Miscellaneous Launches and Payloads (updates)

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Atlas V blasts off from Florida with clandestine National Reconnaissance Office Payload

 

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A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral on Thursday, embarking on a secret U.S. government mission to replenish the country’s spy satellite fleet.

 

Topped by a classified National Reconnaissance Office Payload, Atlas V departed Florida’s Space Coast to the south east, flying into a pre-arranged News Blackout five minutes after launch to allow NROL-61 to continue climbing into a classified orbit without the public watching.

 

Atlas V – flying in the 421 configuration with a pair of Solid Rocket Boosters – leapt off its SLC-41 launch pad at 12:37 UTC, 8:37 a.m. local time and quickly ascended into clear skies to head to what is expected to be a Geostationary Transfer Orbit. The launcher dropped its boosters two minutes into the flight and fired its RD-180-powered first stage for a little over four minutes before the Centaur Upper Stage took over.

 

Centaur is expected to fire twice, first heading into a Low Earth Parking Orbit and again to lift the high point of the orbit to over 35,700 Kilometers for spacecraft separation under 45 minutes after launch. Confirmation of launch success was provided when NROL-61 had separated from the launcher and was flying on its own.

more at the link...

http://spaceflight101.com/atlas-v-blasts-off-with-nrol-61/

 

@Emn1ty has posted the video of the launch, above post, for us...Thanks 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Delta 4 rocket undergoes launch day rehearsal for its next Air Force mission

 

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CAPE CANAVERAL — A United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket went through a practice countdown and fueling exercise this week to prepare for its Aug. 19 liftoff to deliver a pair of orbital surveillance satellites into space.

 

Known as a Wet Dress Rehearsal, the test at Complex 37 was conducted on Wednesday, July 27, a day before an Atlas 5 rocket successfully launched the NROL-61 spacecraft for the National Reconnaissance Office from nearby Complex 41.

 

The Delta 4 was rolled to the pad earlier this month to begin the conventional checkout and final assembly tasks for the rocket while in a vertical position, including installation of two solid-fuel boosters.

 

Wednesday’s operation saw the mobile service gantry retracted to its launch position and loading of 165,000 gallons of supercold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the first and second stages of the vehicle while working through a realistic countdown.

 

With the WDR completed, attention now turns to delivering the payload to the pad in early August for attachment.

 

The flight of Delta 375 will launch the third and fourth spacecraft in the Air Force’s Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program, or GSSAP, and carry the satellites all the way to 22,000 miles above the Earth for deployment.

 

The duo will join an earlier GSSAP pair launched two years ago this week that are being used by USSTRATCOM today for monitoring satellites, rocket bodies and debris in geosynchronous orbit and providing collision prediction data.

 

Liftoff on Aug. 19 will occur some time between 12 midnight and 4 a.m. EDT (0400-0800 GMT).

 

The launch is called AFSPC 6 for the Air Force Space Command.

http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/07/30/delta-4-rocket-undergoes-launch-day-rehearsal-for-its-next-air-force-mission/

 

Mission poster. Credit: United Launch Alliance

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Intelsat confident in Ariane 5 to launch two critical satellites

 

The Intelsat 33e (left) and Intelsat 36 (right) satellites undergo launch preparations at the Guiana Space Center. Credit: Arianespace

 

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Two Intelsat communications craft are in French Guiana getting configured for a dual-launch aboard an Ariane 5 rocket Aug. 24, the first time the global satellite operator has put two of its payloads on the same booster.

 

The Intelsat 33e and Intelsat 36 satellites are set for launch Aug. 24 at 2155 GMT (5:55 p.m. EDT) at the opening of a 45-minute window.

 

Two Russian-owned Antonov An-124 cargo planes delivered the spacecraft to French Guiana earlier this month, with Intelsat 33e arriving July 21 from its Boeing factory in El Segundo, California, and Intelsat 36 landing July 25 after a trip from Space Systems/Loral’s Palo Alto, California, manufacturing plant.

 

After ground crews unloaded the satellites from their transport planes, technicians drove the spacecraft from the airport in Cayenne to the Guiana Space Center about 40 miles (65 kilometers) to the northwest.

 

Once inside their clean rooms at the spaceport, the satellites were removed from their shipping containers to begin a sequence launch preps including final tests, fit checks, fueling and mounting atop the Ariane 5 rocket.

 

The Intelsat 33e spacecraft, based on the Boeing 702MP satellite design, is the bigger of the mission’s two payloads. It will ride in the upper position inside the Ariane 5’s nose cone.

 

Once fueled, Intelsat 33e will weigh nearly 14,500 pounds, or about 6,575 kilograms. The smaller Intelsat 36 satellite, built on Space Systems/Loral’s 1300 series platform, has a launch weight of approximately 7,165 pounds, or about 3,250 kilograms, according to Arianespace, the Ariane 5’s commercial operator.

more at the link...

http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/07/31/intelsat-confident-in-ariane-5-to-launch-two-critical-satellites/

 

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side note...

 

The Fastest Jet Flight in History

 

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Forty years ago, the SR-71 Blackbird set a record that still stands.

 

Eldon Joersz (left) and George Morgan on the day of their record-setting flight. (FAI)

 

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Eldon Joersz wasn’t originally interested in flying the SR-71 Blackbird.  He was a fighter pilot—he’d flown the F-105 over Vietnam and Laos—and he knew that the sleek spy plane wasn’t about pulling Gs so much as flying high and very fast.

