Iridium Next Flight 7 (x10) - Falcon 9 - Vandenberg SLC-4E - 25.07.2018

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Pauline Acalin‏ @w00ki33 14 мин. назад

Heading home now, but here is one more shot of the Iridium-7 booster and those teeth on JRTI.
#spacex

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Все объекты запуска идентифицированы

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Matt Hartman‏ @ShorealoneFilms 6 ч. назад

SpaceX / Falcon9 @ San Pedro 07-27-18
#flickr #spacex #falcon9 #Block5

flickr.com

https://www.flickr.com/photos/81789298@N05/sets/72157671652213298/

SpaceX / Falcon9 @ San Pedro 07-27-18

SpaceX's Falcon 9 Block 5 booster returns to San Pedro this afternoon after a successful return from space. This Booster, the 1st Falcon 9 Block 5 for the west coast, is designed to be flown 100times before retirement. 07-27-18

38 photos

https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/132218.jpg


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[Dmitry]

Какой опрятный...

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Jack Beyer‏ @thejackbeyer 6 мин. назад

Iridium-7's Falcon 9 is now being moved to land! I'll be live streaming recovery on Instagram if you want to follow along. http://www.instagram.com/neonheatdisease 

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Pauline Acalin‏ @w00ki33 3 мин. назад

Looks like Block 5 leg removal is beginning here in San Pedro.
#spacex

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Matt Hartman‏

Timelapse of SpaceX 's Falcon9 Block5 booster arriving @ SanPedro yesterday 07-27-18

Video 0:47
https://ci-28806240197-5f19a6f9.http.atlas.cdn.yimg.com/flickr6/81789298@N05/28806240197/28806240197_1080p.mp4?dt=flickr&x=1532944617&m=video%2Fmp4&fn=28806240197_1080p&bt=0&a=flickr&d=cp_d%3Dwww.flickr.com%26cp_t%3Ds%26cp%3D792600246%26mid%3D28806240197%26ufn%3D28806240197_1080p&s=74be25da5e6cf3fad3e77fc14acbbcdd

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https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-falcon-9-block-5-rocket-droneship-photo-gallery/

SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket's drone ship return captured in stunning detail [gallery]

By Eric Ralph
Posted on July 29, 2018

Teslarati photographer Pauline Acalin has captured SpaceX's first West Coast Falcon 9 Block 5 booster recovery in the best detail yet seen of the rocket upgrade, well-worn after its first successful launch of Iridium NEXT-7, July 25.

Спойлер

Iridium-7 marked a number of important debuts for SpaceX: Falcon 9 Block 5 (Booster 1048, in this case) completed its first West Coast launch from SpaceX's Vandenberg pad, drone ship Just Read The Instructions' (JRTI) first rocket recovery attempt and success in nearly ten months, and recovery vessel Mr Steven's first (albeit unsuccessful) attempt at catching a Falcon fairing with a dramatically enlarged net and arms.


SpaceX's third Falcon 9 Block 5 booster successfully returned to Port of Los Angeles aboard drone ship Just Read The Instructions (JRTI) on July 27th. (Pauline Acalin)

Although inclement wind conditions foiled Mr Steven's fairing catch effort and put pressure on Falcon 9 B1048's journey to JRTI, Iridium-7 was flawlessly placed in orbit and Falcon 9 managed a slightly off-center but still thoroughly successful landing on the drone ship off the coast of California. With that launch and land debut on the West Coast and a second successful East Coast launch of a Block 5 rocket to the East just a few days prior, SpaceX has effectively demonstrated the basic functionality and reliability of the upgrade's many far-reaching changes to the underlying Falcon 9 architecture.

Pauline Acalin‏ @w00ki33

Recovered booster 1048's single-piece cast titanium grid fins. They were able to maneuver the vehicle through stormy winds at sea, landing it safely on Just Read the Instructions following Iridium-7 launch. #spacex #iridium7 #falcon9

Спойлер

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8:00 - 29 июл. 2018 г.

