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| Streak Shot! Recycled and upgraded SpaceX Falcon 9 blazes trail to geostationary orbit carrying massive Merah Putih telecom satellite after launch at 1:18 a.m. EDT, Aug 7, 2018 from Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL – seen in this long duration exposure photo taken as the rocket soars over the Max Brewer Bridge in Titusville, Fl. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com |
CAPE
CANAVERAL Air FORCS STATION, FL – SpaceX successfully relaunched the first 1st
recycled and upgraded Block 5 model of their workhorse Falcon 9 booster that
delivered an Indonesian comsat sailing to orbit overnight this morning,
Tuesday, Aug. 7, from the Florida Space Coast.
Just minutes later the Falcon 9 first stage made a pinpoint rocket assisted re-landing on a droneship waiting hundreds of mile offshore in the Atlantic Ocean. Overall this counted as the second launch and second ocean landing for the Block 5 booster.
Liftoff of the Merah Putih telecommunications satellite took place right at the opening of the two-hour long launch window in the dead of night at 1:18 a.m. EDT (0518 GMT) Tuesday, Aug. 7, from seaside Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL.
The rocket put on a fabulous sky show that delighted onlookers from near and far for many minutes due to the nearly complete absence of view obscuring clouds.
Just minutes later the Falcon 9 first stage made a pinpoint rocket assisted re-landing on a droneship waiting hundreds of mile offshore in the Atlantic Ocean. Overall this counted as the second launch and second ocean landing for the Block 5 booster.
Liftoff of the Merah Putih telecommunications satellite took place right at the opening of the two-hour long launch window in the dead of night at 1:18 a.m. EDT (0518 GMT) Tuesday, Aug. 7, from seaside Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL.
The rocket put on a fabulous sky show that delighted onlookers from near and far for many minutes due to the nearly complete absence of view obscuring clouds.
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1st Reused and upgraded SpaceX Falcon 9 blasts off carrying
massive Merah Putih telecom satellite after launch at
1:18 a.m. EDT, Aug 7, 2018 from Space
Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL. Credit: Ken
Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
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The Florida weather was perfect and no
technical glitches were encountered during the terminal countdown for the two
stage 229-foot tall (70-meter) Falcon 9
rocket.
The successful soft landing set up the possibility of a first of its kind third launch for this particular Block 5 Falcon 9 first stage – and counts as another major milestone towards SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s dream of rocket recycling and slashing launch costs to a fraction of what’s been possible heretofore.
The Block 5 is also the Falcon 9 version that will launch US and partner astronauts to space aboard the Crew Dragon commercial crew spaceship sometime in 2019 – via a development effort funded by NASA.
The first commercial crew astronauts for the Crew Dragon and Boeing Starliner were announced by NASA on Aug. 3.
The stunning middle-of-the-night blastoff of the Falcon 9 carried the Merah Putih telecommunications satellite to a geostationary transfer orbit for the nation of Indonesia.
The successful soft landing set up the possibility of a first of its kind third launch for this particular Block 5 Falcon 9 first stage – and counts as another major milestone towards SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s dream of rocket recycling and slashing launch costs to a fraction of what’s been possible heretofore.
The Block 5 is also the Falcon 9 version that will launch US and partner astronauts to space aboard the Crew Dragon commercial crew spaceship sometime in 2019 – via a development effort funded by NASA.
The first commercial crew astronauts for the Crew Dragon and Boeing Starliner were announced by NASA on Aug. 3.
The stunning middle-of-the-night blastoff of the Falcon 9 carried the Merah Putih telecommunications satellite to a geostationary transfer orbit for the nation of Indonesia.
Merah Putih separated from the second stage
just as planned and was deployed 32 minutes after liftoff.
Check out our exclusive Space UpClose gallery of the launch and prelaunch
photos of the rocket at the pad as well as the prerequisite hot fire test last
week.
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| Streak Shot! Recycled and upgraded SpaceX Falcon 9 blazes trail to geostationary orbit carrying massive Merah Putih telecom satellite after launch at 1:18 a.m. EDT, Aug 7, 2018 from Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL – seen in this long duration exposure photo taken as the rocket soars over the Max Brewer Bridge in Titusville, Fl. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com |
Altogether SpaceX has conducted 60 successful
Falcon 9 launches and carried out 28 successful booster recoveries – 12 by land
and 16 by sea on ocean platform drone ships off both the Atlantic and Pacific
Coasts.
This was the 15th flight of a previously flown rocket booster.
The satellite was launched to geostationary transfer orbit and eventually an altitude some 22,000 miles (36,000 km) above Earth.
This was the 15th flight of a previously flown rocket booster.
The satellite was launched to geostationary transfer orbit and eventually an altitude some 22,000 miles (36,000 km) above Earth.
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Sunset at Space Launch Complex-40 for SpaceX recycled Block 5
model Falcon 9 for Merah Putih telecomsat slated for overnight launch at 1:18
a.m. EDT on Aug, 7, 2018 on Cape Canaveral Air Force
Station. Credit: Ken
Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
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The path to launch was paved after day SpaceX engineers
successfully completed a static hot fire test today, Aug. 2, of the Falcon 9
booster at pad 40.
