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{{asof|2015|12}}, the SpaceX plan is to never fly the ''Falcon 9 Flight 20'' first stage again. Rather, the rocket will be moved to the [[Launch pad 39A|new SpaceX launch pad]] several miles to the north leased from the adjacent Kennedy Space Center and a [[static fire]] test will be performed. After the hot fire test, the vehicle will be evaluated in detail<!-- some parts of the vehicle will be removed for full-on destructive testing to assess metal and weld performance after a full flight of stresses --> by SpaceX to assess capabilities for reflight of the launch vehicle design after future landings.<ref>[http://www.theverge.com/2015/12/21/10642028/spacex-falcon-9-landing-elon-musk-wont-fly SpaceX’s 'reusable' Falcon 9 rocket won’t fly again, Elon Musk says], accessed 23 December 2015.</ref>
{{asof|2015|12}}, the SpaceX plan is to never fly the ''Falcon 9 Flight 20'' first stage again. Rather, the rocket will be moved to the [[Launch pad 39A|new SpaceX launch pad]] several miles to the north leased from the adjacent Kennedy Space Center and a [[static fire]] test will be performed. After the hot fire test, the vehicle will be evaluated in detail<!-- some parts of the vehicle will be removed for full-on destructive testing to assess metal and weld performance after a full flight of stresses --> by SpaceX to assess capabilities for reflight of the launch vehicle design after future landings.<ref>[http://www.theverge.com/2015/12/21/10642028/spacex-falcon-9-landing-elon-musk-wont-fly SpaceX’s 'reusable' Falcon 9 rocket won’t fly again, Elon Musk says], accessed 23 December 2015.</ref>


== Cultural impact ==
== Live coverage ==
SpaceX live coverage of the launch and landing included cheering crowds and tours of the SpaceX manufacturing and launch facilities.<ref name=atlantic20151223>{{cite news |title=When a Rocket Launch Is a Cultural Event: SpaceX’s online broadcast brought a different tone to space exploration |author=Robinson Meyer |url=http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/12/rocket-launch-as-cultural-event/421815/ |date=23 December 2015 |work=The Atlantic |accessdate=2015-12-24 }}</ref>
{{Tone|section|date=December 2015}}
SpaceX dramatically altered their usual approach to the broadcast of live coverage of the launch and landing. [[The Atlantic]] noted that the live-feed webcast included a "pregame ... cheering crowds ... tours of the SpaceX manufacturing and launch facilities before the main event, which felt very [[Olympics]]-on-[[NBC]]-esque."<ref name=atlantic20151223/> The article called SpaceX's approach to the broadcast "unprecedented," and noted its broader impact on the culture at large. "It was, in short, a way of treating a rocket launch not like a dry engineering procedure, but like some combination of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Super Bowl."<ref name=atlantic20151223/> In the article, ''Atlantic'' technology editor Robinson Meyer called the broadcast "an awe-inspiring event," as much as—with the launch and unprecedented post-launch upright landing of the first stage—it was "an awesome one."<ref name=atlantic20151223>{{cite news |title=When a Rocket Launch Is a Cultural Event: SpaceX’s online broadcast brought a different tone to space exploration |author=Robinson Meyer |url=http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/12/rocket-launch-as-cultural-event/421815/ |date=23 December 2015 |work=The Atlantic |accessdate=2015-12-24 }}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==

Revision as of 17:17, 26 December 2015

launch

Falcon 9 Flight 20 (also known as Orbcomm OG2 M2[1]) was a Falcon 9 space launch that occurred on 22 December 2015 at 01:29 UTC (21 December, 8:29 pm local time). It was the first time that the first stage of an orbital rocket made a successful return and vertical landing.[2][3][4]

Falcon 9 Flight 20 was the first launch of the substantially upgraded Falcon 9 v1.1 Full Thrust launch vehicle and carried 11 Orbcomm-OG2 satellites to Earth orbit.

The launch was also notable as it was the first SpaceX launch following the catastrophic failure of the Falcon 9 v1.1 launch vehicle's second stage on Falcon 9 Flight 19 in June 2015.

The successful landing of the first stage at Landing Zone 1, near the launch site, was the end result of a five-year technology development program funded by SpaceX and a flight test that followed the primary launch mission. Following separation of the second stage, SpaceX conducted the eighth of its controlled booster descent tests of the spent first stage, the first in which the descent target location was on land, and also the first ever successful landing.

Launch schedule history

SES announced[5] in February 2015 that it would provide the payload on the first launch of the revised-design Falcon 9 v1.2 (also called Falcon 9 v1.1 Full Thrust[6]). At the time, SES expected its SES-9 geostationary communications satellite would launch by September 2015.[7] SES kept the decision despite the loss of the launch vehicle and payload of another SpaceX mission in June 2015, but postponed the launch until late 2015.[8]

On 16 October 2015, after considering all options, SpaceX announced a change: Orbcomm's 11 OG2 satellites would be the payload on the return-to-flight launch of the redesigned Falcon 9 instead of SES-9.[7] The Orbcomm payload with its lower orbit would allow SpaceX to test relighting the second-stage engine, a capability required to successfully put the heavier SES-9 on a geostationary orbit.[7] The launch was delayed to mid-December or later, while SES-9 was scheduled to follow within a few weeks.[7]

A required pre-launch static-fire test was initially scheduled for 16 December, but a few issues emerged with the new processes required for the colder propellants for the launch vehicle and the related ground support equipment. The test was successfully carried out on 18 December, which resulted in a launch delay of one day to 19 December (local time).[9] The launch was subsequently delayed an additional day after statistical analysis indicated a somewhat higher probability of recovering the booster on the later date.[10]

