SpaceX

[Apollo13]

Michael Baylor‏ @nextspaceflight Aug 7


Ben Cooper is reporting that the next Falcon 9 launch from the east coast after Telstar 18V is in NOVEMBER! This means that GPS III-1 likely slipped due to payload related delays. Can Florida survive over two whole months without SpaceX? http://www.launchphotography.com/Delta_4_Atlas_5_Falcon_9_Launch_Viewing.html ...

[Старый]

Apollo13 пишет:
Can Florida survive over two whole months without SpaceX?

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«КАК ЖИТЬ НА КРАСНОЙ ПЛАНЕТЕ»? ПЕРВАЯ ПРИВАТНАЯ КОНФЕРЕНЦИЯ SPACEX ПО ВОПРОСАМ МАРСА

Ранее на этой неделе под взорами многих SpaceX начал конференцию, посвященную технологическим и стратегическим требованиям для создания и поддержания постоянного присутствия людей на Марсе. В ближайшие несколько лет участников проекта станет куда больше, а посетителями SpaceX's 2018 Mars Workshop оказались как правительственные и академические учреждения, так и частные компании.

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Вероятно, по ряду политических и практических соображений, первый семинар Mars в SpaceX был секретным, все участники подписали соглашение о неразглашении конфиденциальной информации, запретили присутствие журналистов и прессы. В этом случае предварительная шумиха и участие широкого круга представителей NASA сделали чрезмерную гласность мероприятия несколько нежелательной. Космическая стартовая система для ракет NASA (SLS) и медиа-программа «JourneyToMars» — сами по себе мотивированные прежде всего политическими побуждениями и собственными «подрядчиками» NASA (Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Aerojet-Rocketdyne,и т.д.) — все это вполне разумно дает почувствовать угрозу приватности благодаря участию высокопоставленных должностных лиц NASA на семинаре SpaceX Mars.

Dr. Phil Metzger@DrPhiltilЧитать Читать @DrPhiltill

At the inaugural @SpaceX Mars Workshop, planning how to put humans on Mars, then how to have 100s living there. So exciting!


Что взять на Марс
Будут ли произведены первые запуски BFR SpaceX на Марс в 2022 или 2030 годах, зависит от каждого килограмма груза, включенного в данную миссию. Он должен быть точно сфокусирован на том, чтобы автономно создавать и поддерживать инфраструктуру на другой планете. На Земле люди отлично справляются с задачами, хотя и с гораздо меньшей автоматизацией, чем SpaceX необходимо будет воспроизвести на Марсе.

Секретность данного мероприятия означает, что кроме участников никто ничего не знает о событии. Самая ценная информация, представленная до сих пор, является списком групп, участвующих в семинаре. Четыре из присутствующих групп в основном сосредоточены или имеют опыт в области добычи полезных ископаемых, бурения, добычи ресурсов или промышленного оборудования: Колорадская школа шахтеров, Tesla, корпорация Bechtel (проектирование и строительство) , Caterpillar Inc (проектирование и производство тяжелой техники) и Schlumberger (нефтесервисные службы).

Так же присутствует Японское космическое агентство (JAXA), которое, как известно, работает с японским производителем тяжелой техники Kajima с целью проектирования и строительства промышленного оборудования, специально оптимизированного для использования за пределами Земли.


Вначале Schlumberger может показаться неприятным дополнением, но нельзя отрицать, что нефтегазодобывающие компании являются глобальными специалистами по поиску, характеристике и добыче подземных ресурсов в жидком или газообразном состоянии. Компания также специализируется на добыче подземных вод, что является абсолютной необходимостью для разведки и извлечения значительного количества воды из жидкости (если она существует на Марсе) или ледяных водоносных горизонтов (безусловно, присутствующих).

Благодаря своему первому мероприятию Mars Workshop, SpaceX явно ставит перед собой огромную планку в нынешних неизведанных областях межпланетной колонизации, обитания и добычи ресурсов на месте. Если SpaceX решит удвоить количество регулярных конференций с получением какой-либо формы грантовых премий за исключительные исследования, компания может быстро стать основным лидером (и бенефициаром) передовых исследований, которые будут абсолютно необходимы для строительства колоний на Марсе и всей Солнечной системы.
https://mbhn.ru/kak-zhit-na-krasnoj-planete-pervaja-privatnaja-konferencija-spacex-po-voprosam-marsa/?utm_source=https://vk.com/mbhnews

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На судне Mr. Steven прошли тренировки по работе с обтекателем. С помощью крана его помещали в разные части сетки и отрабатывали процедуру спуска на палубу.

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[tnt22]

https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-starlink-internet-testing-high-performance-govt-aircraft/

SpaceX seeks approval for Starlink internet tests on high-performance govt. planes

By Eric Ralph
Posted on August 15, 2018

According to upd ated regulatory documents and recent Aviation Week interviews with the US Air Force Research Laboratory, it can be all but guaranteed that the USAF has begun working with SpaceX to test the feasibility of using the company's planned Starlink satellite internet constellation for military communications purposes.

