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SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket
venting liquid oxygen in the final minutes of countdown for launch on Dec. 18,
2018 until temperature issue forced 24 hour scrub to Dec. 19 for 9:07 a.m. EST liftoff
of advanced GPS
III SV01 mission for the US Air Force from
Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
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Ken Kremer --SpaceUpClose.com &
RocketSTEM –18 December 2018
CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, FL- SpaceX engineers scrubbed this mornings launch (Dec. 18) of a Falcon 9 rocket from the Florida Space Coast after encountering a temperature fueling glitch in the final minutes of the countdown – forcing a 24 hour delay from Tuesday to Wednesday, Dec. 19.
The abort occurred at the T minus 7 minute mark as teams were loading the rockets propellants in anticipation of blastoff of the next and last SpaceX Falcon 9 of 2018 carrying the maiden modernized and advanced GPS III SV01 satellite for the Air Force. It had been slated for blastoff Tuesday, Dec. 18 at 9:11 a.m. EST, 14:11 GMT, from Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL.
The 2nd stage LOX loading was just being completed and the team was about to begin the Falcon 9 engine chill prior to launch.
“Hold, Hold, Hold”, was called out to scrub the launch at about 9:29 a.m. EST.
"SpaceX team called a hold due to an out of family reading on first stage sensors. Vehicle and payload remain healthy; next launch attempt is tomorrow at 9:07 EST, 14:07 UTC,” SpaceX tweeted soon thereafter.
The second stage of the 23 story tall rocket had been vigorously venting liquid oxygen as normal.
Enjoy our gallery of Space UpClose photos showing the vigorous venting at launch pad 40 as well as more photos taken this afternoon during our media camera setup taken at pad 40 this afternoon, Dec. 18.
It
was the second significant problem of the day. The first was related to weather.
The Falcon 9 launch had already been retargeted earlier this morning to a point
near the end of the launch window due to excessive ‘Upper level winds.”
The weather outlook remains quite favorable – currently
forecast as 80% GO !!
The Falcon 9 launch window lasts for 26 minutes and extends from 9:07 a.m., 14:11 GMT, to 9:33 a.m. EST Dec. 19.
You can watch the launch on a SpaceX dedicated webcast that starts about 15 minutes prior to the opening of the nominal launch window at:
www.spacex.com/webcast
The Falcon 9 will launch in the upgraded Block 5
version on an expendable mission where the first stage booster will not be
recovered. There are no grid fins or
landing legs installed on the 15 story tall first stage.
This is the first Block 5 model that will launch in an expendable configuration and not be soft landed either by land or by sea.
The Air Force wants every drop of fuel available
to hurl the GPS III SV01 satellite to the most efficient orbit and maximize the
amount of on-board fuel available and minimize the satellites need to utilize
the fuel reserves for orbit raising maneuvers.
The satellite will be deployed to medium Earth
orbit approximately 1 hour and 56 minutes after liftoff.
The GPS III satellites has a wet weight of 9700 pounds (4,400 kilograms) and is the size of an SUV.
From the SpaceX Press Kit:
The United States’ Global Positioning System delivers positioning, navigation, and timing services supporting vital U.S. and allied operations worldwide, and underpins critical financial, transportation, and agricultural infrastructure that billions of users have come to depend on daily.
The United States Air Force’s first GPS III satellite will augment the current constellation of 31 operational GPS satellites. This newest generation of GPS satellites is designed and built to deliver positioning, navigation, and timing information with three times better accuracy, and up to eight times improved antijamming capability. GPS is used by over four billion users and supports critical missions worldwide.
GPS is a National Security Space (NSS) mission, critical to national defense. In April 2016, SpaceX was awarded its first NSS mission, GPS III SV01. SpaceX currently has an additional four GPS III missions on contract, all of which will be launched on Falcon 9.
Watch for Ken’s continuing onsite coverage of NASA, SpaceX, ULA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and more space and mission reports direct from the Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida and Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia.
CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, FL- SpaceX engineers scrubbed this mornings launch (Dec. 18) of a Falcon 9 rocket from the Florida Space Coast after encountering a temperature fueling glitch in the final minutes of the countdown – forcing a 24 hour delay from Tuesday to Wednesday, Dec. 19.
The abort occurred at the T minus 7 minute mark as teams were loading the rockets propellants in anticipation of blastoff of the next and last SpaceX Falcon 9 of 2018 carrying the maiden modernized and advanced GPS III SV01 satellite for the Air Force. It had been slated for blastoff Tuesday, Dec. 18 at 9:11 a.m. EST, 14:11 GMT, from Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL.
The 2nd stage LOX loading was just being completed and the team was about to begin the Falcon 9 engine chill prior to launch.
“Hold, Hold, Hold”, was called out to scrub the launch at about 9:29 a.m. EST.
