Space UpClose: January 2018

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Gorgeous Blastoff of GovSat-1 on ‘Flight-Proven’ SpaceX Falcon 9 from Florida’s Spaceport: Photos

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying GovSat-1/SES-16 lifts off at 4:25 p.m. EST from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida to geostationary transfer orbit on Jan. 31, 2018. Credit: Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose.com/www.kenkremer.com

CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, FL – This afternoon lucky spectators witnessed a truly gorgeous blastoff of the unique GovSat-1 civilian/military satellite on a ‘flight-proven’ SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Wednesday, Jan. 31 – with vastly improved and truly serene weather conditions compared to the gloomy weather overhanging Florida during yesterday’s originally targeted launch opportunity.

Liftoff of the recycled single stick Falcon 9 carrying GovSat-1 took place right at the opening of the launch window s now scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018 at 4:25 p.m. EST (2125 GMT) from seaside Space Launch Complex-40 (SLC-40) on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

“Impressive to finally see #GovSat1 on its way to orbit,” tweeted Xavier Bettel, the Prime Minister of Luxembourg.

“This is the beginning of a new experience for @GovSat is strengthening the position of Luxembourg as a key player in the space sector and contributes to a diversification of our economy.”

The rocket soared off pad 40 with a bright flash of light and a mounting crescendo of nine roaring Merlin 1 D engines producing 1.7 million pounds of liftoff thrust.

It soon arced over eastwards to the African continent.

The payload separated from the second stage 33 minutes after launch as planned.

GovSat-1 was developed as a joint venture in a public-private partnership between the Government of Luxembourg and satellite operator SES.

The launch team had to scrub the launch for 24 hours in order to enable technicians to fix a balky transducer discovered in the second stage only some 90 minutes prior to T-Zero.

The Falcon 9 carrying GovSat-1 soared to orbit under picture perfect skies, with modestly warm temperatures and virtually no winds. In marked contrast to yesterdays (Jan. 30) gloomy clouds and extremely brisk, howling and threatening winds.

The strong gusts from both ground winds and upper altitude winds would very likely have scrubbed the launch anyway, even if it had proceeded absent the forced postponement due to a technical glitch.

Check out our gallery of new photos of blastoff of GovSat-1.

The weather forecast was for over 90% favorable conditions at launch time vs. only 40% favorable yesterday, on Tuesday, Jan. 30.

The two stage 229-foot-tall (70-meter-tall) SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will deliver GovSat-1/SES-16 to a supersynchronous transfer orbit for GovSat – the SES and Luxembourg government joint venture.

GovSat-1, also known as SES-16, is the first satellite of GovSat. It is uniquely designed for exclusive use by governments and institutions – including military, humanitarian and maritime users.

GovSat-1 dignitaries at Space Launch Complex 40 this morning posing with SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. SES CEO Karim Michel Sabbagh, Deputy Prime Minister of Luxembourg Etienne Schneider, His and Her Royal Highness the Duke and Duchess of Luxembourg, Prime Minister of Luxembourg Xavier Bettel and CEO of GovSat Patrick Biewer. Credit: Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose.com/www.kenkremer.com

The highly flexible payload featuring advanced encryption and anti-jamming capabilities.

The over 4.5 ton GovSat-1/SES-16 communications satellite launching Wednesday is a 50:50 joint venture between the Government of Luxembourg and the commercial firm SES, the world’s leading satellite operator.

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying GovSat-1/SES-16 is poised for liftoff at pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Launch targeted for Jan. 31, 2018. Credit: Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose.com/www.kenkremer.com

The multi-mission satellite was built by prime contractor Orbital ATK. It has a design lifetime of 15 years of operation in geostationary orbit. The spacecraft has a launch mass of 4,230 kg (9326 lb).

“GovSat-1 has a diverse mix of transponder sizes in terms of bandwidth per transponder, offering in total 68 transponder-equivalent units of 36 MHz,” according to SES.

“The highly flexible and resilient GovSat-1 payload features advanced security capabilities and uses dedicated frequencies in X-band and military Ka-band. GovSat-1 is equipped with six high-powered fully steerable spot beams, a high-power X-band Global beam, and features sixty-eight transponder equivalent units in total.”
GovSat-1 will be located at the 21.5 degrees East orbital slot.

It will serve Europe, the Middle East and Africa, including substantial maritime coverage over the Mediterranean and Baltic seas, and the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

Watch for Ken’s continuing onsite coverage of SpaceX Falcon 9 & Heavy, NASA, ULA and more space mission reports direct from the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

Stay tuned here for Ken's continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news: www.kenkremer.com –www.spaceupclose.com – twitter @ken_kremer - ken at kenkremer.com

Beautiful Day for Launch of GovSat-1 on Recycled SpaceX Falcon 9 Jan 31: Gallery

Ken Kremer -- SpaceUpClose.com -- 31 Jan 2018

CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, FL – It a beautiful day for a launch- just hours ahead of this afternoons scheduled blastoff of the GovSat-1 telecom satellite on a recycled SpaceX Falcon 9 on Wednesday, Jan. 31.