In early August, SpaceX updated regulatory documents required by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for the company to be permitted to experimental test its two prototype Starlink internet satellites, named Tintin A and B. Launched roughly six months ago as a copassenger on one of SpaceX's own Falcon 9 rockets, the satellite duo has been quietly performing a broad range of tests on orbit, particularly focused on general satellite operations, orbital maneuvering with SpaceX's own custom-built electric propulsion, and – most importantly – the experimental satellites' cutting-edge communications capabilities.

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Eric Ralph@13ericralph31

The orbit histories of @SpaceX's Tintin A/B Starlink prototype satellites, launched in February! Some thoroughly intriguing differences in behavior over the six months they've spent on-orbit. Data and visualizations generated by the lovely http://CalSky.com .
8:09 AM - Aug 9, 2018

Per a public summary of the application update, SpaceX is awaiting FCC permission to begin a new series of tests of its prototype satellite internet network, this time highlighting an intriguing interest in applying Starlink connectivity to moving aircraft in order to provide them an exceptionally flexible and powerful suite of communications capabilities.

"SpaceX seeks to modify its experimental authorization to allow testing of two different antennas, both of which will operate on the ground and one of which will also operate from a moving aircraft."

In those same documents, the company states that it is "working with a manufacturer of conformal antennas for tactical aircraft" to design and build "a custom installation kit consisting of mechanical plates for the low-profile antennas and fairings reducing wind drag", seemingly indicating that SpaceX itself intends to supply the phased array antennae itself. Normally, this sort of testing would be fairly mundane and expected for any global satellite network, as one of the largest markets for satellite internet connectivity happens to be commercial aviation, particularly airlines and passenger entertainment.


Fittingly, SpaceX's first Starlink prototypes launched in late February aboard a flight-proven Falcon 9 booster. (Pauline Acalin)


(SpaceX)


One of the first two prototype Starlink satellites separates from Falcon 9's upper stage, February 2018. (SpaceX)

However, the plot thickens beyond that extent thanks to a few select phrases. Most tellingly, the company writes that it "will perform a series of tests with the integrated airborne prototype terminal ... varying motion for representative roll and pitch rates of a high-performance aircraft", later also describing the program the update as a request for permission for "additional test activities undertaken with the federal government."

It just so happens that the US Air Force's Research Laboratory (AFRL) spoke with Aviation Week earlier this year (just weeks after SpaceX's first prototype satellites had launched, in fact) about a nascent program exploring the potential utility of a spate of commercial Low Earth Orbit satellite internet constellations proposed for launch in recent years.

"To explore the art of the possible, AFRL is planning to contract with at least one commercial internet provider for a se t of antennas that can be mounted onto Air Force test aircraft, Beal says. The team will then fly the aircraft ... directly under the associated satellites and establish a communications path." – Lara Seligman/AviationWeek

Rapid and efficient reuse of Falcon 9 Block 5 rockets will be an absolute necessity for the affordable deployment of even a fraction of the several thousand planned Starlink satellites. (Tom Cross)

As of publishing then (March 2018) and now, SpaceX is the only company in the world to have launched a pair of functional demonstration satellites as a part of its proposed megaconstellation, meaning that it's the only company that has a (technically) operational network with which they can test inter-satellite connectivity, connection hand-offs between different satellites, and multi-satellite operations.

While it's currently unclear how that series of tests transpired and if they were or are officially connected to the AFRL's own program, the briefest thought of the USAF (and thus the Department of Defence) as a prospective anchor customer for SpaceX's Starlink constellation is extraordinarily exciting, especially given the apparent difficulties and costs associated with actually deploying even the first wave (~900 satellites) of such a massive constellation (~4500 satellites total).

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[zandr]

https://ria.ru/space/20180819/1526801795.html

НАСА предварительно одобрило заправку ракеты Falcon 9 с экипажем на борту
ВАШИНГТОН, 19 авг — РИА Новости. НАСА предварительно дало согласие на предстартовую заправку ракеты Falcon 9 после посадки экипажа; эта процедура, по мнению управления, не представляет риска для космонавтов, сообщает портал Space News.
"При анализе мы руководствовались безопасностью наших сотрудников, и команда пришла к выводу, что это (заправка ракеты перед стартом после посадки экипажа. — Прим. ред.) представляет наименьший риск", — отмечается в заявлении представителя НАСА Кэти Луэдерс (Kathy Lueders), которое приводит издание.
Ранее в сентябре 2016 года ракета Falcon 9 взорвалась при подготовке к запуску коммуникационного спутника для израильской компании. Авария произошла во время заправки ракеты. После аварии СМИ сообщили, что за несколько месяцев до взрыва экспертная комиссия НАСА выражала озабоченность в связи с тем, что заправка ракеты топливом непосредственно перед стартом, после того как экипаж займет свои места, потенциальна опасна.
"Чтобы принять это решение, наши специалисты провели тщательный анализ наземных операций компании SpaceX, дизайн ракеты, системы экстренной эвакуации и историю работы", — отметила Луэдерс.
По ее словам, предстоящая сертификация корабля и ракеты-носителя для тестового пилотируемого полета потребует "дополнительной проверки и демонстрационных действий", в том числе до пяти "демонстраций посадки экипажа". Первый пилотируемый полет Crew Dragon намечен на апрель 2019 года, уточняет издание.
Технология SpaceX предполагает использование охлажденного топлива для получения большей тяги при старте. Для этого заправка ракеты должна происходить не позднее, чем за 35 минут до старта, что недостаточно для посадки экипажа.
Еще до взрыва сомнения в безопасности такой последовательности озвучивали ряд специалистов, одним из наиболее ярых противников выступил астронавт НАСА, командир экипажа миссии "Аполло-10" Томас Стаффорд. Однако компания SpaceX утверждает, что обладает технологией эвакуации экипажа в случае непредвиденной ситуации на старте.

