#f9023

[for-all-mankind]

SES-10 mission to put SpaceX’s reusability technology to the test. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket for the SES-10 mission arrived at LC-39A today ahead of tonight’s (March 30) launch attempt. For the first time in history, a rocket is poised to make its second voyage into space, ushering in the era of reusable rocket technology. SES-10 is also one of SpaceX’s quickest pad flow times, completing the static fire test just three days ago.

Following the static fire, the booster was returned to the HIF for integration with the SES-10 satellite and payload fairing.

SES-10 marks the first time SpaceX will reuse one of their Falcon 9 core stages achieving a milestone in spaceflight history. Since the company was founded in 2002 it has been their goal to bring the cost of space travel down by reusing their hardware. The booster - core number F9023 - was first flown on the CRS-8 mission nearly a year ago in April 2016. SpaceX also intends to recover the payload fairing from today’s mission. Fairing production is one of the largest bottlenecks in the Falcon 9′s production flow, and reusing the fairing could lead to a greater launch cadence. The process for recovering the fairings is not known, though it likely involves the use of a steerable parasol and a mid-air recovery from a helicopter. Liftoff is scheduled for 6:27pm EDT with an 80% chance of favorable weather conditions. Eight minutes after liftoff, the rocket will make its second landing on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You downrange in the Atlantic ocean.  The photos above, released by SES and SpaceX show the payload fairing and rocket in the Horizontal Integration Facility at LC-39A last week as well as on the launch pad earlier this morning. Watch SpaceX’s webcast of the SES-10 mission by clicking here or embedded below.

[for-all-mankind]

SES-10 launches to orbit on first reflight of Falcon 9 rocket.

A goal envisioned by SpaceX since the company’s founding in 2002 was reached on March 30, 2017, when the first flight-proven Falcon 9 rocket flew into space a second time launching the SES-10 satellite. Liftoff occurred at 6:27pm EDT at the beginning of a two and a half hour launch window. Incredibly, around eight minutes after launch, the first stage landed on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You downrange in the Atlantic Ocean for a second time. In a post-flight press conference, Elon Musk stated that the successful SES-10 flight was the culmination of more than 15 years worth of effort to create rocket reusability.  Ever since SpaceX successfully landed its first Falcon 9 rocket in December 2015, nine first stages have been recovered following their orbital missions. Using data from the recovered stages as well as hardware inspection, SpaceX allowed SES satellite systems to purchase a flight-proven core for the SES-10 mission. The booster first flew during the April, 2016 CRS-8 ISS resupply mission which also was the company’s first successful droneship landing. Thirty-two minutes after liftoff the Falcon 9′s second stage deployed SES-10 into geostationary Transfer Orbit, officially concluding the mission. SpaceX also performed its first official fairing recovery attempt in an effort to further reduce manufacturing bottle necks and costs. Musk stated that he saw an image taken by recovery ships of one of the two payload fairing halves floating in the ocean. 

Each payload fairing half is equipped with small Reaction Control Thrusters to properly align the shell-shaped nosecone for reentry. Ablative paint carries reentry heating away from the fairing and a steerable parasol directs the landing towards a recovery ship.  Future versions of the Falcon 9 will implement additional changes to the vehicle based on data gathered from this reflight. Most notably, the four grid fins atop the rocket’s first stage will be redesigned to better withstand the intense heat generated during atmospheric entry. As seen in the gif above, one of the rocket’s grid fins begins to glow read from friction while specks of its ablative, heat-carrying paint burns off. Must went on to state that the company’s next major goal is to refly a booster within 24 hours of its previous launch. The booster used on the SES-10 mission underwent an intensive engine testing regime in McGregor, Texas, as well as a thorough analysis of the airframe. Some of the rocket’s components which indicated potentially questionable behaviour were replaced. Musk hopes that the inspection process on future missions will be streamlined to the point where there is minimal - if not none - hardware replacement, leading towards significantly faster turn around times. Companies that choose to fly a flight-proven booster will pay around 10 percent less than what they currently do, though Musk hopes to decrease launch costs by nearly 100 fold. A commercial Falcon 9 launch is currently offered for around $62 million dollars, and a 100-fold reduction in launch costs - made possible by rapid turnaround and fairing recovery - could see a rocket sell for as low as $620,000. P/C: SpaceX.

[for-all-mankind]

Preparing for its upcoming reflight, the CRS-8 Falcon 9 first stage performs final checks at SpaceX’s McGregor test site. The booster will be the first rocket to fly two orbital-class missions, having first been used on NASA’s CRS-8 mission in April, 2016.  SpaceX intends to use this booster on the upcoming SES-10 mission from Kennedy Space Center. Interestingly, the booster does not have its four landing legs attached, though it is likely SpaceX could add these during preflight processing in Florida. It is also interesting to note that the stage has been scrubbed clean of the soot it gathered during its propulsive landing last April. Track the milestones of the CRS-8 booster by checking out our coverage on the mission here. P/C: SpaceX.