#SpaceCoast

Falcon 9 launching from Pad LC-39A
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

SpaceX has been cleared to resume launching Falcon 9 by the FAA. Almost immediately afterward, the company announced a launch of the venerable rocket from Pad LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center early Sunday morning.

The company stated that the Starlink 9-3 mishap in a statement on their website “The cause of the leak was identified as a crack in a sense line for a pressure sensor attached to the vehicle’s oxygen system. This line cracked due to fatigue caused by high loading from engine vibration and looseness in the clamp that normally constrains the line,” SpaceX said.

In turn, “The liquid oxygen leak on the upper stage led to the excessive cooling of engine components, most importantly those associated with delivery of ignition fluid to the engine. As a result, the engine experienced a hard start rather than a controlled burn, which damaged the engine hardware and caused the upper stage to subsequently lose attitude control,” said SpaceX today.

SpaceX then outlined the fix that they will employ in the short-term future, “For near term Falcon launches, the failed sense line and sensor on the second stage engine will be removed. The sensor is not used by the flight safety system and can be covered by alternate sensors already present on the engine. The design change has been tested at SpaceX’s rocket development facility in McGregor, Texas, with enhanced qualification analysis and oversight by the FAA and involvement from the SpaceX investigation team.”

That presumes that they will be looking for a permanent fix but, in the meantime, will employ the method outlined above. It is unknown whether that will be sufficient for crewed flights — either to SpaceX, NASA, or the FAA.

FAA Statement

The FAA released the following statement:

“The FAA is responsible for and committed to protecting the public during commercial space transportation launch and reentry operations.

After a comprehensive review, the FAA determined no public safety issues were involved in the anomaly that occurred during the SpaceX Starlink Group 9-3 launch on July 11. The public safety determination means the Falcon 9 vehicle may return to flight operations while the overall investigation remains open, provided all other license requirements are met.”

SpaceX Statement

SpaceX released the following statement on their website around 6PM EDT on July 25, 2024:

SpaceX submitted its mishap report to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regarding Falcon 9’s launch anomaly on July 11, 2024. SpaceX’s investigation team, with oversight from the FAA, was able to identify the most probable cause of the mishap and associated corrective actions to ensure the success of future missions.

Post-flight data reviews confirmed Falcon 9’s first stage booster performed nominally through ascent, stage separation, and a successful droneship landing. During the first burn of Falcon 9’s second stage engine, a liquid oxygen leak developed within the insulation around the upper stage engine. The cause of the leak was identified as a crack in a sense line for a pressure sensor attached to the vehicle’s oxygen system. This line cracked due to fatigue caused by high loading from engine vibration and looseness in the clamp that normally constrains the line. Despite the leak, the second stage engine continued to operate through the duration of its first burn, and completed its engine shutdown, where it entered the coast phase of the mission in the intended elliptical parking orbit.

A second burn of the upper stage engine was planned to circularize the orbit ahead of satellite deployment. However, the liquid oxygen leak on the upper stage led to the excessive cooling of engine components, most importantly those associated with delivery of ignition fluid to the engine. As a result, the engine experienced a hard start rather than a controlled burn, which damaged the engine hardware and caused the upper stage to subsequently lose attitude control. Even so, the second stage continued to operate as designed, deploying the Starlink satellites and successfully completing stage passivation, a process of venting down stored energy on the stage, which occurs at the conclusion of every Falcon mission.

Following deployment, the Starlink team made contact with 10 of the satellites to send early burn commands in an attempt to raise their altitude. Unfortunately, the satellites were in an enormously high-drag environment with a very low perigee of only 135 km above the Earth. As a result, all 20 Starlink satellites from this launch re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere. By design, Starlink satellites fully demise upon reentry, posing no threat to public safety. To-date, no debris has been reported after the successful deorbit of Starlink satellites.

SpaceX engineering teams have performed a comprehensive and thorough review of all SpaceX vehicles and ground systems to ensure we are putting our best foot forward as we return to flight. For near term Falcon launches, the failed sense line and sensor on the second stage engine will be removed. The sensor is not used by the flight safety system and can be covered by alternate sensors already present on the engine. The design change has been tested at SpaceX’s rocket development facility in McGregor, Texas, with enhanced qualification analysis and oversight by the FAA and involvement from the SpaceX investigation team. An additional qualification review, inspection, and scrub of all sense lines and clamps on the active booster fleet led to a proactive replacement in select locations.

Safety and reliability are at the core of SpaceX’s operations. It would not have been possible to achieve our current cadence without this focus, and thanks to the pace we’ve been able to launch, we’re able to gather unprecedented levels of flight data and are poised to rapidly return to flight, safely and with increased reliability. Our missions are of critical importance – safely carrying astronauts, customer payloads, and thousands of Starlink satellites to orbit – and they rely on the Falcon family of rockets being one of the most reliable in the world. We thank the FAA and our customers for their ongoing work and support.

Falcon 9 nears staging
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

Starlink 10-9 Launch Scheduled

Also on SpaceX’s website, a Falcon 9 launch was announced:

SpaceX is targeting Saturday, July 27 for a Falcon 9 launch of 23 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff is targeted for 12:21 a.m. ET, with backup opportunities available until 4:21 a.m. ET. If needed, additional opportunities are also available on Sunday, July 28 starting at the same time.

Talk of Titusville will publish a comprehensive launch preview tomorrow, Friday 26.

