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Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/29266.jpg) GovSat‏ @GovSatLu (https://twitter.com/GovSatLu) 4 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/GovSatLu/status/936164278792572928)

"#GovSat1 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/GovSat1?src=hash) satellite will provide necessary highly secure assured communications and anti-jamming capabilities, allowing interoperability between nations" - Paul Wells, VP Government satellite Communications at GovSat, yesterday at the Berlin Security Conference Luncheon.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/29267.jpg)

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg) Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 19 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/936224098560208898)

This bird is a mid-January (NET Jan. 15) launch on a Falcon 9 from SLC-40.

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/29266.jpg) GovSat‏ @GovSatLu (https://twitter.com/GovSatLu) 4 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/GovSatLu/status/936164278792572928)

"#GovSat1 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/GovSat1?src=hash) satellite will provide necessary highly secure assured communications and anti-jamming capabilities, allowing interoperability between nations" - Paul Wells, VP Government satellite Communications at GovSat, yesterday at the Berlin Security Conference Luncheon.

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/29266.jpg) GovSat‏ @GovSatLu (https://twitter.com/GovSatLu) 25 окт. (https://twitter.com/GovSatLu/status/923180129433432064)

#GovSat (https://twitter.com/hashtag/GovSat?src=hash) 1 will be a multimissions satellite. Check this video to learn more about its capabilities. #satellite (https://twitter.com/hashtag/satellite?src=hash)

ЦитироватьGovSat Corporate Video 2016 (English version)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220637.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHjfMqfA2uk9NE5n_JTIRiQ) GovSat (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHjfMqfA2uk9NE5n_JTIRiQ)

Опубликовано: 31 авг. 2016 г.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhxJ8F6bE1khttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhxJ8F6bE1k (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhxJ8F6bE1k) (1:10)

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg) Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 49 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/944332239768293376)

SpaceX open media accreditation for PAZ mission from SLC-4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, NET late January 2018 and GovSat-1 mission from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral.....NET late January 2018.

ЦитироватьMaking of GovSat-1

 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220637.jpg)  (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHjfMqfA2uk9NE5n_JTIRiQ) GovSat (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHjfMqfA2uk9NE5n_JTIRiQ)

Опубликовано: 16 июн. 2017 г.

Watch the latest images of #govsat1 (https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%23govsat1) being manufactured

ЦитироватьThis is GovSat-1

 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220637.jpg)  (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHjfMqfA2uk9NE5n_JTIRiQ) GovSat (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHjfMqfA2uk9NE5n_JTIRiQ)

Опубликовано: 7 июл. 2017 г.

Designed to deliver our mission

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185988.jpg) Peter B. de Selding‏ @pbdes (https://twitter.com/pbdes) 5 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/pbdes/status/950484227245662209)

Indications are @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) launch prep of @SES_Satellites (https://twitter.com/SES_Satellites) SES-16/GovSat-1 proceeding as planned; suggests SpaceX sees fairing deploy/Zuma separation as on target, whatever Zuma's fate.

Цитировать//[–]TheEndeavour2Mars (https://www.reddit.com/user/TheEndeavour2Mars) 2 очка 7 часов назад 
The landing should be changed to "Likely No" it is impossible for the droneship to return, offload Falcon Heavy's core, and return to the new landing site in just 5 days.
The only possibility that I can see is if the core of Falcon Heavy fails to reach the droneship (It is going to reenter the atmosphere with more energy than any previous core) and they decide to just move the droneship. However this sequence of events is unlikely. And the booster is not a Block V core so there is zero chance of it being used a third time. So in the end it is likely cheaper to just toss it away.

[/li]
• //[–]joepublicschmoe (https://www.reddit.com/user/joepublicschmoe) 1 очко 4 часа назад
  

Agree it might very well be a "Likely No."
With SpaceX lately on a spree to expend obsolete boosters rather than recover them (B1035 Iridium-2/-4 and the upcoming B1038 Formosat 5/Paz), maybe SpaceX might expend whichever previously-flown booster to be used to loft SES-16 too. Add to that OCISLY's potential scheduling conflict with recovering B1033 from the FH launch as you mentioned.

ЦитироватьSES officials confirmed this week that satellite and rocket preps are on track for Jan. 30. A recycled Falcon 9 booster stage that first flew May 1 with the U.S. government's classified NROL-76 payload will hoist the GovSat 1 spacecraft toward orbit, and a factory-fresh second stage will finish the job.

Цитироватьjoepublicschmoe (https://www.reddit.com/user/joepublicschmoe) 
Я думаю, что посадка ядра центра FH имеет более высокий приоритет, чем попытка восстановления ступени GovSat-1

I think landing the FH center core has higher priority than trying to recover the GovSat-1 booster.

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185874.jpg)  Michael Baylor‏ @nextspaceflight (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight)  36 мин.36 минут назад (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/955573243305451521)  
BREAKING: SpaceX fairing recovery vessel Mr. Steven has left the Port of LA and is headed for the Panama Canal. This signals a potential fairing recovery attempt for the #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) GovSat launch on January 30th.
 (https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DULgyT2XkAIVSGq.jpg)

ЦитироватьGovSat-1: Secure Communications for Governments
Written on 19 Jan 2018

New Concept in Secure Communications for Governments and Institutions.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/218627.jpg)
Photo credit: Orbital ATK

Designed exclusively for the government and defence community, GovSat-1 is the first satellite of GovSat, which is a joint venture between the Government of Luxembourg and the world-leading satellite operator SES.

Positioned at 21.5 degrees East, this satellite will be ideally located to support communications within Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and to provide highly reliable and flexible interconnectivity for defence and institutional applications within its coverage area. GovSat-1 will also enable operations over the Atlantic and Indian oceans.

Multi-mission Satellite

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/218623.jpg)
Photo credit: Orbital ATK

GovSat-1 was designed for dual use to support both defence and civil security applications, including mobile and fixed communications. It is a multi-mission satellite that offers X-band and Military Ka-band capacity. The spacecraft will provide up to six high-powered and fully steerable spot beams, as well as an advanced Global X-band beam.

The X-band frequency is reserved for governments and institutions, and is an ideal mean to establish secure and robust satellite communication links, for example between theaters of tactical operations, maritime missions or over areas affected by a humanitarian crisis.

The Military Ka-band will be used predominantly for mobility applications in support of Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions. The secure communication links it enables are characterised by smaller high-throughput VSAT terminals. The Mediterranean sea is one particular area covered by a high-power beam in military Ka-band. It is therefore ideally suited to enable communications for European Border Surveillance applications.

Equipped with anti-jamming features, encrypted telemetry and control, and frequencies reserved for governmental use, GovSat-1 will also provide enhanced resilience capabilities for more reliable connectivity.

GovSat-1 was built by Orbital ATK, and designed to operate for 15 years in geostationary orbit. The spacecraft has a launch mass of 4,230 kg. GovSat-1 has a diverse mix of transponder sizes in terms of bandwidth per transponder, offering in total 68 transponder-equivalent units of 36 MHz.

GovSat-1 is scheduled for launch at the end of this month on board SpaceX's flight-proven Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida

Цитировать

LNM: 04/18

ATLANTIC OCEAN - FLORIDA - CAPE CANAVERAL: EASTERN RANGE OP X9516 FALCON-9 GOVSAT-1

Eastern Range will be conducting hazardous operations surface to unlimited within the following Launch Hazard Areas.
 
A: From 2837N 8038W
TO 2838N 8017W
TO 2837N 7949W
TO 2834N 7927W
TO 2830N 7927W
TO 2828N 8007W
TO 2830N 8033W
TO 2831N 8037W to beginning

B: From 2825N 7455W
TO 2830N 7205W
TO 2815N 7140W
TO 2730N 7150W
TO 2800N 7455W to beginning

Hazard periods for primary launch day and backup launch day;
Primary launch day: 30 / 2118Z thru 31 / 0037Z Jan 18. Preferred T-0 is 2123Z.
Backup launch day: 31 / 2118Z thru 01 / 0037Z Feb 18. Preferred T-0 is 2123Z.

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg) Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 11 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/956883846838013953)

Falcon 9 B1032.2 has rolled out at SLC-40 for a Static Fire test. Still waiting for a window.

ЦитироватьSpaceX‏Verified account @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) · 1m (https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/956941584259411968)

Static fire test of Falcon 9 complete—targeting January 30 launch of GovSat-1 from Pad 40 in Florida.

ЦитироватьВиктор Воропаев пишет:
Про попутчика что-то известно, кроме массы?

ЦитироватьGOVSAT-1 PRE LAUNCH INTERVIEW WITH CEO PATRICK BIEWER

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220637.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHjfMqfA2uk9NE5n_JTIRiQ) GovSat (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHjfMqfA2uk9NE5n_JTIRiQ)

Опубликовано: 29 янв. 2018 г.

Цитировать

GovSat-1 Mission

SpaceX is targeting a Falcon 9 launch of the GovSat-1 satellite to a Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO) from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The launch window opens on Tuesday, January 30, at 4:25 p.m. EST, or 21:25 UTC, and closes at 6:46 p.m. EST, or 23:46 UTC. The satellite will deploy approximately 32 minutes after launch.

