SpaceX Falcon 9 - SES-8

  SpaceX Falcon 9 V1.1 - SES-8 - Launching December 3, 2013

Screenshot from SpaceRef Business copy of SpaceX Webcast of the launch of SES-8

Mission Rundown: SpaceX Falcon 9 V1.1 - SES-8

Written: February 5, 2021

Lift Off Time	December 3, 2013 - 22:41 UTC - 17:41 EST
Mission Name	SES-8
Launch Provider	SpaceX
Customer	SES S. A.
Rocket	Falcon 9 V1.1 serial number B1004
Launch Location	Space Launch Complex 40 - SLC-40 Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
Payload	GEOStar-2.4 Communication Satellite
Payload mass	3 170 kg ~ 6 990 pounds
Where did the satellite go?	Supersynchronous Geostationary Transfer Orbit at 385 km x 79 113 km x 20,54° inclination
Will they be attempting to recover the first stage?	No. One way ticket flying “bareback” with no grid fins or landing legs + hydraulic tanks, pumps...
Where will the first stage land?	In the Atlantic ocean east of Florida
Will they be attempting to recover the fairings?	No - Not expected to survive reentry or water impact
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:	– 7th flight of all Falcon 9 rockets – 2nd flight of Falcon 9 V1.1 rocket – 6th SpaceX launch from SLC-40 – 7th crash landing. Soft, hard, deliberate, ups... – 3rd mission for SpaceX in 2013
Where to watch Where to read more	SpaceX have very little video coverage I found a link here with SpaceRef Business Another link was found later with AATCCC Want to know or learn more link visit Tim Dodd

Launch debriefing (This is what happend)

T-00:15:07 Host: T 00:00:00 T+00:01:24 T+00:02:57 T+00:03:07 T+00:04:01 T+00:08:27 - - T+00:26:27 - T+00:33:27 ----- T-00:15:57 - T-00:13:00 T-00:00:38 T 00:00:00 - - - - -

SpaceRef Business live feed at 00:00 John Insprucker guiding us through a sunset launch Liftoff at 15:08 MaxQ at 16:32 MECO 18:05, stage separation 18:07 SES-1 at 18:15 Fairing separation at 19:09 or 22:45:13 UTC SECO at 23:35 and coasting Rap up from 26:06 SpaceX doesn't resume live feed SES-2 - SECO-2 in 77 seconds gave a velocity boost from 26 477 km/h to 36 136 km/h - real data unavailable SpaceX doesn’t show deployment 5 minutes later ----- AATCCC copy of webcast starts at 19:57 in video Voice of John Insprucker hosting GO - NO GO Poll by launch director T+ flight clock disappeared at 35:25 Liftoff at 17:41:00 EST on Pad NW Timer MECO at 38:48 - stage separation 38:52 SES-1 at 38:59 Fairing separation at 39:53 SECO at 44:47 - Maybe double audio report Rap up from John Insprucker at 46:49

CASSIOPE	SES-8	Thaicom 6	CRS-3	ORBCOMM OG2-1
AsiaSat 8	AsiaSat 6	CRS-4	CRS-5	DISCOVR

Let’s go higher - Geostationary Orbit

On December 3, 2013 SpaceX successfully completed its first geostationary transfer mission, with the Falcon 9 rocket delivering the SES-8 satellite to its targeted 295 x 80,000 km orbit. Falcon 9 executed a picture-perfect flight, meeting 100% of mission objectives.

SpaceX launched the SES-8 satellite this evening on a Falcon 9 rocket. Launch occurred as the window opened at 5:41 pm EST. Second stage reignition and burn was a success. The SES-8 spacecraft is now in a nominal GEO transfer orbit. So far it seems that the flight was completely nominal.

Falcon 9 lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at 5:41 PM Eastern Standard Time. Approximately 185 seconds into flight, Falcon 9's second stage's single Merlin 1D vacuum engine ignited to begin a five minute, 20 second burn that delivered the SES-8 satellite into its parking orbit.

18 minutes after injection into the parking orbit, the second stage engine relith for just over one minute to carry the SES-8 satellite to its final geostationary transfer orbit. The restart of the Falcon 9 second stage is a requirement for all geostationary transfer missions.

Today's mission marked SpaceX's first commercial launch from its central Florida launch pad and the first commercial flight from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in over five years. SpaceX has nearly 50 satellite launches on manifest, of which over 60% are for commercial customers.

This launch also marks the second of three certification flights needed to certify the Falcon 9 to fly missions for the U.S. Air Force under the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program. When Falcon 9 is certified, SpaceX will be eligible to compete for all National Security Space (NSS) missions.