"SpaceX team called a hold due to an out of family reading on first stage sensors. Vehicle and payload remain healthy; next launch attempt is tomorrow at 9:07 EST, 14:07 UTC,” SpaceX tweeted soon thereafter.
The second stage of the 23 story tall rocket had been vigorously venting liquid oxygen as normal.
Enjoy our gallery of Space UpClose photos showing the vigorous venting at launch pad 40 as well as more photos taken this afternoon during our media camera setup taken at pad 40 this afternoon, Dec. 18.
 |
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket
venting liquid oxygen in the final minutes of countdown for launch on Dec. 18,
2018 until temperature issue forced 24 hour scrub to Dec. 19 for 9:07 a.m. EST liftoff
of advanced GPS
III SV01 mission for the US Air Force from
Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
|
 |
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket
venting liquid oxygen in the final minutes of countdown for launch on Dec. 18,
2018 until temperature issue forced 24 hour scrub to Dec. 19 for 9:07 a.m. EST liftoff
of advanced GPS
III SV01 mission for the US Air Force from
Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
|
The Falcon 9 launch window lasts for 26 minutes and extends from 9:07 a.m., 14:11 GMT, to 9:33 a.m. EST Dec. 19.
You can watch the launch on a SpaceX dedicated webcast that starts about 15 minutes prior to the opening of the nominal launch window at:
www.spacex.com/webcast
 |
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket
poised at night on Dec. 17 for liftoff on GPS III SV01 mission for the US Air Force from Space Launch Complex-40 on
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL, on Dec. 19, 2018 at 9:07 am EST.
Expendable booster will not be recovered and lacks grid fins and landing legs.
Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
|
This is the first Block 5 model that will launch in an expendable configuration and not be soft landed either by land or by sea.
 |
Up Close view of nose cone
atop SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket poised for launch now reset for liftoff
on GPS III SV01 mission for
the US Air Force from Space
Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL, on Dec. 19, 2018 at 9:07
am EST. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
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SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket
poised for liftoff carrying GPS III SV01 mission for the
US Air Force from Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force
Station, FL, on Dec. 19, 2018. Credit:
Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
|
The GPS III satellites has a wet weight of 9700 pounds (4,400 kilograms) and is the size of an SUV.
 |
Up Close view of nose cone
atop SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket poised for launch now reset liftoff
on GPS III SV01 mission for
the US Air Force from Space
Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL, on Dec. 19, 2018 at 9:07
am EST. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
|
The United States’ Global Positioning System delivers positioning, navigation, and timing services supporting vital U.S. and allied operations worldwide, and underpins critical financial, transportation, and agricultural infrastructure that billions of users have come to depend on daily.
The United States Air Force’s first GPS III satellite will augment the current constellation of 31 operational GPS satellites. This newest generation of GPS satellites is designed and built to deliver positioning, navigation, and timing information with three times better accuracy, and up to eight times improved antijamming capability. GPS is used by over four billion users and supports critical missions worldwide.
GPS is a National Security Space (NSS) mission, critical to national defense. In April 2016, SpaceX was awarded its first NSS mission, GPS III SV01. SpaceX currently has an additional four GPS III missions on contract, all of which will be launched on Falcon 9.
Watch for Ken’s continuing onsite coverage of NASA, SpaceX, ULA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman 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
Dr. Kremer
is a research scientist, journalist and photographer based in the KSC area.
………….
Ken’s photos are for sale and he is available for lectures and outreach events
Learn more about the upcoming/recent SpaceX Falcon 9/USAF GPS 3-01, SpaceX Falcon 9/CRS-16 launch to ISS, NASA missions, ULA Atlas & Delta launches, SpySats and more at Ken’s upcoming outreach events at Quality Inn Kennedy Space Center, Titusville, FL, evenings:
Ken’s photos are for sale and he is available for lectures and outreach events
Learn more about the upcoming/recent SpaceX Falcon 9/USAF GPS 3-01, SpaceX Falcon 9/CRS-16 launch to ISS, NASA missions, ULA Atlas & Delta launches, SpySats and more at Ken’s upcoming outreach events at Quality Inn Kennedy Space Center, Titusville, FL, evenings:
Dec
18: “SpaceX Dragon CRS-16
resupply launch to ISS, SpaceX Falcon GPS 3-01, SpaceX Falcon Heavy &
Falcon 9 launches, upcoming SpaceX Falcon 9 USAF GP3 3-01, NRO & USAF
Spysats, SLS, Orion, Boeing and SpaceX Commercial crew capsules, OSIRIS-Rex,
Juno at Jupiter, InSight Mars lander, Curiosity and Opportunity explore Mars,
NH at Pluto, Kuiper Belt and more,” Kennedy Space Center Quality Inn, Titusville,
FL, evenings. Photos for sale
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