 

But Joersz applied to pilot the SR-71 anyway, and so it happened that he was in the cockpit on July 28, 1976, when the Blackbird set a world air speed record: 2,193 miles per hour (Mach 3.3) on a straight-line course over Edwards Air Force Base in California. Forty years later, the record still stands—the fastest flight ever for a piloted jet.

 

Joersz, a retired Air Force Major General, explains in a recent 40th anniversary interview with the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (the body that keeps official aviation records) how the record was actually set twice.  He and reconnaissance systems officer George Morgan flew the same course at the same speed on July 27, but because there was a cloud cover that day, they couldn’t verify the 80,000-foot altitude. So, for the benefit of the FAI observers, they flew the same route again on the 28th, and that’s the official date in the record books.

 

Timed for the 1976 U.S. bicentennial, the Edwards flight was part of a deliberate attempt to capture three speed records, and it was all very methodical and planned, recalls Joersz. The SR-71 normally flew at Mach 3.2, so it wasn’t even much of a stretch in terms of speed. “That’s where we flew the SR-71 all the time. It wasn’t difficult, but it was precise, it demanded your attention and it demanded smoothness,” he told the FAI interviewer. “For us at the time, it was just a fun thing to do. It was not Earth-shattering.”

 

The record-setting Blackbird is now on display at the Museum of Aviation at Robins AFB in Georgia.

 

This Lockheed Martin video gives a little more background on Eldon “Al” Joersz and his historic flight:

http://www.airspacemag.com/daily-planet/fastest-jet-flight-history-180959911/

 

Dare to Dream: A SR-71 Pilot's Tale

video is 4:09 min.

 

 

 

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Launch Schedule

 

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Aug. 14

Falcon 9 • JCSAT 16

Launch window: 0526-0726 GMT (1:26-3:26 a.m. EDT)
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the JCSAT 16 communications satellite for Tokyo-based SKY Perfect JSAT Corp. JCSAT 16 will be a backup satellite for Ku-band and Ka-band communications services over the Japanese market. [July 31]

 

August

Long March 2D • Quantum Science Satellite

Launch time: TBD
Launch site: Jiuquan, China

A Chinese Long March 2D rocket will launch with the Quantum Science Satellite, the world’s first mission to test ultra-secure quantum communications in orbit. Delayed from July. [July 19]

 

Aug. 19

Delta 4 • AFSPC 6

Launch period: 0400-0800 GMT (12:00-4:00 a.m. EDT)
Launch site: SLC-37B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida

A United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket will launch the AFSPC 6 mission for the U.S. Air Force carrying the third and fourth satellites for the Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program, or GSSAP. The rocket will fly in the Medium+ (4,2) configuration with two solid rocket boosters. Delayed from July 21 and Aug. 4. [July 5]

 

Aug. 22

Antares • OA-5

Launch time: 2159 GMT (5:59 p.m. EDT)
Launch site: Pad 0A, Wallops Island, Virginia

An Orbital ATK Antares rocket will launch of the seventh Cygnus cargo freighter on the sixth operational cargo delivery flight to the International Space Station. The mission is known as OA-5. The rocket will fly in the Antares 230 configuration, with two RD-181 first stage engines and a Castor 30XL second stage. Delayed from May 31, June 24 and July 6. [July 19]

 

Aug. 24

Ariane 5 • Intelsat 33e & Intelsat 36

Launch window: 2155-2240 GMT (5:55-6:40 p.m. EDT)
Launch site: ELA-3, Kourou, French Guiana

Arianespace will use an Ariane 5 ECA rocket, designated VA232, to launch the Intelsat 33e and Intelsat 36 communications satellites. Intelsat 33e is the second Intelsat Epic high throughput satellite, hosting a next-generation all-digital payload that can be reconfigured in orbit and is resilient to interference and jamming. Intelsat 33e offers coverage in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Intelsat 36 will provide television broadcast and other communications services over Africa and South Asia. [July 11]

http://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/

 

[+Mirumir Subscriber¹]

15 hours ago, Draggendrop said:

 

 

Loved it!

 

Dare to Dream!!!

[Draggendrop Veteran]

China's Jade Rabbit lunar rover dies in blaze of online glory

 

 

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China's troubled but beloved Jade Rabbit lunar rover has whirred its last, state media said Wednesday, after it bid humanity farewell on social media.

The device, designed for a lifespan of a mere three months, surveyed the moon's surface for 31 months, the official Xinhua new service said, overcoming numerous technical problems and design flaws to become a national icon.

 

But the machine has stopped operations, Xinhua cited the State Administration for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense as saying Wednesday.

 

The rover was part of the Chang'e-3 lunar mission. Millions of Internet users took part in an online contest to select its name, which comes from the pet of a moon goddess in Chinese mythology.

 

It began its adventure on December 2013, sending back photographs of the lunar surface and gaining huge popularity with Internet users along the way.

 

Not long after landing its legend grew after a "mechanical control abnormality" forced it offline, prompting anxiety from its many supporters.

The rover later turned dormant and stopped sending signals during the lunar night, which lasts for two weeks and sees temperatures plummet.

But it made a dramatic recovery, to the delight of its admirers.

 

It was not clear on which day the device finally "retired".

 

An official media account carried a post written as a first-person message from the plucky rover to its fans on Sunday saying: "This time it really is goodnight.

