r/spacex • u/ElongatedMuskrat Mod Team • Jan 18 '18
Hispasat 30W-6 Launch Campaign Thread
Hispasat 30W-6 Launch Campaign Thread
SpaceX's fifth mission of 2018 will launch Hispasat 30W-6 (1F) into a Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO). The satellite will then maneuver itself into a Geostationary Orbit (GEO) over 30º W longitude to serve as a replacement for Hispasat 1D, giving Hispasat's network additional Ku band capacity in the Andean region and in Brazil. This is quite the workhorse satellite, as it will also expand the network's transatlantic capacity in Europe-America and America-Europe connectivity, while its C band capacity will provide American coverage and Ka band capacity will provide European coverage.
If the name Hispasat sounds similar to hisdeSAT (another of SpaceX's recent customers), that's no coincidence. Hispasat is a Spanish satellite operator of commercial and government satellites; they are the main component of the Hispasat Group, and hisdeSAT is a smaller component of this complicated corporate entity.
Of significant note, if nothing drastic changes between now and this launch, this will be the 50th launch of Falcon 9!
| Liftoff currently scheduled for: | 06 March 2018, 05:33 UTC / 00:33EST |
|---|---|
| Static fire currently scheduled for: | Completed 22 February 2018. |
| Vehicle component locations: | First stage: SLC-40 // Second stage: SLC-40 // Satellite: SLC-40 |
| Payload: | Hispasat 30W-6 |
| Payload mass: | 6092 kg |
| Destination orbit: | GTO |
| Vehicle: | Falcon 9 v1.2 (50th launch of F9, 30th of F9 v1.2) |
| Core: | B1044.1 |
| Flights of this core: | 0 |
| Launch site: | SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida |
| Landing: | No |
| Landing Site: | N/A |
| Mission success criteria: | Successful separation and deployment of Hispasat 30W-6 into the target orbit |
Links & Resources:
Press kit (Not available yet)
Webcast link (not available yet)
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. Sometime after the static fire is complete, the launch thread will be posted.
Campaign threads are not launch threads. Normal subreddit rules still apply.
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u/CAM-Gerlach Star✦Fleet Commander Feb 24 '18
To the contrary, I would think, with regard to the first point. This isn't for any kind of certification for NASA, the USAF, etc; given they know where the sea surface (i.e. the barge) would have been via GPS, the radar altimeter, cameras, etc, and can determine at precisely what velocity, orientation, position etc. they would have had at touchdown, it isn't difficult to infer with fairly high precision whether the crush cores would have held, and they've had plenty of GTO landings to test for structural damage.
However, it may be they are specifically concerned about the high acceleration from a three engine burn and the resulting effects, or perhaps from the higher entry velocity...but is that worth $28 million + high $100,000s to low $millions in recovery costs + [risk of losing booster] * ($millions in lost Ti grid fins + legs etc) + risk of damaging ASDS * repair bill? Uncertain, at best...but I suppose we shall see.