[ad_1]
A Falcon 9 rocket made a rare ‘ground’ landing as part of SpaceX’s first launch in California in nearly a year and a half and what a company manager called “the beginning of many exciting things to come.”
Carrying the ~ 1200 kg (~ 2600 lb) Sentinel 6A Oceanography and Earth Observation Satellite, a brand new Falcon 9 rocket (including the B1063 booster) took off on schedule from Vandenberg’s SLC-4E launch pad SpaceX Air Force Base (VAFB) at 9:17 am PST (17:17 UTC). Put simply, it is nothing short of incredible that SpaceX was able to launch Falcon 9 on its first attempt from SLC-4E – and with NASA as its client, no less – after nearly 18 months of inactivity.
As usual, the Falcon 9 performed flawlessly, with the B1063 first stage effortlessly lifting the ~ 120 ton (~ 260,000 lb) combined second stage, Sentinel 6A spacecraft, and payload fairing a approximately 75 km (~ 50 mi) before shutting down, separating, and turning to return to the launch site. The second stage of the Falcon 9 ignited and continued towards orbit, burning for about six minutes. After completing a three-engine reentry burn and igniting its central Merlin 1D a third time for a landing burn, the Falcon 9 B1063 landed on SpaceX’s LZ-4 landing pad less than a second after the upper stage of the rocket went off in orbit.
45 minutes after that initial “second phase limit” (SECO), Merlin Vacuum reignited, burning for ten seconds to circularize its polar orbit and bring Sentinel 6A as close as possible to a nominal operating altitude. The spacecraft was deployed by Falcon 9 minutes later, concluding the mission and indicating the completion of the 98th successful launch of Falcon 9 and the 100th mission overall, as well as SpaceX’s 22nd launch this year – a record for the company.
Sentinel 6A now complete, SpaceX has yet another mission – Starlink V1 L15 – scheduled to launch as early as November 22, potentially concluding the first month of four SpaceX launches ever. Additionally, the company has at least five more launches with reasonable launch targets in December, albeit on the east coast.
In 2021, however, SpaceX could have up to four or five potential west coast launches, although the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic could push one or more of those missions into 2022. One step further, commercial missions aside, SpaceX has Recently expressed interest in the FCC is about to begin the launch of the Polar Starlink Internet satellite as soon as possible, suggesting that Vandenberg’s dedicated Starlink launches could very well begin next year if the company receives regulatory approval.
Ultimately, it appears that SpaceX’s West Coast operations are back in action and here to stay (at least for now) after an unusual year and a half of hibernation. Stay tuned for updates on the company’s upcoming California launch.
Source link
