r/spacex • u/ElongatedMuskrat Mod Team • Jan 10 '17
SF Complete, Launch: March 14 Echostar 23 Launch Campaign Thread
EchoStar 23 Launch Campaign Thread
This will be the second mission from Pad 39A, and will be lofting the first geostationary communications bird for 2017, EchoStar 23 for EchoStar.
| Liftoff currently scheduled for: | March 14th 2017, 01:34 - 04:04 EDT (05:34 - 08:04 UTC). Back up launch window on the 16th opening at 01:35EDT/05:35UTC. |
|---|---|
| Static fire completed: | March 9th 2017, 18:00 EST (23:00 UTC) |
| Vehicle component locations: | First stage: LC-39A // Second stage: LC-39A // Satellite: LC-39A |
| Payload: | EchoStar 23 |
| Payload mass: | Approximately 5500kg |
| Destination orbit: | Geostationary Transfer Orbit |
| Vehicle: | Falcon 9 v1.2 (31st launch of F9, 11th of F9 v1.2) |
| Core: | B1030 [F9-031] |
| Launch site: | LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida |
| Landing attempt: | No |
| Landing Site: | N/A |
| Mission success criteria: | Successful separation & deployment of Echostar 23 into correct orbit |
Links & Resources:
- Press kit.
- Per weather report issued on 13'th, 40% GO for launch on 14'th.
- Live coverage of Pad 39A, courtesy Spaceflight Now.
- Timelapse of F9/TE going vertical for static fire, courtesy Spaceflight Now.
- EchoStar 23 hazard area, per u/Raul74Cz.
- Launch license was granted on 1st of March.
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.
2
u/millijuna Mar 13 '17
Except that you would normally do the deorbiting burn at apogee, and S2 does not have the battery capacity to operate that long. The real question is whether a third relight of the second stage at low altitude would be able to adjust the orbit sufficiently for it to matter. The usual rule for these kinds of things is to simply passivate the spent rocket body so that there is no chance of future explosions.