Space UpClose

Monday, June 25, 2018

SpaceX Wins $130 Million Air Force Contract for Classified Military Launch on Falcon Heavy

Maiden SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket is erected to vertical launch position at Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida prior to successful launch on Feb. 6, 2018. Credit: Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose.com/kenkremer.com

Ken Kremer -- SpaceUpClose.com -- 24 June 2018

CAPE CANAVERAL, FL – SpaceX has won a competitively bid military contract from the US Air Force for the launch of a classified US national security payload on the Falcon Heavy rocket, the Air Force announced.

SpaceX was awarded $130 million to launch the Air Force Space Command (AFSPC)-52 satellite in Fiscal Year 2020 for the Air Force under terms of the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) launch service contract program.

To date the triple barreled Falcon Heavy has only launched once – on its maiden mission which took place successfully earlier this year in February with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster as the payload.

Thus the selection of the singly launched Falcon Heavy to loft what is undoubtedly a rather expensive and extremely elaborate satellite employing advanced new technologies is perhaps somewhat surprising.

“Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) has been awarded a $130 million firm-fixed price contract for launch services to deliver Air Force Space Command (AFSPC)-52 to the intended orbit,” according to an Air Force statement.

The nature and orbit of the (AFSPC)-52 is top secret, as well as its mass and dimensions and all other details regarding capabilities and purposes.

However the launch site was proclaimed to be the Kennedy Space Center in Florida which indicates Launch Complex 39A - which SpaceX leases from NASA and utilized for both Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy.

SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell thanked the Air Force for the award.

“SpaceX is honored by the Air Force’s selection of Falcon Heavy to launch the competitively-awarded AFSPC-52 mission,” said SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell, in a statement provided to Space UpClose.

The Air Force said they are trying to cut launch costs while maintaining assured and reliable access to space with the competitive biddings process.

The only other certified bidder would have been United Launch Alliance (ULA).

It is believed that ULA offered either the Atlas 551 or the triple core Delta IV Heavy but the details are completely classified. The cost of a Delta IV Heavy is roughly $350 million.

Until recently ULA enjoyed a virtual monopoly on military launches.

“The competitive award of this EELV launch service contract directly supports Space and Missile Systems Center’s (SMC) mission of delivering resilient and affordable space capabilities to our Nation while maintaining assured access to space,” said Lt. Gen. John Thompson, Air Force program executive officer for Space and SMC commander, in a statement.

“This is the fifth competitive procurement under the current Phase 1A strategy. These launch service contract awards strike a balance between meeting operational needs and lowering launch costs through reintroducing competition for National Security Space missions," the Air Force noted.

Interestingly SpaceX announced that the launch vehicle would be the Falcon Heavy instead of the Falcon 9.

Launch of SpaceX Falcon Heavy on debut test flight
from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 6, 2018

Credit: Ken Kremer/SpaceUpClose.com/kenkremer.com

Furthermore Shotwell stated that the Air Force had approved the certification of the Falcon Heavy for these critical and covert national security missions in defense of the homeland.

“On behalf of all of our employees, I want to thank the Air Force for certifying Falcon Heavy, awarding us this critically important mission, and for their trust and confidence in our company."

Shotwell also made of point of stating that SpaceX launch costs are lower than their competitors.

“SpaceX is pleased to continue offering the American taxpayer the most cost-effective, reliable launch services for vital national security space missions.”

However, the details and cost of the ULA bid have not been made public.

ULA launched the prior AFSPC mission for the USAF.

The next Falcon Heavy launch is not expected until later this year, potentially November or December but the date has slipped frequently.

The payload is the Air Force STP-2 demonstration satellite.

The next SpaceX launch from Florida is scheduled for later this week when a reused Falcon 9 rocket will lift off on Friday, June 29, on the Dragon CRS-15 resupply mission for NASA to the International Space Station.

