Keep the shuttle flying: Fwd: SpaceX postpones launch due to technical glitch

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From: "Gary Johnson" <gjohnson144@comcast.net>
Date: June 21, 2014 1:22:32 PM CDT
To: "Gary Johnson" <gjohnson144@comcast.net>
Subject: FW: SpaceX postpones launch due to technical glitch

AmericaSpace
For a nation that explores
June 20th, 2014
Second Stage 'Pressure Decrease' Issue Scrubs Falcon 9 Launch Attempt
By Ben Evans

SpaceX's Falcon 9 v1.1 must wait a little longer to deliver Orbcomm's first six OG-2 satellites into orbit. Photo Credit: Ken Kremer
Six Orbcomm Generation-2 (OG-2) satellites must wait a little longer for their ride into low-Earth orbit, as SpaceX identified an apparent "pressure decrease" in the second stage of its Falcon 9 v1.1 rocket during final countdown operations on Friday, 20 June. Launch of the long-delayed mission was planned for 6:08 p.m. EDT, but was postponed until the very end of the 53-minute "window", in the hope that engineers could identify the cause of the pressure decrease and determine whether it lay in the vehicle itself or within ground support equipment. Playing today's launch attempt very close to the wire, SpaceX pressed on with a standard polling of all stations at T-13 minutes, but a "Hold, Hold, Hold" call was made from one of the flight controllers in the final minutes and the attempt was scrubbed. Although the mission has a second shot tomorrow (Saturday), it remains to be seen if the problems which prevented a launch today can be rectified in sufficient time.
Friday dawned with an initially pessimistic 30-percent likelihood of acceptable meteorological conditions, the 45th Weather Squadron having highlighted a low-pressure zone which threatened the Cape Canaveral area with cumulus clouds, thick clouds, anvil clouds and a heightened risk of lightning. Nevertheless, SpaceX and Orbcomm, Inc., managers agreed to roll the Falcon 9 v.1.1 rocket—with the six OG-2 satellites snugly encapsulated within its bulbous payload fairing—horizontally out to Space Launch Complex (SLC)-40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., at 1:00 a.m. EDT Friday. Upon arrival at the pad, the Falcon was raised to a vertical configuration, in order for technicians to install umbilicals and prepare for countdown operations.
Thirteen hours and 30 minutes before the scheduled 6:08 p.m. EDT opening of the launch window, the Falcon 9 v1.1 was powered-up and underwent an extensive checkout of the communications hardware, the Flight Termination System (FTS) and the navigational and control subsystems. As the day wore on, the weather situation seemed to improve and Air Force meteorologists adjusted their predictions slightly to a 40-percent likelihood of favorable conditions at the opening of the launch window. "A slow-moving tropical low, situated 30 nautical miles (55 km) to the east of the Cape is bringing layered cloudiness to the Cape this morning," it was explained, but stressed that although "isolated rain showers are expected where the clouds are thicker in nature", the majority of these showers would remain at least 15 nautical miles (27 km) offshore. Rain showers and thunderstorms were expected to be just inland on the sea breeze by liftoff time. It was also stressed that, in the event of a 24-hour scrub, the situation for a Saturday launch showed further improvement, with a 60-percent chance of acceptable weather.
Within the Falcon 9 v1.1′s bulbous payload fairing are six OG-2 satellites to be delivered into low-Earth orbit on behalf of Orbcomm, Inc. Photo Credit: John Studwell
At 2:20 p.m. EDT, Orbcomm announced that SpaceX had begun the lengthy procedure of fueling the Falcon 9 v1.1 with liquid oxygen and a refined form of rocket-grade kerosene, known as "RP-1″. A little over an hour later, the loading of liquid oxygen was completed and entered a "replenishment mode" to ensure that it was maintained at proper flight levels throughout the remainder of the countdown and any boiled-off oxidizer was rapidly replaced. This was visibly apparent to observers, as clouds of gas billowed around the booster. All propellants were confirmed loaded aboard the vehicle by about T-3 hours and 15 minutes. By the time SpaceX kicked off its live webcast at 5:35 p.m. EDT, Falcon 9 Product Director John Insprukter pointed out that Friday's weather had been particularly dynamic, periodically shifting throughout the day between "Red" ("No-Go") and "Green" ("Go"). With just over 30 minutes to go in the countdown, Mr. Insprukter noted that weather conditions had improved and were "Green" for an on-time launch.
