SpaceX Falcon 9 Full Thrust - JCSAT-14 - Launching May 6, 2016
Screenshot from SpaceX Webcast of the launch of JCSAT-14
Mission Rundown: SpaceX Falcon 9 FT - JCSAT-14
Written: January 31, 2021
How fast can this rocket land?
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will deliver JCSAT-14, a commercial communications satellite for SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation, to a Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO). SKY Perfect JSAT is a leading satellite operator in the Asia-Pacific region and provides high-quality satellite communications to its customers using its fleet of 15 satellites. Following stage separation, the first stage of Falcon 9 will attempt an experimental landing on the “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship.
Given this mission’s GTO destination, the first-stage will be subject to extreme velocities and re-entry heating, making a successful landing unlikely. In addition to its launch burn of 160 seconds with 9 Merlin 1D+ engines, it performed a 25 second reentry burn on 3 Merlin 1D+ engines and a 10 second landing burn also with 3 Merlin 1D+ engines and was after landing standing with only 3 seconds burn time, aka. propellant left.
The first stage of the rocket encountered "extreme temperatures during its reentry into Earth atmosphere" and was subsequently identified as a candidate for reflight, and as a "reference vehicle" for further testing. It was subjected to a series of tests, including a 150-second full-duration engine firing completed on 28 July 2016.
Additional tests were planned before SpaceX determined the stage's suitability for reuse on a subsequent launch. SpaceX has since completed at least 7 more full-duration firings of the core, and has indicated that this stage will be used solely for ground testing purposes. It’s currently in McGregor, Texas.
There are also signs of SpaceX engineers putting cameras on payload fairings to see the descent profile of them. I take it that fairly large pieces survive reentry, but not the impact with the ocean after their return fall back to earth. A fairing is a two ton boatsized hull which tumbles down through the atmosphere like a giant leaf.
I take it they cut through the air like boats until they stall and start tumbling until they find their balance point and start cutting through the air until the next stall. There is probably no inherent aerodynamic stability in them. They will stall.
Each fairing cost 6 million dollars to produce and is a potential cost-benefit saving.
The payload
JCSAT-14 is a geostationary communications satellite operated by SKY Perfect JSAT Group and designed and manufactured by SSL on the SSL 1300 platform. It had a launch weight of 4 696,2 kg (10 353 lb), a power production capacity of 9 to 9.9 kW at end of life and a 15-year design life. Its payload is composed of 26 C band and 18 Ku band transponders with a total bandwidth of 2 853 MHz.
On June 11, 2013, SSL announced that it had been awarded a contract by SKY Perfect JSAT Group to manufacture JCSAT-14. It would be a 10 kW satellite with 26 C band and 18 Ku band transponders with a 15 years of expected life. It was scheduled for launch in 2015.
On January 10, 2014, JSAT announced that it had signed a launch service contract with SpaceX for the launch of JCSAT-14 aboard a Falcon 9 rocket. The expected launch date was the second half of 2015. But the failure of Falcon 9 Flight 19 meant a delay of at least six months on the launch.
On March 14, 2016 SSL delivered JCSAT-14 to the launch site, at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, for launch processing and integration. JCSAT-14 was launched on May 6, 2016 at 05:21 UTC by a Falcon 9 rocket. The next day, SSL announced that the satellite had deployed the solar arrays, was in full control and was performing orbital maneuvers to reach its operational position.
Since July 2016, JCSAT-14 the now rechristened JCSAT-2B has been commissioned and operational at the 154° East orbital slot.
The second stage spent 1 year 4 month and 10 days in Geostationary Transfer Orbit before finally reentering the earth's atmosphere on september 16, 2017.
Space Launch Complex 40 - SLC-40
In the JCSAT-14 article there is a list of previous historical launches of the Titan rockets from SLC-40 and SLC-41. It was a little unclear, so I’m relisting them.
From June 1965 - Titan IIIC - Maiden voyage - followed by 25 more Titan IIIC/III(23)C
From 1982 upgraded to Titan III(34)D - 8 launches + 7 more launched from SLC-41
From 1990 commercial launches of 4 Titan III 34D including the JCSAT-2 satellite
From 1994 to 2004 launches of 5 Titan IV-A followed by 12 Titan IV-B launches
SLC-40 mothballed and decommissioned until SpaceX leased it in 2007
A total of 55 Titan launches and now 22 Falcon 9 launches from SLC-40, which by March 11, 2021 are counted to be 67 Falcon 9 launches. 122 launches from SLC-40 and we didn’t even celebrate launch number 100 in november 2019 with Starlink L1.
Only two missions have been launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base Space Launch Complex 4E so far out of 24 launches performed by SpaceX.
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