 

"There are still many questions I would like answers too, but I'm the rabbit that has seen the most stars!" it added. "The moon says it has prepared a long, long dream for me."

 

The post also contained a link to "Universal Traveler", a song by French electronica band Air.

 

It has received nearly 100,000 shares, likes and comments, with one poster promising it "countless carrot pies" according to Xinhua.

Another said: "I don't know why I am so heartbroken. It's just a machine after all."

 

The Chang'e-3 probe's landing was the third such soft-landing in history, and the first of its kind since a Soviet mission nearly four decades ago. It has been a source of national pride.

 

China sees the space programme as a symbol of its rising global stature and technological advancement, as well as of the Communist Party's success in reversing the fortunes of the once-impoverished nation.

 

By 2018 the country aims to land its Chang'e-4 probe -- named for the moon goddess in Chinese mythology -- on the dark side of the moon.

http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Chinas_Jade_Rabbit_lunar_rover_dies_in_blaze_of_online_glory_999.html

 

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Moon Express Approved for Private Lunar Landing in 2017, a Space First

 

Artist's concept of Moon Express' MX-1 lunar lander on its way to the moon.
Credit: Moon Express

 

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For the first time ever, a private company has permission to land on the moon.

 

The U.S. government has officially approved the planned 2017 robotic lunar landing of Florida-based Moon Express, which aims to fly commercial missions to Earth's nearest neighbor and help exploit its resources, company representatives announced today (Aug. 3).

 

"This is not only a milestone, but really a threshold for the entire commercial space industry," Moon Express co-founder and CEO Bob Richards told Space.com. [Images: Moon Express' Private Lunar Lander]

 

Previously, companies had been able to operate only on or around Earth. The new approval, while exclusive to Moon Express, could therefore serve as an important regulatory guide for deep-space commercial activity in general, Richards said.

 

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Moon Express submitted an application to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on April 8. The document then made its way through the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Department of Defense, NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Federal Communications Commission, Richards said.

 

The interagency approval process "took some time, not because anybody was against or averse to this," he said. "It's just that we asked questions that had never been asked before, and that had to be addressed and worked out."

 

Moon Express can now focus exclusively on the financial and technical challenges of the 2017 moon mission, which will begin with the launch of the company's MX-1 lander atop a Rocket Lab Electron booster. (Moon Express signed a multilaunch deal with Rocket Lab last year.)

 

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The main goal of the maiden launch is to test out the MX-1's performance and capability on the lunar surface. Moon Express representatives also hope to win the Google Lunar X-Prize, a $30 million competition to land a privately funded robotic vehicle on the moon by the end of 2017.

 

The first team to pull off this landing — and get the vehicle to move at least 1,640 feet (500 meters) on the lunar surface, and beam high-definition video and photos back to Earth — will win the $20 million grand prize. (The second team to achieve all of this gets $5 million, and another $5 million is available for meeting other milestones. At the moment, 16 teams remain in the running.)

 

"We're still shooting for the end of 2017," Richards said of the maiden MX-1 moon mission. "A lot has to go right, but at least we have a shot at our moon shot, given this regulatory approval."

more at the link...

http://www.space.com/33632-moon-express-private-lunar-landing-approval.html

 

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Vector Space Systems successfully completes first sub-orbital launch

 

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(2 August 2016) Vector Space Systems today announced the successful launch of its P-20 rocket, a sub-scale test vehicle for  the Vector 1, in advance of orbital launches in 2018.

 

The test, conducted July 30 in Mojave, CA, also carried Vector's first customer payload through a partnership with Finnish-based Iceye. Iceye launched a prototype of its micro satellite's core computing and communications systems to test its electrical and mechanical resilience in a launch environment.

 

The launch successfully validated the next development version of Vector's high performance upper stage engine that runs on the unique propellant combination of liquid oxygen and densified propylene. In particular, the flight demonstrated the ignition and operation of a single-piece injector fabricated using 3D additive manufacturing.

 

"This successful launch, our very first vehicle launch as Vector Space Systems, not only demonstrates the maturity of our launch technology, flight operations and propulsion systems, but also shows our commitment to supporting new-space startups by including a customer payload in our very first launch," said Jim Cantrell, CEO and co-founder of Vector Space Systems. "Vector has already quickly and successfully progressed through not only engine testing, but all the way into initial flight operations, and now the inclusion of a customer payload, putting us on a fast-track to orbital launches by 2018."

 

Developed by Garvey Spacecraft Corporation and acquired by Vector in 2016, the P-20 rocket is a sub-scale test platform for evaluating critical technologies and functions of the operational Vector launch vehicle's second stage, which is capable of placing 50 kg into a low-Earth orbit.

http://www.spacenewsfeed.com/index.php/news/6688-vector-space-systems-successfully-completes-first-sub-orbital-launch

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Tiantong-1 Mobile Communications Satellite placed in Orbit by Chinese Long March 3B Rocket

 

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A Long March 3B Rocket lifted off from China’s Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 16:22 UTC on Friday, carrying the Tiantong-1 01 mobile communications satellite into orbit.

 

Although launch success was confirmed within one hour of liftoff by Chinese State Media, no information other than the satellite’s name came forward which would suggest a military nature of the mission.