Falcon 9's first stage for the GovSat-1 mission previously supported the NROL-76 mission from LC-39A in May 2017. SpaceX will not attempt to recover Falcon 9's first stage after launch.

You can watch the mission live below and find more information about the mission in our press kit (http://www.spacex.com/sites/spacex/files/govsat1presskit.pdf).

Цитироватьна сайте SpaceX

spacex.com/webcast (http://www.spacex.com/webcast)

или

на ТыТрубе

youtube.com/watch?v=ScYUA51-POQ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScYUA51-POQ)

ЦитироватьFalcon 9 launch timeline with GovSat 1
January 30, 2018 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/01/) Stephen Clark (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket is set for liftoff from Cape Canaveral on Tuesday, heading due east over the Atlantic Ocean to deliver the GovSat 1 communications satellite into orbit around 32 minutes later.

The 229-foot-tall (70-meter) rocket is poised for launch from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 4:25 p.m. EST (2125 GMT) Tuesday at the opening of a 141-minute launch window.

Спойлер

Perched atop the rocket is the GovSat 1 communications satellite, a spacecraft manufactured by Orbital ATK for a public-private joint venture named LuxGovSat founded by SES and the government of Luxembourg. GovSat 1's military-grade X-band and Ka-band communications payload will support defense and security missions by Luxembourg and its NATO allies across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and adjacent waters.

The Falcon 9 rocket will fly with a reused first stage booster recovered after a launch May 1, 2017, with the National Reconnaissance Office's classified NROL-76 payload. SpaceX does not plan to recover the Falcon 9's first stage on the GovSat 1 mission.

The timeline below outlines the launch sequence for the Falcon 9 flight with GovSat 1.

Data source: SpaceX

T-0:00:00: Liftoff

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31291.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31291.jpg)
After the rocket's nine Merlin engines pass an automated health check, hold-down clamps will release the Falcon 9 booster for liftoff from pad 40.

T+0:01:10: Mach 1

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31292.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31292.jpg)
The Falcon 9 rocket reaches Mach 1, the speed of sound, as the nine Merlin 1D engines provide more than 1.7 million pounds of thrust.

T+0:01:18: Max Q

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31293.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31293.jpg)
The Falcon 9 rocket reaches Max Q, the point of maximum aerodynamic pressure.

T+0:02:38: MECO

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31294.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31294.jpg)
The Falcon 9's nine Merlin 1D engines shut down.

T+0:02:40: Stage 1 Separation

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31295.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31295.jpg)
The Falcon 9's first stage separates from the second stage moments after MECO.

T+0:02:41: First Ignition of Second Stage

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31296.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31296.jpg)
The second stage Merlin 1D vacuum engine ignites for a six-minute burn to put the rocket and GovSat 1 into a preliminary parking orbit.

T+0:03:44: Fairing Jettison

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31297.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31297.jpg)
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+0:08:35: SECO 1

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31299.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31299.jpg)
The second stage of the Falcon 9 rocket shuts down after reaching a preliminary low-altitude orbit. The upper stage and GovSat 1 begin a coast phase scheduled to last more than 18 minutes before the second stage Merlin vacuum engine reignites.

T+0:26:40: Second Ignition of Second Stage

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31301.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31301.jpg)
The Falcon 9's second stage Merlin engine restarts to propel the GovSat 1 communications satellite into a supersynchronous transfer orbit.

T+0:27:48: SECO 2

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31302.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31302.jpg)
The Merlin engine shuts down after a short burn to put the GovSat 1 satellite in the proper orbit for deployment.

T+0:32:19: GovSat 1 Separation

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31303.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31303.jpg)
The GovSat 1 satellite separates from the Falcon 9 rocket in a supersynchronous transfer orbit.

[свернуть]

ЦитироватьLive coverage: SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket set for launch with GovSat 1
January 30, 2018 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/01/) Stephen Clark (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)

01/30/2018 07:10

A communications satellite developed in a public-private partnership between Luxembourg government and SES is set for launch Tuesday aboard a previously-flown SpaceX Falcon 9 booster from Cape Canaveral, ready for a 15-year mission beaming encrypted, jam-resistant signals for security and military forces across Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Launch from Cape Canaveral's Complex 40 launch pad is scheduled for 4:25 p.m. EST (2125 GMT). There is a 40 percent chance of acceptable weather conditions during the launch window.

Read our full mission preview story (https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/01/29/luxembourg-backed-communications-craft-set-for-launch-on-reused-falcon-9-rocket/).

ЦитироватьLuxembourg-backed telecom craft set for launch on reused Falcon 9 rocket
January 29, 2018 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/01/) Stephen Clark (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/143916.jpg)
The GovSat 1 satellite pictured at its Orbital ATK factory in Dulles, Virginia. Credit: GovSat

A communications satellite developed in a public-private partnership between Luxembourg government and SES is set for launch Tuesday aboard a previously-flown SpaceX Falcon 9 booster from Cape Canaveral, ready for a 15-year mission beaming encrypted, jam-resistant signals for security and military forces across Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

The GovSat 1 communications craft, manufactured by Orbital ATK, is heading for a high-altitude "supersynchronous" transfer orbit stretching tens of thousands of miles above Earth. The satellite will use its on-board engine to shift its orbit over the equator and slide into a perch in geostationary orbit at 21.5 degrees east longitude.

Спойлер

From there, GovSat 1's Ka-band and X-band telecom equipment will relay data, radio signals and other communications across a zone stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean. Parked in geostationary orbit, GovSat 1 will move around Earth in lock-step with the planet's rotation, giving it a fixed geographic coverage range.

Owned by LuxGovSat, a public-private joint venture between SES and the government of Luxembourg, GovSat 1 will provide military units deployed by NATO allies secure communications links via fixed land positions or antennas on ships in the Mediterranean Sea, the Baltic Sea, and the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

"GovSat 1 is basically a dual-mission satellite, so it has two prime missions," said Patrick Biewer, GovSat's CEO. "One is a military Ka-band mission and the next one is an X-band mission. We provide secure communications services to our users, which can be found in the defense environment and the civilian security type usage."

But the military-grade telecom satellite will first ride a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to orbit, a journey expected to take around 32 minutes.

The 9,325-pound (4,230-kilogram) GovSat 1 spacecraft is set for blastoff at 4:25 p.m. EST (2125 GMT) Tuesday from the Complex 40 launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

But brisk northerly winds are forecast in Central Florida for launch day, leading meteorologists at the U.S. Air Force's 45th Weather Squadron to predict a 60 percent chance that conditions will prevent liftoff Tuesday.

"Skies will be partly cloudy on launch day with northerly winds gusting to 30 mph," the 45th Weather Squadron wrote in an outlook issued Monday. "Winds will slowly diminish through the launch window. The primary concern is liftoff winds."

The forecast for Tuesday evening calls for northerly winds of 25 to 30 mph, mostly clear skies and a temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

If conditions at the opening of the launch window are unfavorable, SpaceX has until 6:46 p.m. EST (2346 GMT) — after sunset — to launch the Falcon 9 rocket, or else wait until an identical launch window Wednesday, when lighter winds are predicted.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/143919.jpg)
The Falcon 9 first stage flying on the GovSat 1 mission made its first launch and landing May 1, 2017. Credit: SpaceX

Tuesday's mission will use a recycled Falcon 9 first stage recovered after the launch of a classified National Reconnaissance Office spy satellite codenamed NROL-76 on May 1, 2017.

It will be the sixth time SpaceX has re-flown one of its Falcon 9 booster stages, and the third time an SES telecom satellite has launched on a reused Falcon 9 first stage.

SpaceX says it will not attempt to recover the Falcon 9 booster on Tuesday's flight.

The high-altitude orbit targeted by GovSat 1 will not leave the first stage with enough leftover fuel to return to a touchdown at Cape Canaveral, and the offshore landing platform typically used by SpaceX is being prepped for the maiden flight of the company's Falcon Heavy rocket as soon as Feb. 6.

The Falcon Heavy's two side boosters, modified from Falcon 9 first stages, will descend to landings at Cape Canaveral, while the Falcon Heavy's central core will head for landing on SpaceX's drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.

Engineers accomplished a hold-down engine firing of the Falcon 9 rocket Friday at launch pad 40, then rolled the launcher back to its hangar for attachment of the GovSat 1 payload.

The rocket is expected to return to pad 40 overnight ahead of Tuesday's countdown.

SpaceX's launch team will load super-chilled, densified RP-1 kerosene fuel and liquid oxygen into the two-stage Falcon 9 rocket about an hour before liftoff.

Powered by 1.7 million pounds of thrust from nine Merlin 1D main engines, the 229-foot-tall (70-meter) Falcon 9 rocket will turn east to climb into the stratosphere over the Atlantic Ocean. The booster will exceed the speed of sound in about one minute, and its first stage will shut down at T+plus 2 minutes, 38 seconds, then drop away two seconds later.

A Merlin engine fitted with an extended nozzle for better performance in the vacuum of space will ignite at T+plus 2 minutes, 41 seconds, followed by the jettison of the Falcon 9's nose shroud at T+plus 3 minutes, 44 seconds.

The second stage engine will switch off at T+plus 8 minutes, 35 seconds, after reaching a preliminary parking orbit with GovSat 1. Another critical second stage burn will begin at T+plus 26 minutes, 40 seconds, and last approximately 68 seconds.

