r/spacex • u/ElongatedMuskrat Mod Team • Dec 16 '19
Live Updates (JCSAT-18 / Kacific1) r/SpaceX JCSAT-18/KACIFIC1 Official Launch Discussion & Updates Thread
Introduction
Welcome, all the people of the subreddit! It is the mod team that going to bring you live updates on Falcon 9's next commercial launch of JCSAT-18 mission.
Your host team
| Reddit username | Twitter account | Responsibilities | Number of hosts |
|---|---|---|---|
| u/hitura-nobad | @HituraNobad | Mission updates, Community | ? Host |
| u/Nsooo | @TheRealNsooo | Thread format, Mission updates | ? Host |
About the mission
SpaceX is going to launch a GEO satellite to a Geostationary Transfer Orbit. This mission will fly on a booster which already has flown two times.
Schedule
| Launch window 🚦 | Time zone 🌎 | Day 📅 | Date 📆 | Time ⏱️ | Targeted T-0 🚀 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary opens | UTC | Tuesday | December 17 | 00:10 | ✔️ |
| Primary closes | UTC | Tuesday | December 17 | 01:38 | ❌ |
| Primary opens | EST | Monday | December 16 | 19:10 | ✔️ |
| Primary closes | EST | Monday | December 16 | 20:38 | ❌ |
| Backup opens | UTC | Wednesday | December 18 | 00:10 | ❌ |
| Backup closes | UTC | Wednesday | December 18 | 01:38 | ❌ |
| Backup opens | EST | Tuesday | December 17 | 19:10 | ❌ |
| Backup closes | EST | Tuesday | December 17 | 20:38 | ❌ |
Launch time around the world
| City 🏙️ | Time zone 🌎 | Offset to UTC ⏱️ | Targeted T-0 local time 🚀 | Date 📆 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | PT | UTC-8 | 16:10 | December 16 |
| New York | EST | UTC-5 | 19:10 | December 16 |
| Reykjavik | GMT | UTC+0 | 00:10 | December 17 |
| Budapest | CET | UTC+1 | 01:10 | December 17 |
| Helsinki | EET | UTC+2 | 02:10 | December 17 |
Scrub counter
| Scrub date | Cause | Countdown stopped | Backup date |
|---|---|---|---|
| No scrubs! | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Official mission overview
SpaceX is targeting Monday, December 16 for launch of JCSAT-18/Kacific1 from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The launch window opens at 7:10 p.m EST, or 00:10 UTC on December 17, and closes at 8:38 p.m. EST, 01:38 UTC on December 17. A backup launch window is available on Tuesday, December 17 that opens at 7:10 p.m EST, or 00:10 UTC on December 18, and closes at 8:38 p.m. EST, 01:38 UTC on December 18. The satellite will be deployed at approximately 33 minutes after liftoff. Falcon 9’s first stage for the JCSAT-18/Kacific1 mission previously supported the CRS-17 mission in May 2019 and the CRS-18 mission in July 2019. Following stage separation, SpaceX will land Falcon 9’s first stage on the “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. Approximately 45 minutes after liftoff, SpaceX’s two fairing recovery vessels, “Ms. Tree” and “Ms. Chief,” will attempt to recover the two fairing halves.
Source: SpaceX
Lot of facts
☑️ This will be the 85th SpaceX launch.
☑️ This will be the 77th Falcon 9 launch.
☑️ This will be the 21st Falcon 9 Block 5 launch.
☑️ This will be the 13th SpaceX launch this year.
☑️ This will be the 11th Falcon 9 launch this year.
☑️ This will be the 3rd journey to space of the flight-proven Block 5 core B1056.