 

The satellite had been identified as an S-Band mobile communications satellite developed by the Chinese Academy of Space Technology for operation by ChinaSatcom, a division of CASC. It had been suspected that Tiantong-1 finds its roots in the China Mobile Multimedia Broadcasting (CMMB) project using S-Band and UHF frequencies at 2635-2660 and 470-860 MHz to deliver mobile data and multimedia distribution services.

 

After Friday’s launch, media articles described the satellite as ‘China’s first mobile telecommunications satellite.’ The satellite will take up a position in Geostationary Orbit to deliver services to a broad region centered around China, spanning from East Africa to the Pacific region. According to reports, the satellite will carry voice, video and data for 24/7, all-weather connectivity.

 

Long March 3B/E weighs approximately 456,000 Kilograms and stands 56.33 meters tall with a core diameter of 3.35 meters. The four boosters, first and second stage use storable propellants, Unsymmetrical Dimethylhydrazine and Nitrogen Tetroxide while the third stage uses cryogenic propellants, Liquid Hydrogen and Liquid Oxygen.

 

Liftoff was preceded by an eight-hour countdown operation during which the Long March 3B rocket was powered up and underwent final testing before heading into propellant loading on the cryogenic third stage around seven hours prior to T-0, filling the stage with 18,200 Kilograms of Liquid Oxygen and Liquid Hydrogen that were kept topped up until late in the countdown.

more at the link...

http://spaceflight101.com/tiantong-1-launch-success/

 

Chinese Long March 3B launches Tiantong-1 satellite

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2016/08/long-march-3b-tiantong-1-satellite/

 

Tiantong 1-01 launch kicks off crucial period for China's space program

http://gbtimes.com/china/tiantong-1-01-launch-kicks-crucial-period-chinas-space-program

 

 

 

[DocM]

High Dynamic Range Stereo X video of the QM-2 SLS booster  test.

 

http://www.space.com/33292-nasa-test-...

 

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Next launch...

 

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Aug. 14  Falcon 9 • JCSAT 16

Launch window: 0526-0726 GMT (1:26-3:26 a.m. EDT)
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the JCSAT 16 communications satellite for Tokyo-based SKY Perfect JSAT Corp. JCSAT 16 will be a backup satellite for Ku-band and Ka-band communications services over the Japanese market. [July 31]

http://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/

 

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Tiangong-2 and Shenzhou-11: Rockets head to launch site for space station test missions

 

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Two Long March 2F rockets that will launch China’s first human spaceflight missions since 2013 are being transported to the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre ahead of launch next month.
 
This is the first time that two Chang Zheng 2F rockets are being transferred by rail to the launch centre at the same time, due to the tight schedule of the missions.
 
Tiangong-2, the country’s second space lab will launch in mid-September and will be visited soon after by a crewed Shenzhou spacecraft carrying two astronauts.

 

The two rockets are not identical, with the launch vehicle for Tiangong-2 featuring a wider payload fairing at the top to facilitate the space lab.
 
The Long March 2F for the Shenzhou mission features a tell-tale emergency escape system atop the rocket to separate the spacecraft from the rocket in the event of launch failure.
 
"We have to start the preparations of the second launch mission four days before the implementation of the first launch. During preparation of the rocket for launching Tiangong-2, we will not have enough personnel and vigour to prepare the other rocket, thus we adopt this measure so that it will take a shorter time to get ready for both launch missions," said Zhang Zhi, the chief designer of the CZ-2F rockets.

 

China has launched ten Long March 2F rockets, suffering no failures. The first was the Shenzhou-1 mission in 1999, while Shenzhou-5 in October 2003 made Yang Liwei China’s first astronaut in space.

 

Tiangong-2 arrived at Jiuquan on July 9 and is undergoing testing ahead of launch.

 

Preparation for space station

 

The Tiangong-2 and Shenzhou-11 spacecraft will rendezvous and dock in orbit 393 kilometres above the Earth, the same altitude planned for China’s future modular space station, which is expected to be completed around 2020.
 
The aim is to verify docking and rendezvous technologies for the space station. The orbit will be higher than that of Tiangong-1, the country’s first space lab launched in 2011 which is now in an apparently slowly decaying orbit that could see it return to Earth around late 2017.
 
The Tiangong-2 space lab will also be used to test life support systems, with the two visiting astronauts set to stay aboard Tiangong-2 for 30 days, and more than doubling the national record for time spent by astronauts in space.

more at the link...

http://gbtimes.com/china/tiangong-2-and-shenzhou-11-rockets-head-launch-site-space-station-test-missions

 

Two CZ-2F rockets transferred to launch center in China

video is 1:41 min.

 

 

[Beittil]

Awesome, I wonder if they will broadcast these launches live. Tiangong 1 was also live, totally against expectations

[Draggendrop Veteran]

4 minutes ago, Beittil said:

Awesome, I wonder if they will broadcast these launches live. Tiangong 1 was also live, totally against expectations

I hope so. It seems like a lot of the non military launches are at least being released for general viewing. The Chinese have also signed a "memorandum of intent" with NATO, to open up space to countries which are beginning their own respective programs. There has been a radical openness for scientific ventures and I believe it is very sincere that they want to help and be a part of the global scientific community. 

 

It would be awesome to see the launches live..."fingers crossed".

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

China’s Long March 4C lifts off with Gaofen-3 Radar Satellite

 

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Picking up the launch pace, China launched a Long March 4C rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center at 22:55 UTC on Tuesday, carrying the Gaofen-3 remote sensing satellite to orbit.