The second upper stage firing will use up nearly all the engine's propellant, using a guidance programming logic dubbed "minimum residual shutdown" mode to send GovSat 1 into the highest orbit possible. The high-altitude deployment into an elliptical transfer orbit is aimed at minimizing the fuel GovSat 1 needs to consume to maneuver into its final orbital perch.

Separation of GovSat 1, also known as SES 16, is expected at T+plus 32 minutes, 19 seconds, over Africa.

The launch of GovSat 1 marks the fifth time an SES satellite has launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. It will be the fourth Orbital ATK-built spacecraft to fly on a Falcon 9 launcher.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/143915.jpg)
The GovSat 1 satellite. Credit: Orbital ATK

GovSat 1 will fire an on-board thruster several times to circularize its orbit more than 22,000 miles (nearly 36,000 kilometers) over the equator. Within a few weeks, the satellite should be on station for in-orbit checkouts, and communications services from GovSat 1 should begin soon after that.

The satellite project was financed with 100 million euros ($123 million) invested in a 50-50 shareholder arrangement between SES and the Luxembourg government, plus a 125 million euro ($154 million) loan from a consortium of Luxembourg banks.

The startup investments and loan covered LuxGovSat's founding costs, and the procurement of the GovSat 1 spacecraft and its launch on a Falcon 9 rocket.

"GovSat is the first public-private venture that operates satellite communications services in governmental frequencies," Biewer said. "It's been set up between two shareholders as a public-private venture, at one end it's SES providing the technical competence and on the other side is the Luxembourg government, who has the ambitions to develop a new proposition in defense communications services."

SES operates the biggest commercial satellite fleet in geostationary orbit, and Tuesday's launch will be the second for the company in five days. The SES 14 telecom craft lifted off Thursday aboard a European Ariane 5 rocket, which put the satellite in an off-target orbit, ending a streak of 82 flawless Ariane 5 flights in a row.

SES 14 will still accomplish its mission, SES officials said, and will use its plasma thrusters to reach its operational orbit around four weeks later than originally planned.

The Ariane 5 rocket also launched with the Orbital ATK-built Al Yah 3 communications satellite for Abu Dhabi-based Yahsat. Like Al Yah 3, GovSat 1 is based on Orbital ATK's new GEOStar 3 spacecraft chassis, a larger, more powerful version of the manufacturer's previous line of telecom craft.

The Luxembourg government has pre-committed to purchase a significant amount of GovSat 1's total communications capacity. Officials will make the rest of the telecom relay capability available to Luxembourg's NATO allies.

GovSat says the spacecraft's X-band frequency is tailored for "secure and robust satellite communication links." Examples include data relays between tactical theaters, maritime missions, or regions impacted by humanitarian crises.

The Ka-band payload is suited for communications on-the-move, broadcasting to smaller antenna terminals aboard ships, airplanes and other mobile vehicles. One of GovSat 1's Ka-band beams is focused on the Mediterranean Sea to aid European border service patrols.

GovSat 1 carries a global X-band beam with coverage extending from the Atlantic Ocean to India, and from Scandinavia to South Africa.

Controllers can manipulate six steerable high-power beams on GovSat 1 to support operations across the satellite's coverage area.

"We have a number of security capabilities on the satellite," Biewer said. "This includes anti-jamming, for instance, it also includes command and control encryption. Overall, we provide a total capacity equivalent to roughly 68 transponders. GovSat 1 features a total of six steerable beams that can be easily operated in military Ka-band or X-band. It also has a global wide beam operated in X-band.

"The government is providing access to these governmental frequencies, and the government also provides the necessary stability — the trust — for us and for partners and users we are targeting."

[свернуть]

ЦитироватьАлексей ХОХЛОВ пишет:
Так есть у ракеты F9 ноги (как на эмблеме миссии) или их нет?

ЦитироватьАлексей ХОХЛОВ пишет:
Так есть у ракеты F9 ноги (как на эмблеме миссии) или их нет?

Цитировать01/30/2018 18:26 Stephen Clark

The launch day weather forecast continues to predict gusty northerly winds along Florida's Space Coast will present a challenge for SpaceX's launch team, but there's hope the winds will become more favorable throughout the afternoon and evening.

Спойлер

The Falcon 9 rocket was rolled out to launch pad 40 overnight and raised vertical in readiness for today's flight with GovSat 1, a military-grade telecom satellite funded and developed by a public-private joint venture between SES and the Luxembourg government.

Today's launch window opens at 4:25 p.m. EST (2125 GMT) and extends until 6:46 p.m. EST (2346 GMT).

The only weather concern going into today's mission -- SpaceX's second launch of 2018 -- is with winds that could exceed the rocket's weather constraints.

"Partly cloudy skies with upper-level jet stream cirrus will remain over the Space Coast for most of today," the U.S. Air Force's 45th Weather Squadron wrote in an outlook issued this morning. "Gusty, northerly winds over the spaceport will peak from 1100-1400 EST (11 a.m.-2 p.m. EST). Winds will gradually shift more easterly and subside through the launch window."

The forecast indicates there is a 60 percent chance the windy conditions will exceed launch weather constraints at the opening of the window, diminishing to a 40 percent probability of the winds preventing a launch later in the window.

Maximum upper level winds will be from the west at 110 knots near 40,000 feet.

Mostly clear skies are forecast, with good visibility and a temperature of around 60 degrees Fahrenheit during the launch window.

Better weather is predicted Wednesday, with a 90 percent chance of conditions favorable for liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket.

[свернуть]

Цитировать01/30/2018 22:40 Stephen Clark

T-minus 1 hour, 45 minutes and counting. Good afternoon fr om the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a few miles away fr om launch pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, wh ere a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is awaiting liftoff this afternoon with the GovSat 1 communications satellite.

The countdown could be paused at T-minus 90 minutes to allow ground winds to diminish here on Florida's Space Coast. Winds are brisk out of the north at this time and close to the Falcon 9's launch commit criteria lim it.

Forecasters expect wind speeds to diminish throughout the evening, and today's launch window extends until 6:46 p.m. EST (2346 GMT).

At 2 p.m. EST (1900 GMT), the wind speeds at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility runway a few miles from pad 40 were clocked gusting to 28 mph.

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185659.jpg) James Dean‏Подлинная учетная запись @flatoday_jdean (https://twitter.com/flatoday_jdean) 5 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/flatoday_jdean/status/958427305348665344)

SpaceX's F9/#GovSat1 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/GovSat1?src=hash) launch has been pushed back to no earlier than 5:30pm ET while launch team monitors strong ground winds. Window to 6:46pm.

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185376.jpg) Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 6 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/958427942907994113)

22:30 UTC is the new NET target for today's #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) launch with #SES16 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SES16?src=hash) / #GovSat1 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/GovSat1?src=hash). Reason is ground winds.

Цитировать01/30/2018 22:53 New launch time

As expected, the countdown has been reset to allow ground winds to become more favorable at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. This means liftoff will not occur at 4:25 p.m. EST (2125 GMT), the opening of today's launch window.

Countdown clocks at the spaceport are now ticking toward a target launch time of 5:30 p.m. EST (2230 GMT).

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185659.jpg) James Dean‏Подлинная учетная запись @flatoday_jdean (https://twitter.com/flatoday_jdean) 51 сек. назад (https://twitter.com/flatoday_jdean/status/958430928023556097)

SCRUB. SpaceX has scrubbed today's launch attempt, plans to try again Wednesday with the same window. #GovSat1 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/GovSat1?src=hash).

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/69029.jpg) SpaceX‏Подлинная учетная запись @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) 2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/958433771493081088)

Standing down for today. Team is going to replace a second stage sensor. Next available launch opportunity is tomorrow, January 31.

Цитировать01/30/2018 23:12 Stephen Clark

The launch team is expected to rotate the Falcon 9 rocket horizontal overnight to replace a transducer ahead of a planned launch attempt tomorrow.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/191056.jpg) (https://www.instagram.com/elonmusk/) elonmusk (https://www.instagram.com/elonmusk/)Подтвержденный •

[/li]
• elonmusk (https://www.instagram.com/elonmusk/)Falcon Heavy, launching Tuesday, in foreground and Falcon 9, launching tomorrow, in background
  

ЦитироватьSpaceX Delays Expendable Falcon 9 Launch with Luxembourg's GovSat-1
January 30, 2018 (http://spaceflight101.com/spacex-delays-expendable-falcon-9-launch-with-luxembourgs-govsat-1/)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152741.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-ses-16/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/DUzn5x0VoAAL8J-.jpg)
Photo: SES

SpaceX delayed the launch of the company's sixth flight-proven Falcon 9 rocket on Tuesday due to a faulty transducer on the launch vehicle, putting in motion a 24-hour recycle to Wednesday's backup launch window of 21:25 to 23:46 UTC. The company's second mission in 2018 is set to carry the SES 16 / GovSat-1 satellite into a high-energy Supersynchronous Transfer Orbit for operator LuxGovSat.

