Falcon 9 at Cape Canaveral

[anemazoso]

From Spaceflightnow.com

"The Air Force has issued the first weather forecast for Friday's scheduled launch attempt of the Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral.
There will be a 40 percent chance anvil clouds and scattered thunderstorms will violate strict weather criteria at liftoff. The forecast holds the same odds should the launch slip to Saturday."

If it isn't one thing it's another.....:dry:

 

[IronRain]

From Spaceflightnow.com

"The Air Force has issued the first weather forecast for Friday's scheduled launch attempt of the Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral.
There will be a 40 percent chance anvil clouds and scattered thunderstorms will violate strict weather criteria at liftoff. The forecast holds the same odds should the launch slip to Saturday."

If it isn't one thing it's another.....:dry:

yeah... thanks for posting this anyway :thumbup:

 

[Ghostrider]

For some reason I have a feeling that when this finally launches, it'll probably fail.

I have a bad feeling that that's no moon, it's a trap but there's another.

 

[Dambuster]

What's with all the conspiracy theories suddenly?

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

From Spaceflight Now:

SpaceX believes the Air Force review of the Falcon 9 rocket's flight termination system will wrap up in time for an historic first launch attempt of the new vehicle Friday.

In a posting to the company's website Tuesday night, officials say the schedule is "looking good" for receiving final approval on the destruct system by Friday.

SpaceX founder Elon Musk says the rocket has been ready for launch for weeks, but the Air Force and Federal Aviation Administration are responsible for the safety of launch operations at Cape Canaveral.

Both agencies extensively reviewed the flight termination system to ensure it would be ready to destroy the Falcon 9 rocket if it strayed from its expected flight path.

SpaceX finished end-to-end testing of the Falcon 9 rocket Tuesday, and engineers were scheduled to finish final systems connections on the flight termination system this evening, according to the update.

The company says it will roll out the Falcon 9 rocket Wednesday morning. The 154-foot-tall booster will be lifted vertical atop pad 40 Wednesday afternoon.

 

[AirSimming]

For some reason I have a feeling that when this finally launches, it'll probably fail.

I see your point. There are many unforeseeable unknowns since it's another new design that'll launch for the first time. The test flight might fail like one of the first Falcon 1 test launches. However, the first stage and second stage looked promising during the full duration tests. If we'd bet, I say they'll reach orbit, maybe with minor issues. But anyway, it will be a nice show at the Cape

 

[silent_protagonist]

From spacex.com:

Tuesday, June 1, 2010


SpaceX is now targeting Friday, June 4th for its first test launch attempt of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle.
The primary schedule driver for the first Falcon 9 test launch has been certification of the flight termination system (FTS). The FTS ensures that Air Force Range safety officials can command the destruction of the vehicle should it stray from its designated flight path.
The successful liftoff of the recent GPS satellite launch last Thursday freed up the necessary range resources to process our final documentation, and we are now looking good for final approval of the FTS by this Friday, June 4th, just in time for our first launch attempt.
Today we completed end to end testing of the Falcon 9 as required by the Air Force Range and everything was nominal. Later this evening, we will finish final system connections for the FTS. Tomorrow we plan to rollout in the morning, and erect the vehicle in the afternoon. On Friday, the targeted schedule is as follows:

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Falcon 9 is now vertical! :thumbup:

From Spaceflight Now:

Greeted by a mix of raindrops and sunshine, the Falcon 9 rocket rolled out of its hangar and was hoisted atop pad 40 this afternoon, two days before the 15-story rocket will take off on an experimental test flight for SpaceX.

After the rocket was lifted vertically by the mobile transporter, workers were expected to begin checking out mechanical, plumbing, electrical and communications interfaces between the launcher and ground facilities.

The transporter doubles as a fixed umbilical tower for the countdown and launch.

Workers must manually insert a total of six pins and connect five flanges between the transporter and infrastructure at Complex 40. Teams carefully line up the launch tower atop the concrete flame pit at the pad.

Technicians will also hook up a panel of several dozen electrical, fluid and gas lines.

The flanges will link the rocket with ground storage tanks containing liquid oxygen, kerosene fuel, helium, gaserous nitrogen and the first stage ignitor source called triethylaluminum-triethylborane, better known as TEA-TAB.

During normal work, the Falcon 9 is kept inside a steel hangar 600 feet south of the launch pad. The structure spans 225 feet long and 75 feet side.

The booster was plugged into the transporter while still inside the hangar, so engineers only have to make connections between the tower and the ground after rollout.

The weather forecast for Friday continues to show a 40 percent chance clouds and storms will prevent liftoff during the four-hour launch window.

 

[anemazoso]

Everybody cross your fingers for good weather. Maybe if we all around the world wish for good........ ahh never mind...

:tiphat:

 

[anemazoso]

SpaceX has posted a mission patch! :speakcool::hotcool:

 

[orb]

Spaceflight Now:

• SpaceX keeping Falcon 9's orbital target hush-hush
• Falcon 9 rocket moves to launch pad (pictures)

 

[Urwumpe]

They are just afraid of the review in the Orbiter-Forum... cowards. If they would do proper engineering, we wouldn't have as much fun here.

 

[SiberianTiger]

They are just afraid of the review in the Orbiter-Forum... cowards. If they would do proper engineering, we wouldn't have as much fun here.

"We will report events as they happen, but are not providing a score sheet that our numerous enemies can use against us to nitpick what will hopefully be a great flight," Musk said. "This is the first flight of a new vehicle, so there will necessarily be differences between predictions and reality."
...
"If we didn't have competitors that were looking for any possible way to attack SpaceX or weren't at such a pivotal point in history, I'd feel a lot more comfortable," Musk said.

Life is empty when nobody ever considers you his enemy. :rofl:

I hope Musk won't completely KimJongIlize the flight! :rofl::rofl:

 

[GLS]

We will report events as they happen, but are not providing a score sheet that our numerous enemies can use against us to nitpick what will hopefully be a great flight

the smell of fear.....:rofl:

 

[orb]

Musk revealed the target inclination:

The target inclination for tomorrow's flight is 34.5 degrees, Musk says.

 

[anemazoso]

The Air Force officially approved the flight termination system at the FRR today!!! :hotcool:

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/001/status.html

 

[SiberianTiger]

Musk revealed the target inclination:

Also he mentioned the orbit would be round, 250 km high.

 

[IronRain]

Maybe a bit off topic, but now that the falcon 9 (and later the dragon capsule) is starting its era (or how you say that ), is there someone who's going to update the falcon 9 and dragon add-ons?

 

[astrosammy]

Damn, I thought they'd make an ISS rendezvouz on the first flight.

 

[silent_protagonist]

Damn, I thought they'd make an ISS rendezvouz on the first flight.

AFAIK the "Dragon" payload on this flight is little more than a boilerplate; I don't know if it even has attitude control. I imagine they want to get one successful flight under their belts before they try anything interesting.