SpaceX changes plans for return-to-flight mission
Posted: Sat, Oct 17, 2015, 6:24 PM ET (2224 GMT)
SpaceX said Friday that it will launch a group of ORBCOMM satellites, and not one for SES, when its Falcon 9 rocket returns to flight within the next two months. SpaceX said the change will allow it to test relighting the upper stage engine of the Falcon 9, since the deployment of 11 ORBCOMM OG2 satellites requires only one burn of the second stage engine. Missions to geostationary orbit, like for the SES-9 mission, do require a second burn of the upper stage engine. The return to flight of the Falcon 9 after a June launch failure will also be the first flight of an upgraded version of the Falcon 9 with increased thrust. The ORBCOMM launch is scheduled for six to eight weeks, according to SpaceX, with the SES mission planned for late December.
SpaceX said Friday that it will launch a group of ORBCOMM satellites, and not one for SES, when its Falcon 9 rocket returns to flight within the next two months. SpaceX said the change will allow it to test relighting the upper stage engine of the Falcon 9, since the deployment of 11 ORBCOMM OG2 satellites requires only one burn of the second stage engine. Missions to geostationary orbit, like for the SES-9 mission, do require a second burn of the upper stage engine. The return to flight of the Falcon 9 after a June launch failure will also be the first flight of an upgraded version of the Falcon 9 with increased thrust. The ORBCOMM launch is scheduled for six to eight weeks, according to SpaceX, with the SES mission planned for late December.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
FAA restricts hours for commercial launches during shutdown
Posted: Sun, Nov 9 9:05 AM ET (1405 GMT) China postpones Shenzhou-20 return on orbital debris concerns
Posted: Sun, Nov 9 8:58 AM ET (1358 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Wednesday, November 19
SpaceX launches another batch of Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit
UPI — 12:18 am ET (0518 GMT) Clock starts ticking: President Trump served with summons in battle over Space Command HQ
WZDX-TV Huntsville, AL — 12:15 am ET (0515 GMT) Saltzman’s ‘Vector’ Charts Space Force’s Progress and Next Steps
Air and Space Forces Magazine — 12:14 am ET (0514 GMT) Starbase clears the way for SpaceX to collect $7.5 million tax refund
KVEO-TV Rio Grande Valley, TX — 12:12 am ET (0512 GMT) Preparing pads for SpaceX’s future Starship cadence
NasaSpaceFlight.com — 12:11 am ET (0511 GMT) |