SpaceX conducts successful static fire test of reused Falcon 9 first stage at 5:30 p.m. EDT on June 23 at Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for CRS-15 resupply mission to the ISS targeted on launch June 29, 2018. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

The path to launch was cleared following a successful hold down static fire test of the first stage engines on Sat, June 23. Read my story.

Blastoff of the ‘used’ SpaceX Falcon 9 and Dragon CRS-15 commercial cargo freighter is now slated for dawn Friday, June 29 at 5:42 a.m. EDT (0942 GMT) from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

CRS-15 marks the 12^th flight overall for SpaceX in 2018 and the 2^nd ISS resupply mission for NASA in 2018.

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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Ken’s upcoming outreach events:

Learn more about the upcoming upcoming/recent SpaceX Falcon 9/CRS-15 launch to ISS, SES-12 comsat launch, Falcon Heavy, TESS, GOES-S, Bangabandhu-1, NASA missions, ULA Atlas & Delta launches, SpySats and more at Ken’s upcoming outreach events at Kennedy Space Center Quality Inn, Titusville, FL, evenings:

Jun 27-29: “SpaceX Dragon CRS-15 resupply launch to ISS, SpaceX Falcon Heavy & Falcon 9 launches, SpaceX SES-12 comsat. 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, 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

Saturday, June 23, 2018

SpaceX Completes Successful Static Fire Test of Reused Falcon 9 Rocket for NASA Resupply Launch to ISS

Ken Kremer -- SpaceUpClose.com -- 23 June 2018

CANAVERAL NATIONAL SEASHORE, FL – After touch and go wild weather passed over the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral, SpaceX engineers at last got the go for fueling and squeezed in a static fire engine test of their reused Falcon 9 booster last this afternoon, June 23, that clears the way for a NASA contracted resupply mission to the International Space Station next week from the Florida Space Coast.

Multiple periods of thunder and rain showers passing over the Cape accompanied by a magnificent water spout backdropped by NASA’s iconic VAB on the Indian River and dark clouds that totally obscured the pad from view for over an hour delayed the critical engine test for about an hour.

Blastoff of the ‘used’ SpaceX Falcon 9 and Dragon CRS-15 commercial cargo freighter is now slated for dawn Friday, June 29 at 5:42 a.m. EDT (0942 GMT) from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Dragon CRS-15 is loaded with nearly 3 tons of science and supplies for the six person crew aboard the ISS.

Check out my exclusive Space UpClose photos capturing the test firing, water spout and wild weather this Saturday afternoon, June 23.

Amazing view of water spout inflicting wild weather over NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on the Indian River-backdropped with the iconic VAB as SpaceX engineers prepared for Falcon 9 static fire test successfully concluded at 5:30 p.m. EDT June 23 ahead of CRS-15 cargo launch targeted for June 29 from pad 40. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

The SpaceX team successfully ignited all nine Merlin 1D first stage engines for a brief firing lasting several seconds in duration of the recycled Falcon 9 vehicle at 5:30 p.m. EDT on pad 40 at Cape Canaveral, FL.

SpaceX confirmed the positive test outcome by tweet soon thereafter.

“Static fire test of Falcon 9 complete—targeting June 29 launch from Pad 40 in Florida for Dragon’s fifteenth mission to the @Space_Station” SpaceX tweeted.

Both the Falcon 9 and Dragon cargo ship are recycled from earlier missions. The Falcon 9 booster recently launched NASA’s TESS exoplanet hunter - barely 2 months ago - and the Dragon flew on the CRS-9 cargo delivery mission, 2 years ago.

“Rocket and spacecraft for CRS-15 are flight-proven,” said SpaceX.

“Falcon 9’s first stage previously launched @NASA_TESS two months ago, and Dragon flew to the @Space_Station in support of our ninth resupply mission in 2016."

SpaceX will not attempt to recover this older Block 4 version of the Falcon 9 booster which is being discontinued in favor of the Block 5. The firm is rapidly switching over to the new Block 5 version first launched in May.

