SpaceX is set to launch the Arabsat 7B satellite to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) for Arabsat atop its Falcon 9 rocket. The launch is currently scheduled for May 23 at 11:25 PM EDT (03:25 UTC on May 24) from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40), at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This launch will mark the quickest turnaround time of SLC-40 ever at four days, 21 hours, and five minutes.
SLC-40’s previous turnaround record was five days, one hour, and 16 minutes, set earlier this month between the Starlink Group 5-9 and Starlink Group 6-3 missions. SpaceX has been reliant on SLC-40 to reach its 100-launch goal in 2023 —Arabsat 7B will mark the pad’s 19th launch of the year, while Launch Complex 39A has only supported six launches and Space Launch Complex 4 East has supported 10 this year.
On May 20, 2023, the Space Launch Delta’s 45th weather squadron released a launch mission execution forecast, giving the weather a 30% chance of supporting Tuesday’s launch attempt; later, SpaceX tweeted that the weather is actually 25% go for launch.
The primary weather concerns are the cumulus cloud rule, the surface electric fields rule, and the anvil cloud rules. In the event of a launch scrub or delay, a backup opportunity is available 24 hours later when the weather remains 30% go for launch.
This launch will utilize B1062-14; the -14 signifies that this will be this booster’s 14th flight to space and back. B1062 has previously supported the GPS III SV04 and SV05 missions, Inspiration4, Axiom-1, Nilesat-301, OneWeb 17, and seven Starlink missions.
Following launch, the booster will attempt landing on SpaceX’s autonomous spaceport drone ship Just Read the Instructions (JRTI), which was tugged east into the Atlantic Ocean by SpaceX’s multi-purpose recovery vessel Bob.
Falcon 9’s 5.2-meter payload fairing will be home to the Arabsat 7B (also known as Badr 8) satellite for launch, which is Arabsat’s first seventh-generation satellite, built on Airbus’ Neostar-neo satellite bus. After launch, the satellite will spend the next four-to-five months raising its orbit into the 26-degree East slot in geostationary Earth orbit (GEO).
This bus uses electric propulsion and is designed to last 15 years in orbit. Giving the satellite 17 kilowatts of power are two large deployable solar arrays, which are backed up by batteries to maintain spacecraft operations during the solar night.
Badr 8 will carry the new TELEO optical communications payload demonstrator, enabling high-capacity analog optical feeder link communications. Airbus expects this method of data transfer to be highly robust to jamming.
The satellite will provide satellite TV and telecommunication services to central Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.
Departure! Bob and JRTI droneship are underway from Port Canaveral for the Arabsat-7B mission!https://t.co/icguJj64A8 pic.twitter.com/6EBOrLpmDQ
— Gav Cornwell (@SpaceOffshore) May 19, 2023
Falcon 9’s now very familiar countdown sequence starts at T-38 minutes when the launch director will verify that all systems are go for propellant load. Loading of propellant will start at T-35 minutes with liquid oxygen (LOX) being loaded on the first stage and rocket propellant 1 (RP-1) being fueled on both the first and second stages.
RP-1 load will wrap up on the second stage by T-20 minutes when the transporter erector will begin purging its lines ahead of LOX load. This is done to cool down and clean the lines ahead of super-chilled LOX flowing through them at T-16 minutes.
At T-7 minutes, the Falcon 9 will run small amounts of liquid oxygen through the nine Merlin 1D engines on the first stage. Known as engine chill, this process cools down the engines slowly, ensuring that they do not crack from thermal shock when LOX flows through them at engine ignition.
At T-1 minute, Falcon 9 will enter start-up. This is when the vehicle’s onboard computers take control of the countdown. Also at this time, the vehicle will begin to increase pressure in all four main tanks, making them more rigid for flight loads.
45 seconds before launch, the Launch Director will verify that they are go for launch.
Manual aborts can be called by the launch operators up until T-10 seconds; after T-10 seconds, technical aborts will only be handled by the vehicle itself and not the ground operators.
At T-3 seconds, the booster’s flight computer will command the ignition of the first stage’s nine Merlin 1D engines. The engines on the first stage ignite in pairs to reduce startup transients and loads on the vehicle.
Falcon 9 (B1058-9) launch Starlink Group 4-1. (Credit: SpaceX)
Once Falcon 9 has ensured that all systems are nominal, it will command for the hydraulic clamps at the base of the vehicle to release, letting the Falcon 9 lift off from the pad.
B1062 will burn for two minutes and 33 seconds before commanding shutdown of all nine of its engines. The stages will then separate and the second stage will ignite its singular vacuum-optimized Merlin engine, in an event known as second engine start one (SES-1). At T+3:22, the fairing halves will deploy from the second stage. Both halves will then use parafoils and cold gas thrusters to softly splash down in the Atlantic Ocean, for recovery by Bob.
The first stage will then complete a reentry and landing burn, softly touching down on JRTI. This will mark SpaceX’s 195th booster landing and 121st consecutive landing.
After SES-1, stage two will coast until T+29:03, when it will ignite its engine again for 59 seconds. Badr 8 will then deploy at T+37:13.
Arabsat 7B will mark SpaceX’s eighth launch of the month, and it has two more planned. This will be the most SpaceX launches in a single month to date.
(Lead image: B1062 ahead of the Nilesat-301 mission. Credit: Stephen Marr for NSF)
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