Спойлер

Gusty winds on the ground as well as sporty winds aloft had been a concern for Tuesday's launch opportunity, but SpaceX continued to press toward liftoff by wheeling the Falcon 9 rocket out to Space Launch Complex 40 in the overnight hours and placing it in its vertical launch position by morning. The early countdown portion – dedicated to launch vehicle checks and final hands-on work at the pad – appeared to go as planned.

However, SpaceX launch controllers elected to push the day's T-0 target into the lengthy launch window to wait for winds to subside per the day's launch forecast that predicted a 60% chance of weather rule violations at the opening of the window and improvement to 40% by the window's second half. Shortly after entering the hold, the SpaceX team called for a launch scrub, deferring the launch to Wednesday to replace a faulty transducer on the second stage of the launch vehicle. SpaceX did not provide details on the nature of the sensor problem or the system it affects.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152749.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-ses-16/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/SES16onpad.jpeg)
Photo: SpaceX

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152751.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-ses-16/wp-content/uploads/sites/207/2018/01/GovSat-1_002_resize.jpg)
Photo: Orbital ATK

Falcon 9 will be returned to its horizontal position overnight to allow engineers to complete the part replacement before another countdown will be initiated on Wednesday. Meteorologists are much more optimistic for the backup window, looking at a 90% chance of favorable weather as winds continue dropping off overnight. The only concern for Wednesday's opportunity is a violation of the thick cloud rule as mid-level moisture and easterly winds bring the potential for cloud formation. Upper level winds will also decrease slightly, expected fr om the west at 100 knots, 40,000 feet in altitude.

SES 16 / GovSat has been commissioned as a high-capacity communications satellite for government/defence and institutional use, operating in the military Ka- and X-Band frequency bands and offering a combination of wide-beam anchor beams and fully steerable high-power beams to direct coverage where it is needed within the framework of military activities. A large portion of the satellite's capacity has been reserved by the Government of Luxembourg under its obligations with NATO while the remaining capacity will be made available to government and institutional customers requiring encrypted & jam-proof communications.

GovSat is only the second GEOStar-3 satellite to be delivered to orbit, following the Al Yah 3 satellite that launched atop the Ariane 5 VA241 mission. It will operate for at least 15 years from an orbital location at 21.5°E from wh ere it can deliver an anchor beam across Europe to interconnect government institutions, a global beam covering the entirety of Europe, Africa & the Middle East plus vast stretches of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans for maritime operations support; steerable spot beams for data-intensive applications can be directed anywhere within the satellite's footprint.

>> SES 16 / GovSat-1 Overview (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-ses-16/ses-16-govsat/)

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Цитировать01/31/2018 19:13 Stephen Clark

SpaceX is preparing for another launch attempt today, with a window opening at 4:25 p.m. EST (2125 GMT) at Cape Canaveral's Complex 40 launch pad.

Favorable weather is predicted this afternoon at Cape Canaveral, with a greater than 90 percent probability of acceptable conditions during the launch window, which extends until 6:46 p.m. EST (2346 GMT).

Спойлер

"After a cool start to the day, temperatures will rebound quickly along the Space Coast with easterly winds bringing in some scattered low-level cloudiness," forecasters from the U.S. Air Force's 45th Weather Squadron wrote in an outlook issued this morning. "There is a very low risk these clouds will thicken to create tops near the 0°C level (~12,000 feet) which is needed for a thick cloud layer concern. Maximum upper-level winds will be from the west at 100 knots near 40,000 feet."

Mostly clear skies are predicted during the launch window, with easterly winds of 12 to 17 mph and a temperature of around 62 degrees Fahrenheit.

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ЦитироватьСтарый пишет:
Блин, мы летим или не летим?

Цитировать02/01/2018 00:58GovSat 1 separation(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/124383.png) Stephen Clark

The GovSat 1 satellite has deployed fr om the Falcon 9 rocket's second stage, beginning a 15-year mission to relay secure, encrypted data for the government of Luxembourg and its allies in Europe and NATO.
Owned by GovSat, a joint venture between SES and the Luxembourg government, the spacecraft will use its own engine to reshape its orbit in the coming weeks to a circular altitude of nearly 22,300 miles (about 35,800 kilometers) over the equator, wh ere it will begin service at 21.5 degrees east.

ЦитироватьThis rocket was meant to test very high retrothrust landing in water so it didn't hurt the droneship, but amazingly it has survived. We will try to tow it back to shore.

ЦитироватьDiZed пишет:
все уже улетело давно. и отделилось
официальная запись официальной трансляции
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScYUA51-POQ

Цитироватьus2-star пишет:
А 1-я ступень-то не утонула.  :)  И её хотят попытаться доставить на берег.

ЦитироватьSGS_67 пишет:
Видимо, испытывается новый рубеж скорости движения ступени в атмосфере, по причине малости запаса топлива на возврат.

ЦитироватьHrono пишет:
Но всё же интересно, ноги-то ей зачем приделали?

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/29266.jpg) GovSat‏ @GovSatLu (https://twitter.com/GovSatLu) 2 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/GovSatLu/status/958974009839964160)

With the successful launch of #GovSat1 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/GovSat1?src=hash), we are now off to a great start to provide secure and reliable satellite communications addressing the specific requirements of governments and institutions.

ЦитироватьGovSat-1 Successfully Launched on SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket
Written on 31 Jan 2018

GovSat's first satellite, GovSat-1, will be positioned at 21.5 degrees East and provide highly secure capabilities to governments and institutions

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, 31 January 2018 – The GovSat-1 spacecraft was successfully launched into space today on board a flight-proven SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 04:25 PM EST from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

GovSat-1 is the first satellite of GovSat, a public private partnership between the Government of Luxembourg and the world-leading satellite operator SES.

Спойлер

The multi-mission satellite will be located at the 21.5 degrees East orbital slot, to serve governmental and institutional customers over Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and provide extensive maritime coverage over the Mediterranean and Baltic seas, and the Atlantic and Indian oceans.

The highly flexible and resilient GovSat-1 payload features advanced security capabilities and uses dedicated frequencies in X-band and military Ka-band. GovSat-1 is equipped with six high-powered fully steerable spot beams, a high-power X-band Global beam, and features sixty-eight transponder equivalent units in total.

The satellite is entirely dedicated to government and institutional users, and will be operated by GovSat from the Secure Mission Operations Centre in Luxembourg. The secure and robust connectivity on GovSat-1 will enable critical communications in theatres of operations, interconnect key institutional or defence sites, and support applications such as Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) and communications on the move, among others.

The Luxembourg Government has pre-committed an important amount of capacity on the satellite in support of its NATO commitments. The remaining capacity will be made available to governmental and institutional users on commercial business terms.

"The launch of GovSat-1 opens up a new era of secure satellite connectivity for governments and institutions," said Patrick Biewer, Chief Executive Officer of GovSat. "It brings differentiated capabilities on secure X- and military Ka-band, leveraging private sector efficiencies and strong governmental support. GovSat-1 was designed to meet the specific needs of government customers, and will enable a wide array of defence and civilian security applications, even in the most remote locations."

Xavier Bettel, Prime Minister of Luxembourg, said, "Luxembourg has always been a pioneer in the space industry and has a long tradition in innovative partnerships with private aerospace companies. The launch of GovSat-1 is the beginning of a new space experience for Luxembourg, after the foundation of SES in 1985 and the launch of the first SES satellite nearly 30 years ago. GovSat and the launch of GovSat-1 is another step towards strengthening the position of Luxembourg as a key player in the aerospace sector, and contributes to a diversification of our economy."

Etienne Schneider, Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of the Economy, said, "Luxembourg has delivered on our pledge to increase our defence spending as a NATO ally in line with our defence commitments. We are doing this through an innovative partnership with the Luxembourg based leading satellite operator SES. We are thus providing an efficient and reliable solution for satellite communications that meets the increasingly sophisticated demands of our NATO allies. We are leveraging the competences of the Luxembourg space industry, which enjoys a great reputation worldwide and is further being developed through Luxembourg's SpaceResources.lu initiative."

Karim Michel Sabbagh, President and CEO of SES, said, "Global government satellite communications is an important growth driver for SES, and we continue to expand our capabilities to serve this thriving market. The GovSat-1 satellite brings differentiated capabilities which complement SES's existing suite of offerings for governments and institutions. This unique solution is possible thanks to our partnership with the Luxembourg Government."

The spacecraft was built by Orbital ATK and is based on the GEOStar-3™ satellite platform. It is Orbital ATK's 40th GEOStar satellite.
...

[свернуть]

Цитировать

GovSat-1 Mission

On Wednesday, January 31st, SpaceX successfully launched the GovSat-1 satellite to a Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO) from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The satellite was deployed approximately 32 minutes after launch, putting the GovSat-1 satellite into its targeted orbit.

Falcon 9's first stage for the GovSat-1 mission previously supported the NROL-76 mission from LC-39A in May 2017. You can watch a replay of the mission below and find more information about the mission in our press kit (http://www.spacex.com/sites/spacex/files/govsat1_presskit_2.pdf).