The Block 5 Falcon 9 will be cheaper to produce and much easier to turnaround with minimal maintenance, says SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. His goal is to relaunch a recovered Block 5 a second time within 24 hours by sometime next year.

The weather was rather iffy all afternoon with rain, dark threatening clouds and dozens of thunderclaps in the vicinity and distance.

But the water spout was totally unexpected, and I’ve never photographed one in such detail. See hi res image below.

During the engine test all nine Merlin 1D first stage engines were ignited for several seconds.

During Saturday’s hold down static fire test, the rocket’s first and second stages are fueled with liquid oxygen and RP-1 propellants just like an actual launch, and a simulated countdown is carried out to the point of a brief engine ignition.

I observed vigorous venting from the Falcon 9 second stage in the final minutes and moments before ignition.

The hold down engine test with the erected Falcon 9 rocket involved the ignition of all nine Merlin 1D first stage engines generating some 1.7 million pounds of thrust at pad 40 while the two stage rocket was restrained on the pad – minus the Dragon payload.

This static fire test put on quite a show! It appeared to last for about three seconds and generated a sudden, loud and roaring sound during the test, along with a huge exhaust plume of white smoke and steam rushing out of the ocean facing flame trench.

The plume wafted around in the wind and dissipated within 5 minutes. It was somewhat surprising and quite lucky that the stormy weather drifted away for just enough time to conduct the required test.

The rocket will next be lowered and rolled back down the ramp and returned to the pad 40 hanger to attach the Dragon spacecraft.

The 20-foot high, 12-foot-diameter Dragon CRS-15 vessel is jam packed with more than 5,900 pounds (about 2,700 kilograms) of science experiments, research hardware, space parts, food water, clothing and more supplies for the six person Expedition 56 crew.
The spacecraft will deliver science that studies the use of artificial intelligence, plant water use all over the planet, gut health in space, more efficient drug development and the formation of inorganic structures without the influence of Earth’s gravity, according to NASA.

Vigorous venting observed from the SpaceX Falcon 9 second stage in the final minutes and moments before ignition on June 23. Liftoff on CRS-15 cargo mission set for June 29 from pad 40. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

If all goes well Dragon will arrive at the orbiting outpost on July 2 for a month long stay.

The prior CRS-14 resupply flight successfully flew in April from pad 40.

Blastoff of SpaceX Flight-proven’ Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon CRS-14 cargo ship from Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL, on April 2 at 4:33 pm EDT to the ISS, view from remote camera at pad. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

CRS-15 marks the 12^th flight overall for SpaceX in 2018 and the 2^nd ISS resupply mission for NASA in 2018.

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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Ken’s upcoming outreach events:

Thursday, June 21, 2018

Escalating Dust Storm Encircles Mars, NASA’s Opportunity Rover Remains Silent Fate Unknown

Two 2001 images from the Mars Orbiter Camera on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor orbiter show a dramatic change in the planet's appearance when haze raised by dust-storm activity in the south became globally distributed. The images were taken about a month apart. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Ken Kremer -- SpaceUpClose.com -- 20 June 2018

CAPE CANAVERAL, FL – The escalating dust storm afflicting the Red Planet that began in late May has now grown to a "planet-encircling" event NASA announced today, as the agency’s long-lived Opportunity rover remains silent, starved of power from its life giving solar arrays – fate unknown!

And there are no signs that the storm will clear anytime soon as it continues to grow in Martian magnitude.

“As of Tuesday morning, June 19, the Martian dust storm has grown in size and is now officially a "planet-encircling" (or "global") dust event,” according to Bruce Cantor of Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, who is deputy principal investigator of the Mars Color Imager camera on board NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, in a NASA statement released June 20.

MRO and NASA’s fleet of three orbiters are monitoring the dust storm daily with a suite of science instruments streaming data back to researchers here on Earth for analysis.

“It's anyone's guess how it will further develop, but it shows no sign of clearing,” NASA said in a statement.