The Payload

The SES-8 satellite is built on the STAR-2.4 satellite bus by Orbital Sciences. It is the sixth satellite of that model to be built for SES.

The communications satellite is initially co-located at 95.0° East with NSS-6 in order to provide communications bandwidth growth capacity in the Asia-Pacific region, specifically aimed at high-growth markets in South Asia and Indo-China, "as well as provide expansion capacity for DTH, VSAT and government applications".

Specifications

• Payload mass: 3,170 kilograms (6,990 lb)

• Electrical power: 5 kW, using Gallium arsenide solar panels, and two 4,850 watt-hours (17,500 kJ) lithium-ion storage batteries

• Battery backup: 4850 Watt-hour lithium-ion battery

• SES-8’s propulsion system is a BT-4 monopropellant engine by IHI Corp.

• 24 Ku band transponders as communications broadcasting payload

• 1 small Ka band communications payload

• 3 main reflector dishes - Two side and one center reflector

• Service life: 15 years before allotted station keeping propellant runs out

A second burn of the upper stage was required, and was completed successfully, during the SES-8 mission in order to place the SES-8 tele communications satellite into the highly elliptical supersynchronous orbit for satellite operator SES from ground stations to effect a plane change and orbit circularization. 

The launch of SES-8 marks the first time SpaceX will deliver a satellite into geostationary transfer orbit, although it is not the first contract they have received to launch such a payload. Avanti Communications had previously ordered a Falcon 9 to deploy its Hylas-1 satellite, however following delays with the Falcon 9’s development this payload switched to an Ariane 5.

The SES-8 launch was the first commercial ComSat launch to occur from SLC-40 in 20 years, and the fourth such launch from the complex overall. The 3 previous commercial launches were all made by Commercial Titan III (CT-III) rockets; a hybrid of the Titan III(34)D and Titan IV aimed at the commercial geostationary launch market.

In the early hours of 1 January 1990, or late on 31 December 1989, a Commercial Titan III (CT-III) rocket carrying the Skynet 4A and JCSAT-2 communications satellites. The second and third Commercial Titan III each launched one Intelsat VI communications satellite.

The first, Intelsat VI F-3, failed to separate from the carrier rocket. It was eventually freed by means of jettisoning its perigee motor, leaving it stranded in low Earth orbit. Space Shuttle Endeavour retrieved the spacecraft during the STS-49 mission – a task which required three astronauts to perform a spacewalk – and attached a replacement kick motor before sending the satellite on its way to geostationary orbit. Later renamed Intelsat 603, the spacecraft was only retired from service earlier in the year 2013.

Space Shuttle Endeavour retrieved and repaired Intelsat VI F-3 during STS-49

The most recent commercial geostationary launch from SLC-40 was in June 1990, when the third Commercial Titan III orbited Intelsat VI F-4. Unlike the previous Intelsat launch, this mission was successful.

One further CT-III launch was made from SLC-40, however it carried a NASA payload; the Mars Observer mission to the red planet in September 1992.

A third deorbit burn failed, so the Falcon 9 upper stage used to launch SES-8 was left behind in a decaying elliptical low-Earth orbit which, by September 2014, had decayed enough and re-entered the atmosphere.

Author William Graham link link

Coauthor/Text Retriever Johnny Nielsen link to launch list

SpaceX Falcon 9 - Cassiope

  SpaceX Falcon 9 V1.1 - Cassiope  - Launching September 29, 2013

Screenshot from dxrts copy of SpaceX Webcast of the launch of Cassiope

Mission Rundown: SpaceX Falcon 9 V1.1 - Cassiope

Written: February 5, 2021

Lift Off Time (Subject to change see rocket cam ) 16:00:42.78 - T+00:00:29 = 16:00:13	September 29, 2013 - 16:00:13 UTC - 09:00:13 PDT 13 second delay later found in DANDE’s launch data
Mission Name	Cassiope
Launch Provider	SpaceX
Customer	Canadian Space Agency Technology Partnerships Canada program
Rocket	Falcon 9 V1.1 serial number B1003
Launch Location	Space Launch Complex 4 East -SLC-4E Vandenberg Air Force Base, California
Payload	1 Earth Science Satellite - Cascade and e-POP 5 Earth Science CubeSats
Payload mass	500 kg ~ 1 100 pounds
Where are the satellites going?	Polar Low Earth Orbit - 410 km x 1 421 km x 80°
Will they be attempting to recover the first stage?	No. It’s flying “bareback” with no landing legs, but testing RCS thrusters and engine reignitions
Where will the first stage land?	A ”controlled” test landing on the Pacific ocean
Will they be attempting to recover the fairings?	No - Not expected to survive reentry or water impact
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:	– 6th flight of all Falcon 9 rockets – 1st maiden flight of Falcon 9 V1.1 rocket – 1st use of fairings to protect the satellite – 1st SpaceX launch from SLC-4E – 162nd launch from Space Launch Complex 4E – 6th crash landing. Soft, hard, deliberate, ups... – 2nd mission for SpaceX in 2013
Where to watch Where to read more	No decent SpaceX link, but a good dxrts link Found a low resolution link from Matthew Travis Want to learn more link visit Tim Dodd