However, at 5:53 p.m. EDT, about two minutes before the standard polling of all stations for their "Go/No Go" status at T-13 minutes and the subsequent initiation of the "terminal countdown" at T-10 minutes, the clock was abruptly halted. Although he had earlier made passing reference to a possible fuel leak, Mr. Insprukter expressed a measure of surprise to his webcast audience as the clock was recycled to track a revised T-0 at the very end of the launch window, at 7:01 p.m. He explained that the hold had been called in order to allow SpaceX engineers to take a closer look at a possible fuel leak in the Falcon 9 v1.1′s first stage. In an update at 6:35 p.m., Mr. Insprukter explained that a pressure decrease had been identified in the second stage, although it remained unclear if the problem lay with the Falcon 9 v1.1 itself or the ground support equipment. However, he stressed that both the Eastern Range and the weather remained "Green" and the OG-2 spacecraft were transitioned to internal power, as planned, after which the team would continue counting down to the T-13-minute polling point.
At 6:48 p.m., with 13 minutes remaining before the end of the window, the standard poll of all stations was conducted by Flight Director Brian Childers and, upon receipt of a unanimous "Green" ("Go for Launch"), the "terminal countdown" got underway at T-10 minutes. Now running on the "autosequencer", at 6:54 p.m. the nine Merlin-1D engines of the Falcon 9 v1.1′s first stage underwent a "chill-down" protocol in order to provide pre-launch thermal conditioning. A mere 60 seconds later, the words "Hold, Hold, Hold" were called by a flight controller over the flight loop and the clock was stopped. With no further "wiggle room" in the launch window, an abort was called at 6:58 p.m. EDT and procedures were set in motion to "safe" the Falcon 9 on the pad. "The propellant will be offloaded and the vehicle and payloads will be returned to external power," explained AmericaSpace's Launch Tracker. "The next possible launch attempt is in 24 hours, but that will depend on the outcome of the review of the pressure-drop issue on the Falcon 9 second stage today." Assuming that SpaceX can recycle and attempt a Saturday launch, weather conditions remain about 60 percent favorable.
An OG-2 satellite preparing for testing ahead of launch. Photo Credit: Sierra Nevada Corp.
The mission will insert the six OG-2 satellites into a circular orbit of 460 x 460 miles (750 x 750 km), inclined 52 degrees to the equator. They will remain in service for at least five years and provide two-way messaging services for global customers. Following a failed inaugural OG-2 launch in October 2012, tonight's mission transported the first six of 17 OG-2 satellites, all built by Sierra Nevada Corp. (SNC), into low-Earth orbit. The remaining 11—which are currently undergoing final processing at SNC—are expected to fly aboard another Falcon 9 v1.1 later this year. Orbcomm announced in May 2008 that SNC would build 18 OG-2 satellites for a fee of $117 million, with an option for up to 30 others. A few weeks later, Orbcomm selected Argon ST, a subsidiary of Boeing, to develop advanced communications payloads to increase subscriber capacity by up to 12 times over earlier satellites, as well as transmitting data at higher speeds and quantities. Designed with Automatic Identification System (AIS), it is expected that the OG-2 network will be marketed by Orbcomm to U.S. and international coast guards and government agencies, as well as private security and logistics companies.
