SpaceX Falcon 9 - KoreaSat 5A

  SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 4 - KoreaSat 5A - Launching October 30, 2017

Screenshot of SpaceX launching KoreaSat 5A hosted by Tim Dodd

Mission Rundown: SpaceX B4 - KoreaSat 5A

Written: January 22, 2021

Lift Off Time	October 30, 2017 - 19:34 UTC - 14:34 EST
Mission Name	KoreaSat 5A
Launch Provider	SpaceX
Customer	KT Sat
Rocket	Falcon 9 Block 4 serial number B1042-1
Launch Location	Kennedy Launch Complex 39A - LC-39A Kennedy Space Center, Florida
Payload	Spacebus-4000B2 Communication Satellite
Payload mass	3 500 kg ~ 7 700 pounds
Where did the satellite go?	Super Synchronous Geostationary Transfer Orbit - 285 km x 50 185 km x 22o inclination - Operating at 113o east
Will they be attempting to recover the first stage?	Yes - OCISLY is being towed downrange
Where will the first stage land?	OCISLY - 630 km ~ 430 Nautical Miles downrange
Will they be attempting to recover the fairings?	Yes - Engineers have salvaged at least 2 fairings and have tried several times and failed
Are these fairings new?	Yes - Two Type 1 boat hull sized fairings - 34 x 17 feet with 10 evenly spaced ventilation ports in a circle
This will be the:	– 44th flight of all Falcon 9 rockets – 4th flight of Falcon 9 Block 4 rocket – 4th maiden flight of Falcon 9 Block 4 rocket – 12th SpaceX launch from LC-39A – 19th booster landing overall – 16th mission for SpaceX in 2017 – 4th Falcon 9 booster to fly only once - scrapped
Where to watch Where to read more	SpaceX link Other link Tim Dodd’s old live feed

Launch debriefing (This is what happend)

- T-00:13:27 Host: T 00:00:00 T+00:01:17 T+00:02:36 - T+00:02:44 T+00:03:34 T+00:06:28 - - T+00:08:10 - - T+00:08:34 - - T+00:26:52 - T+00:35:39 - -

Pre Launch Mission Rundown from 0:04 then Q&A SpaceX live feed at 14:23 - live but choppy John Federspiel knocking one out of the park Liftoff at 27:53 - flight telemetry on first stage MaxQ at 29:11 (2-3 sec delay on downlink camera) MECO 30:29, stage separation 30:31 0 - 8 216 km/h in 156 seconds - Altitude 65,0 km SES-1 at 30:37 Fairing separation at 31:27 Entry burn 34:21 by 3 Merlin 1D# for 23 seconds 8305 km/h to 5228 km/h - Altitude 58,2 km to 37,6 km Flight telemetri cut at 35:10 - Data below incomplete Landing burn 36:02 by 1 Merlin 1D# for 30 seconds B1042 caught fire on landing and was later scrapped Flight telemetri back at 37:21 - data on second stage SECO at 36:27 - Velocity 26 962 km/h - Altitude 165 km Q&A, Kerbal and explanations from 43:42 SpaceX resumes live feed at 54:14 SES-2 - SECO-2 in 61 seconds gave a velocity boost from 26 420 km/h to 35 567 km/h at 54:55 SpaceX webcast shows deployment at “1:03:31” Rap up from 1:04:08 with Q&A, explanations and Kerbal  Both fairings landed in the sea

Formosat 5	OTV-5	Iridium-3 Next	Echostar 105 SES-11	KoreaSat 5A
CRS-13	Iridium-4 Next	ZUMA	GovSat-1 SES-16	Falcon Heavy 1

Hunk of burning junk by SpaceX

SpaceX  is delivering a 3.500 kg satellite, KoreaSat 5A, to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO). SpaceX will be attempting to land the first stage back on their drone ship Of Course I still Love you (OCISLY) about 8 minutes after launch 630 km (430nM) downrange in the Atlantic Ocean.

SpaceX is targeting the launch of Koreasat-5A from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida on Monday, October 30 at 3:34 p.m. EDT, or 19:34​ UTC. The satellite will be deployed approximately 36 minutes after liftoff.

Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage will attempt a landing on the “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

Something fueltank related got damaged during landing and the engine bay caught fire

Landing of the first stage was also successful, albeit resulting in a “toasty” engine section, although fire hoses on the drone ship will have put out the flames shortly after landing.

I have no special knowledge of what SpaceX is using as fire suppressant, but typically a MIL-spec fluoroprotein-based aqueous film-forming firefighting foams are used to fight petroleum-based fires. They can be mixed just as well with seawater as freshwater, which makes them a good choice for firefighting at sea.

The payload Koreasat 5A (Mugunghwa 5A)

Thales Alenia Space announced in May 2014 that it has signed a contract with the Korean satellite service operator KT Sat, subsidiary of KT Corporation, to build two telecommunications satellites, Koreasat-7 and Koreasat-5A, winning the contract against an international field of competitors. The two satellites will provide Internet access, multimedia, broadcasting and fixed communications services.

As program prime contractor, Thales Alenia Space is in charge of the design, production, testing and On Ground Delivery (OGD) of the satellites. It will also take charge of the launch campaigns, the launch and early operations phase (LEOP) and in-orbit tests (IOT).

Built on the Upgraded Spacebus-4000B2 platform from Thales Alenia Space, Koreasat-5A will carry 36 Ku-band transponders. Koreasat-5A will cover Korea, Japan, Indochina and the Middle East. The satellite will weigh about 3,500 kg at launch and will offer payload power of about 7 kW. Koreasat-5A will be positioned at 113° East. Source

The Koreasat 5A and Koreasat 7 telecommunications satellites constructed by Thales Alenia Space will include the largest spacecraft parts ever made in Europe using a 3D laser beam printing technique called the “powder bed additive manufacturing process” in the Concept Laser Xline 1000R 3D printer, that is melting aluminum powder into telemetry and command antenna supports structures measuring some 45cm by 40cm by 21cm.

The parts for the two satellites are identical and were made in the same batch by the same machine belonging to Poly-Shape, a French partner of Thales Alenia Space. Each satellite has two antenna parts, featuring an innovative bio-design, passed the vibration acceptance tests, and demonstrated perfectly reproducible dynamic behavior.

Using 3D printing technology on this type of part offers a number of advantages, including 22% weight savings, a decrease in the production schedule of around one or two months, about 30% cost savings, and higher performance. Antenna support of this type is already in orbit on the TurkmenAlem satellite also built by Thales Alenia Space in April 2015.

Kerbal on a personal note

It would be nice if Tim Dodd had a Kerbal version of a Falcon 9 flight from launch to drone ship landing of stage one. The fairings from separation through descent and landing on the ocean or on the fairing catching boat. The second stage until SES-2 with explanations depending on mission profile Polar, ISS, LEO or GTO and deployment of payloads including their own journeys to their targets. There should be Kerbal videos about all scenarios.

Author Tim Dodd link

Coauthor/Text Retriever Johnny Nielsen link to launch list