Read more

Starliner docked at ISS.
Photo: NASA

NASA’s Steve Stich and Boeing’s Mark Nappi provided an update on the Starliner CFT flight today in a teleconference. They stated that while no return date has been set for astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to return aboard the spacecraft, the agency and Boeing are relatively close to a Readiness Review that must be conducted prior to Starliner undocking from ISS and returning to Earth. According to NASA, that review may come as soon as the end of next week — or August 2, 2024.

“I think we’re starting to close in on those final pieces of the flight rationale to make sure that we can come home safely,” said Steve Stich.

Below are in-depth comments given by Stich and Nappi.

Addressing Returning On SpaceX Crew Dragon

Steve Stich was asked what the backup plan was if Williams and Wilmore could not return on Starliner. “Obviously, the luxury in our program today, and we’ve never really had this option in other NASA programs, is we have two different systems that we’re flying,” Stich replied. “Obviously, the backup option is to use a different system. I would rather not go into all those details until we get to that time, if we ever get to that time on what we plan to do.

“The beauty of having Dragon and Starliner in two different diverse space transportation systems is we can kind of use those as backups someday. Starliner could be a backup to a Dragon mission, and we’ve looked at all kinds of different contingencies for that. You’ve seen the Russians send up an empty Soyuz, right, to return a crew when they had a coolant leak.”

“I think the beauty of what we have in commercial crew is two different systems, and we would employ those systems if we need to, but we really have our team focused on as we close in on this final flight rationale: returning, uh, Butch and Suni on Starliner,” said Stich.

When asked to clarify his remarks, Stich said, “Our prime option is to complete the mission. There is a lot of good reasons to complete this mission, and bring Butch and Suni home on Starliner. Starliner was designed as a spacecraft to have the crew in the cockpit. The crew is integral to the spacecraft.”

Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore prior to launching aboard Starliner.
Photo: NASA

He added, “There’s a lot of objectives for the flight: having Butch and Suni on board during the deorbit burn and during the entry. Understanding how they monitor the system, how they work with the seat suit interface for landing, getting suited up in the vehicle. And then there’s a whole process of landing and recovery team that we really want to demonstrate before we get into [the] Starliner-1 mission.”

That said, Stich did not specifically rule out using Crew Dragon as a rescue vehicle, but he did make it clear that the current plan is to use Starliner to return the astronauts to Earth after a Readiness Review is completed.

NASA’s Steve Stich’s Comments

“We don’t have a major announcement today relative to a return date,” NASA’s program manager for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program said today at the opening of the press conference. He added, “We’re making great progress, but we’re just not quite ready to do that.”

Steve Stich, NASA program manager for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program in today’s press conference.
Photo: from NASA livestream

Later, Stich added, “We’ll work to execute an agency review as soon as we’re ready to do that. That could be as early as late next week. We are following the data and we’ll schedule that review when we need to, and then after that, we’ll set the undock time.”

Parsing Stich’s comments, it is important to note that the agency review could be as soon as next week, but may be delayed further as mission managers and engineers review data from both the Crewed Flight Test Starliner in orbit — “Calypso” — and testing being conducted on the ground in New Mexico.

“I’ve said before, the key attributes of the flight rationale, really, are that we understand the helium leaks, we understand the stability of the leaks, and how we can manage those should they get bigger,” Stich said.

Stich also said that, “We have a criteria in place that we have established, a leak rate that will check before undock and verify that system is good to go.”

A test of Calypso’s thrusters will also be conducted this weekend, while the spacecraft remains docked to ISS. “The hot fire test this weekend will give us confidence in all the thrusters,” Stich said. “Then [we will have] the understanding coming out of White Sands relative to what that testing means and how it applies to the rest of the thruster system.”

The Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft is seen after it landed in White Sands, New Mexico, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2019. The landing completes an abbreviated Orbital Flight Test for the company that still meets several mission objectives for NASA’s Commercial Crew program. The Starliner spacecraft launched on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at 6:36 a.m. Friday, Dec. 20 from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Essentially, it sounds like Boeing and NASA will compare ground tests from White Sands to the results they get from Calypso while it is in orbit.

Stich gave further detail. “Really, it’s about the key use of the thrusters for the deorbit burn; that’s the next time we use them. We know the thermal environment is less for the deorbit burn. We know the stressing cases on the thrusters are less.”

Stich concluded his opening remarks by saying “That’s really, I think, the final pieces of the flight rationale that we need to put together. The team is doing great. The joint Boeing and NASA team is doing well. They’re working side by side with each other every day.”

Boeing’s Mark Nappi’s Comments

Nappi is the vice president and program manager of Boeing’s Commercial Crew Program. He leads the development, flight test, certification and missions of the Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100 Starliner system.

Nappi opened his comments in today’s press conference by saying, “Last time we talked to you, we had 33 actions to complete in order to get to a place wherewe thought we had a good vehicle to come home and we could learn something about the root cause [of the thruster problems.] Of course, the long pull to those actions was all the testing at White Sands that Steve [Stich] talked about. At the time, we believed we had thrusters that were healthy, and we concluded we were good for emergency return.”

Boeing’s vice president and program manager of Boeing’s Commercial Crew Program in today’s press conference.
Photo: NASA, from their livestream.

Nappi then went into further detail. “Remember, we said we did not have root cause and know what it was going to take to fix it permanently. So, we said, let’s take the time, let’s figure this out. Let’s run this testing at White Sands. If there’s anything more we can do after that testing while we’re docked to ISS, let’s take advantage of that, and then we’ll come home.”

