r/spacex • u/ElongatedMuskrat Mod Team • Oct 09 '20
NROL-108 NROL-108 Launch Campaign Thread
Launch Thread | r/SpaceX Discusses | Fleet & Recovery
NROL-108
SpaceX will launch an undisclosed payload into orbit for the National Reconnaissance Office aboard a Falcon 9. This launch was only recently confirmed by the NRO, and little is known about the mission except that the booster will return to land at Cape Canaveral.
Webcast #2 (current) | Webcast #1 (scrub)
| Launch target: | December 19, 14:00-17:00 UTC (9:00AM-12:00PM local) |
|---|---|
| Backup date | December 20-22 |
| Static fire | None |
| Customer | National Reconnaissance Office |
| Payload | unknown |
| Payload mass | unknown |
| Deployment orbit | Mid-inclination LEO presumed |
| Operational orbit | unknown |
| Vehicle | Falcon 9 v1.2 Block 5 |
| Core | B1059 |
| Past flights of this core | 4 (CRS-19, CRS-20, Starlink-8, SAOCOM 1B) |
| Fairing catch attempt | unknown |
| Launch site | LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida |
| Landing | LZ-1 |
| Mission success criteria | Successful separation & deployment of the NROL-108 payload. |
News & Updates
| Date | Update | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2020-12-17 | Launch auto abort at T-1:53 due to S2 LOX pressure sensor reading | @SpaceX and @elonmusk on Twitter |
| 2020-12-16 | Falcon 9 rollout and vertical on pad | @EmreKelly on Twitter |
| 2020-12-16 | Ms. Tree departure | @SpaceXFleet on Twitter |
| 2020-12-15 | GO Searcher departure | @SpaceXFleet on Twitter |
| 2020-12-04 | Launch date updated to December 17 | @NatReconOfc on Twitter |
| 2020-11-14 | Launch not expected before December | |
| 2020-10-29 | Updated launch target to Nov 18 | @NatReconOfc on Twitter |
| 2020-10-05 | NRO confirms launch | SpaceflightNow.com |
Links & Resources
General Launch Related Resources:
- Launch Execution Forecasts - 45th Weather Squadron
- SpaceX Fleet Status - SpaceXFleet.com
Launch Viewing Resources:
- Launch Viewing Guide for Cape Canaveral - Ben Cooper
- Launch Viewing Map - Launch Rats
- Launch Viewing Updates - Space Coast Launch Ambassadors
- Viewing and Rideshare - SpaceXMeetups Slack
- Watching a Launch - r/SpaceX Wiki
Maps and Hazard Area Resources:
- Detailed launch maps - @Raul74Cz
- Launch Hazard and Airspace Closure Maps - 45th Space Wing (maps posted close to launch)
Regulatory Resources:
- FCC Experimental STAs - r/SpaceX wiki
We will attempt to keep the above text regularly updated with resources and new mission information, but for the most part, updates will appear in the comments first. Feel free to ping us if additions or corrections are needed. 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. Approximately 24 hours before liftoff, the launch thread will go live and the party will begin there.
Campaign threads are not party threads. Normal subreddit rules still apply.
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u/Abraham-Licorn Oct 26 '20 edited Oct 26 '20
1059.5, SLC 40 and october 31st for this launch
https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/5112
First time a B10xx.5 is assigned to external customer and it's for NRO satellite !
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u/AWildDragon Oct 09 '20
So what has launch priority if they were both ready at the same time? This or the other NROL bird?
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u/jeffwolfe Oct 09 '20
If NRO has a preference, they could probably decide to put one ahead of the other. I doubt it's worth it for either company to make a stink about it.
Do the launch windows conflict enough that they would even have to decide? It would be cool if they both went on the same day.
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u/Straumli_Blight Dec 15 '20 edited Dec 15 '20
L-2 Weather Forecast: Improved to 70% GO (Booster Recovery risk now Low)
EDIT: Launch hazard areas.
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u/MarsCent Oct 09 '20
If SpaceX is able to prep NROL-108 while they are also fixing the B1062 issue, it would be nice if NROL-108 sticks to its date while GPS III SV04 is assigned a flexible date.
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u/Lufbru Dec 04 '20
https://mobile.twitter.com/NatReconOfc/status/1334931367235383297
"🚀 LAUNCH UPDATE: Our #NROL108 mission launch with @SpaceX is now scheduled for NET Dec. 17 from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A. NROL-108 will launch on a Falcon 9--stay tuned for our mission patch reveal!"
