 Official patch for Orbcomm-OG2 mission | |
| Falcon 9 Full Thrust launch | |
|---|---|
| Launch | 22 December 2015; 10 years ago (22 December 2015), 01:29:00UTC |
| Operator | SpaceX |
| Pad | Cape Canaveral,SLC-40 |
| Payload | Orbcomm-OG2 × 11 |
| Outcome | Success |
| Components | |
| First stage | B1019.1 |
| Falcon launches | |
Falcon 9 flight 20 (also known asOrbcomm OG2 M2)[1] was aFalcon 9 space launch that occurred on 22 December 2015 at 01:29:00UTC (21 December, 8:29:00 pm local time). It was the first time that thefirst stage of an orbital rocket made a successful return andvertical landing.[2][3][4][5]
The successful landing of the first stage atLanding Zone 1, near the launch site, was the result of afive-year technology development program to develop areusable launch system and came on aflight test that followed the primary launch mission. Following separation of the second stage, SpaceX conducted the eighth of itscontrolled booster descent tests of the spent first stage, the first in which the descent target location was on land, and also the first ever successful landing.
Prior to this flight, SpaceX's two previous attempts at a vertical landing and booster recovery ended in failure to recover the rocket.[6][7] The success of flight 20 marked a significant milestone en route to the company's goal of creating a reusable rocket system that would significantly reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit.[8][9]
Falcon 9 flight 20 was thefirst launch of the substantially upgradedFalcon 9 Full Thrust version of the Falcon 9launch vehicle. It carried 11Orbcomm-OG2 satellites toEarth orbit. The launch was also notable as it was the firstSpaceX launch following the catastrophic failure of aFalcon 9 v1.1 launch vehicle's second stage onFalcon 9 Flight 19 in June 2015.
SES announced[10] in February 2015 that it would provide the payload on the first launch of the revised-designFalcon 9 Full Thrust (also called Falcon 9 v1.2[11]). At the time, SES expected itsSES-9 geostationary communications satellite would launch by September 2015.[12] SES kept the decision despite the loss of the launch vehicle and payload ofanother SpaceX mission in June 2015, but postponed the launch until late 2015.[13]
On 16 October 2015, after considering all options, SpaceX announced a change:Orbcomm's 11OG2 satellites would be the payload on the return-to-flight launch of the redesigned Falcon 9 instead of SES-9.[12] The Orbcomm payload with itslower orbit would allow SpaceX to test relighting the second-stage engine, a capability required to successfully put the heavier SES-9 on ageostationary orbit.[12] The launch was delayed to mid-December or later, while SES-9 was scheduled to follow within a few weeks.[12]
A required pre-launchstatic-fire test was initially scheduled for 16 December 2015, but a few issues emerged with the new processes required for thecolder propellants for the launch vehicle and the related ground support equipment. The test was successfully carried out on 18 December 2015, which resulted in a launch delay of one day to 19 December 2015 (local time).[14] The launch was subsequently delayed an additional day afterstatistical analysis indicated a somewhat higher probability of recovering the booster on the later date.[15]
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TheFalcon 9 Full Thrust launch vehicle used on flight 20 had a number of significant modifications from the previousFalcon 9 v1.1 vehicle. These included:[13]
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Flight 20 was launched on 22 December 2015 at 01:29UTC (21 December, 8:29 pm local time).