“I think the plan has played out really well. In addition, it’s given us additional confidence to undock and return, and we have a little bit more work to do, as Steve has outlined.”

Nappi Gives A Thorough Breakdown Of Recent Activities

The following is a breakdown of Starliner’s status and testing that Mark Nappi provided today. While it is lengthy, readers may find it worthwhile to read in order to understand what has been done and what the current status of the spacecraft is.

“First of all, let’s start with the helium system. We have a service module at White Sands that was exposed to propellant. And it’s been exposed for about three years. So it was a really good test case to go and do some leak checks on and then take that hardware apart.”

“We did those leak checks. We found leaks. Of cours it’s been exposed to NTO [nitrogen tetroxide] for quite a while. We took the hardware apart, and we found pretty good degradation of the seals, which indicated that they had been exposed to NTO and degraded. So that was a really, really good data point, both from the standpoint of finding out that it had degraded seals.”

“But also we could capture a leak rate, which could end up being our worst case kind of leak rate, because this hardware was exposed for so long. On the second part of the testing, of course, was the thruster testing. Steve outlined that testing, but it was very stressful testing of that thruster through ATP uphill and approach and docking, some increased temperature profiles, um, and some very stressful downhill runs.”

“So all of that was done with the thruster, very heavily instrumented, which gave us a lot of. Information. From that information, and, of course, from theinspections after the test, we’ve determined two things. One is that there’s some teflon from a seal where the nto enters the thruster, and that seal was eroded.”

“And when we looked downstream from that seal, we found that material was lodged in a downstream filter. That is where the NTO goes through. Obviously, that restricts flow of Nto and may be part of the cause of the degradation that we’ve seen in flight. The bigger finding was where the nto goes through a port, to where it gets to the injector inside the thruster, and there’s a poppet that opens and closes and allows that nto to go through at the end of that poppet.”

“Very small poppet. It’s similar to the small inflation valve that you have on a car tire or a bike tire. That poppet has a Teflon seal at the end of it through the heating and the natural vacuum that occurs with the thruster firing. That poppet seal was deformed and actually bulged out a little bit, and again, was an indication that it’s restricting the nto from going through the system.

“So, again, a really good finding. When we looked at the information, we looked at the data, it really does replicate well what we’re seeing in flight. So we think these findings are very significant and are likely the root cause. Obviously, knowing root cause is what gets us to permanent fixes.”

“So there’s very strong evidence, and we’re going to continue to take that hardware apart so that we can finally prove this. Today we’re performing the final hardware inspections, and we’re doing some flow analysis through that type of valve arrangement where we have Teflon in the seal or, excuse me, Teflon in the filter, and this bulging of the Teflon at the end of the poppet.

And we’d like to see if we can model this restriction of nto and recreate what we’re seeing in flight. With all these test results we determined that we could run one more set of tests while we’re docked, and it’s really icing on the cake for us.

So, Steve talked about the one more docked hot fire test that’s going to verify all the thrusters are acceptable at the acceptable performance levels. Again, we learned something from this flight. We didn’t know that other visiting vehicles do this before they leave. And so we’re probably going to make that part of our normal regime when we are doing long duration missions.”

“Also, we’re going to do the helium manifold leak checks again. That will give us some data points on how stable the leaks are and assure there’s no additional NTO degradation. Lastly we have a very valuable guidance, navigation and control integrated performance model that was incorporating failures to answer the question, what if we’re wrong on some of these?”

“So they ran over 300 cases. And of all those cases, the results were either green, that we could return home safely or were determined to be not credible, or they had operational controls that could be applied to make sure that we returned home safely. So what’s next?”

“We’re going to share the data and flight rationale with the mission management team. We have one more meeting tomorrow to do that. We’ll use the weekend if required. We’re going to perform the stocking tests that we’ve described and then of course, there’ll be more reviews.”

“We’ll bring the complete story to the agency for the undoc review sometime next week, like Steve has outlined and then we’ll be ready to execute the last part of the mission. The last several weeks have been really helpful to understand the helium and thruster anomalies and how to address these problems for future flights.”

“That’s been the real goal here is to be able to address future flights and to gain the confidence that we needed for this mission. Weneed to take the time to get the community all this information and get back to completing the CFT mission. Our mission was to get the crew to ISS.”

“That’s been completed. Our mission was to learn from a flight test. A lot of the learning that we’ve achieved so far really, in my opinion, could only be achieved through the flight test. And now it’s time to get on with returning the crew safely. And there’s that step left to go.”

If you are interested, you can watch the entire press conference here:

Read more

Closeup of Falcon 9’s Merlin engines as the rocket lifts off. The static fire conducted last night was testing this part of the spacecraft.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

SpaceX conducted a static-firing of the nine Merlin engines of a Falcon 9 booster first stage at SLC-40 last night as the company prepares to return to flight after a very rare in-flight failure on July 11.

Interestingly, it was not Falcon 9’s first stage that failed earlier this month, rather, it was in the second stage after the first stage had successfully completed its portion of the mission and had begun returning to land offshore. That landing was successful several minutes later.

For their part, SpaceX has not stated why they performed the static fire, a procedure that was a normal part of Falcon 9 missions until the last 12-18 months, when the company stopped performing the test. There are logical reasons to conduct a static fire — they could be proving in ground systems, or they could be returning to conducting the tests as an additional quality control test in advance of a high-stakes return to flight mission.

