Launch News SpaceX Falcon 9 F4 CRS SpX-1 Updates

[Codz]

Live coverage is going on NASA TV.

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Very smooth (and fast!) approach for the Dragon - now within 20 meters of the grapple point! :thumbup:

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

CAPTURE!

Looks like the Dragons are easy to tame....

 

[Kyle]

Crew is well ahead of timeline, moving ahead for berthing. Already in attitude.

---------- Post added at 01:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:45 AM ----------

And we've had a successful berthing to the International Space Station, welcome back SpaceX!

 

[IronRain]

SpaceX Commercial Cargo Craft Arrives at International Space Station

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Updates from SpaceX:

Update on SpaceX CRS-1 Mission: October 10



The SpaceX CRS-1 mission reached a critical milestone today, October 10, with the Dragon spacecraft successfully attaching to the space station.



The mission, the first of at least 12 to the International Space Station under the company’s cargo resupply contract with NASA, began with a Sunday, October 7 launch from Cape Canaveral, FL. As a result of shutting down one of its nine engines early shortly after the launch, the Falcon 9 rocket used slightly more fuel and oxygen to reach the target orbit for Dragon. For the protection of the space station mission, NASA had required that a restart of the upper stage only occur if there was a very high probability (over 99%) of fully completing the second burn. While there was sufficient fuel on board to do so, the liquid oxygen on board was only enough to achieve a roughly 95% likelihood of completing the second burn, so Falcon 9 did not attempt a restart. Although the secondary payload, the Orbcomm satellite, was still deployed to orbit by Falcon 9, it was done so at the lower altitude used by Dragon in order to optimize the safety of the space station mission.



SpaceX and NASA are working closely together to review all flight data so that we can understand what happened with the engine, and we will apply those lessons to future flights. We have achieved our goal of repeatedly getting into orbit by creating a careful, methodical and pragmatic approach to the design, testing and launch of our space vehicles. We will approach our analysis in the same manner, with a careful examination of what went wrong and how to best address it. Additional information will be provided as it is available.

While nothing to be proud of, the engine shutdown of the Falcon 9 may have set an all time record: the earliest time a rocket got any of its engines to shutdown and still the payloads reach an orbit (never mind a normal orbit for Dragon), at 79 seconds after launch. Quite amazing, isn't it?

 

[Screamer7]

I wonder if it is wise to launch a satellite on the same trajectory as the ISS.
When you do so, and I hope I understood it correctly, you have limited options in maneuverability for the satellite deployment.

 

[Ripley]

There's a typo on Mission Status Center page, where they wrote:

-----------------------
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2012
1057 GMT (6:57 a.m. EDT)

Capture confirmed. Japanese astronaut Aki Hoshide grappled Dragon at 6:56 a.m. EDT (1156 GMT)
-----------------------

This confused me a bit...(the right time is 10:57, so they meant "capture at 10:56").

http://spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/004/status.html

 

[N_Molson]

It's so easy to get confused with timezones...

 

[Donamy]

I wonder if it is wise to launch a satellite on the same trajectory as the ISS.
When you do so, and I hope I understood it correctly, you have limited options in maneuverability for the satellite deployment.

The satellite as launched out of plane with the ISS.

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Umm.... at least Orbcomm will get the insurance money back, as well as a proved satellite....

OG2 Prototype Hardware Functionality Verified Prior to Deorbit

Fort Lee, NJ, October 11, 2012 – ORBCOMM Inc. (Nasdaq: ORBC), a global satellite data communications company focused on two-way Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications, today announced that the single prototype of its second generation of satellites (OG2), launched as a secondary mission payload on the Cargo Re-Supply Services (CRS-1) mission of October 7, 2012, verified various functionality checkouts prior to its deorbit. The OG2 prototype was deployed into a lower orbit as the result of a pre-imposed safety check required by NASA. The safety check was designed to protect the International Space Station and its crew. Had ORBCOMM been the primary payload on this mission, as planned for the upcoming launches, we believe the OG2 prototype would have reached the desired orbit.

Notwithstanding the shortened life of the OG2 prototype, the OG2 program engineering teams from ORBCOMM, Sierra Nevada Corporation and Boeing made significant strides in testing various hardware components. After telemetry and command capability was established, several critical system verifications were performed. The solar array and communications payload antenna deployments were successful, along with verifying the performance of various components of both the OG2 satellite bus and the communications payload. The OG2 satellite bus systems including power, attitude control, thermal and data handling were also tested to verify proper operation. The unique communications payload, which incorporates a highly reprogrammable software radio with common hardware for both gateway and subscriber messaging, also functioned as expected.

