Rocket Launch notification thread

[MartG]

Ariane due off in half an hour https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvUUYaPaEao

[Beati Dogu]

The second Delta IV Heavy launch of the year is due off tonight from Vandenberg.

This is the NROL-71 spy satellite mission.

Not a great launch time for the UK though: 04.19 GMT on Saturday 8th (8.19 p.m. Pacific time on Friday 7th)

It may be delayed 24 hours due to high ground winds though.

[Beati Dogu]

Earlier today the Chinese successfully launched a Long March 3B rocket on a moon mission. They didn't stream it live.

This is their "Chang'e-4" mission and will attempt the first ever soft landing on the far side of the moon. The lander is carrying a little rover.

It should arrive in January next year.


https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/12/china-retu...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang'e_4

[Beati Dogu]

Beati Dogu said:

The second Delta IV Heavy launch of the year is due off tonight from Vandenberg.

This is the NROL-71 spy satellite mission.

After a weather delay and then an abort with 7 seconds to go, they've now announced a new launch time :

Dec. 19. at 01:57 am UK time (Dec 18th, 5:57 p.m. PST)

[RobDickinson]

So Dec 18 (PST) we've 3 leaunches

F9 GPS3
Soyuz CSO
Delta IV Heavy nrol-71

[Beati Dogu]

Looks like 4 of them now. Blue Origin are launching a New Shepard too.

[MartG]

They're like buses

[MartG]

"Blue Origin’s next New Shepard mission (NS-10) is currently targeting liftoff tomorrow at 8:30 am CST / 14:30 UTC. This will be the 10th New Shepard mission and is dedicated to bringing nine NASA-sponsored research and technology payloads into space through NASA’s Flight Opportunities program."

[MartG]

18/12/18

Falcon 9 14:11

Blue Origin 14:30

Soyuz 16:37

19/12/18

NROL 01:57

Edited by MartG on Tuesday 18th December 10:06

[MartG]

Soyuz scrubbed due to high level winds

Blue Origin scrubbed due to ground infrastructure issues

SpaceX running about 20m late

NROL only 20% chance weather will be OK

[MartG]

And SpaceX aborted with 7mins to go

[FurtiveFreddy]

So much for 'Rocket Tuesday'!

[51mes]

MartG said:

They're like buses

yep exactly ... Advertise a brilliant service - then none of them ever turn up ;-)

[thetrickcyclist]

Grid fin coasters are uber cool!

Still blame Tim Todd mind, think his twin live stream failure upset the AI in that F9 and it self aborted in a huff....seriously now, what processes are running at the abort countdown time??

Edited by thetrickcyclist on Tuesday 18th December 15:07

[MartG]

51mes said:

MartG said:

They're like buses

yep exactly ... Advertise a brilliant service - then none of them ever turn up ;-)

[Eric Mc]

Delta 4 Heavy left for a full house. Of course, it's already been scrubbed once.

[Beati Dogu]

There’s also an Indian GSLV rocket due off tomorrow, so there could be 5 launches then.

Plus the Soyuz they were hacking into the other day with a knife will be departing the ISS. Should land back on Thursday.



Tentative schedule for tomorrow (Courtesy of Cosmic Penguin on Twitter):

Delta IV Heavy NROL-71 01:57 UTC

GSLV Mk-II GSAT-7A 10:40 UTC

F9 GPS III-1 14:07 UTC

New Shepard Flight 10 ~14:30 UTC

Soyuz CSO-1 16:37 UTC


[UTC is the same as GMT]

Edited by Beati Dogu on Tuesday 18th December 18:59

[MartG]

Not looking too hopeful for the Delta - "Winds are currently gusting greater than 20 knots from the north at Space Launch Complex-6. The launch weather officer predicts the winds will become stronger throughout the day, and ULA's launch team continues assessing weather conditions as the Delta 4 countdown progresses through early activation and checkout steps."

[RobDickinson]

Delta scrubbed too.

Who said rockets would work as domestic transport lol.

[Beati Dogu]

. *cough* Elon *cough*


Great if you like hanging around departure lounges eating Mars bars. Irony overload.