The return to flight missions seem to be close. While the FAA has not formally signed off on Falcon 9 returning to flight, SpaceX has prepositioned its drone ships out to see in positions that suggest imminent flights and landings. SpaceX led the Starlink 9-3 investigation and remediation efforts, with FAA oversight.

At the time of this writing, SpaceX has not announced a specific date and time for a target launch, though many of the online space launch scheduling sites are suggesting the dates are set:

While those sites are generally quite accurate, it remains to be seen if they are correct in this case. It is worth noting that of official word of the completion or acceptance of the Starlink 9-3 investigation results has been released, but at the same time, the FAA and SpaceX have been working closely to complete and close the investigation.

Falcon 9 in flight in 2024.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Read more

The Core Stage on the move after being offloaded today at Kennedy Space Center
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

After berthing in the Turn Basin by the Press Center yesterday, the Core Stage of Artemis II was offloaded today and moved into the VAB. The process began around 9 a.m. EDT and took nearly three hours until the 212-foot rocket traveled the relatively short distance—perhaps 1/2 kilometer—to the VAB.

After the Solid Rocket Boosters are assembled in the VAB, the Core Stage will then be mounted between the two. The ten segments for those SRBs are already at Kennedy Space Center, in storage in the Rotation, Processing, and Surge Facility, located just north of the VAB at Kennedy Space Center.

Daniel Jimenez, Operations Project Engineer (OPE) within the Vehicle Integration and Launch branch of the Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) Program said yesterday that the SRBs are “Essentially primed and ready to go. What’s left for the VAB is obviously get all the facility ready.”

Jiminez also mentioned that Mobile Launch Platform that will be used for Artemis II is currently out at Pad LC-39B, where it is being set up for the launch of Artemis II. “More importantly, we get the ground systems ready,” he said, “So, we’re finishing up all of the testing of the systems that we have for Artemis II. It’s a crewed mission. So there are some systems that have to be updated for the Mobile Launcher Platform. That’s out at the pad.”

Later this summer, the testing will be completed, the VAB prepared and configured and then in the fall, the assembly of Artemis II will begin in earnest.

KSC workers watching the Core Stage for Artemis II entering the VAB
The Core Stage turning to enter the VAB
The Core Stage
Four Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-25 engines power Aremis II’s Core Stage
The Core Stage entering the VAB.
Closeup of two of the RS-25 engines.
Have you ever moved a sofa or washer into your house and it would juuuuuuust fit through the door? This reminds a little of that..
Read more

Pegasus Barge in the Turn Basin at Kennedy Space Center, July 23, 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

With the arrival of its Core Stage, much of Artemis II’s major components are starting to come together, and not long in the future, NASA engineers and technicians will start to assemble to rocket that will return humans to cislunar space — a place not visited by mankind since 1972.

According to NASA, Aremis II will be “The first crewed mission on NASA’s path to establishing a long-term presence at the Moon for science and exploration. The 10-day flight will test NASA’s foundational human deep space exploration capabilities, the SLS rocket, Orion spacecraft, for the first time with astronauts.”

Major components of Artemis II.
Graphic: NASA

Four astronauts will venture around the Moon on Artemis II. Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor J. Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen are selected for the mission and have been training for it while Artemis II’s fabrication was completed.

NASA’s Artemis II crew members (left to right) CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, and NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Reid Wiseman pose for a photograph in the well deck of the USS San Diego during Underway Recovery Test 11 (URT-11), as NASA’s Exploration Ground System’s Landing and Recovery team and partners from the Department of Defense aboard the ship practice recovery procedures using the Crew Module Test Article off the coast of San Diego, California on Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024. URT-11 is the eleventh in a series of Artemis recovery tests, and the first time NASA and its partners put their Artemis II recovery procedures to the test with the astronauts.
Photo: NASA

While Artemis II will not feature a landing on the lunar surface, it will serve to not only further prove out Space Launch System, it will also be a chance to confirm all of the spacecraft’s systems operate as designed with crew aboard in the actual environment of deep space. The mission is currently slated to launch no earlier than September of 2025.

The Solid Rocket Boosters For Artemis II Are Also Onsite at KSC

The solid rocket boosters that will be used for Artemis II are in storage near the VAB. “We have all these other segments already vertical on the storage facility that you see outside the facility here,” said Daniel Jimenez, Operations Project Engineer (OPE) within the Vehicle Integration and Launch branch of the Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) Program.

“All of those segments are there. This is the first step to getting the booster [built.]” The facility Jiminez is referring to is the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility, located just north of the VAB at Kennedy Space Center.

There are five segments to each solid rocket booster, and ten total for Artemis II. Receiving them into Kennedy Space Center’s facilities and preparing them for the assembly workflow is no small task. “You see that rail car right there outside of the building?” Jiminez asked this reporter. “Each of the segments comes in one of those rail cars. We bring it in, take the cover off. They will come with handling rings on them.”

Jiminez then showed me a huge pair of raised eyelets. “And you can see the ears there. That’s what we use to pick them up. We take the two cranes both at the same time, pick them up, break it over, [and] rotate it vertically. It goes onto a pallet, and then it goes in one of those buildings that you see outside.”

Solid Rocket Booster segments for Artemis II in storage awaiting assembly in the VAB at Kennedy Space Center.
Photo: Richard Gallagher, Florida Media Now

“So there’s two surge buildings where we actually store the ordinance installed walking motors,” Jiminez added. “And then what stays here is the aft assemblies.”