This marks the 3rd SpaceX launch of a Block 5 model
Falcon 9 booster in just two and a half weeks.
It also counts as the 15th SpaceX launch of 2018.
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Up
close prelaunch view of nose cone encapsulating Merah
Putih telecomsat atop used SpaceX Falcon 9 erect
on pad 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force
Station, FL. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
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This marks the first reflight of a Block 5 booster. It previously
launched as the first stage of the very first Block 5 model that launched the
Bangabandhu-1 comsat only 4 months ago on
May 11, 2018.
The booster looked sooty in appearance during remote camera set up at pad 40. See images herein.
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Up
close prelaunch view of landing legs at base of used
SpaceX Falcon 9 erect on pad 40 for Merah
Putih comsat launch Aug. 7, 2018 on Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station, FL. Credit: Ken
Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
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| Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com |
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SpaceX recycled Block 5 model Falcon 9 raised vertical at Space Launch Complex-40 for Merah Putih telecomsat
targeting overnight launch at 1:18 a.m. EDT on Aug, 7, 2018 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Credit: Ken
Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
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The 5800 kg (12,780 pound) satellite was built by SSL (formerly Space Systems/Loral) in Palo Alto, Ca., and completed ahead of schedule for Telkom Indonesia, also known as PT Telkom.
Merah Putih will be located at 108 degrees East longitude. “It is an all C-band satellite that enhances both internet and telephone service for populations in remote regions and will be used to offload backhaul for cellular service,” says SSL.
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The Merah Putih
spacecraft built by SSL. Credit: SSL
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It was previously named Telkom-4 until recently renamed. It serves
as a replacement for Telkom-1 which mysteriously failed in orbit in August 2017.
The new name of Merah Putih is derived from the red and while colors of the Indonesian flag.
The satellite has a design lifetime of 16 years or more.
It will serve the 17,000 islands of the Indonesian archipelago as well India and other parts of South and Southeast Asia. Satellites for the “backbone” of telecommunications in Indonesia, along with other technologies, such as submarine cable.
“Satellite plays a vital role in our telecommunications infrastructure,” said Mr. Zulhelfi Abidin, Chief Technology Officer of Telkom, in a statement.
“SSL has been an excellent spacecraft supplier and has completed the satellite construction ahead of schedule. We look forward to traveling to Florida to see the satellite launch later this summer.”
The satellite is based on the SSL 1300 series bus. which provides the flexibility to support a broad range of applications and technology advances.
It is equipped with 60 C-band transponders. 36 transponders will be used in Indonesia and the rest will be used for the Indian market.
“Merah Putih, which was completed ahead of schedule, will replace Telkom-1, at 108 degrees East, where it will expand on Telkom’s coverage to serve new markets. Its all C-band payload will enhance both internet and telephone service for populations in remote regions and offload backhaul for cellular service.”
During Tuesday’s launch the rocket’s first and second stages were fueled with liquid oxygen and RP-1 propellants and the countdown led to ignition of all nine Merlin 1D first stage engines generating some 1.7 million pounds of thrust at pad 40.
The new name of Merah Putih is derived from the red and while colors of the Indonesian flag.
The satellite has a design lifetime of 16 years or more.
It will serve the 17,000 islands of the Indonesian archipelago as well India and other parts of South and Southeast Asia. Satellites for the “backbone” of telecommunications in Indonesia, along with other technologies, such as submarine cable.
“Satellite plays a vital role in our telecommunications infrastructure,” said Mr. Zulhelfi Abidin, Chief Technology Officer of Telkom, in a statement.
“SSL has been an excellent spacecraft supplier and has completed the satellite construction ahead of schedule. We look forward to traveling to Florida to see the satellite launch later this summer.”
The satellite is based on the SSL 1300 series bus. which provides the flexibility to support a broad range of applications and technology advances.
It is equipped with 60 C-band transponders. 36 transponders will be used in Indonesia and the rest will be used for the Indian market.
“Merah Putih, which was completed ahead of schedule, will replace Telkom-1, at 108 degrees East, where it will expand on Telkom’s coverage to serve new markets. Its all C-band payload will enhance both internet and telephone service for populations in remote regions and offload backhaul for cellular service.”
During Tuesday’s launch the rocket’s first and second stages were fueled with liquid oxygen and RP-1 propellants and the countdown led to ignition of all nine Merlin 1D first stage engines generating some 1.7 million pounds of thrust at pad 40.
Watch for Ken’s continuing onsite coverage of NASA, SpaceX, ULA,
Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Orbital ATK and more space and mission reports direct
from the Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida and
Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia.
Stay tuned here for Ken's continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news: www.kenkremer.com –www.spaceupclose.com – twitter @ken_kremer – email: ken at kenkremer.com
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Indonesian
journalists pose prelaunch at sunset with SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launching the
nations Merah Putih comsat Aug. 7,
2018 on pad
40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL. Credit: Ken
Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
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