At the time of writing, 45 Orbcomm satellites have been delivered into orbit since July 1991, aboard a wide range of vehicles, including Europe's Ariane 4, the air-launched Pegasus booster, Orbital Sciences Corp.'s Taurus, China's Long March 4B, India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), and Russia's Cosmos-3M. Initial "Concept Demonstration Satellites" led to the OG-1 network and a replenishment series of "Quick Launch" missions, with the OG-2 series intended to supplement and eventually replace the first generation. "Due to their high efficiency and modular design, these satellites have substantially more capacity to service a larger number of subscribers, thus making the network more efficient with few satellites than the OG-1 satellites that are currently in orbit," explained Pat Remias, SNC's Space Systems senior director of programs. "SNC has established a satellite production line in our Louisville facility to integrate and test each vehicle rapidly, with up to six satellites processing simultaneously."
By 2009, Orbcomm had settled on SpaceX's Falcon 9 as its vehicle of choice, with the inaugural launches originally anticipated the following year, but postponed several times due to delays and schedule slips. The first OG-2 "prototype" satellite was launched in October 2012, flying "piggyback" alongside SpaceX's CRS-1 Dragon. However, an upper stage engine shortfall caused it to be inserted into a low orbit of just 125 x 200 miles (200 x 320 km), instead of the planned 220 x 470 miles (350 x 750 km). Despite the successful deployment of the satellite from the final stage of the Falcon 9, it quickly became clear that the low orbit was "unworkable" and the first OG-2 re-entered the atmosphere to destruction a few days later.
In preparation for the next batch of OG-2 launches, four satellites arrived at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station from SNC shortly after noon EDT on 21 April 2014, followed by two others on the 26th. Each satellite weighs 380 pounds (172 kg) and, when fully deployed in orbit, will measure 42.7 feet (13 meters) x 3.3 feet (1 meter) x 1.6 feet (0.5 meters) and generate about 400 watts of electrical power. The satellites underwent extensive checks and fueling of their hydrazine attitude-control systems, and on 6 May SpaceX performed a Flight Readiness Review and confirmed its status as "Go" for launch on the 10th. The payload stack, containing the six satellites on their Expendable Launch Vehicle Secondary Payload Adaptor (ESPA) "ring," was subsequently encapsulated within the bulbous Falcon 9 v1.1 fairing and attached to the rocket.
OG-2 Mission Logo. Image Credit: SpaceX/Orbcomm
Rollout to SLC-40 occurred early Thursday, 8 May, after which SpaceX intended to conduct a standard static "hot-fire" test of the nine Merlin-1D first-stage engines. However, a considerable helium leak on the first stage caused the hot fire to be postponed by 24 hours, then scrubbed indefinitely. "Today's attempt to perform the static firing test was stopped while the rocket was being fueled," explained Orbcomm on the 9th. "Both the OG-2 satellites and the rocket are in safe condition and will be rotated horizontal and rolled back into the integration facility. This will prevent us from launching this weekend." Hardware from the first stage was removed and returned to SpaceX's facility in Hawthorne, Calif., for inspections and verifications to ensure that the problem did not represent a systemic failure and a threat to future missions.
On 19 May, a revised target of 11 June was announced and it was noted that the Orbcomm and SNC processing teams would arrive at the Cape about a week before launch to participate in the lengthy process of re-encapsulating the OG-2 satellites back into their adaptor. By the end of May, the launch had moved a further 24 hours to the right and on 10 June Orbcomm revealed a new target of No Earlier Than the 15th. "During final integration on one of the OG-2 spacecraft," it was explained, "we encountered a minor issue resulting in a few extra days of delay to perform precautionary steps to ensure there are no operational concerns with the satellite." In the meantime, last Friday, SpaceX performed a successful static hot-fire test, but it was feared that upcoming maintenance of Eastern Range tracking assets might result in a further delay until July. However, after "finalizing the launch schedule with the Range at the Cape"—a new date of 20 June was issued.