A Solid Rocket Booster aft assembly.
Photo: Richard Gallagher, Florida Media Now

Those aft assemblies are the tail end of each solid booster. They include the nozzles used to direct thrust from the solid rocket as it burns. “We have the skirts, which holds a TVC system. You have the nozzle. We put that on. And then the last segment [of the solid rocket motor.] So the aft part of that segment, the last one goes on top of that one. And that makes the aft assembly for the left and the right hand [boosters.]”

If it sounds complex, it is. Those assemblies must be assembled with great precision, which is no easy task when you consider just how big and heavy each segment is and how precisely the assembly must be assembled.

Artemis II’s two Solid Rocket Booster Aft parts in storage awaiting final processing prior to going to the VAB later this year.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

Jiminez pointed out that the solid rocket booster segments are, “Essentially primed and ready to go. What’s left for the VAB is obviously get all the facility ready.”

He added, “More importantly, we get the ground systems ready. So, we’re finishing up all of the testing of the systems that we have for Artemis II. It’s a crewed mission. So there are some systems that have to be updated for the Mobile Launcher Platform. That’s out at the pad.”

Currently, testing is ongoing and presumably nearing completing in the relatively near term for the Mobile Launcher Platform. Afterwards, it will be moved into the VAB, and once the MLP is ready, the first thing that will be assembled for Artemis II will be the Solid Rocket Boosters.

“As soon as we’re done with the testing there, towards the end of the summer, we’re gonna roll back the mobile launcher, get back into the VAB, configure everything in the position it needs to be so that it can take these bad boys in for stacking,” Jiminez said while gesturing towards one of the two SRB aft assemblies in the SPFS facility.

Assembly Ahead

The solid rocket boosters (top right) that will help launch Artemis 1 into space are assembled by NASA and Jacobs personnel at the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center. Ground operations workers (left, center) fit Space Launch Systems sections together.
Photo: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Afterwards, the Solid Rocket Boosters can be fully assembled, and then Core Stage will be placed in between the two completed SRBs, then the rest of the rocket — including the Orion capsule — can be placed atop that. Once that is done, a long testing phase will begin. “It’s gonna be a really busy summer,” Jiminez said. “[Then a] really busy fall. It’s gonna be a busy year because once you put it all together, then you have to go test it.”

Testing, Verifying and Fixing Any Issues

“The testing campaign is another big endeavor. Now, we have all the ground systems hooked up to the rocket. We’re going to go into then launch control center. That’s where we are using all the software that we develop to be able to do the testing and the launch that we get in there, we get with all the teams, test all the systems, make sure that we’re good configuration, and from there on up to launch.”

Artemis I undergoing Wet Dress Rehearsal, a critical test and milestone in a launch campaign. Similar testing will be required for Artemis II, once it is assembled.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

That will like an incredibly busy time, with hundreds of people dedicated to readying the ground-side systems like the Mobile Launch Platform, the launch pad systems, and then assembling a huge rocket larger and more powerful than the venerable Saturn V that was used in Project Apollo.

Once completed, the engineers and technicians involved with the project must verify the newly assembled rocket’s systems, conduct launch rehearsals and fix any issues that they encounter along the way.

All of that before a final review to confirm that every “i” is dotted and every “t” is crossed prior to Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor J. Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen climbing aboard the Orion capsule for their mission to the moon.

All considered, it is a vast understatement to say that business has picked up at Kennedy Space Center, and that the journey that will take four NASA astronauts to the moon has already begun.

The moon, as seen from Kennedy Space Center.
Photo: Charles Boyer, Talk of Titusville.

NOTE: Talk of Titusville would like to thank Daniel Jimenez for taking the time to explain not only his role in the Artemis II mission but also to explain what the current and next steps for the mission will be.

Read more

Move teams with NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage lead contractor, position the massive rocket stage for NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket on special transporters to strategically guide the flight hardware the 1.3-mile distance from the factory floor onto the agency’s Pegasus barge on July 16. The core stage will be ferried to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it will be integrated with other parts of the rocket that will power NASA’s Artemis II mission. Pegasus is maintained at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility.
Credit: NASA

The core stage of Artemis 2 departed the Assembly Facility in New Orleans on July 16th and is heading to Kennedy Space Center, where it will be assembled for a circumlunar mission planned for no earlier than September of 2025.

When it launches, Artemis 2 will have four crew members aboard an Orion capsule: Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor J. Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen.

Artemis 2 Prime Crew.
Photo: NASA/Robert Markowitz

In a press release, Catherine Koerner, associate administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington said, “With Artemis, we’ve set our sights on doing something big and incredibly complex that will inspire a new generation, advance our scientific endeavors, and move U.S. competitiveness forward,” said. The SLS rocket is a key component of our efforts to develop a long-term presence at the Moon.”

Artemis 1 and SLS on its launch pad in 2022.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

NASA also says that the SLS rocket’s core stage is the largest the agency has ever produced. At 212 feet tall, it consists of five major elements, including two huge propellant tanks that collectively hold more than 733,000 gallons of super-chilled liquid propellant to feed four RS-25 engines. During launch and flight, the stage will operate for just over eight minutes, producing more than 2 million pounds of thrust to propel four astronauts inside NASA’s Orion spacecraft toward the Moon.

Artemis 2 booster being loaded aboard NASA’s Pegasus barge.
Photo: NASA

Now aboard NASA’s Pegasus barge, the massive core stage will travel by sea to Kennedy Space Center late this month.