Launch debriefing (This is what happend)

T-00:45:00 Hosts: - T 00:00:00 T+00:01:16 T+00:02:58 T+00:03:08 T+00:03:33 T+00:07:49 T+00:08:18 T+00:09:04 - T+00:14:15 T+00:17:45 T+00:20:25 T+00:21:25 - T+00:57:10 -

SpaceX live but mute feed until 02:50 audio on Jessica Jensen, John Insprucker and Kiko Dontchev in a Occupy Mars T-shirt Liftoff at 43:08 - downlink unstable and jumping MaxQ at 44:12 MECO 46:06, stage separation 46:08 SES-1 at 46:16 Faring separation at 46:55 Entry burn 50:57 by 3 Merlin 1D Landing burn 51:48 by 1 Merlin 1D - Failure SECO at 50:01 and coasting Rap up from hosts at 53:34 Cassiope deploys first according to news article POPACS deployed 3:30 minutes later 2 CUSat deployed 2:40 minutes later again DANDE deployed last 1:00 minute after - Tweet SpaceX doesn’t resumes live feed SES-2 and SECO-2 doesn't happen, the TEA-TEB igniter fuel lines froze shut - Test failure

C100	COTS-1	COTS-2+	CRS-1 ORBCOMM OG2	CRS-2
CASSIOPE	SES-8	Thaicom 6	CRS-3	ORBCOMM OG2-1

Go west young man, and then jump south

CASSIOPE is a satellite project from the Canadian Space Agency, launched by SpaceX on 29 September 2013 on the first flight of the Falcon 9 v1.1 launch vehicle, a new and much larger redesign of the Falcon 9 V1.0 with a number of launch mission firsts including first flight of new rocket engines on a 30-percent larger launch vehicle with 50-percent more initial thrust, and was also the first launch from a new launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base, a site SpaceX had not previously flown from.

The satellite is planned to be deployed in an elliptical polar orbit and will carry a commercial communications system called Cascade as well as a scientific experiment package called e-POP (enhanced Polar Outflow Probe). This combination gives rise to the acronym CASSIOPE, from "CAscade, SmallSat and IOnospheric Polar Explorer"

After the second stage separated from the booster stage, SpaceX conducted a novel flight test where the booster conducted a test to attempt to reenter the lower atmosphere in a controlled manner and decelerate to a simulated over-water landing. The test was partially successful, but the booster stage was not recovered.

The Science Payload

Cascade, Smallsat and Ionospheric Polar Explorer (CASSIOPE), is a Canadian Space Agency (CSA) multi-mission satellite operated by the University of Calgary. The mission development and operations from launch to February 2018 was funded through CSA and the Technology Partnerships Canada program.

In February, 2018 CASSIOPE became part of the European Space Agency's Swarm constellation through the Third Party Mission Program, known as Swarm Echo, or Swarm-E. It was launched September 29, 2013, on the first flight of the SpaceX Falcon 9 v1.1 launch vehicle. CASSIOPE is the first Canadian hybrid satellite to carry a dual mission in the fields of telecommunications and scientific research. The main objectives are to gather information to better understand the science of space weather, while verifying high-speed communications concepts through the use of advanced space technologies.

The satellite deployed in an elliptical polar orbit has a commercial communications system called Cascade as well as a scientific experiment package called e-POP (enhanced Polar Outflow Probe). The satellites payloads are instrument packages with a given design function which are mounted on the main satellite “Bus”, that is providing solar power, thrust, stability in orbit and control over satellite position relative to the Earth, the stars and the orbit position at any given time. SatNav at its best.

CASSIOPE is a 500 kg (1,100 lb) small satellite that is 180 cm (5.9 ft) long and 125 cm (4.10 ft) deeb. It combines the function of two distinct missions in order to be more cost-effective and reduce risk.

Five nanosatellite spacecrafts plus one dispenser were also carried to orbit on the same launch vehicle that carried the CASSIOPE primary payload:

• Nanosat-4 with CUSat 1 and 2 built by Cornell University are released together, and will separate from each other after establishment of ground contact and determination of position and orientation - CUSat 2 didn’t separate

• Drag and Atmospheric Neutral Density Explorer (DANDE) built by University of Colorado Boulder and apparently first released two weeks after launch pending a thorough check out from ground station prior to deployment

• 3U CubeSat releasing 3 Polar Orbiting Passive Atmospheric Calibration Spheres (POPACS), each a 10 cm (4 in) white aluminum sphere, built by a joint project of Morehead State University, University of Arkansas, Montana State University, Drexel University, and Planetary Systems Corporation.

