Шесть Orbcomm G2 - Falcon 9 v1.1 - Canaveral SLC-40 -- 14.07.2014 15:15 UTC

[Salo]

Из плана американских пусков:

3rd quarter - Orbcomm G2 (x8 ) - Falcon 9 v1.1 - Canaveral SLC-40 (or 2014)

[Salo]

http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/orbcomm-2.htm

Orbcomm (2nd gen.)
 

Orbcomm G2 [SNC]

Orbcomm Inc., a global satellite data communications company providing two-way Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications, announced in May 2008 that it has signed a next generation satellite constellation contract with Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) to build 18 new Orbcomm Generation 2 (OG2) satellites with an option to purchase up to 30 additional OG2 satellites to augment and upgrade Orbcomm's existing satellite constellation.

As Prime Contractor, SNC has formed an experienced integrated space team with unique and established space heritage, resources and performance records, including Boeing Intelligence and Security Systems (I&SS), ITT Space Systems and MicroSat Systems. The integrated space team also includes several other key subcontractors and industry leaders with unparalleled experience in both the design and construction of complex communications systems and satellites. SNC, Boeing and ITT will provide oversight, systems engineering, technical management, integration and mission assurance functions to assure the successful performance of the OG2 program. MicroSat Systems (MSI), a wholly owned subsidiary of SNC, will leverage its experience on the TacSat-2 mission to design the spacecraft and perform integration and test activities for the OG2 satellites.

In June 2008 SNC sel ected Argon ST to develop and deliver the satellite payloads for the ORBCOMM Generation 2 (OG2) satellite constellation. Each OG2 satellite will be equipped with an enhanced communications payload designed to increase subscriber capacity by up to 12 times over the current Orbcomm satellites. Orbcomm customers will be able to transmit data over the OG2 satellites at greater speeds and send larger data packets using future modems. The OG2 satellites will be backward compatible so that existing subscriber communicators will function seamlessly with the OG2 satellites. In addition, all OG2 satellites will be designed with Automatic Identification System (AIS) payloads to receive and report transmissions fr om AIS-equipped maritime vessels. Orbcomm intends to market this AIS data to U.S. and international coast guards and government agencies, as well as companies engaged in security or logistics businesses for tracking shipping activities or for other navigational purposes.

The total contract value for the 18 spacecraft is $117 million. Payments under the contract will begin upon its execution and will extend into the second quarter of 2012, subject to SNC's successful completion of each performance milestone.

Orbcomm selected the Falcon-1e launch vehicle in 2009 and plans to launch the 18 OG2 satellites in separate missions of multiple satellites each between 2010 and 2014, consistent with the FCC authorization recently announced by Orbcomm. SNC's unique mechanical configuration allows for multiple satellites to be efficiently packaged into several types of launch vehicles, providing Orbcomm with flexibility in selecting a launch provider.

In late 2010 Orbcomm decided to launch the first two satellites as piggy-back payloads on a Falcon-9 launch and the remaining on two more Falcon-9 launchers in 2012 with the first containing at least eight satellites.

In December 2011, the schedule was again revised: one satellite will fly piggy back on the Dragon CRS-1 mission in 2012. Then a dedicated launch of 8 satellites will follow in 2013 with the remaining 9 satellites following in 2014.

The first launch ended in a lower than planned orbit, as the second stage of the launch vehicle was not able to ignite for an orbit raising burn after the prime payload was deployed. The satellite reentered after only two days in orbit with only some engineering tests performed.
Nation:    USA
Type / Application:    Communication
Operator:    Orbcomm
Contractors:    Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) (prime), MicroSat Systems (bus), Argon ST (payload)
Equipment:    Orbcomm payload, AIS
Configuration:    SN-100A bus
Propulsion:    
Power:    Deployable solar array, batteries
Lifetime:    5+ years
Mass:    142 kg
Orbit:    750 km × 750 km, 52°
Orbcomm FM45, FM46, FM47, FM48, FM49, FM50, FM51, FM52

[Salo]

http://www.spacenews.com/article/satellite-telecom/35362orbcomm-ready-to-ship-8-satellites-for-fall-launch-on-upgraded-falcon#.UZUp1kqBXTo