Tugboats push and pull the barge Pegasus. Photo: NASA
Tugboats push and pull the barge Pegasus. Photo: NASA
Read more

The liftoff of Apollo 11 on July 16, 1969

Some stories are almost forgotten about Apollo 11’s launch from Pad LC-39A — seemingly small stories that actually had a huge effect on the mission happening as it did. One of those stories concerns a hydrogen leak late in the countdown on the third stage of the Saturn V that was poised to launch on July 16, 1969 – if it was not remediated, Apollo 11 would not have launched on the day that it did.

Stephen Coester, an engineer on the console that day has an excellent recollection of the events that morning, and Talk of Titusville would like to thank Mr. Coester for allowing us to share them here. Presented in his own words with only light editing for continuity, here is “Apollo 11 Final Countdown LH2 Leak That Could Have Changed History“

Launch Control Staff Member Stephen Coester’s Recollections

“My favorite Apollo memory was performing my final walkdown of the LUT just before launching Apollo 11. We were so aware of the enormity of what we were about to do. The MSS (mobile service structure) had been rolled back revealing the enormous Saturn V to full view. It was after dark and the spotlights were casting their cones of illumination on the stack.

“I was virtually alone on the tower as I examined every component of the LH2 system to be as sure as I could that “my” system would do its job. It was just me and the Saturn V with a bright moon overhead. I would look at the moon, then at the rocket and think, ” I don’t want to be anywhere but right where I am right now.”

“Long forgotten is the fact that the Apollo 11 launch was almost scrubbed on July 16. I was assigned to the launch console (C4HU) that maintained 100% liquid hydrogen level in the Saturn third stage which was used to propel the astronauts from earth orbit to the moon. Late in the propellant loading as we were beginning the S-IVB replenish operation, a large liquid hydrogen leak at -423 degrees occurred on the third stage replenish valve on the 200 foot level of the launch umbilical tower.

The scene in the Apollo 11 launch control center on July 11, 1969. Standing right, Apollo Program Director Lieutenant General Samuel C. Phillips monitors pre-launch activities for Apollo 11.
Photo: NASA

“Loading was terminated and the lines drained to prevent a fire or explosion and a Red Crew went to the Pad to fix the problem. Using troubleshooting that I developed the Red Crew torqued packing and flange bolts and cycled the valve. then we resumed liquid hydrogen flow, but were unsuccessful in stopping the leak which prevented maintaining the 100% fuel level in the Saturn third stage. Without a full tank of liquid hydrogen there would be no launch.

The area of the leak.
Photo credit: Stephen Coester

“Here is the location of the leaking valve (at left.)

“Finally the leak was isolated by freezing the valve by pouring water over it, but that made the critical valve inoperable. We then developed a way to use the large main fill valve which was not intended for that purpose to maintain the level and the launch countdown could finally continue. For several hours another engineer (CPH1) manually cycled the valve from his console as I reported the tank level as it fell below or exceeded 100%.

“See the PCR (procedure change request) that I wrote:

Via Stephen Coester’s personal papers

“If we hadn’t controlled the leak and maintained proper LH2 level the moon launch would have been scrubbed for at least July 16 and probably for several days.

Personnel within the Launch Control Center watch the Apollo 11 liftoff from Launch Complex 39A today at the start of the historic lunar landing mission. The LCC is located three-and-one-half miles from the launch pad.
Photo: NASA

“I was twenty-eight years old when we landed on the moon, responsible for loading 600000 gallons of LH2 on the “moon rocket”. The managers were in their early thirties and someone over forty was “the old man”. Exciting times!”

In Summary

Exciting times indeed. Mr. Coester and the launch crew of Apollo 11 made indelible world history, and it was their work that made it possible for Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin to take humanity’s first steps on another celestial body some four days later on July 20, 1969. History will always remember Armstrong, Aldrin and Command Module pilot Mike Collins, of course, but it should always remember the names Coester and so many other as well. It truly was a national effort.

Talk of Titusville would like to salute Mr. Coester and every person still living that helped the US launch the most important mission thus far in space exploration.

Video of Inside the Launch

Fran Blanche, a noted film historian, assembled this video of what it looked behind the scenes that day. This is well worth watching.

Launch of Apollo 11 In Real Time

Read more

Graphic via lepetitprince.com

Interstellar Lab, a French company with facilities on Merritt Island, has joined forces with the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Youth Foundation to grow roses on the moon. Mission Little Prince is planning to launch in 2027, and will land on the lunar surface aboard Astrolab’s FLEX rover.

Interstellar said in a press release from earlier in the year that, “This collaboration with the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Youth Foundation brings an artistic and educational dimension to this mission, stimulating young people’s imagination and promoting the values of curiosity, open-mindedness and environmental preservation.”

“Since its first publication in France in 1946, The Little Prince has become a universal phenomenon, carrying Antoine de Saint Exupéry’s humanist message that transcends cultural and temporal barriers, weaving deep bonds between generations and cultures the world over.”

What or Who Is The Little Prince?

The Little Prince is a novella written and illustrated by French writer and military pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It has sold an estimated 140 million copies worldwide and been translated into over 500 languages. In it, a young prince visits various planets, including Earth, and addresses themes of loneliness, friendship, love, and loss.

While it is ostensibly written as children’s book, The Little Prince makes observations about life, adults, and human nature. Many literary scholars consider the slim volume to be one of the 100 best pieces of literature written in the 20th century — no small feat in a time period where writers like Hemmingway, Fitzgerald, Nabokov, James Joyce and too many others to name made their mark on Western culture.