[Pirat5]

Apollo13 пишет:
Ben Cooper is reporting that the next Falcon 9 launch from the east coast after Telstar 18V is in NOVEMBER! This means that GPS III-1 likely slipped due to payload related delays.

Интригующе, похоже, что активность запуска SpaceX, скорее всего, резко снизится в течение следующих нескольких месяцев, так как в сентябре или октябре не планируется запуск с двух стартовых платформ компании (LC-39A и LC-40), что, по-видимому, связано с отсутствием доступности полезной нагрузки, а не с чем-либо связанным с SpaceX.

https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-mr-steven-falcon-9-fairing-catch-practice-upgraded-net/

Ну наконец-то пришло время, когда не клиенты ждут Маска, а наоборот.
В ожидании клиентов Маск мог бы сделать 2й пуск Хэви, но все силы, предполагаю, уходят на БигФакен Рокет.

[tnt22]

Spaceflight Now‏ @SpaceflightNow 4 ч. назад

At the Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39A work is underway to lift the crew access arm into place that will be used by astronauts boarding the Crew Dragon capsule. https://spaceflightnow.com 



1 ч. назад

The access arm that astronauts will use to board the Crew Dragon is being lifted into place at launch pad 39A: https://spaceflightnow.com 

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Tom McCool‏ @Cygnusx112 18 мин. назад

#SpaceX is in the process of lifting the crew access arm into place this morning! #Astronauts will use this to board the spacecraft. #SpaceFlight #CCP

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Ken Kremer‏ @ken_kremer 46 сек. назад

The @SpaceX Astronaut Walkway #CrewAccessArm was raised this morning and installed on #pad39a @NASAKennedy-for #CrewDragon flights to @Space_Station #ISS- my pics today.
Credit: @ken_kremer http://spaceupclose.com 

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[tnt22]

https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/08/20/spacexs-astronaut-walkway-installed-on-florida-launch-pad/

SpaceX's astronaut walkway installed on Florida launch pad
August 20, 2018 | Stephen Clark


SpaceX's crew access arm is in its retracted position at launch pad 39A after installation Monday. Credit: Stephen Clark / Spaceflight Now

The walkway astronauts will use to board SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule before missions to the International Space Station was added to historic launch pad 39A on Monday.

A crane erected at the seaside launch complex on Florida's Space Coast raised the crew access arm off the ground around 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT) Monday and positioned the new appendage on the fixed service structure later in the morning.

The attachment of the crew access arm is a major step in readying pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center for launches of SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft.

SpaceX leased the launch facility, the former site of Saturn 5 and space shuttle blastoffs, fr om NASA in 2014. Ground crews modified pad 39A for satellite launches with the company's Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets.

SpaceX has launched 14 times fr om pad 39A since February 2017, including the debut test flight of the Falcon Heavy rocket earlier this year. But the bulk of the company's Florida-based missions have shifted to nearby pad 40 at neighboring Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, allowing workers to focus on preparing pad 39A for crewed missions.

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Before the Falcon rocket family moved in at pad 39A, the launch complex hosted 12 launches of NASA's Apollo-era Saturn 5 moon rockets, including the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission. NASA's space shuttles took off 82 times from pad 39A, a record that counts the shuttle program's first and final flights in 1981 and 2011.


The crew access arm was installed at launch pad 39A on Monday. SpaceX's rocket hangar is visible at right. Credit: Stephen Clark / Spaceflight Now

Demolition teams took apart the shuttle-era rotating service structure at pad 39A piece-by-piece over the last couple of years, leaving the pad's fixed tower in place for the crew access arm. The Falcon 9's assembly hangar was constructed over the crawlerway once used by Saturn 5 rockets and space shuttles moving to the launch pad, and SpaceX manufactured a new retractable structure that serves as a Falcon 9 transporter, erector and umbilical tower.

The Falcon 9 rocket is taller than the space shuttle, so SpaceX's crew access arm was installed on the pad 39A tower at a higher level. The orbiter access arm extended to the shuttle's hatch from the fixed structure's 195-foot-level, wh ere crews would walk into the arm's white room for final suit-ups and boarding after riding an elevator from the base of the pad.