Orbcomm Ready To Ship 8 Satellites for Fall Launch on Upgraded Falcon 9
 
 By Peter B. de Selding | May. 16, 2013
 

Second-generation Orbcomm spacecraft. Credit: Sierra Nevada photo
 
 PARIS — Satellite machine-to-machine (M2M) messaging service provider Orbcomm said the launch of the first eight of its second-generation satellites is likely to occur this fall after its launch services provider, Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX), conducts the first two flights of the new Falcon 9 rocket, Orbcomm Chief Executive Marc J. Eisenberg said.
The launch, which has been delayed repeatedly, will better position Orbcomm in the competition with exactEarth, majority-owned by Canada's Com Dev, to line up customers for a global automatic identification system (AIS) maritime surveillance service for coastal authorities.
In a May 9 conference call with investors, Eisenberg said Rochelle Park, N.J.-based Orbcomm generated $700,000 in AIS revenue in the three months ending March 31, a period during which it signed four new AIS contracts and issued 13 new AIS-related licenses. That is more than double the AIS revenue fr om a year ago. Eisenberg said he expects AIS revenue to reach $800,000 for the three months ending June 30.
Orbcomm has two small AIS-dedicated satellites in orbit. All 17 of the second-generation satellites now under construction by Sierra Nevada Corp. of Sparks, Nev., are being fitted with AIS terminals, which receive data on ship identity, heading and destination for forwarding to maritime port authorities.
Eisenberg said the exact date of the Orbcomm launch will depend on the timing and outcome of the inaugural flight of Hawthorne, Calif.-based SpaceX's upgraded Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The flight is scheduled to carry Canada's small Cassiope satellite into polar low Earth orbit. A second launch of the new rocket, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. — this one carrying the SES-8 commercial telecommunications satellite into geostationary transfer orbit — is now tentatively set for August.
Eisenberg said that the eight Orbcomm satellites are ready to be shipped and are waiting only on a firm SpaceX launch date. If July's inaugural launch of the new Falcon 9 occurs on schedule and with no major glitches, he said, the Orbcomm launch could occur between October and December.
In addition to providing a fuller AIS capability, the second-generation Orbcomm satellites will provide faster M2M links and better coverage of northern latitudes because they will orbit at higher inclinations relative to the equator than the 26-satellite first-generation system.
The remaining nine second-generation Orbcomm satellites currently under construction are scheduled for launch in mid-2014, also on the new Falcon 9 rocket.
Orbcomm said that as of March 31 it had 777,000 billable subscriber units deployed, a net increase of 19,000 from the same period a year ago. Orbcomm revenue for the three-month period was $16.7 million. That is a 20 percent increase from a year ago but the comparison is complicated by a large back-billing adjustment Orbcomm made with respect to one customer that resulted in a one-time increase in service revenues.
Similarly, a sharp decline in product sales compared to a year ago is largely due to an exceptionally large order in early 2012 from a Japanese customer.
Orbcomm's purchase of several companies in recent months also makes year-to-year comparisons difficult, but Eisenberg said 2013 should see increased revenue for both services and product sales compared to 2012.
One of Orbcomm's recent acquisitions, GlobalTrak,  recently won a competition to monitor fuel-transport vehicles in Afghanistan for the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency. Eisenberg said the fact that U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan are coming down should not affect the contract because the same vehicles will be deployed somewh ere else, and the need to keep track of their cargo will remain.

[Salo]

Уже осень.

[Salo]

Четвёртый квартал.

[LRV_75]

Маск может себе это позволить, SpaceX офигительно прибыльная компания

[Salo]

https://twitter.com/Leone_SN/status/342384957349568513

Dan Leone ‏@Leone_SN

@CSA_ASC says notional launch date for #CASSIOPE space weather satellite is Aug. 14 - little later than expected - on @SpaceX Falcon 9 1.1.

Orbcomm G2 в этом случае не ранее ноября.