While it is only briefly mentioned in the story, a rose teaches The Little Prince about love – for which, there can be no better symbol. Hence, the idea of roses on the moon.

Practical Applications

Romantic symbolism aside, the are sound technical reasons for Interstellar to take on the experiment. The company states its mission is to “preserve life on Earth and expand it into space.” They add that they are “working to grow plants and foodstuffs in space,” and states their mission is to “preserve biodiversity on Earth and help it become multi-planetary.” To that end, Interstellar is a finalist in NASA’s “Deep Space Food Challenge” where they have created a modular bioregenerative system for producing fresh microgreens, vegetables, mushrooms, and insects. Growing roses in conditions as harsh as the moon will prove to be a great testing ground for the company’s technologies and capabilities.

Food is a major focus in NASA and other agencies planning for long-term space missions, and experiments to that end are being conducted on the International Space Station today.

Read more

Falcon 9 lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 on July 8, 2024.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

SpaceX weathered lightning in the area until skies cleared early this evening, allowing the company to launch the Turksat-6A mission aboard a Falcon 9. Originally scheduled for 5:20 PM EDT, liftoff was delayed several times until 7:30 PM when the afternoon’s storms were far away enough to allow the rocket to safely ascend towards orbit.

Around 8.5 minutes after liftoff, Booster B1076 touched down safely on the company’s drone ship ‘Just Read The Instructions’ to complete its fifteenth mission, while the second stage and payload continued to Earth orbit.

Shortly after 8 PM, SpaceX confirmed a successful deployment of the payload, marking yet another successful mission for the company and for Falcon 9: its 351st Falcon 9 launch, its 308th booster landing, and its 282nd flight of a previously flown booster.

Launch Replay

Payload

The payload for this mission was a domestically produced telecommunications satellite, Türksat 6A. Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğle stated that Türksat 6A was produced with a local production rate of nearly 90 percent, a first for the Türkish nation.

In May, he said, “We produced our Türksat 6A satellite locally and nationally. While producing this, we assigned Türksat’s engineers to the construction of TÜRKSAT 3A, 4A, 4B, 5A, 5B satellites, trained them and included them in the production programs.”

It is currently traveling under its own power to a geosynchronous orbit positioned at 42° East, where it will have an expected service lifetime of at least fifteen years once it reaches its operational location and is tested and commissioned.

Falcon 9 powers through clouds this evening over Florida skies
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

Türksat 6A will service Türksat’s normal customer base as well as adding four new countries with the new Türksat 6A. “Currently, with our satellites, we cover Europe, the Middle East, the Turkish Republics and a part of the Far East,” Uraloğle said. “We are already selling this service to the geographies I mentioned. There will be additional income by selling this communication service and exporting services to the new 4 countries.” he said.

Booster B1076.15

Booster B1076
Flight NumberMissionLaunch Date
1CRS-26November 26, 2022
2OneWeb 16January 10, 2023
3Starlink 6-1February 27, 2023
4Intelsat 40eApril 7, 2023
5Starlink 6-3May 19, 2023
6Starlink 6-6July 24. 2023
7Starlink 6-14September 9, 2023
8Starlink 6-21October 5, 2023
9O3b mPOWER 5/6November 12, 2023
10Ovzon-3January 3, 2024
11Starlink 6-40February 29, 2024
12Eutelsat 36DMarch 30, 2024
13Starlink 6-54April 28, 2024
14Starlink 6-64May 31, 2024
15Turksat-6AJuly 8, 2024
Booster B1076 record as of July 8, 2024

Next Launch

SpaceX is scheduled to launch another set of Starlink satellites early on Saturday morning from Space Launch Complex 40.

  • Date: NET July 13, 2024
  • Organization: SpaceX
  • Mission: Starlink Group 10-4
  • Rocket: Falcon 9
  • Launch Site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
  • Launch Window: 03:58 AM – 08:28 AM EDT
  • Payload: Starlink Mini v2 satellites

Keep in mind that launch dates and times change often. Launch attempts can be scrubbed anytime due to weather, technical reasons, or range conditions.

Share this

Read more

Falcon 9 lifting off in January 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

SpaceX is planning to launch a Falcon 9 carrying a Turkish telecommunications satellite later Monday afternoon from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, weather permitting. The launch window opens at 05:20 PM EDT and extends over four hours to 09:43 PM EDT Monday.

The launch will be SpaceX’s 71st launch of 2024, and its 34th launch from Space Launch Complex 40 this year. Overall, it will 382nd SpaceX launch all time.

At A Glance

  • Mission: Turksat 6A
  • Date: NET July 8, 2024
  • Launch Window: 05:20 PM EDT – 09:43 PM EDT*
  • Organization: SpaceX
  • Rocket: Falcon 9
  • Launch Site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
  • Payload: Communications satellite to geosynchronous orbit.
    * consult SpaceX for the specific target for T-0.

Payload

Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu of Türkiye
Photo: Türksat

The payload for this mission is a domestically produced telecommunications satellite, Türksat 6A. Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğle stated that the Türksat 6A communication satellite was produced with a local production rate of nearly 90 percent. In May, he said, “We produced our Türksat 6A satellite locally and nationally. While producing this, we assigned Türksat’s engineers to the construction of TÜRKSAT 3A, 4A, 4B, 5A, 5B satellites, trained them and included them in the production programs.”

It will be placed in a geosynchronous orbit positioned at 42° East with an expected service lifetime of at least fifteen years once it reaches its operational location and is tested and commissioned.