JUST READ THE INSTRUCTIONS RECOVERS A ROCKET

After nearly ten months largely spent berthed at SpaceX's original Port of San Pedro dock space, drone ship JRTI has at long last returned to sea and successfully recovered a Falcon 9 booster, this time marking the West Coast launch and landing debut of the Block 5 rocket. Photos of the drone ship and rocket's return to port were some of the best ever seen, thanks largely to the port's layout and narrow mouth, which allowed Teslarati photographer Pauline Acalin to put giant telephoto lenses and a unique top-down perspective to good use.

Iridium NEXT-7 thankfully brought an end to the understandable but still-painful practice of intentionally expending twice-flown Falcon 9 boosters in the ocean after launch. Thanks to Iridium-7's new Block 5 booster, B1048, expending the rocket was out of the question, as it likely will be for most Block 5 launches in the future. A combination of several expendable missions and an unfortunate duo of recovery anomalies (a small fire after Koreasat 5A and the Falcon Heavy center core landing failure) led to JRTI sitting on the sidelines since October 2017, as a considerable subset of its critical thruster hardware had to be stripped in order to keep East Coast sister ship Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY) operational for a handful of attempts in 2018.


Falcon 9 B1048 returns to Port of Los Angeles aboard drone ship Just Read The Instructions, July 27. (Pauline Acalin)


Falcon 9 B1048 returns to Port of Los Angeles aboard drone ship Just Read The Instructions, July 27. (Pauline Acalin)


Falcon 9 B1048 returns to Port of Los Angeles aboard drone ship Just Read The Instructions, July 27. (Pauline Acalin)


Falcon 9 B1048 returns to Port of Los Angeles aboard drone ship Just Read The Instructions, July 27. (Pauline Acalin)


Falcon 9 B1048 returns to Port of Los Angeles aboard drone ship Just Read The Instructions, July 27. (Pauline Acalin)

Many of the months JRTI spent at berth were thus without the pod thrusters the drone ship needs to keep itself at the proper landing point once at sea. Still, JRTI departed the port with a full complement of four blue thrusters on the evening of July 22 and had a highly successful return-to-action. Sadly, it's unclear how much SpaceX will need the vessel within just a month or two from today – after the final Iridium launch (NEXT- 8 ) in November or December, perhaps all of SpaceX's future Vandenberg launches will be lofting lightweight payloads that should allow the company to rely almost entirely on its brand-new rocket landing zone – conveniently colocated barely 1000 feet from the pad – for CA rocket recoveries.

F9 BLOCK 5 SHOWS OFF ITS UPGRADED EXTERIOR

Falcon 9 Block 5 booster (B1048 ) arrived at Port of Los Angeles on July 27 after landing at sea aboard drone ship JRTI. Photos captured by Pauline arguably show the best details yet seen of the rocket upgrade, ranging from titanium grid fins to extraordinary shots of its sooty-but-still-sorta-shiny Merlin 1D engines.


B1048 arrives in Port of LA aboard drone ship JRTI. (Pauline Acalin)


B1048, one launch down and dozens to come. (Pauline Acalin)


B1048, one launch down and many more to come. (Pauline Acalin)


B1048's beautiful Block 5 Merlins, showing off their subtle shine despite a healthy coating of soot. (Pauline Acalin)

Myriad others provide an amazing sense of place with SpaceX technicians conducting thorough post-landing checkouts, carefully documenting the booster's condition, and generally wrenching on a massive, orbital-class rocket that completed a suborbital jaunt to space just days prior.

Of particular note are detailed views of the silky black "highly flame-resistant felt" now covering Falcon 9's interstage (the top segment), landing legs, octaweb section, and raceways (the black lines traveling up and down the rocket). Compared to beat-up, older Falcon 9s, B1048's shielded components look barely worse for wear, and it would genuinely be difficult to determine if the rocket had flown before without the telltale soot fingerprint present after every Falcon 9 recovery.


A little of everything: landing leg, octaweb, Merlin 1Ds, and drone ship JRTI. (Pauline Acalin)


B1048's octaweb attach points for a huge range of fluids and propellants. (Pauline Acalin)


A SpaceX recovery technician documents one of Falcon 9 B1048's quick-disconnect panels. (Pauline Acalin)


One of B1048's four upgraded landing legs. (Pauline Acalin)


And another view of B1048's beautifully intricate leg hardware. (Pauline Acalin)

The only mystery that still remains is what exactly Falcon 9 Block 5's octaweb heat-shielding looks like, reportedly one of the most critical and research-intensive upgrades necessary for true rapid reusability and reliability through many, many flights. Now built largely of titanium bolted to the octaweb, among a number of other extremely heat-tolerant metals and materials and even active water-cooling in spots, the new heat-shield was designed to carry the brunt of the reentry heating Falcon 9 experiences with ease.