Workers configured a new floor and added an arm attach mechanism several stories higher on the launch pad tower for SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule.

SpaceX aims to launch the first Crew Dragon spacecraft on a test flight to the space station as soon as November without astronauts on-board, followed by another test launch — again without a crew — in roughly March 2019 to test the capsule's in-flight abort capability. If those tests go according to plan, SpaceX could be ready to launch a two-man team of NASA astronauts on a demonstration mission to the station in April of next year.

NASA announced earlier this month that shuttle veterans Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken will fly on the first piloted Crew Dragon test flight. Once its test flights are complete, NASA plans to certify the Crew Dragon for regular crew rotation missions to the space station.


A side-by-side comparison of the space shuttle orbiter access arm and white room (left) before the final launch of the shuttle Atlantis in 2011, and the Crew Dragon access arm (right) after its installation at pad 39A on Monday. Credit: NASA / Bill Ingalls (left); Stephen Clark / Spaceflight Now (right)

NASA has a $2.6 billion contract with SpaceX to develop the Crew Dragon capsule. The space agency signed a similar $4.2 billion deal with Boeing for that company's Starliner vehicle, giving NASA two commercial spaceships to carry astronauts into low Earth orbit and back, ending U.S. reliance on Russian Soyuz spacecraft for crew transportation.

A crew access arm similar in function — but much different in appearance — has also been installed at United Launch Alliance's nearby Atlas 5 launch pad at Cape Canaveral, wh ere Boeing's CST-100 Starliner commercial crew craft will lift off with astronauts on-board.

Other preparations planned by SpaceX at pad 39A include the addition of a slidewire escape system that would be used by astronauts and launch pad ground crews to quickly evacuate the facility in an emergency. Similar slidewires were used during the space shuttle program.

Boeing and ULA outfitted the Atlas 5's launch pad with zip lines to whisk crews away from the rocket during an emergency.

Once workers complete connections between the crew access arm and the pad 39A tower, SpaceX is expected to conduct testing to ensure the arm can properly retract and extend during launch countdowns.


File photo of a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket at pad 39A before a launch in May. The same version of the Falcon 9 rocket — but with a Crew Dragon capsule and not a conventional payload shroud — will be used for crewed missions. Credit: Stephen Clark / Spaceflight Now

NASA and SpaceX plan to team up for five crew loading demonstrations aboard Falcon 9 Block 5 rockets — the same launcher configuration to by used by Crew Dragon missions — to certify a plan for astronauts to board the Falcon 9 rocket before fueling.

The "load-and-go" fueling procedure employed during SpaceX countdowns involves filling of the Falcon 9 rocket with super-chilled, densified kerosene and liquid oxygen propellants beginning just 35 minutes prior to liftoff — after astronauts will already be strapped into their spacecraft on top of the booster.

In contrast, ULA's Atlas 5 rocket will be fueled before crews arrive at its launch pad to crawl into Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft. And NASA's space shuttle was fueled hours ahead of liftoff, before astronauts strapped in for the ride into space.

NASA has approved the load-and-go fueling procedure — as reported by Spaceflight Now earlier this month — for commercial crew missions, pending a series of ground tests to verify the crew loading timeline before Falcon 9 launches.

SpaceX argued the load-and-go proposal was less risky than fueling the rocket before astronauts arrive at the launch pad. In the event of a mishap on the launch pad during fueling, the Crew Dragon's abort rockets will be armed to immediately fire the capsule and its occupants away from the pad. The load-and-go procedure would also ensure ground support teams are a safe distance away from the rocket during fueling.

"To make this decision, our teams conducted an extensive review of the SpaceX ground operations, launch vehicle design, escape systems and operational history," said Kathy Lueders, manager of NASA's commercial crew program. "Safety for our personnel was the driver for this analysis, and the team's assessment was that this plan presents the least risk."

NASA outlined the expected Falcon 9 countdown timeline in a statement issued Friday:

"If all goes according to plan, on launch day, the Falcon 9 composite overwrap pressure vessels, known as COPVs, will be loaded with helium and verified to be in a stable configuration prior to astronaut arrival at the launch pad. The astronauts then will board the spacecraft about two hours before launch, when the launch system is in a quiescent state. After the ground crews depart the launch pad, the launch escape systems will be activated approximately 38 minutes before liftoff, just before fueling begins. SpaceX launch controllers then will begin loading rocket grade kerosene and densified liquid oxygen approximately 35 minutes before launch."

More photos of SpaceX's crew access arm are posted below.


Credit: Stephen Clark / Spaceflight Now


Credit: Stephen Clark / Spaceflight Now


Credit: Stephen Clark / Spaceflight Now


Credit: Stephen Clark / Spaceflight Now


Credit: Stephen Clark / Spaceflight Now

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SpaceX продолжает готовиться к пилотируемым миссиям корабля Dragon 2. 

