{"id":18252,"date":"2018-12-02T18:51:17","date_gmt":"2018-12-02T10:51:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/spaceflights-64-satellite-extravaganza-inches-closer-to-spacex-launch\/"},"modified":"2018-12-02T18:51:17","modified_gmt":"2018-12-02T10:51:17","slug":"spaceflights-64-satellite-extravaganza-inches-closer-to-spacex-launch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/spaceflights-64-satellite-extravaganza-inches-closer-to-spacex-launch\/","title":{"rendered":"Spaceflight\u2019s 64-satellite extravaganza inches closer to SpaceX launch"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"SpaceX
A twice-flown SpaceX Falcon booster is readied for its third mission, set for launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Scorch marks give the first-stage booster a \u201csooty\u201d appearance. (SpaceX Photo via Twitter)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Seattle-based Spaceflight Industries is closing in on what\u2019s shaping up as a grand convergence in commercial space.<\/p>\n

Spaceflight, which handles launch logistics for small satellites, is nearly ready for its most ambitious mission yet: the \u201cdedicated rideshare\u201d launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that will deliver 64 satellites to a pole-to-pole, sun-synchronous orbit.<\/p>\n

The SSO-A mission, also known as the SmallSat Express, is due to lift off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Monday, with SpaceX providing a webcast. The launch has been postponed several times, most recently late Saturday, due to the need for additional inspections and concerns about high-altitude winds at the launch site.<\/p>\n

Among the dozens of payloads on SSO-A will be Global-2, a satellite designed for what\u2019s expected to be a constellation of Earth-watching spacecraft for BlackSky, Spaceflight Industries\u2019 other subsidiary.<\/p>\n

BlackSky had its first Global-class satellite, known as Global-1, launched last week aboard an Indian PSLV rocket. It\u2019s also been operating a prototype satellite, Pathfinder-1, for more than two years \u2014 and is marketing multispectral imagery from a squadron of other companies\u2019 satellites as well. But the growth of BlackSky\u2019s Global constellation will kick things up a notch in terms of image resolution as well as near-real-time delivery of on-demand imagery.<\/p>\n

This mission is also a milestone for SpaceX. The upgraded Block 5 first-stage booster destined for the launch has flown twice already, in May and August, so this will mark the first three-time booster flight (with a launch from each of SpaceX\u2019s three operational launch pads). SmallSat Express\u2019 liftoff will also break SpaceX\u2019s record of 18 launches in a calendar year \u2014 a record set just last year.<\/p>\n

If all goes as planned, the first-stage booster will go through a complex set of post-separation maneuvers to touch down on SpaceX\u2019s West Coast landing ship.<\/p>\n

\"SSO-A
This infographic from Spaceflight gives the stats on SSO-A\u2019s sats. Click on the image for a larger version.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Spaceflight\u2019s in-flight choreography promises to be as complex as SpaceX\u2019s. Once the second stage reaches orbit, a flurry of satellites will be sent out from the base of the payload stack and from two free-flying satellite deployers. The lead payloads are two Planet SkySat Earth-observing satellites that are about the size of a mini-fridge and weigh about 250 pounds, but other satellites are as small as tissue boxes.<\/p>\n

In addition to the SkySat spacecraft and the BlackSky Global satellite, here are a dozen other notable payloads:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Orbital Reflector:<\/strong> Artist Trevor Pagler and the Nevada Museum of Art are sending up a nanosatellite with a sheet of reflective plastic packed inside. When the sheet is unfurled, it should shine in the night sky after sunset and before sunrise (potentially irritating astronomers in the process).<\/li>\n
  • ENOCH:<\/strong> A 24-karat-gold, Egyptian-style canopic jar said to contain the soul of African-American astronaut Robert Lawrence is being flown as an art project for sculptor Tavares Strachan and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.<\/li>\n
  • Elysium Star 2:<\/strong> This nanosatellite carries the cremated remains of loved ones that will be dispersed in orbit as a \u201cshooting star memorial.\u201d<\/li>\n
  • FalconSat-6, STPSat-5, ICE-Cap, ORS-7:<\/strong> Several satellites are being flown for Coast Guard and military researchers to test advanced technologies and study the space environment.<\/li>\n
  • Capella-1:<\/strong> This Earth-imaging satellite, flown for Capella Space, will help the company fine-tune its synthetic-aperture radar imaging system.<\/li>\n
  • Audacy Zero:<\/strong> Audacy will test a miniaturized Ka-band radio system that could serve as the foundation for the world\u2019s first commercial relay satellite network.<\/li>\n
  • HawkEye 360 Pathfinder:<\/strong> Three satellites will monitor radio signals to keep track of ships at sea, including \u201cdark ships\u201d that may be engaged in illegal activities.<\/li>\n
  • IRVINE-02:<\/strong> Developed by high-school students from Irvine, Calif., to test an electric propulsion system and a laser communication system.<\/li>\n
  • WeissSat-1:<\/strong> Developed by middle-school students at Weiss School in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., to test a lab-on-a-chip experiment aimed at assessing the viability of thawed-out bacteria in space.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    The course to the SmallSat Express\u2019 launch has not always run smooth. Spaceflight struck its dedicated-rideshare deal with SpaceX more than three years ago, but setbacks in the launch schedule have forced significant satellite shuffles.<\/p>\n

    Spaceflight\u2019s president, Curt Blake, said his team started charging \u201cchange fees\u201d for customers who needed to switch from one launch vehicle to another due to schedule pressures.<\/p>\n

    Some of those change fees have helped subsidize the cost for other satellite operators who filled open spots on the satellite deployers. It\u2019s similar to the way airlines and discount-travel websites like Priceline offer last-minute deals to fill empty seats on passenger airplanes.<\/p>\n

    \u201cWe\u2019ve changed to a system that\u2019s a lot more like airlines, frankly\u201d Blake told GeekWire. \u201cWe\u2019re toying with the idea of flex fares, all that kind of thing.\u201d<\/p>\n