SpaceX FH - USSF-44 - LC-39A

[ICUDoc]

yeeees! great job Spacex!

 

[Grendal]

We will have a chance to test your hypothesis with the upcoming (NET Jan 2023) USSF-67 mission.

That mission will have the side boosters land on JRTI and ASOG, which will be a first! Apparently the payload is pushing the limit of what an FH launch with side booster recoveries can do.

I am no longer sure that this is true. This launch was supposed to have both side boosters do ASDS landings. As I suggested for this launch that the slight improvements in F9 engines and boosters now allow for a boostback burn and LZ landings instead. That may happen with USSF-67 mission too. I'd love to see a dual ASDS landing at some point though.... There is something like 5 or 6 more FH launches in the next year or two. I expect one or more will need the extra boost from ASDS side booster landings while expending the center core.

 

[Electroman]

As I suggested for this launch that the slight improvements in F9 engines and boosters now allow for a boostback burn and LZ landings instead.

Chris Berglin (NSF) says this was due to reduction in mass of payload than originally planned.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1587555725928239111

 

[Electroman]

Whatever happened to the 2nd stage after payload separation? Since the 2nd stage is taking this all the way to the parking orbit, can we conclude this is also parked at the same orbit, practically both flying/parked together... forever

 

[Cosmacelf]

Whatever happened to the 2nd stage after payload separation? Since the 2nd stage is taking this all the way to the parking orbit, can we conclude this is also parked at the same orbit, practically both flying/parked together... forever

There is a graveyard orbit nearby for Geosats. So presumably the second stage had enough propellant after payload sep to make its way to the graveyard orbit. Geosats are suppose to reserve a bit of fuel onboard for eventual transfer to that same graveyard orbit.

Graveyard orbit - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Grendal]

Space Force is very happy.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1587574089811603456

 

[Grendal]

Berger's response to his own tweet is significant as well:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1587574877695143937

 

[EVCollies]

The four frame shot with both boosters and ground videos of the landing was EPIC!

 

[ICUDoc]

Quad sonic booms! Love to hear that live some day!!

 

[scaesare]

SpaceX allowed amateur folks to set up remote cams near the landing pads... this shot from a couple hundred yards away is cool:

 

[mongo]

I was there at Saturn visitor center watching it along with Bill Bye (and a thousand others) who was the chief guest entertaining the crowd. Bill Nye did mention that the 2nd FH launch will carry the satellite that he worked on, which is a cube sat with an enormous thin foil that was intended to demonstrate a new propulsion mechanism using sun's rays.

That cube sat was indeed launched, but not sure how successful was the experiment.

LightSail 2 has completed its mission and deorbited.
The Planetary Society’s LightSail 2 mission reenters atmosphere,…