These verification successes achieved from the single prototype satellite validate that the innovative OG2 satellite technology operates as designed before launching the full constellation of OG2 satellites. With this verification data, ORBCOMM can focus on completing and launching the OG2 satellites as the primary mission payloads on two planned Falcon 9 launches, the first in mid-2013 and the second in 2014, directly into their operational orbit.

“We appreciate the complexity and work that SpaceX put into this launch,” stated Marc Eisenberg, ORBCOMM’s CEO. “SpaceX has been a supportive partner, and we are highly confident in their team and technology.”

The Company has filed a notice of claim under its launch insurance policy for a total loss of the OG2 prototype. The maximum amount covered by the policy is $10 million, which would largely offset the expected cost of the OG2 prototype and associated launch services and launch insurance.

 

[IronRain]

SpaceX's twitter:

SpaceX At 1:40PM ET, astronauts opened #Dragon's hatch, one day ahead of schedule. Success!

SpaceX Astronauts take their first look inside #Dragon. Now where’s that ice cream? pic.twitter.com/jdbuzzu4

 

[N_Molson]

[FONT=VERDANA, ARIAL, HELVETICA, SANS-SERIF][SIZE=+2]Orbcomm craft falls to Earth, company claims total loss[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=VERDANA, ARIAL, HELVETICA, SANS-SERIF][SIZE=-2]BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: October 11, 2012[/SIZE][/FONT]

The prototype Orbcomm data communications satellite launched into an incorrect orbit by SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket Sunday has re-entered and burned up in Earth's atmosphere, and although its owners say the mission achieved several objectives, Orbcomm is claiming the mission a total loss.

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-2]An Orbcomm second-generation satellite during ground testing. Credit: Sierra Nevada Corp. [/SIZE][/FONT]

The 363-pound satellite was deployed in a lower-than-planned orbit by the Falcon 9 rocket following Sunday's liftoff from Cape Canaveral, Fla. The Falcon 9 lost a first stage engine during launch, and the mishap was responsible for the fate of the Orbcomm satellite.

The spacecraft, assembled by Sierra Nevada Corp., was designed as a pathfinder for Orbcomm's second-generation, or OG2, satellite constellation providing two-way data communications for corporate customers.

But the satellite was placed in an unstable low-altitude orbit, and the craft did not have enough propellant to raise its orbit to the desired height of 750 kilometers, or about 466 miles.

In a press release issued Thursday, the New Jersey-based firm said it has filed a notice of claim under it launch insurance policy for a total loss of OG2 prototype satellite. Orbcomm said the policy covers a maximum loss of $10 million, which would "largely offset the expected cost of the OG2 prototype and associated launch services and insurance."

According to Orbcomm, the satellite functioned as planned while it was in orbit. The ground control team established contact with the craft, successfully issued commands, and the satellite's solar array and communications antenna were extended.

"The OG2 satellite bus systems including power, attitude control, thermal and data handling were also tested to verify proper operation," Orbcomm's statement said. "The unique communications payload, which incorporates a highly reprogrammable software radio with common hardware for both gateway and subscriber messaging, also functioned as expected."

SpaceX and NASA are reviewing flight data from the Falcon 9 rocket to understand what happened to one of the launcher's nine Merlin first stage engines soon after launch. The engine shut down about 79 seconds after liftoff, forcing the rocket's remaining engines to burn longer to compensate for the loss in performance.

"As a result of shutting down one of its nine engines early shortly after the launch, the Falcon 9 rocket used slightly more fuel and oxygen to reach the target orbit for Dragon," SpaceX said Wednesday in a written statement.

The rocket placed the Dragon cargo craft, its primary payload, on a good trajectory to reach the International Space Station. The commercial capsule reached the space station Wednesday on the first operational private resupply flight to the outpost.

But the Orbcomm satellite was supposed to separate in a higher orbit than Dragon, requiring a second ignition of the Falcon 9's second stage engine.

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-2]The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral with the Dragon spacecraft and Orbcomm satellite at 8:35 p.m. EDT. Credit: NASA-KSC [/SIZE][/FONT]

"For the protection of the space station mission, NASA had required that a restart of the upper stage only occur if there was a very high probability (over 99 percent) of fully completing the second burn," the SpaceX statement said. "While there was sufficient fuel on board to do so, the liquid oxygen on board was only enough to achieve a roughly 95 percent likelihood of completing the second burn, so Falcon 9 did not attempt a restart."

The requirement was put in place to protect the space station out of concern the OG2 satellite would come too close to the 450-ton complex.
The OG2 payload on Sunday's launch was slated to fly on SpaceX's last launch in May, but NASA requested the satellite be removed from that flight, which was a demonstration mission to the space station.

Orbcomm has booked two Falcon 9 launches for 17 more communications satellites. Eight spacecraft will fly on a dedicated Falcon 9 flight in mid-2013, and the rest of the constellation will lift off on another Falcon 9 rocket in 2014, according to Orbcomm.

