Launch Updates
Photo Update
Thursday, July 16th, 2009
Falcon 1 Successfully Delivers RazakSAT Satellite to Orbit - Photo Update
Falcon 1, carrying the RazakSAT satellite, lifted off on July 13, 2009 at 8:35 p.m. (PDT) / (July 14 2009, at 03:35 UTC). Liftoff occurred from the SpaceX launch site on Omelek Island at the U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) in the Central Pacific, about 2,500 miles southwest of Hawaii. After the second burn of the second stage engine, Falcon 1 released the RazakSAT Earth Observation satellite into the intended near-equatorial orbit of 685 km, 9 degrees inclination.
All photo credits: SpaceX, except as noted.
Photo credit: USAKA
Photo credit: USAKA
Photo credit: USAKA
Ignition of the Merlin 1C main engine, as viewed by the second stage aft-facing camera, looking down the length of the Falcon 1 rocket.
Climbing from the launch pad on Omelek Island.
The 15-acre island recedes rapidly as the rocket climbs.
Passing through the first deck of light clouds.
At the time of maximum dynamic pressure, the vehicle passes through a layer of clouds.
The rocket’s exhaust trail casts a shadow that appears as the diagonal gray line on the clouds at lower right.
As atmospheric pressure decreases with increasing altitude, the exhaust plume expands.
Moments before Main Engine Cut Off (MECO), the exhaust plume reaches maximum diameter.
Stage separation begins.
Stage separation exposes the exhaust nozzle of the second stage Kestrel engine.
The first stage falls away as flakes of ice fall from the second stage.
Ignition of the second stage Kestrel engine.
Kestrel fires without visible flame, as the first stage falls away.
As the second stage Kestrel engine nozzle reaches its red-hot operating temperature, the first stage falls back towards Earth.
Climbing towards orbit.
The forward facing camera shows a view of the nose fairing that protects the RazakSAT satellite.
Fairing jettison begins as the band that secures the fairing halves to the rocket flies away.
Pneumatic pushers separate the fairing halves, exposing the RazakSAT satellite (not visible) to the vacuum of space.
The fairing halves fall cleanly away from the vehicle.
The fairing halves fall, destined to burn up on their return to Earth.
As the adhesive securing the stiffener ring softens, the ring releases from the Kestrel engine’s red-hot expansion nozzle.
Continuing the climb to orbit.
Reaching orbital altitude and speed.
With Second stage Engine Cut Off (SECO), the Falcon 1 delivers RazakSAT into its parking orbit.
Final image, moments before loss-of-signal as the vehicle passes over the horizon as viewed from the launch site.
Fifty-six minutes after launch, over the Atlantic Ocean on the night side of the Earth, the second stage Kestrel engine restarts to
circularize the orbit. A few minutes after Kestrel shuts down, RazakSAT is deployed from the vehicle, entering
its permanent orbit, where it will remain for a decade or more.
Falcon 1 | Flight 5
Wednesday, July 15th, 2009
Falcon 1 Successfully Delivers RazakSAT Satellite to Orbit
Hawthorne, CA – July 15, 2009 – Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) announces the successful launch of Falcon 1 Flight 5 launch vehicle and the precision placement of Malaysia's RazakSAT into Earth orbit.
“This marks another successful launch by the SpaceX team,” said Elon Musk, CEO and CTO of SpaceX. “We are pleased to announce that Malaysia's RazakSAT, aboard Falcon 1, has achieved the intended orbit.”
Falcon 1, a two-stage, liquid oxygen/rocket-grade kerosene vehicle designed and manufactured by SpaceX, lifted off Monday, July 13, at 8:35 pm (PDT). Lift off occurred from the Reagan Test Site (RTS) on Omelek Island at the U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) in the Pacific Ocean, approximately 2,500 miles southwest of Hawaii.
RazakSAT was designed and built by Astronautic Technology (M) Sdn Bhd (ATSB), a pioneer and leader in the design and manufacture of satellites in Malaysia.
“Our ground systems were able to pick up communication from RazakSAT on its first pass,” said Norhizam Hamzah, Senior Vice President / Chief Technical Officer, Space Systems Division, ATSB. “The satellite is communicating as expected and our team will continue to monitor the data closely.”
Preliminary data indicates that the RazakSAT, equipped with a high resolution Medium-Sized Aperture Camera (MAC), achieved the intended Near-Equatorial Low Earth Orbit (NEqO) at 685 km altitude and a 9 degree inclination. The payload is expected to provide high resolution images of Malaysia that can be applied to land management, resource development and conservation, forestry and fish migration.
Liftoff of the Falcon 1 RazakSAT mission, from the SpaceX launch site on Omelek Island, US Army Kwajalein Atoll, in the Central Pacific, on 14 July 2009 at 03:35 UTC.
SpaceX and ATSB Announce New Launch Date For Razaksat Satellite
Monday, June 1st, 2009
Hawthorne, California – June 1, 2009 – Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and Astronautic Technology (M) Sdn Bhd (ATSB) of Malaysia announce a new launch window has been set for Falcon 1 Flight 5, carrying the RazakSAT satellite to orbit. The launch window opens Monday, July 13th and extends through Tuesday, July 14th, with a daily window to open at 4:00 p.m. (PDT) / 7:00 p.m. (EDT).
The launch was delayed last month after SpaceX identified the potential for an unfavorable interaction between the satellite and the launch vehicle. After further analysis, SpaceX determined the implementation of a simple vibration isolation system would address this concern. SpaceX selected the SoftRide isolation system from CSA Engineering for this purpose, citing the system's strong flight heritage and established success in addressing vibration concerns.