Судно "GO Searcher" было замечено после модернизации с вертолётной площадкой на борту, которая будет использоваться для быстрой передачи экипажа на Мыс Канаверал, где они пройдут ряд медицинских осмотров после шестимесячного пребывания на борту Международной Космической Станции. 

Также, некоторое время назад, на рубке судна появился массивный купол, который, вероятно, предназначен для радиолокатора или систем связи с экипажем корабля Dragon. Этот купол и радиолокационная решетка были установлены в течение нескольких недель, во время технического обслуживания, проведенного на восточном побережье.

И наконец, большая металлическая конструкция на корме "GO Searcher" в виде специально разработанного гидравлического лифта, для подъема корабля Dragon на палубу. SpaceX проводили интенсивное тестирование операций по восстановлению корабля с этой установкой в течение всего этого года. Они работали с астронавтами Commerical Crew, представителями ВВС США и должностными лицами НАСА, чтобы довести процедуры по возвращению корабля и экипажа до автоматизма и гарантировать штатное исполнение процедур с реальным экипажем корабля Dragon 2.

Источник: vk.cc/8pnkLX

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[tnt22]

Paul Wooster - SpaceX's Plans for Mars - 21st Annual International Mars Society Convention

The Mars Society
Опубликовано: 29 авг. 2018 г.

Paul Wooster, Principal Mars Development Engineer, SpaceX

SpaceX's plans for Mars

Paul is also a founding member of the Mars Society and an attendee at our early conferences!

From the 21st Annual International Mars Society Convention, held at the Pasadena Convention Center in Southern California from Aug 23-26, 2018.

The four-day International Mars Society Convention brings together leading scientists, engineers, aerospace industry representatives, government policymakers and journalists to talk about the latest scientific discoveries, technological advances and political-economic developments that could help pave the way for a human mission to the planet Mars.

(27:00)

[Apollo13]

https://spacenews.com/air-force-soon-to-announce-decision-on-future-launch-vehicles/

Air Force soon to announce decision on future launch vehicles

by Sandra Erwin — August 31, 2018


United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket. Credit: ULA

Launch Service Agreement contracts are projected to be announced in September, according to the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center.

WASHINGTON — The Air Force is expected to sign deals with three, possibly four, space launch companies as it seeks to capitalize on private investments and fast-moving technology.
Launch Service Agreement (LSA) contracts are projected to be announced in September, according to the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center.
The LSA program kicked off more than two years ago with the goal to ensure the United States has at least two domestic commercial launch service providers that meet national security requirements.
Three rocket manufacturers — SpaceX, Orbital ATK (now Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems) and United Launch Alliance — as well as propulsion system supplier Aerojet Rocketdyne received an initial round of research and development contracts. Now the Air Force will have to decide who stays and who goes for the next phase of the program. A new player is now in the mix as Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin reportedly submitted a proposal for its New Glenn rocket.
None of the companies would comment for this story due to the sensitivity of the competition. The Air Force first planned to announce LSA awards in July. Industry sources told SpaceNews that the decision was delayed as the Air Force needed more time to evaluate Blue Origin's bid.
By most accounts SpaceX is guaranteed to get a piece of the overall LSA funding, estimated at approximately a billion dollars over several years. The Air Force's most trusted launch supplier, ULA, also is expected to be selected even though it is offering a new vehicle that may not be ready to fly until 2020. The big question is who might get the third award. One source speculated that the Air Force could award Northrop Grumman a contract to keep its Omega rocket alive but might also give Blue Origin seed money to ensure it has some say in the development of New Glenn.
The Air Force's LSA decisions could reshape the industrial base. If companies that almost entirely depend on government contracts are not awarded funding, they might have to exit the market, analysts project. Commercial players like SpaceX and Blue Origin presumably would not need military business to survive, taking some financial pressure off the Air Force.
According to the plan laid out by the Air Force, the selected three or four suppliers would complete the development of their vehicles by about 2021, and then the field will be narrowed down to two. The two winning vehicles would split an estimated four to six launches each year. At the end of this phase of the program, the Air Force could decide to have a full and open competition so companies that didn't win the first time get another shot.
Russian engine issue
The Air Force first conceived the LSA program to take advantage of industry investments in launch vehicles and ensure they are modified to meet national security space requirements. Another imperative is to comply with a law that requires the Air Force to phase out the use of the Russian RD-180 first-stage engine in ULA's Atlas 5 rocket by 2022. The LSA program seeks a domestic alternative to the Russian engine.
Most national security launch contracts today are awarded under the Air Force's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program. Per congressional mandate, EELV as of March 1, 2019, will be renamed "National Security Space Launch" program.
A commercial approach to buying launch services carries some risk, analysts cautioned, because it assumes suppliers will not depend on the government to stay financially viable. This is one reason why a vertically integrated company like SpaceX — which could fill its rockets with its own satellites — is an appealing proposition.
The Air Force wants to avoid a repeat of what happened in the 1990s, when then rocket providers Boeing and Lockheed Martin had forecast a large commercial demand that never materialized. That led to them combining their launch operations into what is now ULA.
With demand for large commercial satellite launches projected to soften, the Air Force has to plan for the possibility that it will pay higher prices, said Cristina Chaplain, director of acquisition and sourcing management at the Government Accountability Office. "The commercial market has always been hard to predict, and will continue to be hard to predict," Chaplain told SpaceNews. The Air Force will be challenged to sustain two suppliers, let alone three or four, she said. "They run the risk of being too optimistic about how many launches these companies can win, particularly ULA which hasn't had many," she said. "I don't see that changing any time soon."
William Ostrove, aerospace industry analyst at Forecast International, said the move to a commercial model carries a number of risks. "The development of new launch vehicles is extremely difficult," he said. "Many launch vehicle development programs have experienced major delays. Even the EELV program experienced delays in the late 1990s."
ULA could face delays at it tests a new main engine on Vulcan. "Any design will need to be refined once a final decision is made on the engine," said Ostrove.
"By introducing a number of new launch vehicles at the same time, the Air Force does increase the risk of launch failures, at least in the short term as the kinks are worked out," he said. "This is not to say that these risks will continue over the long term. With dedication and financial resources, most launch vehicles are able to overcome delays and failures."
The Air Force seems to be accepting more risk in order to reduce costs, said Ostrove. "For many years, mission assurance was the most important factor for the Air Force. Costs are now becoming increasingly important in the overall evaluation of launch services."