ЦитироватьLuxembourg's GovSat-1 in Orbit after Flawless Boost by Flight-Proven SpaceX Falcon 9
January 31, 2018 (https://spaceflight101.com/spacex-falcon-9-launches-govsat-1/)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152748.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-ses-16/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/govsat-liftoff.jpg)
Photo: SpaceX

SpaceX's sixth flight-proven Falcon 9 rocket – sporting landing legs but flying in throwaway mode – blasted into the afternoon skies over Florida's Cape Canaveral on Wednesday to lift Luxembourg's GovSat-1 sate llite into a high-energy Supersynchronous Transfer Orbit. Liftoff from the Cape's Space Launch Complex 40 occurred at 21:25 UTC, 4:25 p.m. local time and Falcon 9 was in action for just over 32 minutes to dispatch its four-metric ton payload into a highly elliptical orbit peaking over the equator.

Wednesday's mission marked SpaceX's second flight in what is expected to become the company's busiest year yet with up to 30 launches. It also was the precursor to the maiden launch of the tri-core Falcon Heavy (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-heavy-demo/) rocket that is currently next on the SpaceX manifest, having received its first-ever firm launch target – February 6 during a three-hour window opening at 18:30 UTC, though still subject to a number of reviews that need to provide clearance for launch preparations to proceed.

Спойлер

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152753.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-ses-16/wp-content/uploads/sites/207/2018/01/GovSat.jpg)
GovSat-1 – Image: SES

The GovSat mission comes after the January 8 Falcon 9 launch with the ultra-secretive Zuma mission (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-zuma/) that left a lot of discussion in its wake as unconfirmed reports of a failed payload separation claimed the billion-Dollar mission had been lost. SpaceX maintained the Falcon 9 rocket performed all its tasks during the overnight ascent mission and all data pointed to a nominal launch vehicle performance – still leaving open the possibility that a custom-made payload adapter, built by spacecraft manufacturer Northrop Grumman, malfunctioned.

While Zuma is still surrounded by much mystery, SpaceX pressed ahead with the company's manifest as scheduled – working through Falcon Heavy preparations at Kennedy's Launch Complex 39A while Space Launch Complex 40 some six Kilometers south supports operational Falcon 9 missions, having re-opened for business in December after over a year of downtime following the AMOS-6 testing mishap.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152752.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-ses-16/wp-content/uploads/sites/207/2018/01/GovSat-1_002_resizeb.jpg)
Photo: Orbital ATK / SES

Wednesday's Falcon 9 mission was tasked with lifting the SES 16 / GovSat-1 satellite into orbit for a mission of over 15 years, delivering tamper-resistant, encrypted communications for European government institutions and NATO members across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and vast stretches of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The X- and Ka-Band powerhouse was manufactured by Orbital ATK using the company's GEOStar-3 satellite platform that debuted just last week on the Al Yah 3 (http://spaceflight101.com/ariane-5-va241/al-yah-3/) high-throughput satellite.

Orbital ATK – tasked with delivering GovSat-1 to Geostationary Orbit for regular service – was hoping for a smoother ride into orbit for their second GEOStar-3 mission after Al Yah 3 was placed in an incorrect orbit (http://spaceflight101.com/ariane-5-va241/va241-anomaly-update-scenario/) last week by its Ariane 5 launch vehicle. The GEOStar-3 platform offers a revamped structure and enhanced electrical power system to support heavier and more power-demanding payloads than Orbital's predecessor satellite bus and the addition of electric propulsion capability allows for flexible maneuvering and a longer operational life.

GovSat-1 was commissioned by LuxGovSat, a joint venture between leading telecommunications provider SES and the Government of Luxembourg, to provide secure communications services under Luxembourg's obligations to NATO while leftover capacity will be made available to government and institutional customers in need for jam-proof connectivity.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152754.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152754.jpg)
GovSat Coverage – Image: LuxGovSat

Outfitted with the equivalent of 68 X- and Ka-Band transponders, GovSat will combine a global X-band beam for wide-area communications, a European Anchor beam to interconnect agency headquarters and six high-powered, fully steerable spot beams that can direct focused capacity wherever it is needed, whenever it is needed. Services supported by the satellite include secure radio communications, data-intensive applications, mobile communications and Intelligence, Reconnaissance & Security services.

GovSat-1 was financed with €50 million from each of the two partners plus a €125-million loan from a Luxembourg bank consortium, covering the funding cost of the joint venture, the GovSat-1 satellite and Falcon 9 launch services. LuxGovSat is the first public-private partnership offering satellite communications in the government frequency bands, catered to customers looking for secure and robust satellite communication links – provided by the X-Band payload – and communications on the move, realized via the Ka-Band payload.

>> SES 16 / GovSat-1 Overview (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-ses-16/ses-16-govsat/)

Targeting a position at 21.5°E in Geostationary Orbit, GovSat-1 will operate for at least 15 years and carries fuel for over 16 years of active service.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152750.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-ses-16/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/SES16onpad1.jpg)
Photo: SpaceX

Wednesday's launch was SpaceX's sixth mission with a previously flown first stage, the third with SES involvement after the company placed their SES 10 satellite on the very first 'flight-proven' Falcon 9 in March of last year followed by the launch of SES 11 in October. SES has been one of the 'early adopters' of the innovations SpaceX had to offer – placing trust in the California-based company in 2013 when putting SES 8 on the first Geotransfer flight of the Falcon 9 rocket and again in 2016 when SES 9 flew on the first GTO mission of the upgraded Falcon 9 Full Thrust vehicle.

In use on Wednesday was Falcon 9 Booster #1032, conducting the second flight of its career after giving a lift to the classified NROL-76 satellite (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-nrol-76/) on May 1st, 2017. That mission had a fairly benign flight environment in store for the Block 3 booster, allowing it to return to the Space Coast with minimal wear and tear.

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

Still sporting its sooty attire from the previous voyage, Booster 1032 fired up last Thursday for the usual hold-down test performed by SpaceX ahead of every launch and of particular importance for re-use missions that do not undergo re-acceptance testing at SpaceX's Texas site. Falcon 9 received its 4,230-Kilogram payload over the weekend and was wheeled back out to the launch pad in the early hours on Tuesday.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152742.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-ses-16/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/DUzQ5IiW0AUe-GN.jpg)
Photo: SES

SpaceX's Drone Ship was sitting this mission out at Port Canaveral as the Block 3 booster was earmarked for retirement via a watery grave as it lacks the provisions for multiple re-flight missions the newer generation boosters have.

However, the booster was equipped with landing legs and grid fins, indicating SpaceX was planning another round of post-separation testing of the vehicle, likely in a data-gathering effort in flight environments that can not be experienced in operational return missions. The same had been done in December on the Iridium-4 (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-iridium-next-flight-4/) mission, but that flight's booster only sported fins for its soft splashdown attempt in the ocean.

Spending an additional night under the Florida sky after Tuesday's launch delay (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-ses-16/spacex-delays-expendable-falcon-9-launch-with-luxembourgs-govsat-1/), Falcon 9 was lowered to its horizontal position to allow engineers to replace a faulty sensor on the rocket's second stage before it was once again raised to its vertical position, towering 70 meters over the grounds of Pad 40.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152743.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-ses-16/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/GovSat1-Launch-2.jpg)
Photo: SpaceX Webcast

Falcon 9 headed into a lengthy countdown in the morning, local time, with several hours of checkouts and final hands-on work to ready the SLC-40 ground system for propellant loading. Two Launch Control Rooms at the Cape and engineering support in California were polled before computers were handed control of the count at the T-70-minute mark for the fast-paced tanking sequence.

Falcon 9 went through final flight control preparations and GovSat-1 switched to battery power while over 500 metric tons of rocket-grade Kerosene, chilled to -7°C, and sub-cooled Liquid Oxygen at -207°C were pumped into the vehicle. The start of engine chilldown at T-7 minutes marked the beginning of a rapid sequence of events to configure Falcon 9 for flight – putting onboard hydraulics through a final checkout, switching the two-stage vehicle to internal power, priming the Strongback for rapid retraction and arming the rocket's autonomous destruct system.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152744.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-ses-16/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/GovSat1-Launch-3.jpg)
Photo: SpaceX Webcast

Falcon 9 finished propellant loading at T-2 minutes and its triple-redundant computers assumed control at T-1-minute for the final pressurization of tanks and ignition of the engines – signaled by the typical green flash of Falcon's igniter fluid. The 550-metric ton launch vehicle took flight at precisely 21:25:00 UTC when its nine Merlin 1D engines lifted Falcon 9 off the pad with a collective launch thrust of 700 metric ton-force.

Clearing its tower, Falcon 9 pitched and rolled to attain a south-easterly heading as it embarked on its first Geotransfer mission in three months. Active propellant utilization kicked in around half a minute into the mission to deliver an optimized propellant mixture to the engines, consuming 2,450 Kilograms of propellant each second of powered flight. Falcon 9 soared through the sound barrier just over a minute into the mission and the engines throttled back briefly as the vehicle headed through Maximum Dynamic Pressure at T+78 seconds.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152745.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-ses-16/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/GovSat1-Launch-5.jpg)
Photo: SpaceX Webcast

The first stage fired for two minutes and 38 seconds, just around five seconds shy of its maximum possible burn time to deliver the performance needed to send GovSat-1 toward its high-energy target orbit. MECO occurred after the first stage accelerated the stack to a speed of 2.32 Kilometers per second and the two stages of Falcon 9 parted ways two seconds later via four pneumatic pushers.