[Salo]

anik пишет:
Peter B. de Selding ‏@pbdes

Orbcomm CEO: Our SpaceX launch, of 1st six 2nd-gen sats, sched for April 30, after SpaceX NASA CRS. 11 remaining sats set for SpaceX in Nov.

[Salo]

http://www.spacenews.com/article/satellite-telecom/39706with-17-satellites-slated-to-launch-in-2014-orbcomm-eyes-larger-share

With 17 Satellites Slated To Launch in 2014, Orbcomm Eyes Larger Share of M2M Market  
By Peter B. de Selding | Mar. 4, 2014  
 

 
The new-generation satellites will be backward compatible with today's Orbcomm modems and antennas, used to track the status of fixed and mobile assets. But the new satellites have six times more receivers on board than do the current spacecraft, and offer twice the message delivery speed. Credit: Sierra Nevada photo

PARIS — Satellite machine-to-machine (M2M) messaging services provider Orbcomm on March 3 said its long-delayed second-generation satellite constellation is now scheduled for launch on two Falcon 9 rockets operated by Space Exploration Technologies Corp., the first in late-April and the second in November.
The first of the two launches, which is now second in SpaceX's 2014 manifest behind a NASA-purchased cargo delivery run to the international space station, scheduled for mid-March, will carry six second-generation Orbcomm satellites. The second, set for November, will carry the remaining 11 satellites, Orbcomm Chief Executive Marc J. Eisenberg said.
In a presentation to an investor conference organized by Raymond James investment advisers, Eisenberg said the first six satellites will plug a hole in Orbcomm's current coverage, which is being provided by a first-generation constellation that is well beyond its original design life.
Filling that gap to existing customers will generate an immediate revenue increase of "a couple of million dollars" per year starting as soon as the satellites are operational, Eisenberg said.
The 11 remaining second-generation spacecraft will be launched in November, also from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., under current SpaceX planning, Eisenberg said.
Hawthorne, Calif.-based SpaceX has a heavy launch manifest in 2014 with at least a dozen planned missions.
Rochelle Park, N.J.-based Orbcomm originally expected the second-generation constellation to be operational sometime in 2011. The launches have been successively delayed for multiple reasons, the latest being the availability of the SpaceX Falcon 9.
Industry officials have said Orbcomm secured the SpaceX launches, originally aboard smaller Falcon 1 rockets before that vehicle was retired, at an exceptionally low price, leaving the company little alternative but to wait its turn on Falcon 9.
The new-generation satellites will be backward compatible with today's Orbcomm modems and antennas, used to track the status of fixed and mobile assets. But the new satellites have six times more receivers on board than do the current spacecraft, and offer twice the message delivery speed.
Eisenberg said that when advances in transmission protocols are factored in, the second-generation constellation will have about 100 times the overall capacity of the existing satellites.
Given the new satellites' capabilities, he said, Orbcomm's addressable market will expand tenfold as the company competes more effectively with machine-to-machine connections enabled by terrestrial-cellular networks.
Eisenberg said satellite-linked M2M has advantages over terrestrial cellular that have not been made obvious to users in part because of the high price of satellite M2M gear, in part due to the lack of production scale.
An Orbcomm antenna, he said, costs about $50, with the modem costing around $125. Similar products from Orbcomm competitor — and recently, partner — Inmarsat of London are even more costly.
A terrestrial cellular system typically features a $5 antenna and a $40 modem.
Orbcomm is partnering with competitors Inmarsat and Globalstar of Covington, La. — all three have global constellations in orbit — to develop a common satellite M2M modem and antenna and to share parts and other costs.
"We're going to get the price of a satellite modem down to $75 and the price of an antenna to sub $15," Eisenberg said. With the costs down, he said, the usually lower per-bit costs of satellite transmissions should enable satellite systems to win market share.
The current satellite share of the global M2M market has been estimated at 5 percent or less. Nudging that up to 9 percent, with each percentage point representing about 100,000 installed units, is within reach for the industry, according to Orbcomm.
One inherent advantage of satellite M2M over the dominant terrestrial cellular systems is technical continuity, Eisenberg said. Orbcomm's current satellites are 15 years old and have been serving some Caterpillar heavy-equipment customers since 1995 with no equipment change needed.
This longer cycle, which contrasts with the multiple technical transmission changes in cellular networks moving from analog to digal, to 3G and now 4G, is more in line with the life cyle of the equipment on which the M2M terminals are placed.
Orbcomm has been able to use the cash it had reserved for the SpaceX launches and related launch insurance — $55 million and $20 million, respectively, to be spent this year — for acquisitions, according to Orbcomm Chief Financial Officer Robert G. Costantini. 
Orbcomm has purchased five companies in the past two years, lowering profitability but paving the way for a diversified product portfolio that, along with the expected satellite launches, should deliver profit starting this year, Eisenberg and Costantini told investors.
 