 

The launch follows up on last Friday’s successful Long March 3B mission out of Xichang, lifting China’s first mobile communications satellite into orbit. As has been the case in the past several years, China has outlined a busy second half for 2016 with around a dozen launches remaining on the schedule for the remainder of this year.

 

With a packed schedule for the rest of the year, the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi desert will be a particularly busy place for the coming three months with a multitude of missions expected to take off from the inland launch base, around 1,600 Kilometers from China’s capital Beijing.

 

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Coming up in mid-August is the launch of the Quantum Science Satellite to complete an ambitious demonstration of quantum communications that may build the foundation for future secure communications technology. Also on the Jiuquan manifest is the launch of TanSat, China’s first dedicated mission for the measurement of Carbon Dioxide and its involvement in climate change.

 

Set for mid-September is the launch of Tiangong-2, the second Chinese space laboratory that succeeds the Tiangong-1 mission and continues in the country’s aspirations of establishing a regular human presence in Low Earth Orbit with the ultimate goal of building a modular space station toward the end of the decade.

 

Pending the successful launch of Tiangong-2, two crew members will embark on a long-duration mission to the space lab aboard the Shenzhou-11 spacecraft, aiming for a mission duration of approximately 30 days.

 

Last week, the train with the Long March 2F rockets to be employed by Tiangong-2 and Shenzhou-11 made its way from Beijing to Jiuquan to ring in the final preparations phase for China’s first human spaceflight endeavor in over three years.

more at the link...

http://spaceflight101.com/chinas-long-march-4c-lifts-off-with-gaofen-3-radar-satellite/

 

China Successfully Launches Hi Resolution SAR Imaging Satellite

video is 1:42 min.

 

 

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

China sends ground-breaking Quantum Communications Experiment into Orbit

 

Photo: Xinhua

 

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China sent a ground breaking scientific experiment into orbit on Monday to build the foundation for secure communications technology of the future.

 

The Quantum Science Satellite – nicknamed Micius – is the first spacecraft to establish quantum communications between space and Earth by creating entangled photon pairs over great distances and testing the principles of quantum teleportation.

 

The Long March 2D rocket carrying the Micius satellite lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi desert at 17:40 UTC and successfully reached orbit within ten minutes of liftoff, sending the spacecraft on an ambitious demonstration mission of at least two years.

 

Quantum Information Science is an emerging field driven by fascinating physics and many promising applications including high-speed quantum computers and ultra-secure quantum communications. Quantum Key Distribution allows cryptographic keys to be transmitted by means of correlated, or entangled photons – particles of light.

analysis at the link...

http://spaceflight101.com/qss-launch-success/

 

China launches pioneering quantum satellite

video is 0:48 min.

 

 

 

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Launch Schedule

 

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Aug. 19 Delta 4 • AFSPC 6

Launch period: 0400-0800 GMT (12:00-4:00 a.m. EDT)
Launch site: SLC-37B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida

A United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket will launch the AFSPC 6 mission for the U.S. Air Force carrying the third and fourth satellites for the Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program, or GSSAP. The rocket will fly in the Medium+ (4,2) configuration with two solid rocket boosters. Delayed from July 21 and Aug. 4. [July 5]

 

Aug. 24 Ariane 5 • Intelsat 33e & Intelsat 36

Launch window: 2155-2240 GMT (5:55-6:40 p.m. EDT)
Launch site: ELA-3, Kourou, French Guiana

Arianespace will use an Ariane 5 ECA rocket, designated VA232, to launch the Intelsat 33e and Intelsat 36 communications satellites. Intelsat 33e is the second Intelsat Epic high throughput satellite, hosting a next-generation all-digital payload that can be reconfigured in orbit and is resilient to interference and jamming. Intelsat 33e offers coverage in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Intelsat 36 will provide television broadcast and other communications services over Africa and South Asia. [July 11]

 

September Falcon 9 • Amos 6

Launch window: TBD
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Amos 6 communications satellite for Spacecom of Israel. Amos 6 will provide communications and broadcast services over a coverage area stretching from the U.S. Coast to Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Amos 6 will also support the Israeli government’s satellite communications needs. Delayed from 3rd quarter of 2015, 1st quarter of 2016, May and July. [July 19]

http://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/

 

 

[DocM]

The AMOS-6 core is currently trying to weave it's way through the flooded southern highway system. It's a mess down there.

[Draggendrop Veteran]

NASA Launches Student Experiments from Wallops

 

Black Brant Launch    NASA

 

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NASA successfully launched the RockSat-X education payload on a Terrier-Improved Malemute suborbital sounding rocket at 7:33:30 a.m. EDT Aug. 17 from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

 

Participants included students from eight community colleges and universities from across the United States. 

 

The payload carrying the experiments flew to an altitude of 95 miles. Data was received from most of the student experiments. However, the payload was not recovered as planned. NASA will investigate the anomaly.

 

The next sounding rocket launch from Wallops is a Black Brant IX currently scheduled for December.

http://spaceref.com/nasa-hack-space/nasa-launches-student-experiments-from-wallops.html

 

 

NASA rocket loses payload carrying student experiments

 

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CHINCOTEAGUE ISLAND, Va. (AP) — NASA says it lost the payload of a suborbital rocket carrying student experiments into the atmosphere.

 

The agency said in a statement that the rocket launched Wednesday morning from the Wallops Flight Facility near Chincoteague Island carried instruments, including high definition cameras, about 95 miles above the earth.