The intensifying massive global Martian dust storm blotting out virtually all life-giving sunlight has effectively turned day into night on frigid Mars, imperiling Opportunity’s survival and forcing her to shut down all subsystems and go into sleep mode in a bid to hang on for dear life – at a spot coincidentally called ‘Perseverance Valley.’

“There still was no signal received from NASA's Opportunity rover, despite efforts to listen in case it's coming out of sleep during its fault window -- the period of time when it attempts to communicate."

The last signal – and sign of life - from Opportunity was received on June 10. The team listens regularly every day, hoping the six wheeled robot will wake up. But its unlikely until the dust-choked skies clear up sufficiently to power up the sleeping systems.

“A recent analysis of the rover’s long-term survivability in Mars’ extreme cold suggests Opportunity’s electronics and batteries can stay warm enough to function. Regardless, the project doesn’t expect to hear back from Opportunity until the skies begin to clear over the rover. That doesn’t stop them from listening for the rover every day.”

To get a birds-eye view of exactly what Opportunity’ surroundings look like, be sure to check out our exclusive rover mosaics showing her current view from Perseverance Valley and our route map – created by the imaging team of Ken Kremer and Marco Di Lorenzo.

This pre-dust storm panaromic mosaic view was taken by NASA’s Opportunity rover showing the spectacular view from her approximate current position in June 2018 after traveling halfway down the fluid carved slope of Perseverance Valley - while peeing into the interior of vast Endeavour Crater. This navcam camera photo mosaic was assembled by Ken Kremer and Marco Di Lorenzo from raw images taken on Sol 5074 (3 May 2018) and colorized. Credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell/Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/Marco Di Lorenzo

Fortunately, NASA’s other operating Mars rover, the nuclear powered Curiosity Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) vehicle located on the other side of the planet remains unaffected - although the skies over her Gale Crater landing site have darkened considerably.

Thus Curiosity has continued her research activities unabated, including making measurements confirming the increasing dust levels, while Opportunity remains in deep sleep unable to make any measurements or communications of any kind.

Curiosity found that the atmospheric dust as measured by atmospheric opacity (tau) more than doubled this past weekend to 8 tau.

The last measurement from Opportunity showed that atmospheric opacity had rocketed to a record high of 10.5 on June 10, causing energy production to plummet.

Whereas on May 30 the tau level was only 0.6.

“The atmospheric haze blocking sunlight, called "tau," is now above 8.0 at Gale Crater — the highest tau the mission has ever recorded. Tau was last measured near 11 over Opportunity, thick enough that accurate measurements are no longer possible for Mars' oldest active rover,” NASA officials report.

In today’s new dust storm status update NASA said the 2018 dust storm is “comparable in scale to a similar storm observed by Viking I in 1977, but not as big as the 2007 storm that Opportunity previously weathered. But it's also different than the massive storms observed by Mariner 9 (1971-1972) and Mars Global Surveyor (2001). Those storms totally obscured the planet's surface, save for the peaks of Mars' tallest volcanoes. The current dust storm is more diffuse and patchy; it's anyone's guess how it will further develop, but it shows no sign of clearing.”

This graphic shows how the energy available to NASA’s Opportunity rover on Mars (in watt-hours) depends on how clear or opaque the atmosphere is (measured in a value called tau). When the tau value (blue) is high, the rover’s power levels (yellow) drop. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/New Mexico Museum of Natural History

The long lived robot was launched in 2003, landed in 2004 and has been making breakthrough science and exploration discoveries ever since during its utterly remarkable 14.5-year-long overland trek across the 4th planet from the sun.

By June 10 the dust storm grew so enormously that it covered more than 15.8 million square miles (41 million square kilometers) – about the area of North America and Russia combined.

It blocked out so much sunlight that it effectively turned day into night for Opportunity, which is located near the center of the storm, inside Mars' Perseverance Valley.

Because the solar powered Opportunity rover charges her batteries, instruments and heaters via sunlight impinging on her solar arrays, No sunlight means no production of electrical power to run her systems and subsystems.