The second stage immediately fired up its MVac engine, soaring to a thrust of 95,000-Kilogram-force on a planned burn of five minutes and 54 seconds to lift the stack into a slightly elliptical Low Earth Transfer Orbit. Passing 111 Kilometers in altitude just before reaching T+4 minutes, Falcon 9 dropped its 13-meter long fairing halves to shed no-longer needed weight.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152746.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-ses-16/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/GovSat1-Launch-7.jpg)
Fairing Separation – Photo: SpaceX Webcast

SpaceX has quietly continued progress in the area of fairing recovery, deploying a new contraption for the company's west coast launches via the sea-going vessel 'Mr Steven' that is equipped with a four-armed device designed to catch descending payload fairing halves – presumably with a net between the arms. The company does not yet have this capability on the East coast, but SpaceX's Go Quest and Go Searcher support vessels departed Port Canaveral on Saturday – either to observe the soft landing of the first stage, fish a fairing out of the water or both.

Stage 2 shut down eight minutes and 34 seconds after liftoff, transitioning into a passive flight phase of nearly 19 minutes to continue on its south-easterly flight path so that the apogee boost could center the equator and thus position the high point of the resulting orbit over the equator. While crossing the Atlantic, the second stage traversed a communications black zone before being re-acquired via the Gabon tracking station that oversaw the critical second burn.

ЦитироватьThis rocket was meant to test very high retrothrust landing in water so it didn't hurt the droneship, but amazingly it has survived. We will try to tow it back to shore. pic.twitter.com/hipmgdnq16 (https://t.co/hipmgdnq16)
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 31, 2018 (https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/958847818583584768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152747.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-ses-16/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/GovSat1-Launch-8.jpg)
Photo: SpaceX Webcast

The MVac engine re-ignited 26 minutes and 44 seconds into the flight to significantly raise the apogee of the orbit, placing it above the Geostationary Belt, and also reducing the orbital inclination. Falcon 9 was programmed to execute a minimum-residuals shutdown – firing its engine until all but a minimum of propellant on the second stage was expended – allowing the stage to operate longer than for a guided shutdown and so deliver some additional delta-v to put the satellite into a higher orbit with the goal of reducing its fuel expenditure toward GEO.

The burn had a planned duration of 68 seconds, but appeared to run a few seconds longer than that, indicating Stage 2 had some reserve propellants to give GovSat-1 an additional boost. The delta-v for the second burn was 2.64 km/s which should result in an apogee altitude well over 40,000 Kilometers.

Set free from Falcon 9 at T+32 minutes and 20 seconds, SES 16 / GovSat-1 headed off to Geostationary Orbit – targeting a series of apogee maneuvers to circularize its orbit and reduce the inclination to zero to enter its operational slot, interlocked with Earth's rotation to remain centered above the same coverage area.

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Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67516.jpg) Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 (https://twitter.com/planet4589) 9 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/958927233413984256)

... No TLEs from the SpaceX launch - it's possible GovSat orbit is secret.

ЦитироватьSpaceX rocket flies on 60th anniversary of first U.S. satellite launch
January 31, 2018 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/01/) Stephen Clark (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/143987.jpg)
A Falcon 9 rocket takes off Wednesday with the GovSat 1 satellite. Credit: SpaceX

A SpaceX Falcon 9 launcher boosted a 4.7-ton military-grade communications satellite for SES and the Luxembourg government toward a perch 22,300 miles over the equator following a spectacular late afternoon liftoff Tuesday from Florida's Space Coast, clearing the last mission off the launch company's manifest before the long-awaited debut of the massive Falcon Heavy rocket.

Спойлер

Lifting off from Cape Canaveral on the 60th anniversary of the launch of Explorer 1, the first U.S. satellite, the commercial booster rumbled into a clear late afternoon sky a day after SpaceX scrubbed a countdown to replace a sensor on the Falcon 9's second stage.

The 229-foot-tall (70-meter) Falcon 9 rocket fired nine Merlin 1D main engines and climbed away from Cape Canaveral's Complex 40 launch pad at 4:25 p.m. EST (2125 GMT), launching a few miles from the site of Explorer 1's historic blastoff from the Complex 26 launch facility on Jan. 31, 1958.

The Falcon 9's engines gimbaled to steer the rocket on a trajectory east from Florida's Space Coast, and the rocket's first stage booster — reused after a launch in May 2017 — shut down and detached for a descent into the Atlantic Ocean.

About a minute later, the composite shroud that protected Luxembourg's GovSat 1 communications satellite during the initial stages of liftoff jettisoned, shedding weight for the Falcon 9's upper stage powering into orbit.

The Falcon 9 rocket's booster stage made a controlled splashdown at sea a few hundred miles east of Cape Canaveral, testing the effectiveness of a high-thrust landing burn using three of its engines, instead of the usual one.

As expected, SpaceX's drone ship was not in position to recover the first stage as it normally does, but the Falcon 9 booster on the GovSat 1 mission was fitted with landing legs and grid fins, hardware necessary for a controlled descent.

Elon Musk wrote on Twitter that the recovery team will try to tow the first stage back to port.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/143988.jpg)
The Falcon 9's first stage booster floats in the Atlantic Ocean after Wednesday's launch. Credit: SpaceX

Meanwhile, the upper stage's single Merlin engine shut down around eight-and-a-half minutes into the mission after reaching an initial parking orbit. The kerosene-fueled engine reignited about 18 minutes later for a roughly minute-long firing, aiming to place GovSat in an elliptical, high-altitude "supersynchronous" transfer orbit stretching as high as 36,000 miles (58,000 kilometers) above Earth at its highest point.

The Falcon 9's upper stage deployed the 9,325-pound (4,230-kilogram) GovSat 1 spacecraft, also known as SES 16, around 32 minutes after liftoff.

Owned by GovSat, a public-private joint venture between SES and the government of Luxembourg, the new satellite will offer secure, military communications services for Luxembourg authorities and the country's allies in Europe and NATO.

SES declared the mission a success in a post-launch press release.

"The launch of GovSat 1 opens up a new era of secure satellite connectivity for governments and institutions," said Patrick Biewer, CEO of GovSat, in a statement. "It brings differentiated capabilities on secure X- and military Ka-band, leveraging private sector efficiencies and strong governmental support. GovSat-1 was designed to meet the specific needs of government customers, and will enable a wide array of defense and civilian security applications, even in the most remote locations."

GovSat 1's on-board thruster will reshape the satellite's orbit to reach a circular path around Earth's equator. Several orbital adjustment maneuvers are planned in the coming weeks, and GovSat 1 should reach its perch in geostationary orbit at an altitude of nearly 22,300 miles (35,800 kilometers) by mid-February.

In a briefing with reporters before the launch, Biewer said GovSat 1 should be operational by the beginning of March, once the satellite reaches its final orbit and completes activation and testing procedures.

The satellite project was financed with 100 million euros ($123 million) invested in a 50-50 shareholder arrangement between SES and the Luxembourg government, plus a 125 million euro ($154 million) loan from a consortium of Luxembourg banks.

The startup investments and loan covered GovSat's founding costs, and the procurement of the GovSat 1 spacecraft and its launch on a Falcon 9 rocket.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/143915.jpg)
The GovSat 1 satellite. Credit: Orbital ATK

Built by Orbital ATK, GovSat 1 carries Ka-band and X-band telecom equipment to relay data, radio signals and other communications across a zone stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean. Parked in geostationary orbit at 21.5 degree east longitude, GovSat 1 will move around Earth in lock-step with the planet's rotation, giving it a fixed geographic coverage range.

GovSat 1 will provide military units deployed by Luxembourg's European and NATO allies secure communications links via fixed land positions or antennas on ships in the Mediterranean Sea, the Baltic Sea, and the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

"The launch of the GovSat 1 satellite is certainly the most exciting moment in our young company's history, the company being founded back in 2015," Biewer said. "Our approach to the market is that we intend to pioneer a new approach to what's known as secure communications services, and we want to provide this to governments and institutions for defense and civilian use."

GovSat 1 merges the secure, encrypted telecom capabilities of traditional government-owned military communications satellites with a commercial business model, resulting in cost savings.

"In X-band, we are featuring a so-called global beam, probably the highest power that is available on the market today, and this is very well suited for providing support for maritime and land-based operations," Biewer said. "It will also be featuring five steerable X-band mission means that provide high-power support for mobility applications in this very resilient frequency.

"The second mission of the payload of this satellite is in military Ka-band," Biewer said. "Here we are deploying an anchor beam that is ideally suited to providing connectivity to headquarters, and we also have two steerable high-power military Ka-band beams. One is designed and shaped to cover the Mediterranean Sea to support high-power and high-bandwidth applications, specifically for ISR, which is for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance applications."

GovSat 1 is not hardened against a nuclear attack, like some government-owned relay satellites, but engineers built the satellite to be resilient to jamming and other threats.

"We are featuring an extensive set of security capabilities, the most secure crypto-technology on the satellite," Biewer said. "We also have advanced anti-jamming capability, which is supporting the two frequencies in X-band and military Ka-band."

GovSat 1 will support military operations, civilian security forces, emergency responders and border forces, including patrols in the Mediterranean Sea, a region trafficked by migrants from the Middle East and North Africa.

