SAOCOM-1A, ITASAT-1 - Falcon 9 - Vandenberg SLC-4E - 08.10.2018

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

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Vandenberg will thus be the focus of SpaceX's launch activities in September and October, hopefully supporting at least two missions. The first, SAOCOM-1A, is an Argentinian Earth observation satellite targeting a launch window in late September, reportedly delayed from September 5 to give SpaceX additional time to prepare Falcon 9. According to NASASpaceflight.com, SpaceX intends to refly Falcon 9 B1048 for this mission, giving the company just 6-8 weeks to refurbish the rocket and prepare it for the usual preflight static fire several days before launch. SAOCOM-1A will also likely mark the debut of SpaceX's West Coast rocket landing zone, known as LZ-2.
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Спутник ДЗЗ SAOCOM1A прибыл в Ванденберг, штат Калифорния. Рабочая группа CONAE, VENG, INVAP и CNEA работает в чистой комнате SpaceX, готовя КА к запуску, который планируется между 28 сентября и 4 октября.

CONAE‏ @CONAE_Oficial 17 авг.

El satélite de observación SAOCOM1A llegó muy bien al sitio de lanzamiento en Vandenberg, California. El equipo de trabajo de CONAE, VENG, INVAP y CNEA, trabaja en la sala limpia de Spacex, preparándolo para el lanzamiento, previsto entre el 28 de septiembre y el 4 de octubre.

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Pauline Acalin‏ @w00ki33 12 ч.12 часов назад

I love this angle of B1048 returning to port on 7/27. This booster is scheduled to re-launch at the end of September for SAOCOM 1A and then return to launch site (RTLS) for the first West Coast land recovery!
#SpaceX #iridium7

[Salo]

Не ранее 7 октября.

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Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight 38 мин. назад

SpaceX media accreditation for SAOCOM 1A mission (SLC-4E at Vandy): "A flight-proven Falcon 9 rocket will deliver SAOCOM 1A to LEO. The launch is targeted for no earlier than October."

Set to be the first West Coast RTLS!

Overview:
https://t.co/7nrTeuXxtp">https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/08/saocom-1a-ships-vandenberg-falcon-9-first-west-coast-rtls/ ...

- by @nextspaceflight

[tnt22]

Крайняя фотография аргентинского спутника SAOCOM 1A на Земле! Команды CONAE, VENG, @invapargentina и @CNEAok завершили интеграцию и инкапсуляцию SAOCOM 1A под головной обтекатель РН Falcon 9 @SpaceX. Спутник готов! Начинайте подготовку к пуску!

CONAE‏ @CONAE_Oficial 2 ч. назад

Última foto del satélite argentino SAOCOM 1A en Tierra! Los equipos de la CONAE, VENG, @invapargentina y @CNEAok finalizaron la integración y encapsulado del SAOCOM 1A en la cofia del lanzador Falcon 9 de @SpaceX. El satélite está listo! Comienzan preparativos de lanzamiento!

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Michael Baylor‏ @nextspaceflight 11 мин. назад

Booking my flights today for SAOCOM 1A. I was almost certain that I would miss the first RTLS at Vandy, but against all odds it looks like I might be there. that the current schedule doesn't slip too much. B1048 (right) will land on the landing zone (left). I cannot wait!

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Michael Baylor‏ @nextspaceflight 8 ч. назад

Two weeks from today, a SpaceX Falcon 9 will perform the first RTLS at Vandenberg after launching SAOCOM 1A . Liftoff is currently scheduled for October 6 at 19:22 local time (Oct. 7th at 2:22 UTC). The first stage booster will be flight-proven Block 5 B1048.2.

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Michael Baylor‏ @nextspaceflight 8 ч. назад

The first stage will Return to Launch Site (RTLS) on the landing zone at SLC-4W which is located only ~1,400 feet (420 meters) from the SLC-4E launch site. For comparison, LZ-1 is 5.7 miles (9.1 kilometers) from SLC-40.

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Michael Baylor‏ @nextspaceflight 37 мин. назад

The SpaceX landing zone at Vandenberg appears to be named "LZ-4" based on a filing with the FCC. If anyone knows who originally discovered this let me know (it wasn't me), and I will credit them. I cannot seem to find the person.

https://apps.fcc.gov/oetcf/els/reports/442_Print.cfm?mode=current&application_seq=86733&license_seq=87645 ...