Falcon 9 V1.1 test program

After the second stage separated from the booster stage, SpaceX conducted a novel flight test where the booster conducted a test to attempt to reenter the lower atmosphere in a controlled manner and decelerate to a simulated over-water landing. The test was successful, but the booster stage was not recovered.

After the three-minute boost phase of September 29, 2013 launch, the booster stage attitude was reversed, and three of the nine engines relit at high altitude, as planned, to initiate the deceleration and controlled descent trajectory to the surface of the ocean. The first phase of the test worked well and the first stage re-entered safely.

However, the first stage began to roll due to aerodynamic forces during the descent through the atmosphere, and the roll rate exceeded the capabilities of the booster attitude control system (ACS) to null it out.

The fuel in the tanks centrifuged to the outside of the tanks and the single engine involved in the low-altitude deceleration maneuver shut down. Debris from the first stage RUD - Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly - was subsequently retrieved from the ocean.

SpaceX also ran a post-mission test on the second stage. While a number of the new capabilities were successfully tested on the September 29, 2013, CASSIOPE flight, there was an issue with the second stage restart test.

The test to reignite the second stage Merlin 1D vacuum engine once the rocket had deployed its primary payload (CASSIOPE) and all of its nanosat secondary payloads was unsuccessful. The Merlin vacuum engine failed to restart while the second stage was coasting in low Earth orbit. The fuel lines froze solid, disabling the reignition. The problem is now solved by bleeding the Merlin 1D vacuum engines fuel and oxygen pipes until they are empty, thus disabling freezing shut and with insolation of the smaller pipes.

The Falcon 9 upper stage used to launch CASSIOPE was left derelict in a decaying elliptical low Earth orbit that, as of January 20, 2016, had a perigee of 317 km (197 mi) and an apogee of 1,283 km (797 mi).

Falcon 9 V1.1 Rocket

SpaceX has after launching five Falcon 9 V1.0 or Block 1 rockets gathered enough flight data to rebuild its current launch vehicle to the new longer, heavier, stronger and more powerful Falcon 9 V1.1, F9R or Block 2, as it will be known later on.

Falcon 9 V1.1 is 68,4 meter - 224 feet tall, has the same diameter of 3,66 meter - 12 feet and is now capable of launching payloads to other planets, though it will mainly launch satellites to a geostationary orbit, ISS and other low earth orbits. The new Merlin 1D engines have a total of 5 885 kN - 1 400 000 lbf of thrust and can be throttled down to 70% by reducing propellant flow in the main fuel pipes.

There is a 60% increase in overall weight of the launch vehicle, as well as a claimed  60% increase in thrust enabling it to maintain its old thrust to weight ratio, but it’s lower now because the thrust increase from 549 kN to 654 kN is only 19%. The engine block design is changed from a square 3 x 3 to a round welded octaweb with 8 engines in a circle and the last engine nr. 9 in the center position.

First stage consists of an engine block 3,8 meter tall attached to a 46,1 meter tank section minus bulkheads containing propellants in the form of RP-1 and LOX. On top of the tanks is the 6,1 meter long interstage sleeve hiding and protecting the Merlin 1D vacuum engine before stage separation. First stage stands 47 meter from the engine bell bottom edge to the top edge of the interstage.

Second stage consists of an Merlin 1D vacuum engine attached to the bottom of a 8 meter long tank section minus two bulkheads also containing propellants in the form of RP-1 and LOX and a short Payload Adaptor Fitting on top, upon which the 13,1 meter tall fairings and satellite payloads can be attached. A taller 1,1 meter “turtleneck” Payload Adaptor Fitting is used to hold the 7,2 meter tall Trunk and Cargo Dragon.

Falcon 9 V1.1 carrying a Cargo Dragon stands 63,3 meter tall, about 5,1 meter shorter than the satellite launching Falcon 9 V1.1 with its huge fairings. The amount of RP-1, LOX, compressed Helium used as tank backfiller, and RCS Nitrogen gas carried in the fuel tanks in COPV tanks of varying sizes is as yet unknown.

There are also tanks containing igniter fluids TEA-TEB which stands for Triethylaluminum and Triethylborane who both are strongly porophoric in contact with oxygen.

My source for lengths above is from Ed Kyle. Link to it is dead, I'm sad to say.

Author William Graham link link

Coauthor/Text Retriever Johnny Nielsen link to launch list