Copyright © 2014 AmericaSpace - All Rights Reserved

Rocket problem scrubs SpaceX launch
James Dean, Brevard 7:26 p.m. EDT June 20, 2014

(Photo: CRAIG BAILEY/FLORIDA TODAY)

SpaceX is evaluating the timing of its next launch attempt after a rocket issue scrubbed today's try from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
The launch could come as soon as 5:46 p.m. Saturday, when forecasters expect a 60 percent chance of favorable weather.
Concerns about pressures in the Falcon 9 rocket's upper stage propellant tanks prevented a liftoff today.
Launch managers pushed the targeted liftoff from the window's opening at 6:08 p.m. to its end at 7:01 p.m., but ran out of time to resolve the problem.
The countdown was halted with under eight minutes to go.
It was not immediately clear if the problem was with equipment on the rocket or with ground systems connected to the rocket at Launch Complex 40.
The mission was delayed from May by a helium leak on the rocket, but it was not known if the same issue was a factor today.
Weather had been the main concern going in to today, but conditions ended up cooperating throughout the countdown.
SpaceX is launching the first six of 17 small satellites for Orbcomm Inc., a New Jersey-based provider of machine-to-machine communications.
If the mission does not launch this weekend, it may have to stand down for a week while the Air Force's Eastern Range performs scheduled maintenance.

Copyright © 2014 www.floridatoday.com. All rights reserved.

SpaceX Scrubs Friday's Commercial Satellite Launch
By Mike Wall, Senior Writer | June 20, 2014 07:18pm ET

SpaceX tweeted this photo of the Falcon 9 rocket vertical on the launch pad on the morning of the day it planned to launch 6 Orbcomm OG2 satellites from Cape Canaveral, Florida, June 20, 2014.
Credit: SpaceX View full size image
SpaceX scrubbed today's (June 20) planned launch of six commercial satellites after running out of time to resolve an issue with its Falcon 9 rocket.
Engineers detected a pressure decrease in the Falcon 9's second stage in the leadup to launch, which was scheduled for 6:08 p.m. EDT (2208 GMT) today from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch team first pushed the liftoff back to 7:01 p.m. EDT — the end of today's window — then finally called off the attempt.
"The clock just running out of time to give the team enough minutes to evaluate the data they've been looking at for the last hour," SpaceX's John Insprucker said during today's launch webcast.
The next liftoff opportunity comes on Saturday (June 21) at 5:46 p.m. EDT (2146 GMT), though it was not immediately clear if SpaceX and the Falcon 9 will be ready to go by then.
The launch will blast six spacecraft into low-Earth orbit for the satellite-communications firm ORBCOMM. The satellites are the first members of the company's OG2 (short for "ORBCOMM Generation 2") constellation.
SpaceX will also attempt to bring the Falcon 9's first stage back to Earth in a soft ocean landing, as it did during an April launch that sent the robotic Dragon cargo craft toward the International Space station. These efforts are part of SpaceX's plan to develop a fully and rapidly reusable rocket, which company founder Elon Musk says could revolutionize spaceflight and exploration.

Copyright © 2014 TechMediaNetwork.com All rights reserved.

SpaceX/Orbcomm launch delayed
06/20/2014 07:09 PM
By WILLIAM HARWOOD
CBS News

Launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying six Orbcomm commercial data relay satellites was delayed Friday for at least 24 hours because of telemetry indicating a possible pressurization problem in the rocket's second stage, company officials said.

If the issue can be resolved in time, SpaceX could make another launch attempt at 5:46 p.m. Saturday. Forecasters are predicting a 60 percent chance of acceptable weather. But as of this writing, it's not yet known whether the problem involves a real pressurization issue, faulty instrumentation or a ground system.
Launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying six Orbcomm machine-to-machine data relay satellites was called off Friday after telemetry indicated a possible pressurization problem with the rocket's second stage. (Credit: SpaceX webcast)

"So right now we are going in and putting the Falcon 9 in a safe configuration," said a company spokesman. "So the launch vehicle, the spacecraft, are OK. We'll be looking at off loading propellants. The team will continue looking at data on the second stage pressure decay that we saw. ... We'll see where we go next."