 

NASA spokesman Keith Koehler said by telephone that data was received from most of the experiments but the instruments were lost on the return to the Atlantic Ocean, where they were supposed to be recovered. The payload containing the equipment is a 20-foot long tube that sat atop the rocket.

 

Koehler says a parachute was supposed open around 20,000 feet, but it's unclear if that happened. The payload contained experiments from eight universities and community colleges from across the country.

http://www.whsv.com/content/news/NASA-rocket-loses-payload-carrying-student-experiments-390473261.html

 

 

Ooooops!

[DocM]

This will be the next-to-last Delta IV Medium+ (4,2); the last one will be the GPS-IIIA launch in May, 2017.

 

Looked up the max capacity of Delta IV Medium+ (5,2) and it can launch 5,072 kg to GTO, so these GSSAP sats are no more than about 2t each. Going forward, easy-peasy for most any medium-heavy class launcher with a liquid upper stage.

 

August 17, 2016

 
MEDIA ADVISORY
RELEASE #081716
Launch Window Opens: 12:47 a.m. August 19
 
45th SW to support Delta IV AFSPC-6 launch
By 45th Space Wing Public Affairs
 
CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, Fla. - The U.S. Air Force’s 45th Space Wing will support the United Launch Alliance launch of the third and fourth Orbital ATK-built Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program satellites aboard a Delta IV rocket from Space Launch Complex 37B here with a launch window opening August 19 at 12:47 a.m. ET.
 
The AFSPC-6 mission will deliver two GSSAP satellites into orbit to further the space situational awareness mission. Operated by Air Force Space Command, the GSSAP System provides precise data seven days a week, 24-hours a day. The satellites join a GSSAP constellation currently supporting U.S. Strategic Command space surveillance operations as a dedicated Space Surveillance Network sensor.
 
The GSSAP also supports the Joint Functional Component Commander for Space by collecting space situational awareness data, allowing for more accurate tracking and characterization of man-made orbiting objects.

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Launch went well...

 

Live coverage: Tonight’s Delta 4 countdown and launch journal

 

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0456 GMT (12:56 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 4 minutes, 35 seconds. The protective payload fairing enclosing the GSSAP satellites atop the rocket has separated in two halves.

0456 GMT (12:56 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 4 minutes, 26 seconds. Engine start! The Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10B-2 cryogenic rocket engine is up and burning for the first firing during today's launch of the Delta 4.

0456 GMT (12:56 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 4 minutes, 12 seconds. The Common Booster Core first stage and the attached interstage have been separated in one piece from the Delta 4's upper stage. The upper stage engine's extendible nozzle is dropping into position.

0456 GMT (12:56 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 4 minutes, 3 seconds. MECO! Main engine cutoff confirmed as the Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-68A powerplant shuts down.

0455 GMT (12:55 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 3 minutes, 57 seconds. The main engine is throttling down to its minimum power setting in preparation for shutdown.

0455 GMT (12:55 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 3 minutes, 30 seconds. Chamber pressure holding steady and good engine control on the RS-68A.

0455 GMT (12:55 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 3 minutes. A minute left in first stage. The main engine continues to perform well, consuming its liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants.

0454 GMT (12:54 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 2 minutes, 30 seconds. The RS-68A is consuming nearly a ton of propellants per second as the powerplant pushes the Delta 4 rocket closer to the edge of space.

0454 GMT (12:54 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 2 minutes, 20 seconds. Mach 5.

 

0454 GMT (12:54 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 2 minutes. The vehicle weighs half of what it did at liftoff, burning propellant at a rate of nearly 2,000 pounds per second.

0453 GMT (12:53 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 1 minute, 45 seconds. Solid motor separation! The spent boosters have been shed from the first stage. Delta 4 continues powering its way toward space on the thrust generated by the RS-68A main engine.

0453 GMT (12:53 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 1 minute, 35 seconds. The twin Orbital ATK solid rocket boosters have burned out of their propellant. Standing by for jettison.

0453 GMT (12:53 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 60 seconds. Now passing through the region of maximum aerodynamic pressure as the vehicle accelerates through the lower atmosphere.

0452 GMT (12:52 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 30 seconds. The Delta 4 rocket is climbing away from Cape Canaveral with its main engine firing at full throttle and the two strap-on boosters giving a powerful extra kick.

0452 GMT (12:52 a.m. EDT)
T-minus 10, 9, 8, 7, ignition sequence start, 4, 3, 2, 1 and LIFTOFF! Liftoff of Delta 375 and the GSSAP satellites for the safety and security of geosynchronous orbit!

http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/08/17/d375_journal/

 

Video terminated at fairing separation, as per customers request.

 

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UK military orders third high-altitude pseudo satellite from Airbus 

 

The British Defence Ministry has exercised an option to purchase a third Zephyr high-altitude pseudo satellite (HAPS) solar-powered surveillance and communications vehicle from Airbus Defence and Space. Flight trials begin in mid-2017. Credit: Airbus Defence and Space

 

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HALIFAX, Nova Scotia – The British Defence Ministry on Aug. 17 said it had exercised an option for a third solar-powered, high-altitude surveillance and communications platform from Airbus Defence and Space, with flight trials to begin in mid-2017.

 

The Airbus Zephyr-S aircraft, one of several designs of what are called high-altitude pseudo satellites, or HAPS, is designed to operate for up to 45 days before landing for refurbishment and to provide a range of persistent surveillance and communications services.

