Friday, February 2, 2018

GovSat-1 Streaks to Orbit on Reflown SpaceX Falcon 9: Photo/Video Gallery




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

Ken Kremer  --   SpaceUpClose.com  --   1 Feb 2018

CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, FL – The GovSat-1 telecommunications satellite streaked to orbit Jan. 31 after a stunningly beautiful blastoff on a reflown SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 4:25 p.m. EST (2125 GMT) from seaside Space Launch Complex-40 (SLC-40) on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station under nearly picture-perfect conditions.

GovSat-1 is the first satellite of GovSat, a 50:50 public private partnership between the Government of Luxembourg and SES, one of the world’s top satellite operator.

Overall GovSat-1 is also SpaceX's sixth mission with a flight-proven rocket and the second launch  in January.

“The launch went perfectly and the satellite is healthy,” SES Chief Technology Officer Martin Halliwell told Space UpClose in an exclusive one-on-one post launch interview.

 “GovSat 1 was delivered to its initial supersynchronous transfer orbit as planned.”
 GovSat-1 is primarily designed for institutional use by the government of Luxembourg and aimed at fulfilling the country’s NATO commitments, Halliwell explained.
Read my full interview with Halliwell upcoming here soon.
In the meantime, check out our extensive Space UpClose gallery of photos and videos captured from a variety of vantage points ringing the pad on the Florida Space Coast as the rocket speeds to orbit – by myself and space colleagues Jeff Seibert and Julian Leek.
And check back again later as the gallery grows!



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


Launch of GovSat-1 on SpaceX Falcon 9 on Jan. 31, 2018 from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL. Credit: Julian Leek



The two stage 229-foot-tall (70-meter-tall) SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the 4.7 ton GovSat-1 satellite right on time at the opening of the launch window.


The 9 first stage nine roaring Merlin 1 D engines produced 1.7 million pounds of liftoff thrust. 

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




















Watch this GovSat-1 launch video compilation from space colleague Jeff Seibert:


Video Caption: SpaceX Launches GovSat-1 on Jan. 31, 2018/ REMOTE CAMERA VIEWS. Credit: Jeff Seibert


Launch of GovSat-1 on SpaceX Falcon 9 on Jan. 31, 2018 from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL. Credit: Jeff Seibert










The multi-mission satellite was manufactured 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 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 for NATO operations. 

Wednesdays’ launch successfully completed a trifecta of liftoffs from the Cape in January including another SpaceX Falcon 9 carrying the mysterious and classified Zuma spy satellite for the US government – whos fate remains unknown- and a ULA Atlas V carrying the SBIRS GEO Flight 4 satellite for the USAF. Read our earlier stories here.
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.
Although SpaceX did not plan to again recover the booster it did conduct an experimental soft water landing test under modified conditions relighting 3 engines instead of one, but without a droneship to land on and expand the envelope of operation and operability.
In the end the booster survived by tipping over and floating in the ocean.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted this photo and caption:



“This rocket was meant to test very high retrothrust landing in water so it didn’t hurt the droneship, but amazingly it has survived. We will try to tow it back to shore,” Musk explained.




Luxembourg royalty visits CCAFS for GovSat-1 launch. Étienne Schneider, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economy, Minister of Defence, Her Royal Highness the Hereditary Grand Duchess, His Royal Highness the Hereditary Grand Duke, Xavier Bettel, Prime Minister, Minister of State, Minister for Communications and Media.  Credit: Julian Leek



GovSat-1 dignitaries at Space Launch Complex 40 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


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



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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:
Feb 3/5/6: “SpaceX Falcon Heavy & Falcon 9 launches, ULA Atlas USAF SBIRS GEO 4 missile warning satellite, SpaceX GovSat-1, CRS-14 resupply launches to the ISS, NRO & USAF Spysats, SLS, Orion, Boeing and SpaceX Commercial crew capsules, GOES-S weather satellite launch, OSIRIS-Rex, Juno at Jupiter, InSight Mars lander, Curiosity and Opportunity explore Mars, NH at Pluto and more,” Kennedy Space Center Quality Inn, Titusville, FL, evenings. Photos for sale


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