Company engineers were counting down to a planned 6:08 p.m. launch Friday when telemetry first indicated a potential problem. Mission managers opted to reset the countdown for the end of the launch window -- 7:01 p.m. -- while engineers studied the problem and its possible resolution.

At T-13 minutes, launch controllers carried out a pre-flight poll and opted to proceed with the terminal phase of the countdown while troubleshooting continued. Forecasters said the weather, which appeared no-go earlier in the day, was acceptable for flight.

But a few minutes after the countdown entered the terminal phase, mission managers ordered a scrub, saying more time was needed to assess the problem.

The launching originally was planned for late May, but the flight was delayed in part because of troubleshooting to resolve a leak in the helium system used to pressurize the first stage liquid oxygen tank.

Whether today's problem involved a real pressurization issue with the second stage, an instrumentation problem or trouble with ground equipment is not yet known.

© 2014 William Harwood/CBS News

Delay-stricken SpaceX launch scrubbed by technical issue
BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
June 20, 2014
SpaceX called off launch of a Falcon 9 rocket Friday after detecting an unexpected pressurization signature on the launcher's second stage.

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket on the launch pad during Friday's countdown. Credit: SpaceX

Officials said the launch team detected a drop in pressure on the rocket's second stage shortly before beginning the terminal countdown for liftoff at 6:08 p.m. EDT (2208 GMT). The launch crew spent nearly an hour evaluating the problem, aiming to be ready for liftoff at the end of Friday's launch window at 7:01 p.m. EDT (2301 GMT).
It was not clear whether the issue was on the launcher or ground systems, and engineers studying the problem ultimately called an abort at T-minus 7 minutes, 50 seconds.
"This is stage two. We are abort, abort, abort," said a member of the SpaceX launch team.
"Right now, we are going in and putting the Falcon 9 in a safe configuration," said John Insprucker, SpaceX's Falcon 9 product manager, in a company webcast. "The launch vehicle and the spacecraft are OK. We'll be looking at off-loading propellants. The team will continue looking at data on the second stage pressure decay that we saw."
Liftoff could be reset for as soon as Saturday if engineers clear the rocket for flight in time. Saturday's launch window opens at 5:46 p.m. EDT (2146 GMT).
Six commercial communications satellites, valued at about $70 million, are mounted on top of the 224-foot-tall Falcon 9 rocket. Owned by Orbcomm Inc., the satellites will bolster a fleet of spacecraft that relay data and commands between remote assets -- such as trucks, cargo containers, ships, ocean buoys and weather stations -- and their owners.
Orbcomm is paying $42.6 million for two Falcon 9 rocket launches to deliver 17 of the satellites to orbit 466 miles above Earth.
The delay-stricken launch was set for liftoff May 10, but SpaceX ordered a delay after engineers saw a leak in the rocket's first stage helium pressurization system during a customary prelaunch countdown dress rehearsal.
SpaceX released no additional information on the nature of the problem, or its actions to correct the leak, but Orbcomm officials were satisfied with the fix.
The flight was delayed another week to June 20 to analyze a concern with one of the six 375-pound Orbcomm satellites on-board the rocket.
Friday's scrub was also blamed on a pressurization anomaly, but telemetry showed the issue was with the Falcon 9 rocket's second stage, which is served by a separate pressurization system than the first stage.
Delays in launching two SpaceX flights have tightened the company's launch manifest for the second half of the year.
After a quick and successful start to 2014 with the Jan. 6 liftoff of the Thaicom 6 satellite on a Falcon 9 rocket, SpaceX's second and third missions of the year have had trouble getting off the launch pad.
The launch of the Thaicom 6 telecom payload demonstrated a one-month turnaround of SpaceX's launch pad at Cape Canaveral, coming after another successful commercial satellite launch in early December. SpaceX must reliably repeat that achievement to keep up with a manifest filled with commercial satellites and cargo deliveries to the International Space Station.
A resupply flight to the space station launched April 18 after more than a month of delays. SpaceX discovered contamination inside the Dragon supply ship's unpressurized cargo trunk, triggering a two-week schedule slip, then a U.S. Air Force tracking radar at Cape Canaveral was knocked offline by an electrical fire, prompting another two-week delay.
SpaceX scrubbed the cargo mission's first launch attempt April 14 due to a valve anomaly in the rocket's first stage helium system.
The Falcon 9 rocket, like many launchers, uses helium to pressurize the rocket's propellant tanks. Gaseous helium also does several other functions during the final countdown and flight.
The Dragon logistics freighter blasted off April 18 to begin a successful one-month round-trip flight to the space station, delivering and returning experiments, spacesuit hardware and other equipment.
SpaceX officials said earlier this year they planned 10 launches in 2014, and up to double that number in 2015.
The next flight after Orbcomm's launch will carry the AsiaSat 8 communications craft, followed by another satellite delivery for the Hong Kong-based operator. AsiaSat 8 is in storage at Cape Canaveral waiting for the Orbcomm launch.
Two more Dragon flights to the space station are booked for this year, along with Orbcomm's second flight on Falcon 9, a flight currently penciled in for late this year.
© 2014 Spaceflight Now Inc.