Following successful launch and deployment of the OG2 satellites, theMerlin Vacuum (1D) second-stage engine successfully re-ignited, demonstrating its capability to launch SES-9 intogeostationary transfer orbit. The engine burn de-orbited the second stage as planned for a destructivere-entry, preventing it from becomingspace debris.[17]
Falcon 9 Flight 20 carried 11Orbcomm-OG2 second-generation satellites,[12] which will provide enhanced ORBCOMM messaging capabilities, increased data capacity, andautomatic identification systems (AIS) service.[18] All 11 satellites were successfully deployed by the Falcon 9 second stage, beginning approximately 14 minutes after takeoff. All 11 satellites successfully checked in with ground control stations.[2]
The satellites were placed by the launch vehicle "within a fraction of a degree in inclination and 5 km (3.1 mi) in altitude of the intended orbit, "and by 9 January 2016, were in the middle of on-orbit testing, while executing propulsion maneuvers that had spread the 11 satellites over a 6,400 km (4,000 mi) orbital arc.[19] Initial ORBCOMM customer message traffic began to be tested by late January 2016.[20]
Satflare reported in February 2016 that one of the 11 flight 2 satellites willreenter Earth's atmosphere in late-February 2016.[21]
The satellite manufacturer,Sierra Nevada Corporation, completed checkout work and handed all 11 satellites off to ORBCOMM in early March 2016.[22][23]
SpaceX performed a controlled-descent test on the rocket's first stage — the eighthpropulsive return test of the series. For the first time, SpaceX was able tovertically land and successfully recover the first stage.[24] Earlier tests had proven the high-altitude deceleration and atmospheric re-entry portions of the test protocol, but no landing attempt had previously been successful, including two attempts earlier in 2015 to land a first stage on afloating landing platform.[25] The entire controlled-descent through theatmosphere and landing attempt is an arrangement that is unusual for otherlaunch vehicles.[26]
The flight test was planned for the twentieth Falcon 9 launch, even after the manifested payload was switched from SES-9 to the 11-satellite Orbcomm OG-2 payload.[27] The test was scheduled for and successfully carried out on 21 December 2015, when the first stage landed intact atLanding Zone 1.[3][25]
SpaceX decided not to fly theB1019 again.[28] Rather, the rocket was moved a few miles north toLaunch Pad 39A, recently refurbished by SpaceX at the adjacentKennedy Space Center, to conduct a static fire test. This test aimed to assess the health of the recovered booster and the capability of this rocket design to fly repeatedly in the future.[29][25] The historic booster was eventually displayed outsideSpaceX headquarters inHawthorne, California.
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On 31 December 2015, SpaceX announced that no damage had been found on the stage and that it was ready to perform astatic fire again.[30][31] SpaceX had initially moved the booster to their hangar at LC-39A, but they moved the stage to SLC-40 — the pad from which it was launched — on 12 January 2016.[32] On 15 January 2016, SpaceX conducted the static fire test on the recovered booster, obtaining good overall results except for one of the outer engines experiencing thrust fluctuations.[29] Elon Musk reported that this may have been due to debris ingestion.[33][34]
In February 2016, SpaceX President andCOOGwynne Shotwell indicated that some unspecified modifications to the stage design would occur as a result of the booster's post-flight evaluation and static fire.[35]
In August 2016, the returned first stage was put onpermanent display on a stand outside SpaceX headquarters inHawthorne, California.[36]
SpaceX live coverage of the launch and landing included cheering crowds and tours of the SpaceX manufacturing and launch facilities.[37]The Atlantic technology editor Robinson Meyer called the scripted broadcast "a way of treating a rocket launch not like a dry engineering procedure, but like some combination of theMacy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and theSuper Bowl".[37] Upon the unprecedented first stage landing, a SpaceX engineer announced "The Falcon has landed",[38][39] reminding audiences of thefirst Apollo landing.
the first time SpaceX had successfully landed the rocket's first stage.
In-orbit testing continues to progress well. Yesterday, we turned on one of our OG2 satellites and started successfully processing customer message traffic. We will continue testing this single satellite for the next several days. We expect to move forward with multi-satellite testing next week.
WARNING: This object is expected to decay around Thursday, 25/02/2016 UTC
This mission also marks SpaceX's return-to-flight as well as its first attempt to land a first stage on land. The landing of the first stage is a secondary test objective.
The latest changes, [Shotwell] said, came after a static fire test of the first stage January 15 at Cape Canaveral. "We fired it up, and actually learned something about the rocket", she said, without elaborating on what the company learned. "We're going to make some mods based on what we saw on that stage landing and firing".
