{"id":12194,"date":"2020-10-02T22:40:20","date_gmt":"2020-10-02T14:40:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/falcon-9-launch-timeline-with-the-gps-3-sv04-navigation-satellite\/"},"modified":"2020-10-02T22:40:20","modified_gmt":"2020-10-02T14:40:20","slug":"falcon-9-launch-timeline-with-the-gps-3-sv04-navigation-satellite","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/falcon-9-launch-timeline-with-the-gps-3-sv04-navigation-satellite\/","title":{"rendered":"Falcon 9 launch timeline with the GPS 3 SV04 navigation satellite"},"content":{"rendered":"

EDITOR\u2019S NOTE: <\/strong>Updated Nov. 5 for new launch attempt.<\/p>\n

SpaceX\u2019s Falcon 9 rocket is set for liftoff from Cape Canaveral on Nov. 5 carrying the U.S. Air Force\u2019s next GPS 3-series navigation satellite destined for an orbit more than 12,000 miles above Earth.<\/p>\n

The 229-foot-tall (70-meter) rocket is poised for launch from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 6:24 p.m. EST Thursday, Nov. 5, at the opening of a 15-minute launch window.<\/p>\n

The Lockheed Martin-built GPS 3 SV04 satellite mounted atop the rocket is the fourth member of an upgraded generation of GPS navigation spacecraft, featuring higher-power signals that are more resilient to jamming, and additional broadcast frequencies to make the GPS network more interoperable with other navigation satellite fleets.<\/p>\n

The timeline below outlines the launch sequence for the Falcon 9 flight with the GPS 3 SV04 spacecraft.<\/p>\n

See our Mission Status Center for details on the launch.<\/p>\n

Data source: SpaceX<\/strong><\/p>\n

T-0:00:00: Liftoff<\/b><\/p>\n

\"After
After the rocket\u2019s nine Merlin engines pass an automated health check, hold-down clamps will release the Falcon 9 booster for liftoff from pad 40.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

T+0:01:11: Max Q<\/b><\/p>\n

\"The
The Falcon 9 rocket reaches Max Q, the point of maximum aerodynamic pressure, a few seconds after surpassing the speed of sound.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

T+0:02:31: MECO<\/b><\/p>\n

\"The
The Falcon 9\u2019s nine Merlin 1D engines shut down.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

T+0:02:35: Stage 1 Separation<\/b><\/p>\n

\"The
The Falcon 9\u2019s first stage separates from the second stage moments after MECO.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

T+0:02:42: First Ignition of Second Stage<\/b><\/p>\n

\"The
The second stage Merlin 1D vacuum engine ignites for a five-and-a-half-minute burn to put the rocket and GPS 3 SV03 into a preliminary parking orbit.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

T+0:03:27: Fairing Jettison<\/b><\/p>\n

\"The
The 5.2-meter (17.1-foot) diameter payload fairing jettisons once the Falcon 9 rocket ascends through the dense lower atmosphere. The 43-foot-tall fairing is made of two clamshell-like halves composed of carbon fiber with an aluminum honeycomb core.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

T+0:06:47: First Stage Entry Burn Complete<\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"
The Falcon 9 rocket\u2019s first stage descends back to Earth as its engines fire for the entry burn before landing on SpaceX\u2019s drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

T+0:08:07: SECO 1<\/b><\/p>\n

\"The
The second stage of the Falcon 9 rocket shuts down after reaching a preliminary orbit. The upper stage and GPS 3 SV04 begin a coast phase scheduled to about one hour before the second stage Merlin-Vacuum engine reignites.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

T+0:08:33: First Stage Landing<\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"
The Falcon 9\u2019s first stage booster lands on SpaceX\u2019s drone ship \u201cJust Read The Instructions\u201d positioned in Atlantic Ocean northeast of Cape Canaveral.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

T+1:03:32: Second Ignition of Second Stage<\/b><\/p>\n

\"The
The Falcon 9\u2019s second stage Merlin engine restarts to propel the GPS 3 SV04 navigation satellite into an elliptical transfer orbit ranging in altitude between about 250 miles (400 kilometers) and 12,550 miles (20,200 kilometers), with an inclination of 55 degrees.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

T+1:04:17: SECO 2<\/b><\/p>\n

\"The
The Merlin engine shuts down after a planned 45-second burn to put the GPS 3 SV04 satellite in the proper orbit for deployment.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

T+1:29:18: GPS 3 SV04 Separation<\/b><\/p>\n

\"The
The GPS 3 SV04 satellite separates from the Falcon 9 rocket in an elliptical transfer orbit with an apogee, or high point, near the altitude of the GPS fleet, located around 12,550 miles (22,200 kilometers) above Earth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Email the author.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @StephenClark1.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

EDITOR\u2019S NOTE: Updated Nov. 5 for new launch attempt. SpaceX\u2019s Falcon 9 rocket is set for liftoff from Cape Canaveral on Nov. 5 carrying the U.S. Air Force\u2019s next GPS 3-series navigation satellite destined for an orbit more than 12,000 miles above Earth. The 229-foot-tall (70-meter) rocket is poised for launch from pad 40 at Cape […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[291,1736,1573,479,2015,2016,993,25],"class_list":["post-12194","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-commercial-space","tag-complex-40","tag-drone-ship","tag-falcon-9","tag-gps","tag-gps-3-4","tag-just-read-the-instructions","tag-launch"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12194"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12194"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12194\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}