Ожидается, что в сентябре SpaceX получит от ВВС контракт Launch Service Agreement на сумму около миллиарда долларов в течение нескольких лет. Также деньги могут быть выделены ULA, Northrop Grumman и Blue Origin.

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Jeff Foust‏ @jeff_foust 3 ч. назад

Shotwell: decline in GEO business is not a "crushing blow" for us. Seeing strong growth in DOD business, but also later with commercial crew: "7 billion potential payloads"
#WSBW

2 ч. назад

Shotwell: Falcon 9 first stages come back in much better shape than anticipated. Have refurbishment time down to four weeks; goal is still a one-day turnaround next year.
#WSBW

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David Legangneux‏ @dlxinorbit 22 ч. назад

Summary of Falcon's 1st stage recovery attempts since the first success [updated after the launch of Telstar 18 Vantage / Apstar-5C]

[tnt22]

https://www.spaceflightindustries.com/2018/09/11/spaceflight-offers-rideshare-launches-to-geosynchronous-transfer-orbit/

SPACEFLIGHT OFFERS RIDESHARE LAUNCHES TO GEOSYNCHRONOUS TRANSFER ORBIT

By Jodi Sorensen
SEPTEMBER 11, 2018

Partnership with SSL reflects growing need for frequent, affordable access to GTO/GSO; SpaceIL's Israeli Lunar lander secures ride on first rideshare mission

Paris – September 11, 2018 — Spaceflight, the leading satellite rideshare and mission management provider, announced today at Euroconsult's World Satellite Business Week's conference that it has procured upcoming launches to Geosynchronous Orbit – a popular destination for communications satellites. The company anticipates offering rideshare opportunities to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) approximately every 12-18 months, or as customer demand requires.

The first mission will launch fr om Cape Canaveral Air Force Station aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 which was procured by SSL, a Maxar Technologies company. It will represent the two companies' first combined launch and Spaceflight's first mission beyond Lower Earth Orbit (LEO).

"We're focused on getting our customers' spacecraft into orbit in the most expeditious, cost-effective manner possible," said Curt Blake, president of Spaceflight. "The rideshare model is beneficial to everyone; the primary spacecraft as well as all the secondaries pay less than if they contracted to launch individually. In addition, working with a reliable partner like SSL to fulfill our first GTO mission increases our ability to service this growing destination. We're looking forward to making GTO a routine and affordable destination for our clients."

The manifest for this Falcon 9 GTO rideshare mission is completely full. It features several undisclosed payloads along with an unmanned lunar spacecraft from SpaceIL, an Israeli nonprofit organization that was competing in the Google Lunar XPrize to land a spacecraft on the Moon. The first rideshare satellites will separate in GTO and then the SSL host spacecraft will continue on to Geostationary Orbit (GEO) wh ere the remaining rideshare satellites will be separated.

"Spaceflight has taken an innovative approach to aggregating launches and bringing a more cost-effective launch model to the industry as a result," said David Bernstein, senior vice president of program management at SSL. "Working as a team with Spaceflight and SpaceX, we are enabling a unique mission that ultimately accomplishes a translunar injection, prior to dropping off other payloads on our way to geostationary orbit for the primary communications satellite."

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https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-falcon-9-rideshare-commercial-lunar-lander-2019/

SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare launch to send a commercial lander to the Moon in 2019

By Eric Ralph
Posted on September 12, 2018

According to a press release published on September 11 in conjunction with the 2018 World Satellite Business Week conference, satellite rideshare organizer Spaceflight Industries and SpaceX are on track for the first functionally dedicated rideshare mission to a relatively high-energy geostationary transfer orbit.

