Bangabandhu-1 - Falcon 9 (B1046) - Kennedy LC-39A - 07.05.2018 20:14 UTC

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Brady Kenniston‏ @TheFavoritist 2 ч. назад

Falcon 9 Block 5 is vertical for today's launch from LC-39a carrying Bangabandhu-1, Bangladesh's first satellite.

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https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/05/10/photos-falcon-9-block-5-poised-for-launch-at-kennedy-space-center/

Photos: Falcon 9 Block 5 poised for launch at Kennedy Space Center
May 10, 2018 | Stephen Clark

SpaceX's first upgraded Falcon 9 "Block 5" rocket was raised vertical at launch pad 39A early Thursday in preparation for liftoff from the Kennedy Space Center, debuting enhancements aimed at making the booster more reusable and more reliable.

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Standing more than 20 stories tall, the Falcon 9 Block 5 is the latest, and SpaceX says the final, major upgrade to the workhorse commercial rocket. Poised for launch atop the Falcon 9 rocket is Bangabandhu 1, Bangladesh's first communications satellite.

Changes to the Block 5 version rocket include new thermal coatings, retractable landing legs, and safety modifications needed for future launches with astronauts on-board.

Launch from pad 39A at KSC is set for a window opening at 4:12 p.m. EDT (2012 GMT) and closing at 6:22 p.m. EDT (2222 GMT) Thursday.

See our Mission Status Center for updates and details on the launch.


Credit: Walter Scriptunas II/Spaceflight Now


Credit: Walter Scriptunas II/Spaceflight Now


Credit: Walter Scriptunas II/Spaceflight Now


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


Credit: Stephen Clark/Spaceflight Now

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Русскоязычные трансляции:

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45-е КК опубликовало

Airspace Closure Area

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Объявлена

Launch Hazard Area

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Brady Kenniston‏ @TheFavoritist 23 мин. назад

A few more views from LC-39a this morning.

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TomCross‏ @_TomCross_ 1 ч. назад

Today at Launch Complex 39A. We have Falcon 9 Block 5. A SpaceX Drone in the sky. Closeups of hardware too. Launch at 4:12pm EDT follow me on Instagram @Teslarati #spacex #falcon9

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[Чебурашка]

Во сколько по Москве запуск Чёрного космического властелина  :?: .

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Spaceflight Now‏ @SpaceflightNow 5 мин. назад

The countdown clocks at the Kennedy Space Center are now ticking down to a new T-0 time of 4:42pm EDT (2042 GMT). Live coverage: https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/05/10/falcon-9-bangabandhu-1-mission-status-center/ ...

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SpaceX‏Подлинная учетная запись @SpaceX 8 мин. назад

Falcon 9 Block 5 and Bangabandhu Satellite-1 went vertical on Pad 39A in Florida this morning. Now targeting liftoff at 4:42 p.m. EDT, 20:42 UTC – vehicle and payload look good, completing final check outs at the pad. http://spacex.com/webcast 

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Чебурашка пишет:
Во сколько по Москве запуск Чёрного космического властелина  :?:  .

23:42 ДМВ. Начало трансляции - за 15 мин. до...

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05/10/2018 21:33 Stephen Clark

T-minus 2 hours, 8 minutes. Some statistics on today's launch:

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• 54th launch of a Falcon 9 rocket since 2010
• 60th launch of Falcon rocket family since 2006
• 1st launch of Falcon 9 Vehicle No. 46
• 45th Falcon 9 launch from Cape Canaveral
• 1st launch of the Falcon 9 Block 5 configuration
• 108th flight from launch pad 39A
• 13th Falcon 9 launch from pad 39A
• 14th SpaceX launch from pad 39A
• 1st SpaceX launch for BTRC
• 9th SpaceX launch with Thales Alenia Space payload(s)
• 35th Falcon 9 day launch
• 8th Falcon 9 launch of 2018
• 9th launch by SpaceX in 2018
• 10th launch overall from Cape Canaveral in 2018
• 31st attempt to land a Falcon 9 first stage
  

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tnt22 пишет:

Чебурашка пишет:
Во сколько по Москве запуск Чёрного космического властелина  :?:  .

23:42 ДМВ. Начало трансляции - за 15 мин. до...

Уже нет. Уже 00:47 следующего дня (ДМВ).

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Spaceflight Now‏ @SpaceflightNow 16 мин. назад

We have a new launch time of 5:47pm (2147 GMT): https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/05/10/falcon-9-bangabandhu-1-mission-status-center/ ...

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Официально:

SpaceX‏Подлинная учетная запись @SpaceX 2 мин. назад

New T-0 of 5:47 p.m. EDT—vehicle and payload continue to look good for today's first flight of Falcon 9 Block 5.

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Updated: 05/10/2018 23:24 Stephen Clark

T-minus 82 minutes and counting. Elon Musk, SpaceX's founder and chief executive, just spoke with reporters about the maiden flight of the Falcon 9 Block 5, the last major upgrade of the company's workhorse rocket before the debut of a giant new booster dubbed the Big Falcon Rocket in the 2020s.