Follow Peter on Twitter: @pbdes

[AlexioM]

Запуск 10 мая, 9:39 am EST
http://www.orbcomm.com/networks/og2-launch

WE HAVE A LAUNCH DATE...The final two OG2 Mission 1 satellites arrived at Cape Canaveral on Saturday, April 26, and we continue our preparation for launch. Today, we are in the process of fueling the first two satellites, and the next four satellites will be fueled over the course of this week. Preparation is going well, and we are now able to support a launch date earlier than our last post. We have reserved a launch window for Saturday, May 10 between 9:39 am – 10:33 am EST at launch pad SLC-40 with a back-up date of the morning of Sunday, May 11. We are very excited that we are scheduled less than two weeks away from lift-off!

Надеюсь, видео посадки первой ступени будет получше.

[AlexioM]

Да, и не 8 спутников, а шесть.

[testest]

Да, кстати, запас по массе у них получается очень большой. Можно экспериментировать с посадкой ступени.

[Александр Ч.]

Spaceflight Now ‏@SpaceflightNow  4 мин.  
 
SpaceX has set May 10 as the target date for the next Falcon 9 flight with six Orbcomm communications satellites. http://spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html ...

[Benny]

Вроде прожиг был, есть где-то фото ракеты на старте? Она с "лапками"? Теперь все Фалканы V1.1 будут запускаться с "лапками"?

[Benny]

Только что дали ответ на мой вопрос http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=33089.195
Т.е. эта миссия с "лапками", а вот фоток со стола что-то пока не видно.

Yes, this mission will have legs, and SpaceX has suggested that it will boost back and land in the ocean closer to CCAFS.

This mission has a LOT of margin. The 6 satellites together only weigh ~1 metric ton.

This is how the next few flights look... (source: http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=27985.msg1191452#msg1191452 )
F9-010 - Orbcomm (Legs)
F9-011 - AsiaSat 8 (No legs)
F9-012 - AsiaSat 6 (Legs)

[Salo]

10 мая - Orbcomm G2 (x6 ) - Falcon 9 v1.1 - Канаверал SLC-40 - 17:39-18:33 ЛМВ

[Петр Зайцев]

Я все-таки не могу поверить, что они собираются шмальнуть в эту субботу. Работы круглосуточно что-ли.

[Lanista]

Меньше месяца перерыв уже...

[Искандер]

Mission Status Center

WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 2014
The official weather forecast shows an 80 percent chance of acceptable conditions for Saturday's launch of a Falcon 9 rocket with a load of six commercial communications satellites for Orbcomm.
The launch window has been revised and now opens at 9:47 a.m. EDT (1347 GMT) and extends for 54 minutes.
The U.S. Air Force weather team says the primary threats to Saturday's launch opportunity are cumulus clouds and thick clouds, but conditions are expected to be favorable.
The official outlook calls for a few clouds at 3,000 feet and scattered clouds at 25,000 feet Saturday morning at Cape Canaveral. Winds will be out of the southeast at 15 to 20 mph with good visibility and a temperature of 76 degrees Fahrenheit.
There is a slight chance of isolated showers in the area, according to meteorologists.
An approaching cold front will move closer to Central Florida if launch is delayed to Sunday, increasing the probability of violating weather rules to 30 percent.

[Major Meff]

Что-то на удивление быстро и гладко у них все получилось - что со сроками самих аппаратов, что с Флаконом.