Iridium Next Flight 6 (x5), GRACE-FO 1, GRACE-FO 2 - Falcon 9 (B1043) - Vandenberg SLC-4E - 22.05.18

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http://www.spacex.com/news/2018/05/22/iridium-6grace-fo-mission

MAY 22, 2018

IRIDIUM-6/GRACE-FO MISSION

On Tuesday, May 22nd at 12:47 p.m. PDT, SpaceX successfully launched five Iridium® NEXT satellites and two GRACE-FO satellites from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Liftoff occurred at 12:47 p.m. PDT, or 19:47 UTC. The GRACE-FO satellites were deployed about eleven minutes and thirty seconds after launch, followed by the deployment of the five Iridium® NEXT satellites about an hour after launch.

Falcon 9's first stage for the Iridium-6/GRACE-FO mission previously supported the Zuma mission from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in January 2018. SpaceX did not attempt to recover Falcon 9's first stage after launch.

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http://investor.iridium.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=1068187

May 22, 2018

Iridium Completes Sixth Successful Iridium® NEXT Launch

55 new satellites are now in orbit as the company prepares for commercial service introduction of Iridium CertusSM broadband

MCLEAN, Va., May 22, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ:IRDM) announced today that at 12:47:58pm PDT (19:47:58 UTC) SpaceX successfully launched five Iridium NEXT satellites fr om Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.  The Iridium satellites were joined by the twin spacecraft for the NASA/German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission, in a unique "rideshare" launch. Shortly after deployment, Iridium confirmed successful communication with all five new satellites, formally bringing the total number of Iridium NEXT satellites in orbit to 55.  This leaves just two more launches of 10 satellites each to complete this ambitious launch program.  The Iridium NEXT constellation, featuring 66 interconnected low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, will enable never before possible services like the AireonSM global aircraft tracking and surveillance system and its new broadband service, Iridium Certus.

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Iridium Certus will be the world's first truly global broadband service, providing reliable connections for the aviation, maritime, land-mobile and Internet of Things (IoT) related industries, including essential safety services.  And while Iridium is already relied upon by first responders, governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and a variety of industries worldwide, Iridium Certus will bring users an upgraded infrastructure using Iridium's resilient L-band spectrum, but with higher throughputs and faster speeds. Iridium's safety services portfolio includes multiple capabilities including aircraft tracking and communications, emergency voice and data communications, personal tracking and remote monitoring applications. Specific to the maritime industry, Iridium has been recognized as the second-ever satellite communications provider for the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) and plans to begin providing service in early 2020. This is a critical, life-saving service for mariners, and the addition of Iridium will for the first time extend the reach of satellite-enabled GMDSS to even the most remote waterways.

"Our strong presence in the world of safety services is a testament to the unique benefits our network can enable," said Matt Desch, chief executive officer at Iridium. "With every successful launch, we are one step closer to Iridium NEXT being fully operational, which officially starts a new age of satellite connectivity. When it comes to safety communications, especially for those operating in the skies or out at sea, having built-in network redundancy and resiliency enabled by our satellite's crosslinks is paramount, especially during times of distress. We recognize this and feel that as the only network covering the entire planet, we have an inherent responsibility to constantly innovate for this critical arena."

Iridium NEXT is the Company's $3 billion, next-generation, mobile, global satellite network scheduled for completion this year. It will replace the existing network in one of the largest technology upgrades ever completed in space. Today's launch delivered all five Iridium NEXT satellites to orbital plane six wh ere they will immediately begin preparations for the pre-operational testing and validation processes. The network is comprised of six polar orbiting planes, each hosting 11 satellites, blanketing the earth with reliable satellite connectivity.

To date, Iridium has completed six launches, all with SpaceX out of its west coast launch facility, Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. A total of eight Iridium NEXT launches are currently planned with SpaceX and will deliver 75 new satellites to orbit. In total, 81 satellites are being built, with 66 in the operational constellation, nine serving as on-orbit spares and six as ground spares.
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https://blogs.nasa.gov/gracefo/2018/05/22/both-grace-fo-satellites-are-healthy/

Both GRACE-FO Satellites Are Healthy

Tony Greicius
Posted May 22, 2018 at 5:22 pm


The NASA/German Research Centre for Geosciences GRACE Follow-On spacecraft launch onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, Tuesday, May 22, 2018, from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The mission will measure changes in how mass is redistributed within and among Earth's atmosphere, oceans, land and ice sheets, as well as within Earth itself. GRACE-FO is sharing its ride to orbit with five Iridium NEXT communications satellites as part of a commercial rideshare agreement. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Telemetry from both GRACE-FO satellites indicates that both satellites are healthy.

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For the next few days, they will be in different orbits, one slightly lower than the other. The different orbits cause them to move apart until the lower satellite is 137 miles (220 kilometers) in front of the other, the optimal separation distance for their measurements. At that point, the lower satellite will be moved up into the same orbit as the higher satellite.

After these maneuvers, the mission begins an 85-day in-orbit checkout phase. Mission managers will evaluate the instruments and satellite systems and perform calibration and alignment procedures. After that, the satellites will begin gathering and processing science data. The first science data are expected to be delivered to users in about seven months.