Türksat 6A will service Türksat’s normal customer base as well as adding four new countries with the new Türksat 6A. “Currently, with our satellites, we cover Europe, the Middle East, the Turkish Republics and a part of the Far East,” Uraloğle said. “We are already selling this service to the geographies I mentioned. There will be additional income by selling this communication service and exporting services to the new 4 countries.” he said.

Weather

According to the 45th Weather Squadron, chances are high for a weather violation on the launch range creating a delay. Their forecast calls for a 70% likelihood of a weather violation, leaving only a 30% chance of acceptable weather.
In their July 7th launch discussion, the 45th states, “For both Monday and Tuesday, [a frontal] ridge is expected to shift south of the spaceport, bringing weak southwesterly winds and coastal afternoon thunderstorms to the Cape. Some of these storms may produce 40 mph or greater winds. Convective activity should taper off after sunset, but steering winds are expected to be weak, possibly extending any weather violations that occur.”

Trajectory

Eastward. Falcon 9 will appear to be flying nearly straight out to see for spectators facing the Atlantic Ocean at launch time.

Landing

Landing is expected to be out at sea aboard one of SpaceX’s Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ships.

Online Viewing

SpaceCoastLaunchCalendar.com will have a livestream of the launch if you’re not able to watch the launch in person: Livestream

A live webcast of this mission will begin on SpaceX’s X account feed about five minutes prior to liftoff.  Watch live on X.

SpaceX’s official web page has links to their live coverage as well as up-to-date planned launch times. 

Spaceflight Now will begin its live launch feed one hour prior to liftoff.
SFN on Youtube.

For official updates regarding launch times, SpaceX.com is the best source of information. Starlink launch times change from time to time, and the company generally updates their website within minutes of the decision to change the launch time. This is very handy if none of the streaming options on YouTube have started their broadcasts.

Remember that there is a delay between a launch stream and the actual countdown clock. That is simply because of physics: it takes time for the signal to travel from the launch site, through the Internet, and back down to your phone, resulting in a five to fifteen-second delay.

Next Space Launch an app for iOS and Android phones, has a real-time countdown clock that is accurate to a second, give or take. The app is free. Search the App Store or Google Play.

Launch Viewing: In Person

This morning’s planned launch is from SLC-40, on the south side of the Eastern Range (KSC and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station combined.) The southern parks in Titusville on Washington Avenue and FL-528/A1A in Cape Canaveral are the best spots to watch liftoff directly.

Restaurants With Good Launch Views

Given the early hours of the launch window (7:30AM – 11:30AM EDT) these restaurants may not be open for launch viewing. Later in the day, all three may well be, so if you are interested, be sure to call ahead to make sure they’ll be ready to serve you.

  • The Space Bar ($$$) – atop the Courtyard Marriott near Kennedy Parkway
  • New York New York ($$) – on the Indian River with an outdoor seating area. Is family-friendly.
  • Shiloh’s ($$$) — located on the Indian River with an outdoor deck overlooking KSC/CCSFS

Indirect Views

There are several excellent viewing spots for SLC-40 launches that offer indirect views — meaning you won’t see the rocket until it clears obstructions such as trees, buildings, even a storm berm in one case.

  • Jetty Park, Port Canaveral
    • Fee required, much be purchased in advance: Port Canaveral Store
    • It’s very possible to see a cruise ship coming or going.
    • The pier especially has great views
  • Cocoa Beach
    • Parking fees (probably). Pay with your smartphone on the parking app. There are signs everywhere telling you how.
    • Further away, but still good views.
  • Northern Titusville Parks
    • Further away, but really nice views.

Playalinda Beach

Playalinda Beach out on the Cape Canaveral National Seashore will be open to spectators until 8 PM EDT, that is if KSC Security and the National Park Service allow viewers for the launch. It opens to visitors at 6 AM.

Call ahead to be sure.

Cape Canaveral National Seashore • Playalinda Beach

Phone: (386) 428-3384 x0

Current operating hours: 6:00 AM–8:00 PM

If you are going to Playalinda, and if it is open, remember these general tips. Some may not apply to this particular launch.

  • Get there at least two hours early, or better, earlier than that. Lines are long at the entry gate and they will only allow as many spectator vehicles as there are parking space available.
  • If the launch L-0 time is moved to after 8PM, you must leave Playalinda, as the National Park Service is very strict about closing hours.
  • Cape Canaveral National Seashore has a fee to get in and cash is not accepted. Debit and credit cards are okay, or if you have one of the National Park Service’s passes for the Seashore or the National Parks, that will work as well.
  • Cellphone service is spotty at best and often non-existent at Playalinda. Don’t count on your cellphone to keep up with the launch; you might get a signal, or you might not.
  • You are not allowed to view from the pullouts on Beach Road. Stanchions will block them. You’ll have to park and go to the beach.
  • Refreshments are not available. There are no stores at Cape Canaveral National Seashore, so you’ll need to bring drinks and food if you want any while you’re there.
  • Rangers will keep you back a certain distance from the launch area on the beach. Even if the beach is open, you’ll still be unable to go down to the fence that demarcates the normal security zone. There’s a line that spectators can’t go past somewhat north of the fence. That’s for safety and security.

Be prepared for potential changes or pushbacks in the launch schedule, and keep up by monitoring the live stream links mentioned above.

Keep up with launch news and other space events that affect the local area by subscribing to alerts when we publish a new article by entering your email at the link at the bottom of this page, or by visiting Space Talk here on the website. It’s free, and you can cancel at any time.

Read more