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Old 01-04-2018, 09:46 AM
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Default Zuma & FH launches

Hello All,

Tomorrow night (Friday, January 5th), the 2-hour launch window for the Falcon 9 carrying the mysterious Zuma satellite will open at 8:00 PM EST (that's 0100 GMT Saturday morning, for those living a few Time Zones east of Florida). Live coverage of the launch, from Pad 40 at Cape Canaveral, can be seen *here* (see: http://spaceflightnow.com/2018/01/0...tatus-center-2/ ). Because of the "sensitive" payload, the normal video coverage is expected to cease at around staging, but because the first stage will--if all goes well--return to land at LZ-1 (Landing Zone-1) at the Cape, the coverage may just be switched to the first stage. The live launch webcast will begin tomorrow evening about 15 minutes before the launch, *and*:

SpaceX has released close-up photographs and video of their first Falcon Heavy vehicle on Pad 39A, which can be seen here: http://spaceflightnow.com/2018/01/0...avys-pad-debut/ . A pre-launch, on-pad static firing test--of all 27 Merlin rocket engines of the core first stage and the two boosters--is planned for this month, with the launch expected to occur soon afterward. Both events will be spectacular to watch!
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Old 01-05-2018, 12:43 AM
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Instead of launching the Zuma satellite Friday evening, SpaceX instead carried out more propellant loading tests. The latest update (see: http://spaceflightnow.com/2018/01/0...tatus-center-2/ [pictures were also uploaded here]) says:

Following the additional testing at the launch pad today, SpaceX has confirmed a new launch date of Sunday, January 7 for the Zuma mission.

SpaceX

@SpaceX
Team at the Cape completed additional propellant loading tests today. Extreme weather slowed operations but Falcon 9 and the Zuma spacecraft are healthy and go for launch—now targeting January 7 from Pad 40 in Florida.

3:25 PM - Jan 4, 2018
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Old 01-08-2018, 02:11 AM
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Zuma's launch was apparently successful (see: http://spaceflightnow.com/2018/01/0...u-s-government/ ), with some interesting camera views (liftoff occurred ~10 seconds after 13:49 *here*, see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...0&v=0PWu3BRxn60 ). The first stage returned and landed on LZ-1, which was unlit except by the engine exhaust. Much of its descent through the atmosphere, seen by a ground-based camera (they also showed the on-board view, via split-screen), was visible by what looked like "after-burning" from the engine nozzles, between the re-entry and landing burns.
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Old 01-08-2018, 08:20 AM
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Isn't it awesome that Space-X has made 1st stage return seem routine?

I hope F9H doesn't break up just so they can have the chance to drop three on the bullseyes at the same time.


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Old 01-08-2018, 08:40 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tbzep
Isn't it awesome that Space-X has made 1st stage return seem routine?

I hope F9H doesn't break up just so they can have the chance to drop three on the bullseyes at the same time.


.
Yes--I wonder if they dared to hope that it would work so consistently. But knowing what can so easily turn a triumph into a tragedy (and they know it in far more detail than I), I wouldn't be surprised if the SpaceX folks will always--at least to an extent--"hold their breath" until each landing (like the Moon shuttle captain in "2001: A Space Odyssey"), and:

I'm hoping the inaugural Falcon Heavy flight later this month works better than we've been "psychologically inoculated" against, not only to see the first (non-rover) car in space, but also so that the other pending FH missions won't be further delayed--and yeah, I want to see a "double, then downrange encore" booster landing, too... :-)
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Old 01-09-2018, 09:54 AM
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So, did the ZUMA satellite fail, or is it just a DOD hush to make it look as if it did (perhaps an unintended [happy] consequence)?

SpaceX reported their rocket's flight as nominal.
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