Expected to occur as soon as early 2019, Spaceflight has arranged the addition of "several undisclosed payloads" but was able to confirm that Israel-based company SpaceIL's lunar lander spacecraft – deemed Sparrow – will be onboard Falcon 9 come launch, potentially paving the way for the first-ever commercial spacecraft landing on an extraterrestrial planet (or moon).

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Spaceflight@SpaceflightInc

Did you hear? We're offering rideshare to GTO/GSO now. https://www.spaceflightindustries.com/2018/09/11/spaceflight-offers-rideshare-launches-to-geosynchronous-transfer-orbit/ ...

Spaceflight Offers Rideshare Launches to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit - Spaceflight Industries
Partnership with SSL reflects growing need for frequent, affordable access to GTO/GSO; SpaceIL's Israeli Lunar lander secures ride on first rideshare mission Paris – September 11, 2018 — Spaceflight,...
spaceflightindustries.com

6:09 PM - Sep 11, 2018

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A BIT MORE THAN "UBER FOR SPACE"

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Although any rocket or satellite launch on its own is already a sort of wildly complex symphony, rideshare missions – potentially carrying dozens of individual satellites – up the intensity by a significant degree, demanding magnitudes more separation events (i.e. satellite deployments), a labyrinth-like hell for the payload organizer tasked with herding dozens of distinct spacecraft into one payload fairing come launch time, and often multiple orbit drop-off points.

Still, at the cost of some amount of added risk (of both failures and launch delays) and less flexibility to pick and choose orbits, rideshare customers are granted launch prices that should – in theory – be fundamentally unbeatable with dedicated launches, using an entire rocket for no more than a handful of payloads. Intriguingly, at least in the case of Spaceflight Industry's first organized rideshare to geostationary orbit, Falcon 9's capabilities are truly unbeatable at SI's cost per customer, thanks to the reality that such a high-energy orbit is functionally unreachable to the array of dedicated smallsat rockets with purportedly imminent commercial launch debuts (Rocket Lab, Virgin Orbit, Vector, and others).

Even more intriguingly, it appears that this rideshare will go so far as to offer a ride to a true, circular geostationary orbit for a few copassengers, versus the highly-elliptical parking orbit Falcon 9 will place the whole payload stack in. It has yet to be specifically confirmed what the primary (heaviest) payload will be for this inaugural geostationary rideshare, but nearly all available signs are pointing towards a fairly large (5000 kilogram) communications satellite built by Space Systems Loral (SSL). Further, the satellite itself will serve as the mode of transportation to carry a number of copassenger spacecraft fr om SpaceX's geostationary transfer orbit to the final circular orbit roughly 22,500 mi (~36,000 km) above Earth's surface.

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SATELLITE RIDESHARES, BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE US MILITARY?

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The story deepens further still. All available signs also suggest a high probability that this launch will become one of SSL's first operational uses of a currently-experimental rideshare plan known as PODS, in which fairly small satellites would quite literally piggyback on large, commercial satellites into exotic and high-energy orbits, far beyond the low Earth orbits primarily available to rideshare payloads. This could open a whole new world of affordable, cubesat-style exploration, ranging from student-led missions with unprecedented reach to fleets of NASA-funded scientific smallsats, and perhaps even self-propelled interplanetary cubesats once miniature propulsion is available.


An SSL graphic explains the company's PODS technology. (SSL)


This condensed User's Guide lists the basics of PODS ridesharing. (SSL)


Falcon 9 B1049 lifts off from SpaceX's LC-40 pad, September 10. (Tom Cross)


A Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket will launch both SSO-A and the geostationary rideshare sometime in the next six or so months. (Tom Cross)
 
Funded and sponsored to some extent by US military research agency DARPA, it just so happens that an SSL-built satellite launched by SpaceX six months ago – Hispasat 30W-6, March 2018 – successfully debuted that PODS rideshare technology in an experimental test, deploying a secret secondary satellite funded by DARPA. That success has apparently paved the way for future PODS rideshares, and it looks like SSL may be opting to contract out the specialized task of manifesting launches and wrangling multiple copassenger satellites to Spaceflight Industries.

The primary SSL-built spacecraft, likely Indonesia's PSN-6 geostationary communications satellite, is expected to weigh approximately 5000 kg (~11,000 lb), while SpaceIL's commercial Sparrow lunar lander and spacecraft is currently pegged around 600 kg (1300 lb). Aside from that duo, SSL PODS can support anywhere from one to several satellite deployer add-ons, and each copassenger spacecraft has a mass lim it of 90-150 kg (~200-330 lb).

As a consequence, the final mass of those 3+ integrated satellites and their associated payload adapters could easily wind up around 6500-7000 kg, a payload SpaceX's Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket has proven itself capable of handling (Telstar 18V and 19V), but only to a fairly low-energy geostationary transfer orbit (18,000 km vs. a full GTO's 36,000 km apogee). It's unclear how SpaceIL's Sparrow lunar lander would handle a relatively low-energy insertion orbit, although the PSN-6 communications satellite would certainly be able to make up for the shortfall with its own propellant supply and rocket engines.