 

The Defence Ministry has not disclosed how it intends to use the vehicles, the first two of which were purchased in February under a contract valued at 13 million British pounds ($17.4 million).

 

“The additional Zephyr-S will allow 2 airframes to be tested simultaneously and demonstrate operational handover to show that the capability could be sustained indefinitely,” the ministry said in a statement. “The OCD (Operational Concept Demonstrator) trials, which will be held in 2017, will inform Defence’s decisions around how best to provide next-generation battlefield intelligence to the UK Armed Forces.”

 

Airbus said the Zephyr-S version, with a 25-meter wingspan, is 30 percent lighter than its predecessor and can carry 50 percent more batteries, boosting the amount of surveillance or communications payload it can carry.

 

The company said Zephyrs, to operate at 65,000 feet in altitude above air traffic, “can be used for humanitarian missions, precision farming, environmental and security monitoring, and to provide internet coverage to regions of poor or zero connectivity,” in addition to military missions.

 

British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said in a statement:

“Zephyr is a cutting-edge, record-breaking piece of kit that will be capable of gathering constant, reliable information over vast geographical areas at a much greater level of detail than ever before.

 

“They are part of our plan for stronger and better defence, backed by a budget that will rise each year of this decade. That means more ships, more aircraft, more troops available at readiness, better equipment for special forces, more being spent on cyber – to deal with the increased threats to our country.”

 

Zephyr is one of several HAPS designs being developed in Europe and the United States. The French government is providing funds to develop a stratospheric HAPS called Stratobus, whose initial market is expected to be for Earth observation. The U.S. Army has contracted with Lockheed Martin to test Lockheed’s High Altitude Long Endurance-Demonstrator (HALE-D) in view to development of a larger, operational High-Altitude Airship.

 

http://spacenews.com/uk-military-orders-third-high-altitude-pseudo-satellite-from-airbus/

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Delta 4 successfully soars to the high ground to deploy two patrol satellites

 

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CAPE CANAVERAL — The 375th Delta rocket doubled the size of the Air Force’s “neighborhood watch” program today with the successful launch and deployment of two surveillance satellites into the vast geosynchronous belt of spacecraft around the planet.

 

Evolved from its humble beginnings 56 years ago to today’s modern Delta 4 rockets, the 206-foot-tall vehicle produced 1.1 million pounds of thrust to launch at 12:52 a.m. EDT (0452 GMT) from Cape Canaveral’s Complex 37.

 

The mission: Carry twin Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program satellites 22,000 miles above the Earth in a complex ascent that required three firings by the upper stage and lasted more than six hours.

 

After an evening countdown that saw 165,000 gallons of cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen loaded into the Delta 4’s two stages, the United Launch Alliance rocket began igniting its Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-68A main engine at T-minus 5 seconds and then lit a pair of Orbital ATK strap-on solid boosters at T-0 to begin the journey to the high ground.

 

Within five minutes, the rocket had left the atmosphere, shed the solids, first stage and nose cone as the upper stage began powering the vehicle toward a preliminary orbit.

 

That is when the mission went into a news blackout. No further information about the stair-step maneuvers by the Delta 4 was released in real-time.

 

Official launch photo. Credit: ULA

 

 

An artist’s concept of GSSAP duo. Credit: Air Force

 

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A press release seven hours after launch announced a successful outcome had been achieved, delivering the GSSAP No. 3 and GSSAP No. 4 satellites into the proper near-geosynchronous orbit.

more at the link...

http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/08/19/delta-4-successfully-soars-to-the-high-ground-to-deploy-two-patrol-satellites/

 

Delta IV AFSPC-6 Launch Highlights

video is 2:10 min.

 

 

 

 

and just for fun...

 

Delta IV M+ (4,2) | AFSPC 6 | KNews #53

video is 4:30 min.

 

 

 

[DocM]

Yup, and as noted just one more Delta IV (4,2)* and that's it. 

 

* 4 = 4 meter fairing; 2 = 2 solid boosters

 

The Delta IV lines have to close down in order for ULA to change tooling for Vulcan production, so they'll produce enough Delta IV and Delta IV Heavy cores to get through the manifest and then switch over.

 

The Delta IV Heavy switchover will have to wait until the Vulcan ACES upper stage is ready, about 2024.

 

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Launch Schedule

 

Quote

Aug. 24 Ariane 5 • Intelsat 33e & Intelsat 36

Launch window: 2155-2240 GMT (5:55-6:40 p.m. EDT)
Launch site: ELA-3, Kourou, French Guiana

Arianespace will use an Ariane 5 ECA rocket, designated VA232, to launch the Intelsat 33e and Intelsat 36 communications satellites. Intelsat 33e is the second Intelsat Epic high throughput satellite, hosting a next-generation all-digital payload that can be reconfigured in orbit and is resilient to interference and jamming. Intelsat 33e offers coverage in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Intelsat 36 will provide television broadcast and other communications services over Africa and South Asia. [July 11]

 

Sept. 3 Falcon 9 • Amos 6

Launch window: 0700-0900 GMT (3:00-5:00 a.m. EDT)
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Amos 6 communications satellite for Spacecom of Israel. Amos 6 will provide communications and broadcast services over a coverage area stretching from the U.S. Coast to Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Amos 6 will also support the Israeli government’s satellite communications needs. Delayed from 3rd quarter of 2015, 1st quarter of 2016, May and July. [Aug. 17]

