Chronology of the Falcon 9 launch with Telstar 18 VANTAGE – Spaceflight now

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The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is expected to take off from Cape Canaveral on Monday and head east over the Atlantic Ocean to deliver the Telstar 18 VANTAGE communication satellite in orbit about 32 minutes later.

The 229 foot high rocket (70 meters) is expected to be launched from platform 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Base, Florida, at 23:28. SOW Sunday (0328 GMT Monday) at the opening of a four-hour launch window.

Perched at the top of the rocket is the Telstar 18 VANTAGE communications satellite, a spacecraft manufactured by SSL – formerly known as Space Systems / Loral – and owned by Telesat, based in Ottawa, in partnership with Hong's APT Satellite Kong.

Telstar 18 VANTAGE weighs 7564 pounds (7,060 kilograms) with its fully loaded propellant tanks, making it one of the heaviest communications satellites ever launched, just in July with the launch of the Telstar 19 VANTAGE satellite on a Falcon previous. 9 rocket.

After being deployed from the Falcon 9 rocket upper stage into an elliptical transfer orbit, Telstar 18 VANTAGE will use its hydrazine engine and on-board electric thrusters to propel itself into a circular geostationary orbit of more than 36,000 kilometers on the equator.

The Canadian satellite, built by the United States, will broadcast C-band and Ku-band broadband services in the Asia-Pacific region.

Once Telstar 18 VANTAGE arrives at its operational position, it will transmit broadband signals to serve the direct-to-home, video distribution, marine and other telecommunications markets. Combining large regional beams and high-bandwidth spot beams, the satellite coverage area will extend from India and Pakistan west to Hawaii in the east.

The APT satellite – also called APSTAR – paid 57.5% of the cost of the mission in exchange for using the same percentage of the satellite's communications capacity.

The Falcon 9 Telstar 18 VANTAGE rocket launcher will fly into the enhanced "Block 5" configuration, with a brand new first-stage booster.

The timeline below describes the launch sequence of Falcon 9 with Telstar 18 VANTAGE.

Data Source: SpaceX

T-0: 00: 00: Takeoff

After the nine Merlin engines on the rocket have undergone an automated health check, the retaining clips will release the Falcon 9 booster for take-off of the complex 40.
Once the nine rocket Merlin engines have undergone an automated health check, the retaining clips release the Falcon 9 amplifier for takeoff of the buffer 39A.

T + 0: 01: 00: Mach 1

The Falcon 9 rocket reaches Mach 1, the speed of sound.
The Falcon 9 rocket reaches Mach 1, the speed of sound, while the nine Merlin 1D engines deliver more than 1.7 million pounds of thrust.

T + 0: 01: 07: Max Q

The Falcon 9 rocket reaches Max Q, the maximum aerodynamic pressure point.
The Falcon 9 rocket reaches Max Q, the maximum aerodynamic pressure point.

T + 0: 02: 33: MECO

The nine Merlin 1D engines of the Falcon 9 stopped.
The nine Merlin 1D engines of the Falcon 9 stopped.

T + 0: 02: 37: Separation from step 1

The first stage of the Falcon 9 is separated from the second stage after MECO.
The first stage of the Falcon 9 is separated from the second stage after MECO.

T + 0: 02: 45: First start of the second stage

The second stage Merlin 1D vacuum engine ignites for about 6 minutes to put the rocket and SES 9 into preliminary parking orbit.
The second-stage Merlin 1D vacuum engine turns on for six minutes to put the rocket and the Telstar 18 VANTAGE on a preliminary parking orbit.

T + 0: 03: 29: Fairing jettison

The payload fairing of 5.2 meters (17.1 feet) in diameter emerges as the Falcon 9 rocket rises into the lower dense atmosphere. The 43-foot-high fairing is composed of two shell-shaped halves, made of carbon fiber and an aluminum honeycomb core.
The payload fairing of 5.2 meters (17.1 feet) in diameter emerges as the Falcon 9 rocket rises into the lower dense atmosphere. The 43-foot-high fairing is composed of two shell-shaped halves, made of carbon fiber and an aluminum honeycomb core.

T + 0: 06: 17: Step 1 Enter Burn

A subset of the Merlin 1D engines in the first stage will illuminate so that the entry will slow down during landing. A final burn on landing will occur just before touching.

T + 0: 08: 14: SECO 1

The second stage of the Falcon 9 rocket stops after reaching a preliminary orbit at low altitude. The upper stage and the SES 9 start a coastal phase that should last more than 18 minutes before restarting the second Merlin vacuum engine.
The second stage of the Falcon 9 rocket stops after reaching a preliminary orbit at low altitude. The upper floor and Telstar 18 VANTAGE start a coastal phase that should last more than 18 minutes before the second floor of the Merlin vacuum engine.

T + 0: 08: 32: Landing of step 1

The first-stage propeller on the Falcon 9 rocket lands on the SpaceX drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.

T + 0: 26: 17: Second ignition of the second stage

The Falcon 9's second-stage Merlin engine restarts to propel the SES 9 communications satellite into a supersynchronous transfer orbit.
The Falcon 9's second-stage Merlin engine restarts to propel the Telstar 18 VANTAGE communications satellite into an elliptical transfer orbit.

T + 0: 27: 00: SECO 2

The Merlin engine stops after a brief combustion to put the SES 10 satellite into orbit appropriate for deployment.
The Merlin engine stops after a short burn to put the Telstar 18 VANTAGE satellite on the elliptical orbit suitable for deployment.

T + 0: 32: 01: Telstar separation 19 VANTAGE

SES 9 separates from the Falcon 9 rocket in orbit with a peak of approximately 39,300 kilometers (24,400 miles), a 290-kilometer (180-mile) low point and a 28-degree tilt. Due to the decision to burn the second stage almost until exhaustion, there is slight uncertainty about the orbital parameters depending on the exact performance of the launcher.
The Telstar 18 VANTAGE satellite separates from the Falcon 9 rocket into an elliptical transfer orbit, leading to a pole in geostationary orbit.

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Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @ StephenClark1.

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