Post by swamprat on Jul 2, 2017 9:32:56 GMT -6
SpaceX Rockets Through Backlog with 3rd Launch in 9 Day
By Irene Klotz, Space.com Contributor
July 2, 2017
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket shown here launched 10 communications satellites into space for Iridium Communications on June 25. SpaceX is preparing to launch another Falcon 9 on July 2. Credit: SpaceX
SpaceX is looking to extend its soaring flight rate with a third Falcon rocket launch in nine days, as the company works off a backlog of missions that piled up after an accident 10 months ago.
The company's 39th Falcon 9 rocket is being prepared for liftoff from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 7:36 p.m. EDT (2136 GMT) Sunday (July 2) to put a hefty communications satellite into orbit for Intelsat. A live webcast of the launch will begin 15 minutes before liftoff, and you can watch it live here on Space.com: www.space.com/17933-nasa-television-webcasts-live-space-tv.html.....
Because of the energy needed to dispatch the 6-ton (5.4 metric tons) Intelsat 35e on its way to geostationary orbit some 22,300 miles (35,800 kilometers) above Earth, the booster will not have enough fuel to make a return landing.
So far, SpaceX has successfully landed 13 of its first-stage boosters intact, including two that have both launched and landed twice, demonstrating the rockets' reusability.
"What's important for us is not whether you launch every other week, but [that] once you plan, you execute to that plan," Lee said.
In the first half of 2017, SpaceX flew nine missions, surpassing its previous annual flight record. The company's last launch was on June 25 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. For Intelsat's launch, SpaceX is returning to its primary launch site in Florida, where a Falcon 9 last blasted off on June 23.
The company is on track to launch more than 20 Falcon rockets this year, including the debut flight of its Falcon Heavy mega booster, which will use three Falcon 9 rockets as its first stage.
www.space.com/37372-spacex-intelsat-35e-launch-sunday.html
By Irene Klotz, Space.com Contributor
July 2, 2017
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket shown here launched 10 communications satellites into space for Iridium Communications on June 25. SpaceX is preparing to launch another Falcon 9 on July 2. Credit: SpaceX
SpaceX is looking to extend its soaring flight rate with a third Falcon rocket launch in nine days, as the company works off a backlog of missions that piled up after an accident 10 months ago.
The company's 39th Falcon 9 rocket is being prepared for liftoff from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 7:36 p.m. EDT (2136 GMT) Sunday (July 2) to put a hefty communications satellite into orbit for Intelsat. A live webcast of the launch will begin 15 minutes before liftoff, and you can watch it live here on Space.com: www.space.com/17933-nasa-television-webcasts-live-space-tv.html.....
Because of the energy needed to dispatch the 6-ton (5.4 metric tons) Intelsat 35e on its way to geostationary orbit some 22,300 miles (35,800 kilometers) above Earth, the booster will not have enough fuel to make a return landing.
So far, SpaceX has successfully landed 13 of its first-stage boosters intact, including two that have both launched and landed twice, demonstrating the rockets' reusability.
"What's important for us is not whether you launch every other week, but [that] once you plan, you execute to that plan," Lee said.
In the first half of 2017, SpaceX flew nine missions, surpassing its previous annual flight record. The company's last launch was on June 25 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. For Intelsat's launch, SpaceX is returning to its primary launch site in Florida, where a Falcon 9 last blasted off on June 23.
The company is on track to launch more than 20 Falcon rockets this year, including the debut flight of its Falcon Heavy mega booster, which will use three Falcon 9 rockets as its first stage.
www.space.com/37372-spacex-intelsat-35e-launch-sunday.html