Falcon 1, a two-stage, liquid oxygen/rocket-grade kerosene vehicle designed from the ground up by SpaceX, will place the RazakSAT satellite, equipped with a high resolution Medium-Sized Aperture Camera (MAC), into a near equatorial orbit.
RazakSAT was designed and built by ATSB, a pioneer and leader in the design and manufacture of satellites in Malaysia. The satellite is expected to provide high resolution images of Malaysia that can be applied to land management, resource development and conservation, forestry and fish migration.
SpaceX's Falcon 1 launch site is located approximately 2500 miles southwest of Hawaii on Omelek Island, part of the Reagan Test Site (RTS) at United States Army Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) in the Central Pacific. Due to the location of the launch site, the Kwajalein local date at the opening of the launch window will be Tuesday, July 14th.
SpaceX will provide live coverage of the Falcon 1 Flight 5/RazakSAT mission via webcast at www.SpaceX.com. The webcast will begin 20 minutes prior to launch and will include mission briefings, live feeds and launch coverage from the launch site. Post-launch, video footage and photos will be available for download on the web site.
Launch of RazakSAT Postponed
Monday, April 20th, 2009
Hawthorne, California – April 20, 2009 – Due to a potential compatibility issue between the RazakSAT spacecraft and Falcon 1 launch vehicle, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and Astronautic Technology (M) Sdn Bhd (ATSB) have agreed to postpone the launch of ATSB's RazakSAT satellite.
While both the Falcon 1 vehicle and satellite passed all preliminary checkouts and are cleared for launch, a concern has been identified regarding the potential impact of predicted vehicle environments on the satellite. Based on these concerns, the SpaceX team is evaluating options to minimize this impact and ensure mission success.
“SpaceX is committed to the safety and success of our customer's payloads,” said Elon Musk, CEO and CTO of SpaceX. “Our engineers are addressing this issue and we look forward to launching RazakSAT once the issue is fully understood and resolved.”
“Both teams are confident the issue will be resolved,“ said Dr. Ahmad Sabirin, CEO of ATSB. “We are all looking forward to a
successful launch.“
Updates and information regarding a new launch date will be available on www.SpaceX.com.
Falcon 1 Flight 5 Update
Tuesday, April 14th, 2009
For an overview of the Falcon 1 Launch Vehicle, click here.
Progress continues non-stop in preparation for our next Falcon 1 launch.
The second stage, being smaller and lighter than the first stage, allowed for easy transport via air to our Central Pacific launch site.
Fit check of the two stages on the Falcon 1 production line at the SpaceX headquarters.
After completing the second stage's final factory checkout, we transferred it into a shipping container, then delivered it to the airport where it was loaded onto a transport aircraft headed for the US Army Kwajalein Atoll.
Second stage padded and wrapped before loading into the shipping container.
The second stage's shipping container chained securely before it was loaded onto the aircraft for a trans-Pacific flight.
The primary payload for Flight 5, RazakSAT, journeyed 3,900 miles from the tropical nation of Malaysia to the SpaceX launch site in the Kwajalein Atoll.
RazakSAT undergoing final preparation for shipping.
ATSB, supervised by the by the Malaysian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) and primary customer for Falcon 1 Flight 5, developed Malaysia's first microsatellite, TiungSAT-1, which flew into space in September 2000.
ATSB's newest satellite, RazakSAT, weighs over three times a much as TiungSAT-1 and carries a high resolution Earth observation camera. Developed in conjunction with Satrec Initiative, the satellite's low inclination orbit (9 degrees) will bring it over Malaysia a dozen or more times per day. This will provide for greatly increased coverage of Malaysia as compared to most other Earth observation satellites.
Below are some images showing RazakSAT's departure.
RazakSAT arrives at the airport just outside of the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.
RazakSAT travels well protected inside an environmentally controlled shipping container.
Loaded and secured on the Royal Malaysian Air Force C-130 aircraft for the 3,900 mile journey to SpaceX's launch site on the US Army Kwajalein Atoll.
All arrived safely at the SpaceX launch site and everything remains on schedule for the opening of the launch window on April 20 (April 21 in Kwaj), 2009.
Falcon 1 Flight 5 Update
Tuesday, March 17th, 2009
For an overview of the Falcon 1 Launch Vehicle, click here.
Preparations for Flight 5 of Falcon 1 are well underway at SpaceX. Flight 5 will loft an Earth observation satellite called RazakSAT into orbit for the Government of Malaysia, plus two secondary payloads that will deploy separately.
SpaceX's Falcon 1 launch site lies approximately 5,000 miles away from Los Angeles, on Omelek Island, which is part of the United States Army Kwajalein Atoll. Omelek is nearly 2,500 miles southwest of Hawaii, and just 9.1 degrees north latitude, making it a great location for launching rockets. Currently, Flight 5 is scheduled for an April 21st launch which corresponds with April 20th in the US.
The completed Falcon 1 Flight 5 first stage on the factory floor in Hawthorne, CA.
Having passed final factory checkouts, we recently transferred the completed Falcon 1 first stage to a shipping structure, and wrapped it securely for travel (see photos below). Departing from our Hawthorne headquarters via flatbed truck, the first stage traveled south to the Long Beach harbor, where we loaded it on to a large oceangoing transport for a voyage across the Pacific.
Wrapped tight for travel, the Falcon 1 Flight 5 first stage has left the building.
A loading crane moves the Flight 5 first stage off the truck and into the ship's hold for travel across the Pacific to
the SpaceX launch site in the Kwajalein Atoll.
In the coming weeks, the Falcon 1 second stage will depart from California and travel by aircraft to Kwajalein, then by boat the short distance to Omelek. As the components arrive in close succession at the launch site, our Launch Operations crew will conduct the final integration, testing and preparations for flight. Watch for further Flight 5 updates as progress continues.