SpaceX Targeting Twilight Thunder for May 15 Inmarsat Blastoff

[Binary_Bark]

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL – SpaceX is targeting twilight thunder with the firms Falcon 9 rocketing skyward from the Florida Space Coast on Monday 15 carrying a commercial High-Speed broadband satellite for London based Inmarsat.

Blastoff of the Inmarsat-5 Flight 4 communications satellite for commercial broadband provider Inmarsat is slated for early Monday evening, May 15 at 7:21 p.m. EDT (or 23:21 UTC) from SpaceX’s seaside Launch Complex 39A on NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

All systems are currently GO and the weather outlook is quite favorable at this time.

The twilight setting will put on an outstanding sky show – if all goes well. But there are no guarantees.

So now is the time is come and watch a launch in person if you have the availability.

“Targeting launch of Inmarsat-5 Flight 4 from Pad 39A on Monday, May 15,” SpaceX confirmed via social media accounts.

The Falcon 9’s launch window extends for 49 minutes until 8:10 p.m. EDT.

“SpaceX will not attempt to land Falcon 9’s first stage after launch due to mission requirements,” says SpaceX.

The historic pad 39A was previously used to launch NASA’s Apollo Saturn Moon rockets and Space Shuttles.

The built from scratch 229-foot-tall (70-meter) SpaceX Falcon 9 is set to deliver the huge 6100 kg Inmarsat-5 F4 satellite to a Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO).

Read More At: https://www.universetoday.com/13555...nder-for-may-15-inmarsat-blastoff-watch-live/

 

[Creag]

After 1am our time. Would've been a good webcast to follow. Pity.

 

[Creag]

A little more than 2 hours to go... and the Sandman made an appearance with stern recommendation to follow him to wonderland. I'll have to look for this on YouTube tomorrow.

 

[Binary_Bark]

A little more than 2 hours to go... and the Sandman made an appearance with stern recommendation to follow him to wonderland. I'll have to look for this on YouTube tomorrow.

Already sleeping.....ZZZzzzzz
Will watch tomorrow

 

[Voicy]

[video=youtube;ynMYE64IEKs]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynMYE64IEKs[/video]

 

[Arthur]

So far so good. All systems nominal.

 

[Arthur]

In orbit. Stage 2 first burn ends in LEO. Now to coast a bit in parking orbit before she's relit in 17 minutes.

 

[Binary_Bark]

SpaceX Blasts Biggest High Speed Communications Satellite to Orbit for Inmarsat

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL – SpaceX blasted the “largest and most complicated communications satellite ever built to orbit” for London based Inmarset at twilight this evening, May 15, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

In fact the Inmarsat-5 F4 satellite is so powerful that it has the potential to reach “hundreds of millions of customers” the Inmarsat CEO Rupert Pierce told Universe Today in a post launch interview at the Kennedy Space Center.

“This is the largest and most complicated [communications] satellite ever built,” Pierce explained beside NASA’s countdown clock at the KSC press site.

Blastoff of the Inmarsat-5 Flight 4 communications satellite for commercial High-Speed broadband provider Inmarsat took place right on time early Monday evening, May 15 at 7:21 p.m. EDT (or 23:21 UTC) from SpaceX’s seaside Launch Complex 39A on NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The newly built 229-foot-tall (70-meter) SpaceX Falcon 9 successfully delivered the huge 6100 kg Inmarsat-5 F4 satellite to a Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO) under brilliant blue twilight skies from the Florida Space Coast.

“Satellite deployment success!” Inmarsat announced.

“#I5F4 has been released & is flying high on its way to geostationary orbit! Safe journey! Thanks for a great launch SpaceX!”

Full article: https://www.universetoday.com/13556...mmunications-satellite-to-orbit-for-inmarsat/

 

[Arthur]

Watching that Stage 2 burn with cam on the engine and nozzle - the nozzle seems to flex and wobble a lot more than I expected. Wondered whether it was a video anomaly, but it also seems to really be a flexing nozzle. This got me all concerned about the nozzle developing cracks and flex fissures and failing. Amazing engineering and manufacturing to make such a large nozzle able to survive that sort of flexing, especially considering the huge dynamic pressures.

 

[Arthur]

See the whole launch vid. See nozzle flexing around 18 min in.

[video=youtube;ynMYE64IEKs]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynMYE64IEKs[/video]

 

[Creag]

Another successful launch. Good to see. Thanks for posting the YouTube video, kind Sirs