“A severe dust storm on Mars threatens Opportunity. We are concerned because there is no signal,” said John Callas, Opportunity project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, at a hastily arranged NASA briefing for reporters on June 13.

“I declared a spacecraft emergency on June 10 when solar energy production was only 22 watt-hours. Everything was turned off except the master clock.”

“It’s completely black on Mars!”

At that time the current storm was “just 2 or 3 days away from becoming a planet encircling event,” said Rich Zurek, chief scientist for the Mars Program Office at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

Opportunity rover looks south from the top of Perseverance Valley along the rim of Endeavour Crater on Mars in this partial self portrait including the rover deck and solar panels. Perseverance Valley descends from the right and terminates down near the crater floor. This navcam camera photo mosaic was assembled from raw images taken on Sol 4736 (20 May 2017) and colorized. Credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell/Marco Di Lorenzo/Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com

At the last media briefing I asked Zurek and Calles to comment about how long the storm will continue to intensify ? and how long can the rover survive in the very low power mode weeks/months?

“In some sense the storm won’t get too much worse. What is changing is the storm is producing a dust haze that is spreading over the planet and getting raised higher into the atmosphere. That can lengthen depending on how long it takes for the storm to clear,” Zurek told me.

“We aren’t expecting the opacity over Opportunity to get alot worse - but it doesn’t matter because there is almost no sunlight reaching the ground anyway. It’s a very dusty sky right now.”

“How long the storm will last? Well we are not certain of that. That is one of the issues that we are trying to understand.”

“We want to learn what initiates that so-called decay phase where the dust areas stop being raised into the atmosphere and everything begins to fall out. The winds are part of that and will eventually die down. And when that happens – next week or two weeks from now – we don’t know,” Zurek explained to Space UpClose.

This set of images from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows a fierce dust storm kicking up on Mars in June 2018, with NASA’s Opportunity and Curiosity rovers on the surface indicated as icons. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSS

“As long as the rover stays warm enough, and our predictions are that it will, then we can go any number of days,” Callas told me.

“We are approaching summer and have not even hit the warmest part of the year yet for the rover at this site.”

“In terms of the low power mode, well the rover actually goes into that every day. We have a process we call deep sleep in which once we are done with our activities for the day, we disconnect the batteries from the rover and only the mission clock is connected. And so we have been deep sleeping now for thousands of Sols.”

“And so this is like deep sleeping- except we are doing it throughout the entire day, not just at night,” Callas replied to Space UpClose.

Opportunity is currently descending down and exploring Perseverance Valley located along the eroded western rim of the gigantic 22-km diameter (14 mi) impact crater named Endeavour.

Although Opportunity was only warrantied for “90 Sols” of operation, it is now enjoying its 15^th year of continuous operations on the frigid alien world.

“Perseverance Valley” is an ancient fluid-carved valley “possibly water-cut” that could hold groundbreaking clues to the potential origin and evolution of life on Mars – if it ever existed.

As of today, June 20, 2018, long lived Opportunity has survived over 5120 Sols (or Martian days) roving the harsh environment of the Red Planet.

Opportunity has taken over 228,771 images and traversed over 28.06 miles (45.16 kilometers) - more than a marathon.

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

14 Year Traverse Map for NASA’s Opportunity rover from 2004 to 2018. This map shows the entire 45 kilometer (28 mi) path the rover has driven on the Red Planet during over 14.5 Earth years (7.5 Mars years) and more than a marathon runners distance for over 5115 Sols, or Martian days, since landing inside Eagle Crater on Jan 24, 2004 – to current location at Perseverance Valley at the western rim of Endeavour Crater. The rover reached Perseverance Valley in May 2017 and descended about halfway by June 2018. Its likely a water carved Martian gully. Opportunity surpassed Marathon distance on Sol 3968 after reaching 11th Martian anniversary on Sol 3911. Opportunity discovered clay minerals at Esperance – indicative of a habitable zone – and searched for more at Marathon Valley. Credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell/ASU/Marco Di Lorenzo/Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com