"This is to avoid a disaster," said Xavier Bettel, Luxembourg's prime minister, who attended the launch in Florida. "We don't want the Mediterranean Sea to be the cemetery of tomorrow, and this is what is happening at the moment. It is very important through satellites, and through the help of this satellite, we will be able to avoid (this) and have the information if there are boats in the Mediterranean with people on-board."

"NATO is certainly a focus user group that we target, specifically in the context of Luxembourg defense having acquired a significant part of the capabilities on this satellite that they can use for supporting their obligations toward NATO," Biewer said. "Next to NATO nations, we also provide satellite communications to European nations, we provide it to the U.S., and any allied nation."

A contingent of dignitaries from Luxembourg traveled to Cape Canaveral for GovSat 1's launch, including Bettel and Etienne Schneider, Luxembourg's deputy prime minister. Luxembourg's Heriditary Grand Duke Guillaume and his wife the Heriditary Grand Duchesse Stephanie were also present for the launch.

For SES, GovSat 1 is an opportunity to expand the company's reach into the international government services market. SES already has a unit based near Washington, D.C., to oversee the company's business with the U.S. government, but its role is restricted outside the United States, according to Karim Michel Sabbagh, CEO of SES.

Sabbagh said GovSat 1 will help SES's ongoing support to help respond to natural disasters, providing telecom services in the aftermath of earthquakes and hurricanes. Humanitarian and peacekeeping missions in Africa could also be aided by GovSat 1.

Спойлер

SpaceX will follow Wednesday's launch with the long-delayed debut flight of the Falcon Heavy rocket as soon as Tuesday, Feb. 6, from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

The triple-core rocket, made of three Falcon 9 booster stages bolted together, has a three-hour launch window Tuesday opening at 1:30 p.m. EST (1830 GMT).

Once SpaceX's Falcon Heavy clears the pad, two more Falcon 9 missions are on track for liftoffs in February with Spanish-owned satellites.

One Falcon 9 rocket will lift off Feb. 17 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California with the Spanish Paz Earth observation satellite, followed by a Falcon 9 launch from Cape Canaveral around Feb. 22 with Hispasat 30W-6, a multipurpose telecom craft.

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Спойлер

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/143928.jpg)
Explorer 1's launch aboard a Juno 1 rocket Jan. 31, 1958. Credit: NASA

Wednesday's launch came 60 years after the first U.S. satellite, Explorer 1, rocketed into orbit from Cape Canaveral aboard a Juno 1 launcher designed by Wernher von Braun and his team of German and U.S. scientists at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama.

NASA and U.S. Air Force officials, together with surviving members of the original Explorer 1 launch team, gathered at Cape Canaveral's Complex 26 launch pad Wednesday to celebrate the occasion and unveil a new historical market.

Designed and built at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Explorer 1 satellite detected the existence of the Van Allen radiation belts, named for Explorer 1 scientist James Van Allen.

Explorer 1 was the third human-made satellite sent into orbit, launching after the Soviet Union's Sputnik 1 and Sputnik 2 spacecraft blasted off in late 1957.

An attempt to place a small satellite in orbit with a U.S. Navy Vanguard rocket in December 1957 failed in spectacular fashion, ending with an explosion on the launch pad.

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Спойлер

"We may have gotten off to a bit of a fiery start in the beginning, but here we are now leading the world, and we launch again today," said Brig. Gen. Wayne Monteith, commander of the U.S. Air Force's 45th Space Wing, in remarks Wednesday shortly before the launch of GovSat 1. "With the successful launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 GovSat mission ... we will have launched 3,568 rockets from the Eastern Range, not at all bad considering how we began.

"And with our partners at NASA, we are the busiest spaceport in the world. With over 30 launches on the horizon for the rest of this year, I am in absolute awe of the progress we have made in only 60 years," Monteith said. "We continue to make history every single month, and we continue to break barriers."

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ЦитироватьSGS_67 пишет:
Видимо, испытывается новый рубеж скорости движения ступени в атмосфере, по причине малости запаса топлива на возврат.

Цитировать

Спойлер

Dulles, Virginia 1 February 2018 – Orbital ATK (NYSE: OA), a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies, today announced the successful launch of the GovSat-1 multi-mission satellite. Orbital ATK built the satellite for GovSat, a public-private partnership between the Government of Luxembourg and world-leading satellite operator SES. GovSat-1 launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and marks the second GEOStar-3 satellite built by Orbital ATK to launch this month. It will be used to provide service to governmental and institutional customers.

[свернуть]

Liftoff occurred on January 31 at 4:25 p.m. EST from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The satellite separated successfully from the launch vehicle approximately 32 minutes into the mission after reaching its targeted orbit. Orbital ATK completed the satellite's initial post-launch health check and configuration in preparation for 16 days of orbit-raising procedures and in-orbit tests. Once testing has been completed, operational control of GovSat-1 will be handed over to GovSat.
 
"Our initial testing of GovSat-1 shows the satellite is performing nominally," said Amer Khouri, Vice President of the Commercial Satellite business at Orbital ATK. "The company has previously delivered six GEOStar satellites to SES, one of GovSat's shareholders. GovSat-1 demonstrates continued confidence in the company's GEOStar products."

Спойлер

GovSat-1 was built in Orbital ATK's satellite manufacturing facility in Dulles, Virginia. It is an X-band and military Ka-band satellite that provides high-powered and fully steerable spot beams for multiple government missions. The satellite will be positioned on the European geostationary orbit arc and provide coverage to Europe, the Middle East and Africa, along with extensive maritime coverage over the Mediterranean and Baltic seas, and the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

The GEOStar-3 platform is the newest, highest power and most advanced platform in the flight-proven GEOStar product line. The spacecraft bus features an increase in both battery capacity and solar array power. An additional GEOStar-3 satellite is planned for launch this year.

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Цитироватьvlad7308 пишет:

ЦитироватьSGS_67 пишет:
Видимо, испытывается новый рубеж скорости движения ступени в атмосфере, по причине малости запаса топлива на возврат.

Скорее испытывается посадка с максимальным обратным ускорением
Чем выше ускорение при посадке, тем ниже расход топлива и меньше влияние ветра.
Поэтому садиться выгоднее всего с максимально возможным ускорением.

ЦитироватьЧебурашка пишет:
орбиту можно посчитать из трансляции

Цитироватьtnt22 пишет:
А зачем считать? В чем соль-то?

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185396.jpg) Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 24 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/958825295024357377)

Achievement unlocked. #GovSat1 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/GovSat1?src=hash) #SES16 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SES16?src=hash) #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/172992.jpg)

 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186095.jpg) Robin Seemangal‏Подлинная учетная запись @nova_road (https://twitter.com/nova_road) 23 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/nova_road/status/958826637495296000)

New patch for the collection
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/172993.jpg)

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31566.jpg) Brady Kenniston‏ @TheFavoritist (https://twitter.com/TheFavoritist) 21 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/TheFavoritist/status/958878286670696449)

SpaceX today. Probably.

Video (https://twitter.com/i/videos/tweet/958878286670696449)

ЦитироватьHrono пишет:

ЦитироватьВидимо в прошлом полёте без спасения было то же самое, но показывать это никому не стали. Но всё же интересно, ноги-то ей зачем приделали?

ЦитироватьSergei пишет:

ЦитироватьHrono пишет:

ЦитироватьВидимо в прошлом полёте без спасения было то же самое, но показывать это никому не стали. Но всё же интересно, ноги-то ей зачем приделали?

Интеграционное тестирование.

ЦитироватьВВК пишет:
Но всё же интересно, ноги-то ей зачем приделали?

ЦитироватьGeorge пишет:  Вероятно, испытывается возможность посадки на воду без использовании баржи, так дешевле. Ведь для этого нужен один буксир, а для баржи два + сама баржа.

Цитироватьvlad7308 пишет:

ЦитироватьSGS_67 пишет:
Видимо, испытывается новый рубеж скорости движения ступени в атмосфере, по причине малости запаса топлива на возврат.

Скорее испытывается посадка с максимальным обратным ускорением
Чем выше ускорение при посадке, тем ниже расход топлива и меньше влияние ветра.
Поэтому садиться выгоднее всего с максимально возможным ускорением.

Цитироватьdfln пишет:
Интересно состояние раскаленных сопел после контакта с водой

Цитироватьdfln пишет:
Интересно состояние раскаленных сопел после контакта с водой

ЦитироватьGeorge пишет:
Как только опоры коснулись воды, двигатель отключился. Так же, как и на сушу или баржу. Вероятно, испытывается возможность посадки на воду без использовании баржи, так дешевле.

ЦитироватьApollo13 пишет:
Идея. Если не утонет по дороге ступень можно подарить какому-нибудь _морскому_ музею!  :)

ЦитироватьSGS_67 пишет:
Программа спуска недоступна, но, видимо, вход в плотные слои атм был с гиперзвуковой скоростью, что-нить в районе 3 км/с,

Цитироватькукушка пишет:
Перевод

Цитироватьпоскольку SpaceX боялись повредить плавучую платформу, которая нужна была неделей позднее при возвращении центрального блока Falcon Heavy

ЦитироватьFor example, things like un-safed COPVs (composite overwrapped pressure vessels) at flight pressure could have made it a ticking time bomb and hazard to navigation and marine life, being that they store a dangerous amount of energy if not vented.