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Запись трансляции НАСА

Launching NASA's GRACE-FO

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Трансляция началась 3 часа назад

(1:18:18 )

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https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/twin-spacecraft-launch-to-track-earth-s-water-movement

May 22, 2018
RELEASE 18-038

Twin Spacecraft Launch to Track Earth's Water Movement


The NASA/German Research Centre for Geosciences GRACE Follow-On spacecraft launch onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, Tuesday, May 22, 2018, fr om Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The mission will measure changes in how mass is redistributed within and among Earth's atmosphere, oceans, land and ice sheets, as well as within Earth itself. GRACE-FO is sharing its ride to orbit with five Iridium NEXT communications satellites as part of a commercial rideshare agreement.
Credits: NASA/Bill Ingalls

A joint U.S./German space mission to track the continuous movement of water and other changes in Earth's mass on and beneath the planet's surface successfully launched at 12:47 p.m. PDT Tuesday fr om the California coast.

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The twin spacecraft of the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO), a joint NASA/German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) mission, lifted off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket fr om Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, sharing their ride into space with five Iridium NEXT communications satellites.

Ground stations have acquired signals from both GRACE-FO spacecraft. Initial telemetry shows the satellites are performing as expected. The GRACE-FO satellites are at an altitude of about 305 miles (490 kilometers), traveling about 16,800 mph (7.5 kilometers per second). They are in a near-polar orbit, circling Earth once every 90 minutes.

"GRACE-FO will provide unique insights into how our complex planet operates," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. "Just as important, because the mission monitors many key aspects of the Earth's water cycle, GRACE-FO data will be used throughout the world to improve people's lives – from better predictions of drought impacts to higher quality information on use and management of water from underground aquifers."

Over its five-year mission, GRACE-FO will monitor the movement of mass around our planet by measuring wh ere and how the moving mass changes Earth's gravitational pull. The gravity changes cause the distance between the two satellites to vary slightly. Although the two satellites orbit 137 miles (220 kilometers) apart, advanced instruments continuously measure their separation to within the width of a human red blood cell.

GRACE-FO continues the U.S./German partnership of the original GRACE mission, which operated from 2002 through 2017. "This mission continues and advances an amazing achievement of science and technology pioneered by the United States and Germany," said Zurbuchen.

For 15 years, GRACE's monthly maps of regional gravity variations provided new insights into how the Earth system functions and responds to change.

Among its innovations, GRACE was the first mission to measure the amount of ice being lost from the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets. The mission improved our understanding of the processes responsible for sea level rise and ocean circulation, provided insights into wh ere global groundwater resources are shrinking or growing, showed wh ere dry soils are contributing to drought, and monitored changes in the solid Earth, such as from earthquakes.

Frank Webb, GRACE-FO project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, notes that to understand changes taking place in the climate system, scientists need data records several decades long.

"Extending the data record from GRACE will allow us to better distinguish short-term variability from longer-term trends," he said.

The GRACE-FO satellites will spend their first few days in space moving to the separation distance needed to perform their mission. When they reach this distance, the mission begins an 85-day, in-orbit checkout phase. Mission managers will evaluate the instruments and satellite systems and perform calibration and alignment procedures. Then the satellites will begin gathering and processing science data. The first science data are expected to be released in about seven months.

JPL manages the GRACE-FO mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington, under the direction of the Earth Systematic Missions Program Office at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The spacecraft were built by Airbus Defence and Space in Friedrichshafen, Germany, under subcontract to JPL. GFZ contracted GRACE-FO launch services from Iridium. GFZ subcontracted mission operations to the German Aerospace Center (DLR), which operates the German Space Operations Center in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany.
...
Steve Cole 
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-0918 
stephen.e.cole@nasa.gov 

Alan Buis
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-354-0474
alan.buis@jpl.nasa.gov

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Last Updated: May 23, 2018
Editor: Sean Potter

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НОРАД зарегистрировал пару близнецов GRACE-FO

Код Выделить Развернуть

0 TBA - TO BE ASSIGNED
1 43476U 18047A   18142.88923448  .00000031  00000-0  00000+0 0  9999
2 43476  88.9948 239.1029 0015589 273.5129 201.0099 15.23858570    00

0 TBA - TO BE ASSIGNED
1 43477U 18047B   18142.88923440  .00000031  00000-0  00000+0 0  9992
2 43477  88.9855 239.1186 0015422 297.1332 177.3583 15.24021305    08
43476 / 2018-047A : 484 x 505 km x 88.995°
43477 / 2018-047B : 483 x 504 km x 88.986°

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Jay L. DeShetler‏ @jdeshetler 3 мин. назад

The marine fog rolled in just few mins after, but we had a clear line of sight to the rocket as it launched. 2 hrs later, we were still not able to retrieve our remote cameras due to ongoing bush fire which is confined to around the pad. @NASASpaceflight @SpaceX @IridiumComm

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[Max Andriyahov]

Не поймал.