Check out my gallery of new photos of GovSat-1 perched atop the flight-proven Falcon 9 rocket taken this morning during remote camera setup.

The launch was postponed a day due to a balky transducer in the second stage

The weather forecast is for 90% favorable conditions at launch time.

The GovSat-1 launch window at pad 40 extends for a little over two full hours. The window opens at 4:25 p.m. EST (2125 GMT) and extends until closing at 6:46 p.m. EST, or 2346 GMT.

The recycled first stage for the GovSat-1 mission was previously used to launch the NROL-76 spy satellite on a classified mission for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) from LC-39A in May 2017.

Watch for Ken’s continuing onsite coverage of SpaceX Falcon 9 & Heavy, NASA, ULA and more space mission reports direct from the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

Stay tuned here for Ken's continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news: www.kenkremer.com –www.specupclose.com – twitter @ken_kremer - ken at kenkremer.com

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Faulty Second Stage Sensor Scrubs SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch of GovSat-1, Reset to Jan 31: Photos

Ken Kremer -- SpaceUpClose.com -- 30 Jan 2018

CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, FL – Todays launch of GovSat-1 on a reused SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was scrubbed when the launch team detected a faulty sensor in the vehicles second stage about 90 minutes prior to Tuesday’s targeted launch time.

GovSat-1 was developed as a joint venture in a public-private partnership between the Government of Luxembourg and satellite operator SES.
The faulty sensor is being replaced and forced a 24 hour postponement to Wednesday, Jan. 31.

The SpaceX launch team has rescheduled the launch to occur 1 day later within the same launch window.

“Standing down for today,” SpaceX tweeted.

“Team is going to replace a second stage sensor. Next available launch opportunity is tomorrow, January 31.”

Liftoff of the recycled single stick Falcon 9 carrying GovSat-1 is now scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018 at 4:25 p.m. EST (2125 GMT) from seaside Space Launch Complex-40 (SLC-40) on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Extremely brisk ground winds and upper altitude winds had also threated to delay the launch. But in the end it came down to a sensor glitch.

The weather outlook is significantly improved for Wednesday with a 90% chance of acceptable conditions vs. only 40% acceptable on Tuesday.

The rocket will be lowered horizontal at pad 40 so technicians can swap out the bad port for a new one. After checkout it will then be raised again to vertical launch position

The two stage 229-foot-tall (70-meter-tall) SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will deliver GovSat-1/SES-16 to a geosynchronous transfer orbit for GovSat – the SES and Luxembourg government joint venture.

GovSat-1, also known as SES-16, is the first satellite of GovSat. It is uniquely designed for exclusive use by governments and institutions – including military, humanitarian and maritime users.

The highly flexible payload featuring advanced encryption and anti-jamming capabilities.

The over 4.5 ton GovSat-1/SES-16 communications satellite launching Tuesday is a 50:50 joint venture between the Government of Luxembourg and the commercial firm SES, the worlds leading satellite operator.

You can watch the launch live on a SpaceX dedicated webcast starting about 15 minutes prior to the 4:25 p.m. EDT (2025 GMT) liftoff time.

Watch the SpaceX broadcast live at: SpaceX.com/webcast

The GovSat-1 launch window at pad 40 extends for a little over two full hours. The window opens at 4:25 p.m. EST (2125 GMT) and extends until closing at 6:46 p.m. EST, or 2346 GMT.

GovSat-1 will be located at the 21.5 degrees East orbital slot.

It will serve Europe, the Middle East and Africa, including substantial maritime coverage over the Mediterranean and Baltic seas, and the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

In contrast to most recent launches, this ‘flight-proven’ Falcon 9 will not be recovered.

However it is equipped with a quarteet of grid fins and landing legs and will guided to carry out the descent recovery sequence and make a soft ocean landing - minus the drone ship.

The recycled first stage for the GovSat-1 mission was previously used to launch the NROL-76 spy satellite on a classified mission for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) from LC-39A in May 2017.

Watch for Ken’s continuing onsite coverage of SpaceX Falcon 9 & Heavy, NASA, ULA and more space mission reports direct from the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

Stay tuned here for Ken's continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news: www.kenkremer.com –www.specupclose.com – twitter @ken_kremer - ken at kenkremer.com

Monday, January 29, 2018

Double Dose of Florida Falcons Starts Launching Jan. 30 with GovSat-1 on Flight Proven SpaceX Falcon 9: Watch Live

The GovSat-1/SES-16 communications satellite spacecraft is a joint venture between the Government of Luxembourg and satellite operator SES. It is scheduled for launch on Jan 30, 2018 on board a SpaceX flight-proven Falcon 9 rocket from pad 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL. Credit: Orbital ATK/SES

Ken Kremer -- SpaceUpClose.com -- 29 Jan 2018

CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, FL – A double dose of Florida Falcons commences launching Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 30, with the GovSat-1 communications satellite on a ‘Flight-Proven’ Falcon 9. GovSat-1 is designed for exclusive use by governments and institutions – including military, humanitarian and maritime users.

