - 42805 / 2017-039C
 IRIDIUM 115 - 42806 / 2017-039D
 IRIDIUM 118 - 42807 / 2017-039E
 IRIDIUM 117 - 42808 / 2017-039F
 IRIDIUM 126 - 42809 / 2017-039G
 IRIDIUM 124 - 42810 / 2017-039H
 IRIDIUM 128 - 42811 / 2017-039J
 IRIDIUM 121 - 42812 / 2017-039K

ЦитироватьPort of Los Angeles Live Stream

 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220638.jpg)  (https://www.youtube.com/user/ThePortofLosAngeles) Port of Los Angeles (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeFhVfUYk5y6boBsN9_21jA)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2soAeIjQxVA

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185911.jpg) Matt Hartman‏ @ShorealoneFilms (https://twitter.com/ShorealoneFilms) 48m ago (https://twitter.com/ShorealoneFilms/status/880127249961201665)

Welcome home!! #spacex (https://twitter.com/hashtag/spacex?src=hash) #falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/falcon9?src=hash) @CBSLA (https://twitter.com/CBSLA) @KNX1070 (https://twitter.com/KNX1070) #sanpedro (https://twitter.com/hashtag/sanpedro?src=hash)(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163915.jpg)


37m ago (https://twitter.com/ShorealoneFilms/status/880129988468527104)

back home safe #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) #falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/falcon9?src=hash)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163919.jpg)

Цитировать (https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/684450726529994752/XtiFi-SI_bigger.jpg) Holly Titus-Sweany‏ @HTitusSweany (https://twitter.com/HTitusSweany) 1 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/HTitusSweany/status/880136589162143744)

Coming across the flats. #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) headed to dock.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163902.jpg)

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186107.jpg) Sandy Mazza‏Verified account @SandyMazza (https://twitter.com/SandyMazza) 1h ago (https://twitter.com/SandyMazza/status/880194383793897472)

The @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) booster photo gallery is up! She rolled into Port of LA at about noon on Just Read the Instructions: http://photos.dailybreeze.com/2017/06/photos-spacex-falcon-9-booster-towed-into-port-of-los-angeles-after-iridium-2-launch/#5 ... (https://t.co/QBvqE8ak6E)

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186094.jpg) Vipe Desai‏ @vipedesai (https://twitter.com/vipedesai) 22m ago (https://twitter.com/vipedesai/status/880236396576821248)

Nerd alert. #falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/falcon9?src=hash) #spacex (https://twitter.com/hashtag/spacex?src=hash) #toinfinityandbeyond (https://twitter.com/hashtag/toinfinityandbeyond?src=hash)(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125513.png)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163920.jpg)

Цитироватьtnt22 (http://novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/forum/user/18282/) пишет:
Celestrak разобрался с идентификацией Иридиумов NEXT 2-й партии, НОРАД пока молчит

ЦитироватьPort of Los Angeles Live Stream

 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220638.jpg)  (https://www.youtube.com/user/ThePortofLosAngeles) Port of Los Angeles (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeFhVfUYk5y6boBsN9_21jA)

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186104.jpg) Aireon‏ @AireonLLC (https://twitter.com/AireonLLC) 1 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/AireonLLC/status/882962293692264453)

Testing the recently launched #Aireon (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Aireon?src=hash) payloads in the @IridiumComm (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm) LEOP Control Room during on-orbit activities! #ProofIsInThePayload (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ProofIsInThePayload?src=hash)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/164468.jpg)

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185770.png) Iridium Corporate‏Подлинная учетная запись @IridiumComm (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm) 6 июл. (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm/status/883025341983453184)

#IridiumNEXT (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IridiumNEXT?src=hash) SVs go through rigorous testing and validation. Here's a quick glance of the path to full network integration. #NEXTevolution (https://twitter.com/hashtag/NEXTevolution?src=hash)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/164478.jpg)

ЦитироватьSpaceX Falcon-9 Booster with New Titanium Grid Fins Landing on Droneship | SpaceX News

 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220770.jpg)  (https://www.youtube.com/user/ABVideoStudio) AB Video Studio (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7Cz2lJxc7x6Re85LMk-_TQ)

Опубликовано: 27 июн. 2017 г.

Elon Musk said: Flying with larger & significantly upgraded hypersonic grid fins. Single piece cast & cut titanium. Can take reentry heat with no shielding.

ЦитироватьSpaceX - Iridium-2 - Booster Landing - 06-25-2017

 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220769.jpg)  (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5hWqb0u1eKgYmVryCEyJYA) USLaunchReport (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5hWqb0u1eKgYmVryCEyJYA)

Опубликовано: 25 июн. 2017 г.

Another great landing. New Titanium grid fins. Footage from SpaceX live webcast.

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185770.png) Iridium Corporate‏Подлинная учетная запись @IridiumComm (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm) 22 ч назад (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm/status/883423689781456896)

#FlashbackFriday (https://twitter.com/hashtag/FlashbackFriday?src=hash) to #Iridium (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iridium?src=hash)-2 launch prep. Check out how #IridiumNEXT (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IridiumNEXT?src=hash) satellites are mated to their dispensers at the @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) VAFB facility

Video (https://twitter.com/i/videos/tweet/883423689781456896)

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67496.jpg) Matt Desch‏ @IridiumBoss (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss) 17 июл. (https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss/status/887034600039514116)

Great highlights reel from our recent 2nd launch. Revisit the excitement while we start to get ready for L3!

ЦитироватьIridium NEXT Launch 2 Highlights

 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220762.jpg)  (https://www.youtube.com/user/IridiumComm) IridiumComm (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ6-3U3gUwQHvQ1jyj4dOpQ)

Опубликовано: 17 июл. 2017 г.

On June 25, 2017, SpaceX successfully launched 10 more Iridium NEXT satellites, doubling the number of new satellites in the Iridium® constellation. This payload of 10 satellites was deployed into low-Earth orbit, approximately one hour after a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, at 1:25pm PDT (20:25 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7JHx0Lzm4M#) UTC). Here are some of the highlights and memorable moments of this exciting day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7JHx0Lzm4Mhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7JHx0Lzm4M (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7JHx0Lzm4M) (2:10)

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185770.png) Iridium Corporate‏Подлинная учетная запись @IridiumComm (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm) 11 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm/status/888051317276643331)

SNOC Report: We're excited to share that the 1st SV from the 2nd #IridiumNEXT (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IridiumNEXT?src=hash) launch is now providing service to customers! #OnARoll (https://twitter.com/hashtag/OnARoll?src=hash)

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185770.png) Iridium Corporate‏Подлинная учетная запись @IridiumComm (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm) 1 авг. (https://twitter.com/IridiumComm/status/892529224183054336)

SNOC Report: First 5 Launch-2 #IridiumNEXT (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IridiumNEXT?src=hash) SVs are now active. Remaining 5 completed drift initiations. Ops team preparing for launch #3