 

Sept. 8 Atlas 5 • OSIRIS-REx

Launch window: 2305-0105 GMT (7:05-9:05 p.m. EDT)
Launch site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida

A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, designed AV-067, will launch NASA’s OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission. The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) will reach asteroid Bennu in 2018 to collect surface samples for return to Earth in 2023. The rocket will fly in the 411 vehicle configuration with a four-meter fairing, one solid rocket booster and a single-engine Centaur upper stage. [May 3]

http://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/

 

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Ariane 5 rolls out for first Dual-Payload Launch for Telecom Giant Intelsat

 

Photo: Arianespace/ESA/CNES/Optique Video du CSG

 

Quote

Europe’s workhorse rocket, the trusted Ariane 5, rolled to its launch pad at the Guiana Space Center on Tuesday in preparation for a rare dedicated launch on Wednesday, lifting two satellites operated by the same company into orbit.

 

Hidden under Ariane’s payload fairing are Intelsat 33e and Intelsat 36 – both built by U.S. companies for operation by communications giant Intelsat as part of their fleet.

 

Ariane 5 is set for liftoff from its equatorial launch site at 21:55 UTC, the opening of a 45-minute launch window to get the fourth Ariane 5 mission of the year underway. Wednesday’s hour-long flight will mark the 87th launch of the Ariane 5 rocket.

more at the link...

http://spaceflight101.com/ariane-5-rolls-out-for-va232-mission/

 

Press Release

 

VA232 Launch Kit, pdf 10 pages

 

 

[Jim K Global Moderator]

6 minutes ago, Draggendrop said:

Launch Schedule

 

http://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/

 

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Ariane 5 rolls out for first Dual-Payload Launch for Telecom Giant Intelsat

 

Photo: Arianespace/ESA/CNES/Optique Video du CSG

 

more at the link...

http://spaceflight101.com/ariane-5-rolls-out-for-va232-mission/

 

Press Release

 

VA232 Launch Kit, pdf 10 pages

 

 

hmmm...might be able to watch that one.  Hopefully they have live stream (and not the potato cam).  21:55 UTC is 17:55 EST ... I believe.

[Draggendrop Veteran]

2 minutes ago, jjkusaf said:

hmmm...might be able to watch that one.  Hopefully they have live stream.  21:55 UTC is 17:55 EST ... I believe.

Should be on ArianespaceTV

http://www.arianespace.com/

 

and usually at the last few hours, it will sometimes have a link in ...

http://spaceflightnow.com/

 

2155-2240 GMT (5:55-6:40 p.m. EDT)

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Live coverage: Ariane 5 poised for launch of two Intelsat satellites

 

Quote

19:20 
Space Systems/Loral confirms the Intelsat 36 satellite launched tonight is healthy in orbit, and signals from the spacecraft have been acquired by ground controllers.

http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/08/24/va232-mission-status-center/

 

Launch of Arianespace Ariane-V VA-232 carrying Intelsat-33e & Intelsat-36 comsats from Kourou

video is 1:31 min.

 

 

 

 

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Long March 4C suffers Launch Failure with Gaofen-10 Earth Observation Satellite

 

Quote

The launch of a Chinese Long March 4C rocket carrying an Earth Observation satellite ended in failure Wednesday, marking the first orbital launch failure of 2016.

 

The 46-meter tall Long March 4C blasted off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in the Shanxi Province at 18:55 UTC on Wednesday, 2:55 local time Thursday morning, to send the Gaofen-10 satellite into a Sun Synchronous Orbit, departing the military launch site to the south.

 

A per China’s usual secrecy – especially for Taiyuan launches, prior notice of the planned mission only came via navigational warnings identifying the expected drop zones of rocket parts. Normally, Chinese launches are announced after successful mission completion by official media, but the announcement of launch success – expected around 40 minutes after liftoff – never arrived.

 

Instead, there was complete silence by official news outlets for over 16 hours until photos were published accompanied by a short note identifying the satellite and specifying the launch time. U.S. Space Surveillance did not detect any new objects in orbit, confirming that Long March 4C encountered the world’s first launch failure of 2016.

 

This failure ended a remarkable streak of successful missions that continued since last December’s failed launch of a Russian Soyuz 2-1v rocket with the Kanopus ST satellite.

 

Following the events of Wednesday night, Chinese villagers in Shanyang County discovered debris of the CZ-4C in the morning hours on Thursday. The first stage debris were found in the expected area around 600 Kilometers from the launch site, confirming that the first stage performed as planned and separated at the expected energy.

 

Further downrange, about 1,050 Kilometers from Taiyuan, remains of the rocket’s protective payload fairing were found to have impacted in a village located right in the center of the expected fairing drop zone. This confirmed that flight was nominal until late in the second stage burn – placing blame either on the second or third stage of the CZ-4C launch vehicle.

more at the link...

http://spaceflight101.com/gaofen-10-launch-failure/

 

First Stage Debris – Photo: Weibo via ChinaSpaceflight.com

 

 

Fairing Debris – Photo: via ChinaSpaceflight.com

 

[DocM]

And the Aug 29 Proton launch of EchoStar 21 was grounded until at least October 10 while a June 9 upper stage performance shortfall is investigated.

 

https://spaceflightnow.com/2016/08/01/investigation-into-upper-stage-glitch-delays-next-proton-launch/