Following successful launch and deployment of the OG2 satellites on 22 December, the Merlin Vacuum (1D) second-stage engine successfully re-ignited, demonstrating its capability to launch SES-9 into geostationary transfer orbit. The engine burn de-orbited the second stage as planned for a destructive re-entry, preventing it from becoming space debris.[11]

Payload

The payload on Flight 20 was 11 Orbcomm-OG2 second-generation satellites[7] which will provide enhanced ORBCOMM messaging capabilities, increased data capacity, and automatic identification systems (AIS) service.[12] All 11 satellites were successfully deployed by the Falcon 9 second stage, beginning approximately 14 minutes after takeoff. All 11 satellites have checked in with ground control stations.[2]

New launch vehicle

Falcon 9 Flight 20 first stage's successful landing on land in December 2015

The Falcon 9 full thrust launch vehicle used on Flight 20 had a number of significant modifications from the previous Falcon 9 v1.1 vehicle. These included:[8]

  • increased second stage tank length and propellant volume
  • larger Merlin 1D vacuum engine nozzle
  • larger and stronger interstage with revised stage-separation mechanism
  • revised grid fin design to support the continuation of the Falcon 9 recovery tests, and ultimately, the operational Reusable Falcon 9 launch system
  • upgraded structure in the landing legs, also to support the reusable development program and objectives
  • upgraded first stage structure and octaweb engine support structure
  • denser liquid oxygen and RP-1 propellants through the use of subcooling, refrigeration below the typical temperature of previous Falcon 9 launch conditions.
  • first stage booster can reach low Earth orbit as a single stage if not carrying the upper stage and a heavy satellite. [13]

Post-mission launch vehicle testing

Main article: Falcon 9 booster landing tests

SpaceX performed a controlled-descent test on the rocket's first stage. As a result, they were able to vertically land and successfully recover the first stage, for the first time after seven previous propulsive-return tests in 2013–2015,[14] including two attempts to land the rocket on a floating landing platform.

The entire controlled-descent through the atmosphere and landing attempt is an arrangement that is unusual for other launch vehicles.[15] The flight test was planned for the twentieth Falcon 9 launch, even after the manifested payload was switched from SES-9 to the 11-satellite Orbcomm OG-2 payload.[16] The test was scheduled for and successfully carried out on December 21, 2015, when the first stage landed intact at Landing Zone 1.[3]

As of December 2015, the SpaceX plan is to never fly the Falcon 9 Flight 20 first stage again. Rather, the rocket will be moved to the new SpaceX launch pad several miles to the north leased from the adjacent Kennedy Space Center and a static fire test will be performed. After the hot fire test, the vehicle will be evaluated in detail by SpaceX to assess capabilities for reflight of the launch vehicle design after future landings.[17]

Live coverage

SpaceX live coverage of the launch and landing included cheering crowds and tours of the SpaceX manufacturing and launch facilities.[18]

See also

References

  1. ^ "2015 U.S. Space Launch Manifest". americaspace.com. AmericaSpace, LLC. December 21, 2015. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  2. ^ a b Jeff Foust (December 21, 2015). "Falcon 9 Launches Orbcomm Satellites, Lands First Stage". SpaceNews. Retrieved December 22, 2015. the first time SpaceX had successfully landed the rocket's first stage.
  3. ^ a b Stephen Clark (December 10, 2015). "SpaceX eyes Dec. 19 for first launch since June". Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  4. ^ "SpaceX Shooting for a Dec. 19 Falcon Return-to-flight Launch". SpaceNews. December 10, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  5. ^ Clark, Stephen (February 20, 2015). "SES signs up for launch with more powerful Falcon 9 engines". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  6. ^ Svitak, Amy (March 17, 2015). "SpaceX's New Spin on Falcon 9". Aviation Week. Aviation Week Network. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  7. ^ a b c d e de Selding, Peter B. (October 16, 2015). "SpaceX Changes its Falcon 9 Return-to-flight Plans". SpaceNews. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  8. ^ a b Foust, Jeff (September 15, 2015). "SES Betting on SpaceX, Falcon 9 Upgrade as Debut Approaches". Space News. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  9. ^ "No Dec. 19 launch for SpaceX Falcon 9 v1.2". SpaceFlight Insider. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  10. ^ "SpaceX Now Planning Monday Launch and Landing - SpaceNews.com". SpaceNews.com. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  11. ^ Clark, Stephen. "Round-trip rocket flight gives SpaceX a trifecta of successes | Spaceflight Now". Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  12. ^ Messier, Doug (December 27, 2012). "Orbcomm, SpaceX Reach New Launch Agreement on OG2 Satellite Launch". parabolicArc. Retrieved February 1, 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/669132749500887040
  14. ^ "SpaceX ORBCOMM-2 Mission" (PDF). press kit. SpaceX. December 21, 2015. Retrieved December 21, 2015. This mission also marks SpaceX's return-to-flight as well as its first attempt to land a first stage on land. The landing of the first stage is a secondary test objective.
  15. ^ "SpaceX wants to land next booster at Cape Canaveral". Florida Today. December 1, 2015. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  16. ^ SpaceX preparing for Static Fire test on first Full Thrust Falcon 9 First Stage, October 24, 2015, accessed October 26, 2015.
  17. ^ SpaceX’s 'reusable' Falcon 9 rocket won’t fly again, Elon Musk says, accessed 23 December 2015.
  18. ^ Robinson Meyer (December 23, 2015). "When a Rocket Launch Is a Cultural Event: SpaceX's online broadcast brought a different tone to space exploration". The Atlantic. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
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