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"This will be the last major version of Falcon 9 before BFR," Musk said a few minutes ago. "We expect this to be a mainstay of SpaceX's business. We think (it) will probably wind up with something on the order of 300 flights, maybe more, of Falcon 9 Block 5 before retirement."

He said the Block 5's first stage booster is designed to fly 10 times "with no scheduled refurbishment." With "moderate scheduled maintenance," Block 5 first stages could be capable of 100 missions, Musk said.

"Our goal, just to give you a sense of how reusable we think it will be, we intend to demonstrate two orbital launches of the same Falcon 9 vehicle within 24 hours no earlier than next year," Musk said. "It's going to take some time because we're going to be careful and deliberate about this."

Musk said the most important changes to the Block 5 address NASA human-rating requirements, ahead of the planned launches of astronauts to the International Space Station on Falcon 9 rockets beginning late this year or some time in 2019.

"The intent is for (Falcon 9 Block 5) to be the most reliable rocket ever built," Musk said. "That is the design intent ... I hope today doesn't punish me for these words, but that is certainly the intent, and I think our most conservative customers would agree."

The rocket's modifications also make provide a performance boost.

There's an 8 percent increase in sea level thrust from the Falcon 9's nine Merlin first stage engines, up to around 190,000 pounds of thrust each, Musk said. The upper stage's single vacuum-rated Merlin engine on Block 5 can generate 220,000 pounds of thrust, but will be throttled back to 210,000 force-pounds on today's mission.

"Both the efficiency of the engine and thrust of the engine have increased, (without) any material change to the mass of the engine. The thrust-to-weight ratio is truly incredible at this point. It was already the highest thrust-to-weight engine in the world."

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Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF 4 мин. назад

Remember, we have a VERY DIFFERENT fueling process and timeline today for the Block 5. Fueling does not start until just 35mins before launch. #SpaceX #Falcon9 #Block5 #Bangabandhu1

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Updated: 05/10/2018 23:44 Stephen Clark

T-minus 63 minutes. Musk also addressed changes to the outer coating of the rocket, aimed at better shielding the first stage from extreme re-entry temperatures.

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"We also have a lot of new thermal protection technology," Musk said. "If you look, aesthetically, there's the black interstage. That is the structure that joins the upper and lower stage, as well as the raceways, the landing legs, they all use a new thermal protection material developed at SpaceX which is highly resuabile and does not require paint. It's hydrophobic. It does not trap water. This was quite a challenging thing to do.

"I kind of like the aesthetics of it more," he said. If you look back at the old Falcon 1 rocket, I really like having the black interstage. The interstage is made of carbon fiber. It adds a different aesthetic to the rocket. Obviously, aesthetics are a minor factor in designing a rocket."

The octaweb, a structure which contains the first stage's nine engines at the base of the rocket, is also made of a higher-strength aluminum. It's bolted on the base of the Falcon 9 Block 5, while it was welded to the booster on previous versions of SpaceX's workhorse vehicle.

"It also has quite a bit of thermal protection on the inside in case of an engine fire or something like that, so that it does not melt the octaweb."

The first stage's four landing legs also sport changes.

The locking mechanism that kept the legs deployed during the booster's final descent and post-flight processing has been removed. The landing gear now has an internal locking system, Musk said.

""Opening the landing gear and closing the landing gear is now a very easy thing to do, whereas previously it required a couple of hours to re-stow the landing gear. That can now be done with an actuator."

The heat shield attached to the bottom of the rocket near the booster's engine section has also been beefed up.

"We replaced the old composite structure with a high-temperature titanium structure to support rapid reuse," Musk said. "The base heat shield will also be, in some parts, actively cooled with water."

He said data crunched from past Falcon 9 flights indicated that some parts of the base of the rocket exposed to super-hot temperatures during the rocket's hypersonic re-entry needed better protection.

"You kind of have to use a high-melting point material, a high-temperature material, plus active water cooling in certain places on the base of the heat shield."

To sum up the Block 5 upgrades, Musk said the new Falcon 9 configuration is a "bit better in every way."

"It has a better flight computer, engine controllers, a new, more advanced inertial measurement system."

Other improvements that will fly regularly on the Falcon 9 Block 5 have already been demonstrated during past Falcon 9 missions. Those include a new-generation payload fairing, which covers satellite payloads during launch, to make the shroud recoverable and reusable. Titanium grid fins, which likewise have already made their debut on previous Falcon 9 missions, will fly on every Block 5 launch, replacing aluminum steering winglets used on descent that were susceptible to heat damage.

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Michael Baylor‏ @nextspaceflight 2 мин. назад

Recovery information for today's Falcon 9 launch:
- The first stage will attempt to land on OCISLY in the Atlantic Ocean.
- At least one of the fairing halves is expected to attempt a splash landing. If successful, GO Pursuit is down range to recover it from the water.