SpaceIL's Sparrow lunar lander hopes to become the first commercial payload ever to land on an extraterrestrial body. (SpaceIL)

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Prior to this geostationary rideshare, SpaceX and Spaceflight Industry's first mission together –  a rideshare of ~70 satellites to low Earth orbit – is expected to occur no earlier than October or November 2018 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

[zandr]

https://ria.ru/space/20180918/1528761369.html

Японский миллиардер станет первым туристом SpaceX, отправившимся к Луне
ВАШИНГТОН, 18 сен — РИА Новости. Первым коммерческим пассажиром разрабатываемой SpaceX транспортной системы BFR, который отправится к Луне, станет японский миллиардер, коллекционер искусства Юсаку Маэдзава, сообщил владелец компании Илон Маск на специальной церемонии в штаб-квартире компании в Калифорнии.
На прошлой неделе SpaceX сообщила о подписании соглашения с первым в мире космическим туристом, который облетит Луну на ракете. О сроках предстоящего полета не сообщалось, но в компании назвали соглашение "важным шагом" к тому, чтобы открыть космос для тех, кто мечтает в нем побывать.
Как заявил Маск, полет к Луне и обратно займет четыре-пять дней. Он не уточнил, когда Маэдзава отправится в космос, однако сам турист завил, что это случится через пять лет.
"В 2023 году в качестве хозяина (полета) я приглашаю шесть-восемь представителей искусства присоединиться ко мне в полете к Луне", — сказал Маэдзава, выразив надежду, что полет вдохновит на новые произведения искусства. Он поблагодарил компанию за то, что с ее помощью он и другие люди смогут воплотить в реальность свои мечты.
При этом Маск не исключил, что сам отправится к Луне вместе с Маэдзавой.

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Он отметил, что также не уверен в сроках предстоящего полета. "Это необыкновенно большая ракета, в ней куча передовых технологий, и мы не можем быть на 100% уверены, что сможем добиться успеха в том, чтобы она полетела, нет уверенности на 100%, это, думаю, вероятно, но не наверняка. Мы сделаем все, чтобы она полетела настолько скоро, насколько можем и настолько безопасно, насколько можем", — сказал глава SpaceX.
О планах создания транспортной установки, получившей название BFR, Маск объявил в сентябре прошлого года. Он сообщил, что компания уже начала строительство транспортной системы, которая станет самой сложной в мире.
SpaceX не раскрывает сумму, которую заплатит Маэдзава за полет к Луне.

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[tnt22]

https://ria.ru/science/20180918/1528763169.html

Маск не исключает, что отправится к Луне вместе с японцем Маэдзавой
07:15 18.09.2018 (обновлено: 08:09 18.09.2018)


© AP Photo / Damian Dovarganes

ВАШИНГТОН, 18 сен – РИА Новости. Владелец SpaceX Илон Маск не исключил, что тоже отправится в полет к Луне вместе с японским миллиардером Юсукой Маэдзавой.

"Что касается того, чтобы мне полететь, я не уверен, но, может, я приму участие в этом путешествии, я не знаю", — сказал Маск на презентации в штаб-квартире SpaceX в Калифорнии под одобрительные возгласы оплатившего полет японца. Трансляция велась на сайте компании.

Компания, как и сам первый турист, не раскрывают стоимость полета, но известно, что Маэдзава внес предоплату за него. Миллиардер купил не только свое место, но еще кресла для "шести-восьми" человек. Маэдзава сообщил, что надеется в 2023 году взять в полет представителей мира искусства, которых путешествие к Луне вдохновит на новые творения, для них оно будет "бесплатным".

Полет будет совершен на новейшей и обещающей стать самой мощной в мире транспортной системе BFR (Big Falcon Rocket), строительство которой уже началось. По предварительной оценке владельца SpaceX, создание системы BFR обойдется в сумму более 5 миллиардов долларов. Маск сообщил, что внесенные Маэдзавой средства помогут осуществить разработку транспортной системы.

"Это опасно... вы должны быть очень храбрым, чтобы совершить это", — сказал Маск, добавив, что пока у компании нет уверенности в успехе проекта.

Он отметил, что также не уверен в сроках предстоящего полета.

"Это необыкновенно большая ракета, в ней куча передовых технологий, и мы не можем быть на 100% уверены, что сможем добиться успеха в том, чтобы она полетела, нет уверенности на 100%, это, думаю, вероятно, но не наверняка. Мы сделаем все, чтобы она полетела настолько скоро, насколько можем и настолько безопасно, насколько можем", — сказал Маск.

Ранее в понедельник на презентации в Калифорнии SpaceX представила первого космического туриста, который совершит полет на орбиту Луны на строящейся системе BFR, им стал японский миллиардер, музыкант и коллекционер искусства 42-летний Юсаку Маэдзава. Путешествие на орбиту Луны и обратно, по расчетам SpaceX, составит четыре-пять дней.