Additionally, if circuitry onboard was fried by water after the booster splashed down, then there's no way high-pressure areas could vent.

Цитировать(https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/378800000149454500/c2e974df2f92ce57b2c8db329f5da805_bigger.png)Emre Kelly‏Verified account @EmreKelly (https://twitter.com/EmreKelly) 17m ago (https://twitter.com/EmreKelly/status/962079238361894914)

Statement from SpaceX on reports surrounding #GovSat1 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/GovSat1?src=hash) booster: "Reports that the Air Force was involved in SpaceX's recovery efforts are categorically false."

Цитировать(https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/378800000149454500/c2e974df2f92ce57b2c8db329f5da805_bigger.png)Emre Kelly‏Verified account @EmreKelly (https://twitter.com/EmreKelly) 1h ago (https://twitter.com/EmreKelly/status/962089727871643649)

Full SpaceX statement on #GovSat1 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/GovSat1?src=hash): "While the Falcon 9 first stage for the GovSat-1 mission was expendable, it initially survived splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean. However, the stage broke apart before we could complete an unplanned recovery effort for this mission."

Цитироватьhttps://vz.ru/news/2018/2/9/907649.html
Военный летчик рассказал, зачем американцы разбомбили ступень ракеты Falcon

9 февраля 2018, 23:56

Заявления (https://vz.ru/news/2018/2/9/907616.html) о том, что американские ВВС уничтожили первую ступень ракеты Falcon 9, потому что она «представляла опасность для судоходства», выглядят прикрытием настоящей цели этой бомбардировки, заявил газете ВЗГЛЯД высокопоставленный генерал, близкий к руководству ВВС России.

..... Авиация провела воздушный удар, чтобы уничтожить первую ступень ракеты Falcon 9, сообщает AmericaSpace (http://www.americaspace.com/) со ссылкой на свой источник. Сообщается, что плавающая в воде ступень якобы могла представлять опасность для навигации и обитателей моря, так как в ней оставались баллоны под высоким давлением.

Источник газеты ВЗГЛЯД рассказал, что ровно такая же практика существовала в свое время в ВВС Советского Союза. В 1980-х годах подразделения Морской авиации Северного флота участвовали в бомбометании по отработавшей ступени советской ракеты-носителя, запущенной с Плесецка и упавшей в Баренцево море.

Генерал полагает, что ступень американской ракеты позволяет судить о технологиях производства, которые США не хотят сделать доступными для любой заинтересованной страны (например, России или Китая), корабли которой гипотетически могли бы подобрать ступень в открытом море. Кроме того, ступень содержит остатки топлива, химический состав которого также является секретным

Цитироватьpnetmon пишет:
Кроме того, ступень содержит остатки топлива, химический состав которого также является секретным

Цитироватьhttp://www.americaspace.com/2018/02/09/spacex-hired-company-to-destroy-floating-govsat-booster-not-usaf/
....
In response to our inquiry to clarify, SpaceX issued the following official statement this afternoon:

"While the Falcon 9 first stage for the GovSat-1 mission was expendable, it initially survived splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean. However, the stage broke apart before we could complete an unplanned effort to recover the booster."

SpaceX went on to say, "Reports that the Air Force was involved in SpaceX's recovery efforts are categorically false."

AmericaSpace has since learned that the Air Force was, instead, initially considered to take care of the job, but a commercial company of demolition specialists was eventually hired to safely destroy the hazardous booster.

Again, not the USAF; no strike by the U.S. military was carried out on the Falcon 9.

SpaceX will not comment as to why the stage, "broke apart" (was intentionally demolished), but sources informed AmericaSpace that circuitry onboard was likely fried by water after the booster splashed down, leaving no way for high-pressure areas to vent.

That would make the booster a serious concern, as things like un-safed COPVs (composite overwrapped pressure vessels) at flight pressure could have made it a ticking time bomb and hazard to navigation and marine life, being that they store a dangerous amount of energy if not vented.

SpaceX's 'Go Searcher', one of the company's work horses for supporting their drone ships to and from offshore landings, also arrived back in Port Canaveral a couple days ago, without the booster in tow.
...
No details are available as to the company who was hired, or the means by which they destroyed the booster.

 – AmericaSpace apologizes for the error in our reporting that the Air Force carried out the demolition. It was destroyed intentionally, but by a hired company, not the U.S. military.

Цитироватьmind22 пишет:
Когда FH пускали, в связи с неудачей центрального блока упоминали какое-то пусковое горючее.

ЦитироватьSpaceTrack has not released the transfer orbit, presumably since this is a military mission.  However, using data from the Webcast, we can make a reasonable guess.

From the webcast, we know the delta-V from the parking to transfer orbit was 2636 m/s (26489 km/hr at beginning, 35980 at end).

Next, using the final velocity, then adding in the roughly 400 m/s for the Cape's eastward rotation (we know this is not included, since the velocity is 0 at takeoff) we can figure an apogee of 52000 km.

Now, using the delta-V from parking orbit, we can find the inclination.  As it turns out, they need all 2636 m/s to get from a 250x250 parking orbit to 250x52000.   If they used any of the delta-V for inclination reduction, the final absolute velocity, and the perigee, would be lower.   For example, if they reduced the inclination to 24o (which would actually be slightly helpful) then the apogee would be lower at 44,000 km, and the final velocity would be 85 km/sec less than shown on the webcast.

So it seems very likely the transfer orbit was 250 x 52000 x 27o, leaving about 1690 m/s to go to GEO.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185986.jpg)Etienne Schneider‏Verified account @EtienneSchneide (https://twitter.com/EtienneSchneide) 12m ago (https://twitter.com/EtienneSchneide/status/964547273970601984)

News update fr om @GovSatLu (https://twitter.com/GovSatLu) after the successful launch on Jan 31, 2018 at Cape Canaveral: GovSat-1mission executes nominally. Solar array and antennas deployed. Satellite will reach final position within the next days wh ere extensive testing will be conducted

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185988.jpg)Peter B. de Selding‏ @pbdes (https://twitter.com/pbdes) 1 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/pbdes/status/975641220033769472)

GovSat-1 sat for @GovSatLu (https://twitter.com/GovSatLu), an @SES_Satellites (https://twitter.com/SES_Satellites) -Lux Gov joint venture, is now operational at 21.5E; launched Jan 31 w/ @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX). Sat has X-, military-Ka-band payload, 68 equivalent transponders, intended for NATO govts' use.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174527.jpg)

ЦитироватьGovSat-1 Satellite Goes Operational
19/03/2018

GovSat-1 provides highly secure and advanced communication capabilities to enable critical missions for governments and institutions

Luxembourg, 19 March 2018 – GovSat-1 enters operational service today, to provide secure communications to governmental and institutional users. GovSat-1 is the first satellite of GovSat, a public private partnership between the Government of Luxembourg and the world-leading satellite operator SES. The satellite was launched into space on 31 January on board a flight-proven SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and has since undergone extensive testing.

Спойлер

The multi-mission satellite is operated by GovSat from the Secure Mission Operations Centre in Luxembourg. The highly flexible and resilient GovSat-1 payload uses dedicated frequencies in X-band and military Ka-band. It enables an array of applications such as connectivity for theatres of operation, interconnection of institutional or defence sites, border control, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), as well as various types of communications on the move for land and maritime missions.

GovSat-1 is located at the 21.5 degrees East orbital slot, which allows it to support missions over Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, as well as providing extensive maritime coverage over the Mediterranean and Baltic seas, and the Atlantic and Indian oceans. Dedicated entirely to governmental and institutional users, GovSat-1 features high-powered fully-steerable spot beams, an X-band Global beam and a total of sixty-eight transponder equivalent units.

Étienne Schneider, Luxembourg Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of the Economy and Minister of Defence said: "I would like to thank all the members of the GovSat team for their hard work and commitment to bring the GovSat-1 spacecraft into operational service. This was the next major step in our public-private partnership with SES. GovSat-1 will further enhance Luxembourg's excellent reputation in the global satellite communications market. The satellite will enable Luxembourg to meet its expanding obligations in European defence and to further diversify the national economy in a key technology sector."

"GovSat-1 is a real game-changer when it comes to providing secure satellite communications to governments and institutions. The satellite's X-band capacity is the most powerful and flexible available," said Patrick Biewer, Chief Executive Officer of GovSat. "GovSat-1, coupled with our Secure Mission Operations Centre, forms one of the most reliable, cost efficient and secure satellite communications capabilities on the market, and we are delighted to announce that it has entered into operational service."

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Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/29266.jpg)GovSat‏ @GovSatLu (https://twitter.com/GovSatLu) 3 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/GovSatLu/status/982166528844943362)

Proud to announce our first user! The @TheBelgianNavy (https://twitter.com/TheBelgianNavy)'s #Godetia (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Godetia?src=hash) command ship will be using #GovSat (https://twitter.com/hashtag/GovSat?src=hash)-1 for its upcoming missions. Our satellite has now officially entered into operational service #govsat (https://twitter.com/hashtag/govsat?src=hash) #milsatcom (https://twitter.com/hashtag/milsatcom?src=hash)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162514.jpg)