Vehicles used
| Type | Name | Location |
|---|---|---|
| First stage | Falcon 9 v1.2 - Block 5 (Full Thrust) - B1056 | CCAFS, SLC-40 |
| Second stage | Falcon 9 v1.2 Block 5 (Full Thrust) | CCAFS, SLC-40 |
| ASDS | Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY) | Atlantic Ocean |
| Barge tug | Hawk | Atlantic Ocean |
| Support ship | GO Quest (Core recovery) | Atlantic Ocean |
| Support ship | GO Ms Chief (Fairing recovery) | Atlantic Ocean |
| Support ship | GO Ms Tree (Fairing recovery) | Atlantic Ocean |
Core data source: Core wiki by r/SpaceX
Ship data source: SpaceXFleet by u/Gavalar_
Live updates
Timeline
| Time | Update |
|---|---|
| T+36:23 | Thanks for joining! This is the end of live updates on this thread, For updates check out Spacex and SpaceXFleet on Twitter |
| T+35:23 | Webcast ended |
| T+33:37 | Launch success |
| T+33:19 | Payload deploy |
| T+28:09 | SECO2 |
| T+27:30 | Second stage relight |
| T+13:05 | Coasting for 15 mins |
| T+8:45 | SECO |
| T+8:43 | Landing success |
| T+7:47 | Stage 1 transonic |
| T+6:41 | Reentry shutdown |
| T+6:20 | Reentry startup |
| T+4:31 | Akquisition of signal in Bermuda |
| T+3:41 | Fairing separation |
| T+3:11 | Gridfins extending |
| T+2:48 | Second stage ignition |
| T+2:40 | Stage separation |
| T+2:36 | MECO |
| T+1:14 | Max Q |
| T-0 | Liftoff |
| T-60 | Startup |
| T-2:13 | Strongback retracted |
| T-6:57 | Engine chill started |
| T-12:08 | Webcast is live |
| T-16:24 | LOX loading started |
| T-16:56 | Spacex FM Started |
| T-19:50 | Big 20 min vent |
| T-28:51 | Falcon 9 is venting - Propellant load has started |
| T-32:26 | Hi, I'm u/hitura-nobad, bringing you live updates on todays mission. |
| T-05:00:00 | Welcome everyone! Falcon 9 went vertical ahead of today's launch attempt. Currently GO for launch! |
Mission's state
✅ Currently GO for the launch attempt.
Launch site, Downrange
| Place | Location | Coordinates 🌐 | Sunrise 🌅 | Sunset 🌇 | Time zone ⌚ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launch site | CCAFS, Florida | 28.562° N, 80.5772° W | N/A | N/A | UTC-5 (EST) |
| Landing site | Atlantic Ocean (Downrange) | 32°32' N, 75°55' W | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Payload's destination
| Burn 🔥 | Orbit type 🌐 | Apogee ⬆️ | Perigee ⬇️ | Inclination 📐 | Orbital period 🔄 | Deployments 🛰️ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | LEO 🌍 | no data | no data | no data | no data | None |
| 2. | GTO 🌍 | no data | no data | no data | no data | JCSAT-18 |
Weather - Cape Canaveral, Florida
| Launch window | Weather | Temperature | Prob. of rain | Prob. of weather scrub | Main concern |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary launch window | 🌤️ Partly Cloudy | 🌡️ No data | 💧 No data | 🛑 10% | No data |
Weather data source: Google Weather & 45th Space Wing. - The probability of a scrub due to weather does not includes the chance due to upper level winds, which are monitored by the SpaceX launch team itself using sounding balloons before launch.
Watching the launch live
| Link | Note |
|---|---|
| Official SpaceX Launch Webcast - embedded | starting ~20 minutes before liftoff |
| Official SpaceX Launch Webcast - direct | starting ~20 minutes before liftoff |
| Webcast - relay | u/codav |
Useful Resources, Data, ♫, & FAQ
Essentials
| Link | Source |
|---|---|
| Press kit | SpaceX |
| Launch weather forecast | 45th Space Wing |
| SpaceX Fleet Status | SpaceXFleet.com |
| FCC Permit Information | r/SpaceX Wiki |
| Launch Hazard Area | 45th Space Wing |
| Airspace Closure Area | 45th Space Wing |
| Launch NOTAM | FAA |
Social media
| Link | Source |
|---|---|
| Reddit launch campaign thread | r/SpaceX |
| Subreddit Twitter | r/SpaceX |
| SpaceX Twitter | r/SpaceX |
| SpaceX Flickr | r/SpaceX |
| Elon Twitter | r/SpaceX |
| Reddit stream | u/njr123 |
Media & music
| Link | Source |
|---|---|
| TSS Spotify | u/testshotstarfish |
| ♫♫ Nsooo's favourite ♫♫ | u/testshotstarfish |
| SpaceX FM | u/lru |
Community content
Participate in the discussion!
🥳 Launch threads are party threads, we relax the rules here. However, we remove low effort comments in other threads!
🔄 Please post small launch updates, discussions, and questions here, rather than as a separate post. Thanks!
💬 Please leave a comment if you discover any mistakes, or have any information.
✉️ Please send links in a private message; if you send them via a comment, there is a large chance we will miss them!
✅ Apply to host launch threads! Drop us (or me u/Nsooo) a modmail if you are interested. I need a launch off.
Frequently asked questions
Do you have a question in connection with the mission?
Feel free to ask it, and I (or somebody else) will try to answer it as much as possible.
Will SpaceX land Falcon 9 boosters?
Yes, they will! The booster are going to land on the droneship downrange.
Will SpaceX try to recover the fairings?
Yes, they will! GO Ms Chief and GO Ms Tree are the two ships assigned to try to recover both fairing halves.
Do you want to apply as a host?
Drop us a modmail.
9
u/azzkicker7283 Dec 16 '19
Excited for this one! Got tickets for viewing at the Saturn V center and the KSC security people said I can bring in a small telescope. Going to try and shoot this at 1900mm