The next-generation constellation is part of a $200 million expansion program to offer faster service through the Orbcomm system. The 18 satellites were constructed under a contract with Sierra Nevada valued at $117 million in 2008 dollars.

"Had Orbcomm been the primary payload on this mission, as planned for the upcoming launches, we believe the OG2 prototype would have reached the desired orbit," Orbcomm said Thursday.

SpaceX's next launch is scheduled for January on another commercial resupply flight to the space station. The company has more than a half-dozen Falcon flights on the manifest for 2013, including a mix of space station missions and commercial launches.

SpaceX plans the first launch of an enhanced Falcon 9 rocket with upgraded Merlin engines and larger propellant tanks in the first half of 2013.

"We have achieved our goal of repeatedly getting into orbit by creating a careful, methodical and pragmatic approach to the design, testing and launch of our space vehicles," SpaceX said. "We will approach our analysis in the same manner, with a careful examination of what went wrong and how to best address it."

 

[orb]

Florida Today:

• Sweet treats a welcome change aboard International Space Station
  
  
• Dragon's delivery to ISS really hits the spot

ReelNASA:

NASA Public Affairs Officer Dan Huot interviews Bill Gerstenmaier, Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations, about the SpaceX CRS-1 mission and the arrival of the Dragon capsule at the International Space Station.

 

[orb]

Spaceflight Now: SpaceX, NASA form board to investigate engine failure:

SpaceX and NASA have established a board to investigate the failure of a Falcon 9 rocket engine during Sunday’s launch from Cape Canaveral, the company announced today.

“SpaceX is committed to a comprehensive examination and analysis of all launch data, with the goal of understanding what happened and how to correct it prior to future flights,” the company said in a short statement.

{...}

Parabolic Arc: SpaceX, NASA Form Investigation Board on Falcon 9 Engine Failure

Florida Today: SpaceX, NASA investigating Falcon 9 engine shutdown

 

[orb]

How to Tame Dragon

spacexchannel:

 

[RGClark]

I agree - having a design (a car, plane, rocket, whatever) that can cope with a small-but-non-zero probability failure in a major component is a good thing with regards to cost and safety. It is the way to go. Trying to fly a system where all the components must not fail is impossible and exceedingly costly, in dollars and in safety.
However, even though your airliner can safely fly with an engine out, it would be disconcerting to see the engine fly to bits in mid-flight. Awfully bad PR even if everything works as intended.
I think SpaceX is now seen as a safe bet for getting cargo to and from orbit, but I think the man-rating hurdles are going to get higher and steeper, and therefore more expensive.

Good point. I discuss a suggestion to upgrade the Merlin to another thrust level to reduce the number of engines on the Falcon 9 here:

Re: On the lasting importance of the SpaceX accomplishment.
http://exoscientist.blogspot.com/2012/10/re-on-lasting-importance-of-spacex.html


Bob Clark

 

[Urwumpe]

You are aware that development costs for a rocket engine are NOT proportional to thrust?

It can actually be as expensive to make a 500 kN rocket engine as making a 5000 kN rocket engine, if both have the same testing requirements.

Also, using five engines instead of nine means only that the chance of a engine failure drops by [math]\frac{(1-p)^9}{(1-p)^5} = (1-p)^{4}[/math] (p is the chance of one engine failing in flight, at mere 90% chance of success, it would only mean a 52% improvement in reliability, at 98% chance of success, it would mean only a 8% improvement), and means that the earliest time for a tolerable engine failure is pushed back further into flight. The more thrust you loose when a engine fails, the later it can be tolerated.

By the current performance of the engines, it is almost guaranteed that finding out why the engine dome failed will be cheaper and improve the reliability much more.

 

[DBD]

SpX CRS-1 engine failure

Although Dragon has successfully docked at ISS, Space Launch Report is listing the launch as a failure because the OrbComm sat had to be ditched. The shutdown of engine #1 forced extra fuel use to get to orbit. That left the safety rating for the OrbComm sat firing at 95% instead of the required 99%.

 

[T.Neo]

There was some discussion of it on the NASASpaceflight, where it was quite controversial as I understand it. Ed Kyle stated that he's labelled other launches that reached lower than intended or incorrect orbits as failures (including one shuttle flight).

I disagree with his methodology though; it doesn't make any distinction between say, a lower than intended orbit and a pad explosion. Partially met goals and secondary payload failures are why we have labels such as "partial success" or "partial failure". Considering that the payload onboard F9 with the most monetary value (and indeed, a good deal more monetary value than the Orbcomm satellite) was inserted to a nominal orbit and is continuing on with its mission, this F9 flight definitely shouldn't be considered a total failure.