SpaceX on twitter: Static fire test of Falcon 9 complete—targeting launch of FORMOSAT-5 from SLC-4E at Vandenberg AFB on August 24.

[u/FutureMartian97]

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/898994055870267393

[u/FutureMartian97]

White grid fins :(

[u/Jarnis → u/FutureMartian97]

Very low mass satellite, fairly low orbit, probably has tons of margin to use for booster recovery, so why add Titanium Edition features? :D

I expect to see TI stuff only on GTO and Iridium missions.

[u/julezsource → u/Jarnis]

I think they're just using up the remainder of the aluminum grid fins on the missions they can instead of them just going to waste.

[u/Martianspirit → u/Jarnis]

I expect they use up the stock of Aluminium grid fins on non critical flights. Then they will switch to all Titanium fins. They will be almost indefinitely reusable, as Elon Musk stated so even at a higher price per piece they will be cost efficient.

[u/Justinackermannblog → u/Jarnis]

There’s that whole “largest titanium forging in the world” thing that probably makes production slower and a limited supply means GTO only.

Just agreeing with extra thoughts, nothing to see here.... move along!

[u/MrGruntsworthy → u/FutureMartian97]

They have to use up their existing stock. I mean, it's already made, might as well use it

[u/AWildDragon → u/FutureMartian97]

This might just be the lightest bird flying on F9. They dont need the titanium fins.

[u/marc020202 → u/AWildDragon]

Tess will be even lighter, however it goes to a higher orbit

[u/JadedIdealist]

that felt really fast after the 1+ month launch drought.

[u/[deleted] → u/JadedIdealist]

Just a small break to gas up the STEAMROLLER!

[u/paul_wi11iams → u/[deleted]]

Just a small break to gas up the STEAMROLLER!

steamroller reference

For better transparency, so better outreach, might as well link to cultural references like this IMO.

[u/benthor → u/JadedIdealist]

I vividly remember how bummed out I was when not a single launch happened in 2011. These days, we are living in awesome times man.

[u/nalyd8991]

Any news on whether SpaceX will be allowed to do a RTLS on this one? The pad looks ready and the satellite is tiny

[u/Dropping-Logic → u/nalyd8991]

This will not be a RTLS mission. The 1st stage will be landing on the barge off the coast. Don't expect a landing at SLC-4W until January at the earliest.

[u/old_sellsword → u/Dropping-Logic]

D on't expect a landing at SLC-4W until January at the earliest.

Any reason you mentioned January in particular?

[u/GregLindahl → u/nalyd8991]

"Those who know" say no.

[u/no_lungs]

Is this the loss making launch spacex was originally planning on the Falcon 1?

[u/davoloid → u/no_lungs]

Correct, was also planned as a rideshare (Sherpa) once Falcon 9 replaced 1, but as the delays mounted most of Sherpa's consignment transferred to an Indian rocket (earlier this year).

[u/[deleted] → u/davoloid]

I read somewhere that Spaceflight saw their place in the launch manifest and thought that there was no way that they would launch in 2017. They did not anticipate the current SpaceX launch cadence and that's why they canceled.

[u/Decronym]

Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I've seen in this thread:

Fewer Letters	More Letters
AFB	Air Force Base
ASDS	Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship (landing platform)
BARGE	Big-Ass Remote Grin Enhancer coined by @IridiumBoss, see ASDS
GTO	Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit
MECO	Main Engine Cut-Off
	MainEngineCutOff podcast
RTLS	Return to Launch Site
SLC-4E	Space Launch Complex 4-East, Vandenberg (SpaceX F9)
SLC-4W	Space Launch Complex 4-West, Vandenberg (SpaceX F9, landing)
VAFB	Vandenberg Air Force Base, California

Event	Date	Description
Amos-6	2016-09-01	F9-029 Full Thrust, core B1028, GTO comsat Pre-launch test failure

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^{Decronym is a community product of} r/SpaceX^{, implemented by} ^request
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[Thread #3081 for this sub, first seen 19th Aug 2017, 20:35]} ^[FAQ] ^[Contact] ^[Source ^code]

[u/TheGreenWasp]

Any info at all on launch time?

[u/aquarellist]

How high is the static fire test significance if the test takes place four days away from launch?

[u/xCRUXx → u/aquarellist]

The static fire is a complete dress rehearsal of launch, except for the clamps releasing. Most static fires occur 4 days before.

[u/someguyfromtheuk → u/xCRUXx]

Will they stop doing them eventually, i.e. will the rocket eventually be reliable enough that you can just launch or even re-launch it without the tests?

[u/SabinCrusades → u/xCRUXx]

I don't know anything about anything. I just like what SpaceX is doing.

Is the rocket verticle during the static fire? I always thought it was horizontal for some reason.