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Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight 2 ч. назад

SpaceX Falcon 9 launch with SAOCOM 1A coming up at Vandenberg next weekend. Static Fire test is NET October 2. And yes, the paint is drying on the X on the Landing Pad for this first west coast RTLS (Return To Launch Site). The passenger:

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Michael Baylor‏ @nextspaceflight 6 ч. назад

Here's a satellite image of SLC-4 from earlier today via @planetlabs. As @NASASpaceflight stated earlier, the paint is currently drying on LZ-4. Looks like #SpaceX painted it white like LZ-2 and not black like LZ-1, as the X is not showing up.

https://www.planet.com/stories/slc-4-tcgUIw0mg ...




6 ч. назад

Also, the TEL appears to be in the HIF for mating operations ahead of the static fire on October 2nd.

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Pauline Acalin‏ @w00ki33 28 сент.

(Port of LA, 8/1) Getting super darn excited. Previously flown for Iridium-7, this beauty is set to launch again next week for SAOCOM 1A. First landing was aboard drone ship JRTI, the next will return to launch site.
#spacex #falcon9

[tnt22]

https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-paints-x-on-western-falcon-9-landing-pad-for-rocket-recovery-debut/

SpaceX paints "X" on Western Falcon 9 landing pad for rocket recovery debut

By Eric Ralph
Posted on September 30, 2018

According to NASASpaceflight.com, SpaceX has finished painting a fresh "X" on their newest Falcon 9 landing zone, located just a quarter of a mile fr om the company's SLC-4 Vandenberg Air Force Base launch facilities.

In work in one shape or another since late 2014, mainly due to a lack of a pressing need for the pad, it's looking increasingly likely that the West Coast landing zone (LZ) will be used for the first time on October 6th, shortly after a flight-proven Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket launches the Argentinian Earth-sensing satellite SAOCOM-1A.

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Harkening back to a truly hilarious moment in SpaceX history, wh ere the company was forced to hire someone to kidnap a seal and make it listen to sonic booms before being allowed to launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, SpaceX has been slowly preparing the pad's companion landing zone for several years. With construction effectively completed in early 2018, it may well have been able to catch its first Falcon 9 booster this summer were it not for a somewhat humorous environmental regulation preventing return-to-launch-site (RTLS) recoveries between March and June, pupping season for native harbor seals.

As reported by Chris Bergin of NASASpaceflight, SpaceX has finished painting its traditional "X" target on the California Landing Zone, essentially christening the slab of concrete for its first Falcon 9 landing. While mostly symbolic, it's likely that SpaceX has included a layer of radar-reflective paint like that used at its operational Florida LZs, meant to make the pads stick out like a sore thumb to the downward-facing radar altimeters used by Falcon 9 to fine-tune landing burns. Ultimately, this new landing zone should be even more of a boon for Falcon 9 reusability than those in Florida, thanks to the fact that it's barely 1400 feet away from the launch pad and booster hangar.


A rare glimpse inside SpaceX's SLC-4 rocket integration hangar, January 2017. (SpaceX)


SpaceX's West Coast landing zone is preparing for its debut, currently NET October 6th 2018. (Pauline Acalin/Teslarati)


Elon Musk's famous seal tale from Vandenberg launch preparations, 2013. (Talulah Riley)


Humans do some weird things... (Talulah Riley)
 
With the risk of frightening baby seal pups now behind them, the pad fully complete, and a Falcon 9 Block 5 launch with a lightweight payload just days away, the time is right for SpaceX's Californian RTLS debut. Static fire of the flight-proven rocket Block 5 booster, successfully recovered after launching Iridium-7 on July 25th, is scheduled for October 2nd, while launch is currently targeted at 7:22 pm PDT, October 6th/02:22 UTC, October 7th 2018.

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[tnt22]

https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-mr-steven-arm-reattachment-falcon-fairing-catch/

SpaceX's Falcon 9 fairing catcher Mr Steven preps for October recovery attempt

By Eric Ralph
Posted on October 1, 2018

Following a 45-day armless hiatus, SpaceX fairing recovery vessel Mr Steven's four net-supporting arms have reappeared at its Berth 240 home, potentially giving SpaceX technicians enough time to install them for a fifth attempt at snagging a Falcon 9 fairing half.

That fifth Falcon fairing recovery attempt could occur as early as ~8 pm PDT, October 6th, roughly half an hour after SpaceX is scheduled to launch a flight-proven Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket with SAOCOM-1A, a 3000 kg (6600 lb) Earth observation satellite built for Argentinian space agency CONAE.


