Launch Roundup: Falcon 9 launch cadence continues.

Date:
Mon, 10 Jun 2024 07:58:59 +0000

Description:
Following an extremely eventful week in Spaceflight, this coming week returns to business as usual. The post Launch Roundup: Falcon 9 launch cadence continues. appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .

FULL STORY ======================================================================

Following an extremely eventful week in Spaceflight, this coming week returns to business as usual. Two SpaceX Starlink missions, one each from Vandenberg and Florida, and a Falcon 9 launching a TV satellite are the launches for the week.

SpaceX is preparing Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center for the upcoming Falcon Heavy launch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations GOES-U satellite on June 25. The consequence of this work is that Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) is taking the full brunt of launches from the East Coast, and in doing so, is performing remarkable turnaround times for every launch.



Having started with Starlink Group 8-5 on June 5, followed by Starlink Group 10-1 on June 8, SpaceX intends to launch Starlink Group 10-2 on June 12 and Astra 1P/SES-24 on June 17, making four launches in 12 days, all from the
same pad, giving an average of three days per launch. To put this into perspective, the current record for the fastest turnaround time for any of
the three SpaceX pads is two days and twenty hours.

SpaceX is also advancing the launch count on the West Coast, with another Starlink launching from Vandenberg, the first batch of Group 9 satellites.

There are currently just three launches scheduled for this week, but this figure belies the continuing frenetic activity right across the global launch arena.

SpaceX Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 10-2

SpaceX will continue to add Starlink v2 Mini satellites to the Starlink constellation as they launch the second batch of Group 10 satellites to
orbit, during the launch window that stretches between 12 June, 5:08 PM and 9:36 PM EDT (12 June, 21:08 and June 13, 01:36 UTC).

Launching on a North-Easterly trajectory to a 53-degree orbital inclination, the booster will land on an autonomous drone ship stationed 618 km downrange. Neither booster nor support vessels have been announced at this time. Another beautiful morning in Florida as Falcon 9 returns from Starlink 8-5 atop JRTI droneship! https://t.co/icguJj6CpG pic.twitter.com/pxMksT6oci

Gav Cornwell (@SpaceOffshore) June 7, 2024



SpaceX Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 9-1

While many observers were expecting another Starlink Group 8 launch, Group
9-1 appeared in the launch hazard notices for this next mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base on June 13, at approximately 8:00 PM PDT, (June 14, 03:00 UTC). SpaceX does not generally provide specific information about the Starlink Groups, so we do not know why there has been a sudden and unexpected change.

The payload of Starlink v2 Mini satellites will be launched to a 53-degree orbital inclination, following a South-Easterly trajectory. The satellites initial orbit is estimated to be 286 by 295 km.

The as-yet-unknown booster will land on the autonomous drone ship Just Read The Instructions, stationed 642 km downrange.

Starliner approaching ISS before docking. (Credit: NASA) SpaceX Falcon 9 | SES-24/Astra 1P

Currently due no earlier than June 15, a SpaceX Falcon 9 will launch the latest television (TV) satellite for SES a leading provider of broadcast TV across Europe from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.
The SES-24/Astra 1P satellite will be launched into a geostationary orbit at 19.2 degrees East, and will be one of the most powerful of its kind. See Also SpaceX Section NSF Store Click here to Join L2

The as-yet undeclared Falcon 9 booster is expected to land on one of SpaceXs autonomous drone ships.

SES-24 was built in Europe by Thales Alenia Space, a partnership between Thales and Leonardo. The satellite is based on the successful Spacebus NEO satellite bus, produced at the Cannes Mandelieu Space Center, previously part of Alcatel Alenia Space, in France. This will be the 94th Spacebus to be launched since the first Arabsat-1A in 1985. Happy to have welcomed SES & its customers in #Cannes . They came to see the @Thales_Alenia_S -built ASTRA 1P communications satellite that will strengthen @SES_Satellites ' prime TV neighborhood at 19.2 degrees East by providing wide-beam coverage across including & pic.twitter.com/TPC1DOd1hL

Thales Alenia Space (@Thales_Alenia_S) February 7, 2024



This NEO Spacebus derivative is the latest design from Thales Alenia. SES-24 uses the all-electric option which includes electrically powered thrusters. The Ku-band satellite is one of two being built under the current contract. SES-24 is a classic wide beam satellite with 80 transponders, giving it the ability to broadcast up to 500 HDTV channels. The second satellite, SES-25/Astra 1Q, will be a complementary Ku-band satellite, able to provide both wide and tight-beam services as required.

This will be the first Astra satellite to be launched by SpaceX, previous launches were by Proton and Ariane boosters. At seven meters tall and five tonnes weight, SES-24 is a large payload, but well within Falcon 9s
capability of 8.3 tonnes. Once deployed in orbit, the spacecrafts solar
arrays will extend out to 45 m wide, providing 20 kW of power, and making it one of the most powerful satellites in geosynchronous orbit. according to Florent Bire Assembly, Integration, and Test Manager for Astra 1P at Thales Alenia Space.

(Lead image: A Falcon 9 launches a recent Starlink mission from SLC-40, Florida. Credit: SpaceX)

The post Launch Roundup: Falcon 9 launch cadence continues. appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .



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Link to news story: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2024/06/launch-roundup-falcon-9-launch-cadence -continues/


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