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НОРАД зарегистрировал ещё пять объектов запуска, предположительно все пять - КА Iridium NEXT

Код Выделить Развернуть

0 TBA - TO BE ASSIGNED
1 43478U 18047C   18142.95257369  .00000034  00000-0  00000+0 0  9994
2 43478  86.7101 239.9250 0153544 332.9069 117.8366 14.89094608    17

0 TBA - TO BE ASSIGNED
1 43479U 18047D   18142.95308888  .00000034  00000-0  00000+0 0  9998
2 43479  86.7106 239.9381 0156853 334.3663 119.0689 14.88360425    14

0 TBA - TO BE ASSIGNED
1 43480U 18047E   18142.95216387  .00000034  00000-0  00000+0 0  9992
2 43480  86.7093 239.9184 0151454 332.9203 115.6278 14.88692205    18

0 TBA - TO BE ASSIGNED
1 43481U 18047F   18142.95251653  .00000035  00000-0  00000+0 0  9999
2 43481  86.7109 239.9703 0170039 334.8839 115.2354 14.89193295    06

0 TBA - TO BE ASSIGNED
1 43482U 18047G   18142.95276609  .00000034  00000-0  00000+0 0  9997
2 43482  86.7098 239.9580 0167269 335.7840 115.6751 14.88342226    04
43478 / 2018-047C : 494 x 708 km x 86.710°
43479 / 2018-047D : 494 x 713 km x 86.711°
43480 / 2018-047E : 496 x 708 km x 86.709°
43481 / 2018-047F : 482 x 719 km x 86.711°
43482 / 2018-047G : 486 x 720 km x 86.710°

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http://www.vandenberg.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1529172/falcon-9-iridiumgrace-fo-launch/

Falcon 9 Iridium/Grace FO Launch
By Airman Aubree Milks, 30th Space Wing / Published May 22, 2018



VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Team Vandenberg successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying both Iridium and Grace FO payloads from Space Launch Complex-4 here, Tuesday, May 22, at 12:47 p.m. PDT.

[Georgea]

На это раз ракета перед стартом "парила" особенно сильно.

Вопрос: стравливание такого количества (холодного) кислорода не создает рисков возгорания/взрывов на стартовом комплексе?

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Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 44 мин. назад

GRACE-FO satellites cataloged in 483 x 505 km orbits, Iridium 110, 147, 152, 161 and 162 cataloged in 494 x 710 km orbits. The Falcon 9 second stage was deorbited after deploying the sats.

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Билл Ингаллс добавил 

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Well, one remote cam outside the pad perimeter was found to be a bit toast(y). sigh     
** and yes - it made pix until it's demise. **

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SpaceX‏Подлинная учетная запись @SpaceX 10 ч. назад

More photos from today's Falcon 9 launch → http://flickr.com/spacex 

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НОРАД идентифицировал пару близнецов GRACE-FO

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Michael Baylor‏ @nextspaceflight 12 мин. назад

All the patches from yesterday's launch.

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SpaceX Iridium F6

Matt Hartman

Опубликовано: 23 мая 2018 г.

SpaceX / IridiumNEXT /GRACE-FO flight 6 remote cam video

(6:19)

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Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight 18 мин. назад

Iridium Communications note the five Iridium NEXT satellites launched on Tuesday's Falcon 9 launch are functioning nominally and have begun the testing and validation process.

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Eric Ralph‏ @13ericralph31 8 ч. назад

Mr Steven returned to port around 7pm PST May 23 with both Iridium-6/GRACE-FO fairing halves aboard, by all appearances intact! Seawater immersion means no reuse, but they may find use as drop test articles to refine accuracy    @NASAJPL @IridiumBoss @nextspaceflight @Teslarati

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https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/05/24/photos-blues-skies-make-for-spectacular-falcon-9-launch-in-california/

Photos: Blues skies make for spectacular Falcon 9 launch in California
May 24, 2018 | Stephen Clark

A threatening layer of clouds stayed away from SpaceX's launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Tuesday, allowing for clear viewing of a spectacular Falcon 9 launch carrying commercial and scientific satellites into polar orbit.

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Towering 229 feet (70 meters) tall, the Falcon 9 ignited its nine Merlin 1D engines and lifted off from the California launch base at 12:47:58 p.m. PDT (3:47:58 p.m. EDT; 1947:58 GMT). Five Iridium communications satellites and a pair of research craft to measure changes in Earth's water cycle were aboard the commercial rocket.

The two research payloads deployed from the rocket first, beginning missions on behalf of NASA and the German Research Centre for Geosciences. The Falcon 9's upper stage reignited briefly to maneuver into a higher orbit for separation of the five Iridium voice and data relay satellites.

It was SpaceX's 10th mission of the year, and the 12th time the company has used a previously-flown rocket booster on one of its missions.

Read our full story for details on the mission.


Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls


Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls


Credit: SpaceX


Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls


Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls


Credit: SpaceX


Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls


Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls


Credit: SpaceX


Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls


Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls


Credit: Gene Blevins/LA Daily News


Credit: Gene Blevins/LA Daily News


Credit: Gene Blevins/LA Daily News


Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls


Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls


Credit: SpaceX


Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls


Credit: SpaceX


Credit: SpaceX


Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls


Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls


Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls


Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

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