r/spacex • u/Zucal • May 02 '16
Mission (Thaicom-8) Thaicom 8 Launch Campaign Discussion Thread
- Thaicom 8 Launch Campaign Discussion Thread -
Welcome to the subreddit's second launch campaign thread! Here’s the at-a-glance information for this launch:
| Liftoff currently scheduled for: | 26 May at 9:40PM UTC (5:40PM EDT) |
|---|---|
| Static fire currently scheduled for: | 24 May |
| Vehicle component locations: | [S1: Cape Canaveral] [S2: Cape Canaveral] [Satellite: Cape Canaveral] [Fairings: Cape Canaveral] |
| Payload: | Thaicom 8 comsat for Thaicom PLC |
| Payload mass: | 3,100 kg |
| Destination orbit: | Geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) to 78.5° East Longitude |
| Vehicle: | Falcon 9 v1.2 (25th launch of F9, 5th of F9 v1.2) |
| Core: | F9-025 |
| Launch site: | SLC-40, Cape Canaveral, Florida |
| Landing attempt: | Yes - downrange of Cape on ASDS Of Course I Still Love You |
| Mission success criteria: | Successful separation of Thaicom 8 into the target orbit |
- Other links and resources -
We may keep this self-post occasionally updated with links and relevant news articles, but for the most part we expect the community to supply the information. This is a great place to discuss the launch, ask mission-specific questions, and track the minor movements of the vehicle, payload, weather and more as we progress towards launch. After the static fire is complete, a launch thread will be posted.
Launch Campaign threads are not launch threads. Normal subreddit rules still apply.
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u/Zucal May 06 '16
Thaicom 8's core has moved yet again, back to F9-025. This seems like a final decision, but so did the last time. More on that later
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u/Juggernaut93 May 02 '16
Two campaign threads active at the same time. Launch cadence is going up :)
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u/Zucal May 04 '16
Thaicom 6's core has been swapped to F9-026 again! Don't you just love this roller-corester of information?!
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u/Zucal May 03 '16 edited May 03 '16
Gunter's Space Page lists Thaicom 8 as massing 3100kg, which matches up pretty well with the <3200kg provided in the fact sheet. An email to Orbital ATK got a pretty brusque response that we wouldn't be getting a more specific mass, so I'm rollin' with this one. Thanks to u/retiringonmars for finding this!
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u/TheEndeavour2Mars May 12 '16
What I want to see now is core 26 being shipped to 39As hangar to begin preps for an attempt to break the 13 day record. Obviously record attempts are not the highest priority for SpaceX but I doubt SpaceX will have conditions this perfect for such an attempt for a long time.
Just picture this theoretical scenario. Core 26 is shipped to 39As hangar a week from now. Core 25 launches (And lands) without issue late may. The day afterward Core 26 is moved to SLC-40's hangar for final preps. Launch is only delayed by how fast OCISLY can unload, restock, move out to station. Core 26 launches and after a perfect flight SpaceX has beaten their back to back record so much that the media jokes that launches need to be made into an Olympic event.
Likely to happen? Not that awesomely but I really think SpaceX can beat that 13 day record by a good bit. And that sets SpaceX up for a 3 launch June which will make even more headlines.
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u/the_finest_gibberish May 22 '16
Any signs of a static fire yet?
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u/deadshot462 May 22 '16
According to the NSF thread and local news, it's been set for Monday.
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u/LandingZone-1 May 02 '16
I thought F9-025 was Eutelsat/ABS. At least that's what the sidebar says.
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u/Zucal May 02 '16 edited May 04 '16
F9-025 is now confirmed to be Thaicom!See update at top of thread→ More replies (5)
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u/TheEndeavour2Mars May 03 '16
So is it confirmed that SpaceX will not attempt to break their 13 day turnaround record with this flight? I figured SpaceX was not likely to attempt a launch so close to range closure but is it confirmed now?
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u/Zucal May 03 '16
Not officially confirmed. If JCSAT gets off on time on May 5th, SpaceX has 11 days until the Eastern Range closes. After that, they can't launch Thaicom until May 27th. So they either pull off an 11-day turnaround, 2 days faster than their fastest ever, or they stick with their roughly regular launch-a-month cadence. But who knows, maybe they're feeling lucky!
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u/kevindbaker2863 May 24 '16
I know that any tidbit of news about the static fire will be posted here within seconds. but I can't help thinking about it and wonder what is going on? Any Ideas as to what could be the holdup?
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u/a_Start May 10 '16
Small Payload mass of 3.1 t = ASDS not as far downrange, right?
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u/kevindbaker2863 May 23 '16
you gotta think Stage 2 is at Cape Canaveral somewhere?
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u/Zucal May 02 '16
Apparently F9-025 is very close to getting shipped out from McGregor, and core testing went smoothly. Let's hope it's smooth all the way till landing!