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F9 / Telstar18V: SpaceX confirms a good hot fire test of a Falcon 9 rocket at CCAFS 40; launch of Telstar 18V scheduled for 23:28 EDT Saturday; here is an iPhone view of the hotfire test at 10 miles away pic.twitter.com/KFKilx2ZYS
– William Harwood (@cbs_spacenews) September 5, 2018
After a successful engine test, SpaceX is on track for Saturday night's launch of the company's Falcon 9 rocket, which will carry a Telstar communications satellite.
SpaceX lit the nine rocket engines for a short static fire test (5 September), later confirm on Twitter a Saturday, September 8 launch date of the company's launch site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Base in Florida. The launch has experienced several delays, but its new launch window of 4 hours starts at 23:28. EDT Saturday (0328 Sunday GMT), according to a Spaceflight Now report.
Next, the engineers will have to attach the rocket payload: the Telstar 18 Vantage communication satellite (Telstar 18V abbreviated), which will be shared between Telesat and APT Satellite Co. Ltd. of Canada. from Hong Kong. second satellite of this series, in July; Telstar 18V will be the third in the series, according to a Telesat release.
Like 19V, the latest Telstar will be launched during the last iteration (and final) of the Falcon 9 rocket, Block 5 by SpaceX. turns. According to Telesat, the Telstar 18V will facilitate communications between India and Pakistan to Hawaii, with a potential mission duration of more than 15 years.
For now, the US Air Force's official weather forecast suggests a 60% likelihood of favorable launch conditions.
The last launch of SpaceX by Telstar in July reused the first stage of Block 5; the upcoming launch will use an unused rocket. As usual, SpaceX will try to land the first stage to reuse, this time on the company's drone ship, named Of Course, but I still love you, according to Spaceflight Now.
Email Sarah Lewin at [email protected] or follow her @SarahExplains. follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
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