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http://investor.iridium.com/news-releases/news-release-details/seventh-set-iridiumr-next-satellites-are-performing-well-during

July 30, 2018 at 8:01 AM EDT

Seventh Set of Iridium® NEXT Satellites are Performing Well During Pre-Operational Testing

MCLEAN, Va., July 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ:IRDM) announced today that the 10 Iridium NEXT satellites launched on Wednesday, July 25th, by SpaceX are functioning nominally and have begun the testing and validation process. The launch brought the total number of Iridium NEXT satellites in orbit to 65, leaving just one more launch of 10 satellites to complete the Iridium NEXT launch program.

Спойлер

"It's incredible that we only have one more Iridium NEXT launch to go," said Scott Smith, chief operating officer at Iridium. "Since Wednesday's launch, the team is focused on settling these 10 new satellites into their designated slots, all in plane five.  Once we are done with this batch, plane five will be comprised of all Iridium NEXT satellites, and we will be ready and waiting for the final launch of this historic program."

The Iridium constellation is comprised of six polar orbiting planes, each containing 11 operational crosslinked satellites, for a total of 66 satellites in the active constellation.  This unique architecture creates a web of coverage around the earth, enabling Iridium to provide real-time communications over the oceans and from even the most remote locations.  One more Iridium NEXT launch is scheduled for 2018, which will bring Iridium's total number of new satellites in orbit to 75, including nine spares. A total of 81 satellites are being built, including 66 operational, nine on-orbit spares and six ground spares.

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SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 Booster (Timelapse) - Port of LA, 7/29/18

TESLARATI.com

Дата загрузки: 30 июл. 2018 г.

Technicians working to detach the landing legs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=0b59dzTjrTQhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=0b59dzTjrTQjrTQ (0:30)

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Matt Desch‏ @IridiumBoss 8 ч. назад

L-7 operations update: SV155 & 158 have completed ascents to 700km storage orbit from 625km insertion orbit. 156 finishes tonight, and 159,160,163 & 165 are on their way up. Payload screening continues on many. Primary links will start activating on Thursday. All looking good!

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Pauline Acalin‏ @w00ki33 16 мин. назад

Falcon 9 B1048's Merlin engines. 7/30 #spacex #iridium7 #falcon9

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Pauline Acalin‏ @w00ki33 25 мин. назад

PUT ME DOWN. Both cranes lifted B1048 today and then placed it back on its mount. Technicians have been hard at work prepping the booster for its first reflight as early as Sept fr om Vandenberg, wh ere it will also attempt the first west coast land landing.
#spacex @Teslarati

https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1025164700487540736/pu/vid/480x480/NOC6HAUpfJmk97rj.mp4?tag=5
(Video 0:05)

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Pauline Acalin‏ @w00ki33 2 мин. назад

Amazing that there are currently two spacecraft sitting at the same port right now, each back from space within days of each other. Dragon capsule from CRS-15, and Falcon 9 B1048 from Iridium-7. #SpaceX

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Iridium NEXT Seventh Launch Highlights

IridiumComm

Опубликовано: 9 авг. 2018 г.

On July 25, 2018, Iridium successfully launched 10 more Iridium NEXT satellites into orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Shortly after deployment, Iridium confirmed successful communication with all 10 new satellites, formally bringing the total number of Iridium NEXT satellites in orbit to 65. This leaves just one more launch to complete this ambitious launch program. Here are some of the highlights and memorable moments of this exciting day.

(2:29)

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Matt Desch‏ @IridiumBoss 2 ч. назад

Launch 7 satellite activities complete: 59 of 66 satellites in our constellation are now Iridium NEXT vehicles - 89.4% complete! 4 of 6 planes are all NEXT, with the 5th plane complete in a few weeks when SV153 drifts into position. ...