All four of Mr Steven's fairing recovery arms returned to Berth 240 on October 1st. Of note, this shot shows off the bolted assembly that allows SpaceX to easily take apart, repair, and upgrade the arms. (Pauline Acalin)

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SpaceX's most recent Vandenberg launch and fairing recovery attempt occurred on July 25th and successfully placed the sixth group of 10 Iridium NEXT communications satellites into orbit, after which Falcon 9 B1048 managed a safe landing aboard drone ship Just Read The Instructions (JRTI). JRTI returned to Port of San Pedro on July 28th and Block 5 booster B1048 has spent its subsequent ~70 days on dry land being refurbished for SAOCOM-1A, perhaps providing a taste of things to come for SpaceX launch operations.

Mr Steven, on the other hand, has been relegated to its Port of Los Angeles berth for the last month and a half, following the removal of his four arms, eight complementary booms, and large net. Presumably scheduled for upgrades after additional real-world testing, those arms and booms disappeared fr om Berth 240 around August 22nd and were spotted back beside Mr Steven on October 1st. Curiously, at least one arm had legible shipping manifest stickers applied, suggesting that the central arm structure, an entire arm, or even all four arms were shipped somewhere by air in interim.


Mr Steven with arms, August 3rd. (Pauline Acalin)


No arms, no problem. 09/18/18 (Pauline Acalin)




Once at the dock, SpaceX technicians reassembled arm components, presumably preparing to reinstall them on Mr Steven. (Pauline Acalin)


(Pauline Acalin)
 
Thanks to a new structural design allowing each arm to be easily disassembled into half a dozen major subsections, air shipment is likely a breeze compared to nearly all other large pieces of SpaceX hardware. Wh ere or why they were shipped is unclear, although the expense of transporting ungainly and heavy items by air may indicate that schedule margins were too tight and the distance too far for road transport.

Mr Steven's eight shock-absorbing arm booms have yet to be spotted at or around Berth 240, but chances are looking good for the vessel to have his arms reattached in time to attempt a fairing catch shortly after SAOCOM-1A. Judging from photos of the recently returned arms, any obvious before and after differences are few and far between, meaning that any visible upgrades to the recovery mechanism will instead be found with the booms.

Pauline Acalin‏ @w00ki33

It certainly appears that Mr Steven's net is capable of receiving a fairing half. Getting closer than ever. 8/13 #spaceX #mrsteven



12:44 - 14 авг. 2018 г.

Longer arm booms could perhaps increase the working area of Mr Steven's arms at the cost of dropping his net closer to the deck and late-July testing that involved placing an actual fairing on the net appeared to indicate that margin is available to lower his net further. We'll find out soon as the booms arrive and SpaceX technicians (hopefully) begin reinstalling the vessel's arms and net over the next several days.

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Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight 14:04 - 2 окт. 2018 г.

Falcon 9 B1048.2 has come to life at Vandenberg. As always, it's for SpaceX to tweet confirmation - based how the test looked via what is known in the business as a Quick Look review. A deeper dive into the data feeds into the Launch Readiness Review (LRR) closer to launch.

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SpaceX‏Подлинная учетная запись @SpaceX 14:11 - 2 окт. 2018 г.

Static fire test of Falcon 9 complete–targeting October 6 launch of SAOCOM 1A from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

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Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight 14:13 - 2 окт. 2018 г. - 2 окт. 2018 г.

And there you go!

Article:
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/10/spacex-falcon-9-for-static-fire-saocom-1a-first-west-rtls/ ...

- by Ian Atkinson (@IanPineapple)

[tnt22]

30th Space Wing (Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.)
6 мин. ·

DID YOU HEAR?! We are scheduled to support launch of the SAOCOM 1A satellite on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex-4E on Saturday, Oct. 6, at 7:21 p.m. PDT.

SpaceX is attempting the secondary mission of landing the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket at Landing Zone 4. This will be SpaceX's first land landing attempt at Vandenberg Air Force Base.

Local residents may see the first stage of the Falcon 9 returning to Vandenberg AFB. Residents from Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties may hear one or more sonic booms during the landing operation.

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Brian Sandoval‏ @brianksphotos 19:56 - 2 окт. 2018 г.

Train passing through Space Launch Complex 4, home to @SpaceX's #falcon9 after today's static fire.
#saocom #rtls #spacex