Launch of the washed Falcon 9 on landing ship – Spaceflight Now

An electrical problem on the SpaceX drone parked just off Cape Canaveral prompted SpaceX to cancel an attempt to launch the Falcon 9 early Friday, delaying the start of the International Space Station's replenishment mission by 24 hours.

The countdown to Falcon 9 stopped about 14 minutes before the scheduled launch time of the rocket at 03:11 (EDT), Friday (07:11 GMT). The SpaceX launch director announced on the countdown net that the company's drone – the landing ship where the Falcon 9's first-floor will attempt to land off the coast – could not retain the food.

SpaceX was also evaluating a helium leak in a quick disconnect interface at the launch pad, but officials cited the drone problem as the reason for Friday's scrubbed launch attempt.

The teams lowered the Falcon 9 rocket horizontally to remedy the helium leak, while the drone the size of a football pitch returned to Port Canaveral later Friday morning, probably to maintain the ship's power system.

The drone, dubbed "Of course, I still love you", left Port Canaveral a few hours later on Friday afternoon to return to the targeted Falcon 9 landing site, 28 km southeast of the ramp. rocket launch, or approximately at the scheduled time. is from the easternmost point of Cape Canaveral.

A new launch attempt is scheduled at 2:48 – 58h (Paris time). A cargo replenishment mission is scheduled to begin Saturday to deliver 2,482 kg (5,472 pounds) of logistics, equipment and experiments to the International Space Station and its six crew

With the delay of a day in the launch, the Dragon supply ship mounted at the top of the Falcon 9 rocket will reach the space station early Monday, not Sunday as previously planned.

There is a 70% chance that the weather will be favorable to Saturday's launch attempt, which should result in the last available launch opportunity in Cape Canaveral until May 12th at the latest. early.

The Air Force-managed Eastern Firing Range, which provides security, support and security services for launches at Cape Canaveral, is not available due to a "shutdown" next week, according to Kenny Todd, NASA Space Station Operations and Integration Manager.

For the first time, SpaceX cancels a launch to ensure the first stage of recovery

SpaceX prefers to land its first steps and reuse the equipment, a practice that would reduce costs and facilitate the rate of rocket production at the company's headquarters in Hawthorne, California.

But SpaceX has already abandoned before reaching its Falcon 9 boosters, most recently on mission last year. Weather and rough seas prevented the SpaceX drone vessel from reaching an offshore landing site in the Atlantic Ocean for a launch in March 2018 aboard the Hispasat 30W-6 communications satellite.

SpaceX chose to launch without recovering the first stage booster.

The landing spot for the Falcon 9 first leg at Saturday's mission is unusual. Most space station replenishment missions do not fully exploit the capabilities of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, which leaves a large amount of fuel propelled by the first leg to reverse course and return to Cape Canaveral for a landing. down.

But SpaceX's Landing Zone 1, located at Cape Canaveral Air Base, is not available for this launch after the SpaceX CX Dragon capsule explosion during its ground test. , April 20th. Parts of the landing zone are still banned for safety reasons, according to Hans Koenigsmann, Vice President of Construction and Flight Safety at SpaceX.

For the heavier missions requiring more dynamism in the first leg, SpaceX usually positions the drone hundreds of kilometers from the shore, allowing the rocket to follow a ballistic trajectory downstream, then slow down to land without having to return to Florida.

The dedicated drone parking space off the Florida Space Coast allows the first leg of the Falcon 9 to follow a similar return profile as originally planned to return the rappel to landing zone 1.

A "close" landing has already occurred after the launch of Vandenberg Air Force Base in California in December.

If time permits, the launch of the Falcon 9 before dawn (due to the location of the space station's orbit relative to the launch site) should allow observers the beaches located near Cape Canaveral to see the first step down to the heights his engines for a series of booster, reentry and landing burns.

Spectators can also hear sonic booms during the descent.

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Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @ StephenClark1.