24.06.2021
Weather OK for this week's SpaceX launch from Cape Canaveral
Weather conditions around Cape Canaveral Space Force Station should lean toward favorable for a fiery – and "boomy" – upcoming weekend kickoff hosted by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
Space Force forecasters are expecting 60% "go" odds for Friday's 2:56 p.m. liftoff from Launch Complex 40, citing the potential for summertime storms and thick clouds as the main concerns. The mission known as Transporter-2 will boost to orbit several smaller payloads owned by different companies.
"A boundary in the Southeast U.S. will gradually erode as the remnants of Tropical Storm Claudette pull northward," Space Launch Delta 45 forecasters said Tuesday. "This should mean much less storm coverage as the east coast sea breeze will rapidly move inland and push storms westward."
After liftoff and a rarely seen southbound trajectory that will hug Florida's coast, Falcon 9's first stage will separate and flip around for a return to the Cape's Landing Zone 1. The 162-foot booster will generate its signature triple sonic booms as it slows down and crosses the sound barrier, so spectators should be prepared for the powerful (but harmless) reverberations.
Friday's flight is the second dedicated mission for SpaceX's rideshare program, which allows a full-blown Falcon 9 flight to be split among dozens of customers. Those wanting to fly smaller payloads, such as scientific or experimental spacecraft, to similar points along a flightpath can opt for SpaceX's rideshare program and then wait until a mission profile meets their specifications.
The first Transporter mission took flight from Cape Canaveral in January and delivered a record-breaking 143 payloads to orbit, including 10 of SpaceX's own internet-beaming Starlink satellites.
Launch Friday, June 25
- Rocket: SpaceX Falcon 9
- Mission: Transporter-2 rideshare
- Launch Time: 2:56 p.m.
- Launch Complex: 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
- Trajectory: Southeast
- Landing: Landing Zone 1
- Weather: 60% "go"
Quelle: Florida Today
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SpaceX rocket ready for second rideshare launch with 100+ small satellites
For the second time in six months, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is ready to launch around 100+ small satellites into low orbit as part of a rideshare mission for dozens of companies and institutions.
Known as Transporter-2, the mission is SpaceX’s second dedicated launch under the Smallsat Rideshare Program it established in 2019. In 2020, SpaceX began its first launches under the program and delivered eight Earth observation satellites to orbit for Planet and Blacksky as co-passengers on three Starlink missions. A fourth Starlink rideshare was later completed with payloads from Capella Space and Tyvak in May 2021.
In January 2021, Falcon 9 successfully launched 143 small satellites into orbit on a mission known as Transport-1, setting an all-time record for the number of spacecraft flown on a single rocket and emphasizing just how serious and competitive SpaceX’s Smallsat Program really is.
Now cleared for flight, SpaceX will have since brought Falcon 9 horizontal and rolled the rocket back to its Cape Canaveral LC-40 pad’s integration hangar. Once there, Transporter-2’s payload ‘stack’ – already encapsulated in a payload fairing – will be installed on top of Falcon 9’s expendable second stage and the rocket will be rolled back out to the pad and brought vertical a second time.
It remains to be seen what exactly Transporter-2 will be carrying to orbit. Transporter-1 carried 133 customer spacecraft and 10 of SpaceX’s own Starlink satellites with a collective liftoff mass of around five metric tons (~11,000 lb). The true mass is unknown but the Falcon 9 booster supporting the mission had to land on a drone ship ~550 km (~340 mi) downrange. Transporter-2, however, will reportedly involve an increasingly rare return-to-launch-site (RTLS) landing for Falcon 9 booster B1060, implying that its payloads may be substantially lighter than its predecessor’s.
Based on a rough accounting of known Transporter-2 payloads from rideshare managers Spaceflight, Exolaunch, and others, the mission could feasibly launch with 100+ small satellites onboard. Relative to Transporter-1, the most obvious weight-saving solution would be to exclude Starlink satellites, which likely represented more than a third of missions payload mass at liftoff. Given that SpaceX also appears to be preparing for a flurry of dedicated polar Starlink launches from its West and East Coast pads that could begin as early as July, it’s fairly safe to assume that Transporter-2 will be Starlink-free.
Ultimately, Transporter-2 appears to be on track for a 2:56 pm EDT (18:56 UTC) launch on Friday, June 25th. Stay tuned for updates and webcast details.
Quelle: TESLARATI
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Update: 29.06.2021
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Start von SpaceX Falcon-9 mit Transporter-2 Satelliten
Startabbruch 11 Sekunden vor Start wegen NAVY-P-8 Flugzeug Einflug in Startgebiet, Neustart für Morgen geplant.
Quelle: SpaceX
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Update: 30.06.2021
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Quelle: SpaceX