SpaceX postpones rocket launch due to technical glitch
By By Irene Klotz

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View photo
An unmanned Falcon 9 rocket blasts off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in this handout photo provided …
CAPE CANAVERAL Fla. (Reuters) - Space Exploration Technologies postponed Friday's planned launch of a Falcon 9 rocket, which is slated to put six small satellites into orbit for Orbcomm Inc, which provides machine-to-machine communication services.
The rocket was on track for a 6:08 p.m. EDT (2208 GMT) liftoff from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida when engineers detected a possible problem with its upper-stage engine, Falcon 9 product director John Insprucker said during a launch webcast.
Flight directors reset countdown clocks to the end of a 53-minute launch opportunity, but ran out of time to assess the problem. The next launch window opens at 5:46 p.m. EDT (2146 GMT) on Saturday.
"Clock just running out of time to give the team enough minutes to evaluate the data we've been looking at for the last hour," Insprucker said.
The launch, which would be SpaceX's 10th Falcon 9 mission, is intended to put six of Orbcomm's 17 next-generation satellites into orbits about 500 miles (800 km) above Earth. The new satellites, built by privately owned Sierra Nevada Corp and Boeing Co, will join Orbcomm's existing 25-member network.
"We help commercial companies monitor their assets," Orbcomm Chief Executive Marc Eisenberg said in an interview.
Each satellite in the $200 million, 17-member Orbcomm Generation 2, or OG2, constellation has more capacity than the entire existing constellation, he said. In addition to longer messages between, for example, retailers and their shipping containers or construction companies and their cranes, OG2 will plug holes in the current system, making the network faster. Currently, Orbcomm has gaps of about 30 to 60 minutes when satellites are out of range. "We're launching directly into that hole in the sky so the network is going to get dramatically quicker," Eisenberg said.OG2 spacecraft are designed to last 10 years. "We've got a great base of customers and we need to show them that there are years of service that Orbcomm is going to continue to supply," Eisenberg said. "Machine-to-machine communications - or the 'Internet of things' - has really picked up over time. It's just kind of hitting its stride now." Orbcomm is paying a cut-rate $47 million for two Falcon 9flights, the second of which is slated for launch later this year.
Orbcomm originally bought rides on SpaceX's smaller Falcon 1boosters, but those rockets were retired in 2009. SpaceX moved Orbcomm to the larger Falcon 9s, but kept the price the same. "That would be priced today at about $120 million, "Eisenberg said. "They kind of took it on the chin financially to make sure we had a path to space."
(Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Richard Chang)

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