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Update: SpaceX has launched the new Falcon 9 B1061 booster after charging the full two-stage rocket with liquid oxygen and kerosene (RP-1), checking the vehicle’s flight readiness and – pending confirmation of a successful test – keeping the operational launch of the astronaut Crew Dragon on-track debut for a take-off on Saturday 14 November.
SpaceX decided to delay the impending static fire test of the Falcon 9 to replace a consumable upper stage component of the rocket, a 24-hour slip that is unlikely to impact the operational launch date of the astronaut.
Previously scheduled for around 7:49 p.m. EST on Tuesday, November 10, SpaceX has decided to push the Falcon 9 B1061’s first static light to at the earliest (NET) Wednesday night, November 11. As usual, SpaceX will subject the rocket (and spacecraft) to an almost identical scenario to an actual launch before takeoff, loading Falcon 9 with thruster and firing the nine booster Merlin 1D engines to check the health of the vehicle. .
Non-intuitively, for SpaceX’s Crew Dragon missions, the extremely valuable spacecraft (i.e. payload) remains installed on the rocket during static fire prior to Falcon 9 launch. In doing so, this Static fire also serves as a complete hardware and software dress rehearsal for the integrated rocket and spacecraft, verifying that the stand-alone software responsible for recognizing a failing rocket and activating the Crew Dragon dropout system is working. as expected.
In the event that Falcon 9 made fail at some point during the Static Fire Test, Crew Dragon’s abandonment thrusters ignite instantly, pulling the unequipped spacecraft to safety and minimizing fallout from an already costly mistake.
Speaking on a media conference call on November 10, SpaceX Senior Director of Human Space Flight Programs Benji Reed briefly noted that SpaceX has decided to replace a component of the “ purge system ” from the upper stage of Falcon 9 and planned to bring the rocket horizontally later that day. Despite the 24 hour static fire delay, the Crew-1 mission remains on track to launch no earlier than 7:49 p.m. EDT on Saturday, November 14 – as long as Falcon 9 completes said static fire later today.
Regardless of the outcome of today’s static fire attempt, SpaceX will immediately face a potential hurricane on Thursday and United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Atlas V NROL-101’s last attempt to launch on Friday. , raising once again the seemingly ubiquitous question of which company will receive priority in the event of a ULA delay. Stay tuned to find out!
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