SpaceX Plans Two Launches in Two Days
The Autonomous Flight Safety System first flew from the Eastern Range on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 CRS-10 Feb. 19, 2017. The use of AFSS reduces range space lift costs through reductions in range equipment maintenance and upgrades. (Credit: SpaceX)
SpaceX has planned two Falcon 9 launches this weekend, one from each coast.
A Falcon 9 is scheduled to launch the BulgariaSat 1 communications satellite from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida today. The two-hour launch window opens at 2:10 p.m. EDT. The flight marks the second reuse of a first stage.
The second Falcon 9 flight is scheduled for Sunday at 4:25 p.m. EDT from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The booster will launch 10 Iridium Next satellites.
SpaceX will webcast both flights at www.spacex.com.
17 responses to “SpaceX Plans Two Launches in Two Days”
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Chalk up another one for SpaceX! Three engine landing burn and they stuck it! Well done and congratulations to the entire SpaceX team, you’re starting to make it look easy.
One down and one to go for this weekend. Going to get a little extra treat for this next flight!
Congratulations! First relaunch and recovery of a “pre-flown” Falcon 9 Booster!
Second, actually. First to be recovered twice in different oceans, though.
Ditto to Tom’s, MSA’s and Bulldog’s comments. 🙂
So if Space X is going to start flying the F9 block 5 late this year or early next. What’s going to happen with all these F9 block 4s sitting around with various histories of re-use? Will they be modded to block 5s? Will they be sold and re-flown in total throw away mode? Perhaps there’s been some scuttlebutt you’ve heard that I have not.
The logical thing would be to use the Block 4 for private launches where prices need to be competitive and use the Block 5 for NASA launches since they are price insensitive.
Agreed that makes a lot of sense, but one of the Elon quotes was along the lines that they would stop flying block 4s. Which sounds … expensive.
Not if they use them expendable stages. While the majority of launches will be reusable, some need to be expendable.
It’s definitely sensible to use new Block 5’s for all NASA launches once they become available. It makes even more sense to use new Block 5’s for all of the first seven F9 missions flown after they become available, NASA or not. NASA wants seven straight successes on the books before they’ll certify the Block 5 to carry people. With SpaceX’s launch cadence advancing smartly, it may be able to meet that NASA condition in as little as two months following the Block 5’s entry into service.
As for what happens to the older stages, my best guess is they get reused in pairs as FH side cores until they hit 10 total missions. Then, instead of getting the 10-mission refurb process, they get scrapped. That would allow them to be useful and still be pulled out of the active core pool with reasonable dispatch.
But they’re all Elon’s rockets. He can do anything with them he wants to.
Why scrap a perfectly good operational 1st stage? Why not use it as a test article, or as a full payload to LEO, or GEO option? It was my understanding that the difference between the 4 and 5 is mainly the amount of depot work needed to prepare for reflight. If so, it seems the best thing to do with the 4s as soon as the 5s are proven is use them in full payload mode with no return option.
That might happen.
I’ve also discovered that Block 3 cores, like the two that have been reused, won’t get third shots, never mind a total of 10. So those will all be used up as soon as each is reused just once. They should all be gone by early next year.
Maybe the Block 4’s are more durable, even if not as much so as Block 5’s. That makes using them as side cores on FH missions seem like a natural. Those are low-stress missions and might extend their useful lives by a mission or two.
So it will probably be the case that the last Block 3 will fly for the last time in 1Q18. The Block 4’s may be gone by 1Q19 or even sooner.
Do their last launch as a full thrust disposable launch and use it maximize the last payload.? Or a Max payload to Mars with FH’s?
No it makes sense to retire the 4s once the 5s are available in volume and refly those.
tie them together for FH and use them to launch dragons to Mars.
Most likely, they will become expendable flight.
Amazing what this company is doing http://www.spacex.com/elon-…