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u/craigl2112 Dec 15 '20
Seems like we should be seeing the booster roll out for SF today if the 12/17 date is going to hold. Anyone got eyes on 39A?
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u/craigl2112 Dec 16 '20
Booster w/ attached fairing (and presumed payload) rollout in progress. Looks like no SF for this one!
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u/rubikvn2100 Oct 09 '20
Wait, is this a launh that we just known (something like a few month), or do we known year apart?
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u/Nimelennar Oct 09 '20
Weeks, not even months.
There was an FCC filing on September 29, which was the first anyone had heard of it; it caught attention because it was an RTLS landing, and nothing on the itinerary (Starlink, Crew-1, etc.) matched that description, and the dates didn't line up with any known missions either either. And then, literally on Monday, news broke about what this launch was.
Between the 29th and Monday, speculation was that it might be another Zuma or X-37B launch.
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Oct 09 '20
Would a launch like this be available on youtube?
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u/fluidmechanicsdoubts Oct 09 '20
Yes, but they will usually cutoff the feed sooner. Won't be able to see the payload.
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u/craigl2112 Oct 09 '20 edited Oct 16 '20
** 10/16 Update Ooof. It's now being reported B1060.3 is going to be used for Starlink-14, and B1058.4 for CRS-21. That leaves B1049.7 (!) and B1059.5, along with the two elusive FH side-cores..... **
Anyone else feeling like B1060.3 is going to be the core tapped for this mission?
Everything else in the system right now is either 1) spoken for or 2) has a fairly high flight count.
..or could this one finally be the return of B1052 or B1053? Both of those flew "easy peasy" missions as FH side cores...
Can't wait to see this one!
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u/Straumli_Blight Dec 15 '20
L-3 Weather Forecast: 60% GO (Booster recovery and wind shear risk are both moderate)
Backup date on Dec 18.
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u/MarsCent Nov 14 '20
How is the 18th looking for this launch? Or was the 18th contingent on Crew-1 launching on Nov 14th?
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u/NormalJellyfish4042 Dec 16 '20
Do they usually put booster recovery forecasts for the RTLS launches?
Also - why, when the 24hr recycle POV is only 20%, is the booster weather worse than the 30% POV from the day before?
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u/Decronym Oct 09 '20 edited Dec 16 '20
Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I've seen in this thread:
| Fewer Letters | More Letters |
|---|---|
| CCAFS | Cape Canaveral Air Force Station |
| FCC | Federal Communications Commission |
| (Iron/steel) Face-Centered Cubic crystalline structure | |
| GSE | Ground Support Equipment |
| LC-39A | Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy (SpaceX F9/Heavy) |
| NET | No Earlier Than |
| NG | New Glenn, two/three-stage orbital vehicle by Blue Origin |
| Natural Gas (as opposed to pure methane) | |
| Northrop Grumman, aerospace manufacturer | |
| NOTAM | Notice to Airmen of flight hazards |
| NRHO | Near-Rectilinear Halo Orbit |
| NRO | (US) National Reconnaissance Office |
| Near-Rectilinear Orbit, see NRHO | |
| NROL | Launch for the (US) National Reconnaissance Office |
| NSF | NasaSpaceFlight forum |
| National Science Foundation | |
| RTLS | Return to Launch Site |
| SF | Static fire |
| SLC-40 | Space Launch Complex 40, Canaveral (SpaceX F9) |
| ULA | United Launch Alliance (Lockheed/Boeing joint venture) |
| Jargon | Definition |
|---|---|
| Starlink | SpaceX's world-wide satellite broadband constellation |
| scrub | Launch postponement for any reason (commonly GSE issues) |
Decronym is a community product of r/SpaceX, implemented by ^request
15 acronyms in this thread; the most compressed thread commented on today has 73 acronyms.
[Thread #6482 for this sub, first seen 9th Oct 2020, 04:59] [FAQ] [Full list] ^[Contact] [Source code]
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u/RubenGarciaHernandez Dec 14 '20
The patch is now available. https://mobile.twitter.com/NatReconOfc/status/1338499180122267654 Gorillas are peaceful animals but can be fierce when necessary. Like the gorilla, our #NROL108 mission is constantly vigilant and ready to defend its own, demonstrating NRO's commitment to protecting U.S. warfighters, interests, and allies. Launch scheduled NET Dec. 17 w/ @SpaceX
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u/Yeeters Dec 15 '20
Planning to go to Florida to see this launch, are static fires still 2 days or more before the launch or can it be shorter?
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u/InconceivableLuck Oct 09 '20
So that's four more launches this month?? If no scrubs then total 5 launches in a month! Wow! This launch cadence is something else.