Liftoff of the recycled single stick Falcon 9 carrying GovSat-1 is scheduled for 4:25 p.m. EST (2125 GMT) from seaside Space Launch Complex-40 (SLC-40) on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

If all goes well, SpaceX’s rapid launch pace continues apace exactly 1 week later on Feb. 6 - with the triple stick Falcon Heavy targeting liftoff next week from historic Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

SpaceX CEO and billionaire founder Elon Musk just announced the maiden Falcon Heavy’s launch date over the weekend - as reported I here with our exclusive photo gallery.

The two stage 229-foot-tall (70-meter-tall) SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will deliver GovSat-1/SES-16 to a geosynchronous transfer orbit for GovSat - a public-private partnership between the Government of Luxembourg and satellite operator SES.

The over 4.5 ton GovSat-1/SES-16 communications satellite launching Tuesday is a joint venture between the Government of Luxembourg and SES, the worlds leading satellite operator.

2 soon to launch SpaceX rockets stand simultaneous erect at Florida’s Spaceport: Falcon Heavy at pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center at left and Falcon 9 booster carrying GovSat-1/SES-16 at pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Falcon 9 blastoff slated for Jan. 30, 2018. Falcon Heavy blastoff slated for Feb. 6. Credit: Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose.com/www.kenkremer.com

You can watch the launch live on a SpaceX dedicated webcast starting about 15 minutes prior to the 4:25 p.m. EDT (2025 GMT) liftoff time.

Watch the SpaceX broadcast live at: SpaceX.com/webcast

The GovSat-1 launch window at pad 40 extends for a little over two full hours. The window opens at 4:25 p.m. EST (2125 GMT) and extends until closing at 6:46 p.m. EST, or 2346 GMT.

The backup launch day is Wednesday, Jan. 31 in case of any delay for weather or technical reasons.

The Jan. 31 launch window remains the same extending from 4:25 p.m. To 6:46: p.m. EST.

GovSat-1 is the first satellite for GovSat and has many unique features and offers secure communications for military and government users.

“We are committed to our mission of providing secure satellite communication services for governments and institutions. GovSat-1, with its highly flexible payload featuring advanced encryption and anti-jamming capabilities, will further secure the connectivity for our users’ applications,” said Patrick Biewer, CEO of GovSat in a statement.

“We are incredibly excited about the upcoming launch of this satellite.”

SES has launched multiple times on SpaceX rockets and was the first company to take the risk and launch on a flight-proven Falcon 9 booster - in March 2017.

Although this mission features a used rocket, SpaceX does not plan to recover the first stage after liftoff.

The recycled first stage for the GovSat-1 mission previously supported the NROL-76 mission from LC-39A in May 2017.

The latest weather forecast outlines difficult conditions along the Florida Space Coast with only a 40% chance of favorable conditions at launch time according to U.S. Air Force meteorologists with the 45^th Space Wing Weather Squadron at Patrick Air Force Base.

The primary concern on Jan. 30 is for upper altitude liftoff winds.

“Maximum upper-level winds will be from the west at 100 knots near 40,000 feet,” said the 45^th Space Wing Weather Squadron in a weather update.

In case of a 24 hour delay the weather outlook improves dramatically to a superb 90% chance of favorable launch condition as thwe winds die down.

The primary concern on Jan. 31 is for the Thick Cloud Layer Rule.

“GovSat-1 has a diverse mix of transponder sizes in terms of bandwidth per transponder, offering in total 68 transponder-equivalent units of 36 MHz,” according to SES.

GovSat-1 will be located at the 21.5 degrees East orbital slot.

It will serve Europe, the Middle East and Africa, including substantial maritime coverage over the Mediterranean and Baltic seas, and the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

Watch for Ken’s continuing onsite coverage of SpaceX Falcon 9 & Heavy, NASA, ULA and more space mission reports direct from the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

Stay tuned here for Ken's continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news: www.kenkremer.com –www.specupclose.com – twitter @ken_kremer - ken at kenkremer.com

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Ken’s upcoming outreach events:

Learn more about the upcoming SpaceX Falcon Heavy and Falcon 9 SES-16/GovSat-1 launches on Jan. 30 & Feb. 6, NASA missions, ULA Atlas & Delta launches, SpySats and more at Ken’s upcoming outreach events at Kennedy Space Center Quality Inn, Titusville, FL:

Jan 29/30: “SpaceX Falcon Heavy & Falcon 9 launches, ULA Atlas USAF SBIRS GEO 4 missile warning satellite, SpaceX SES-16/GovSat-1, CRS-13/14 resupply launches to the ISS, Intelsat 35e, BulgariaSat 1 and NRO Spysat, SLS, Orion, Commercial crew capsules from Boeing and SpaceX , GOES-S weather satellite launch, OSIRIS-Rex, Juno at Jupiter, InSight Mars lander, SpaceX and Orbital ATK cargo missions to the ISS, ULA Delta 4 Heavy spy satellite, Curiosity and Opportunity explore Mars, NH at Pluto and more,” Kennedy Space Center Quality Inn, Titusville, FL, evenings. Photos for sale