GovSat-1 satellite arrives on Space Coast ahead of launch on SpaceX Falcon 9
A spacecraft that will be hurled to orbit on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station later this month has arrived on the Space Coast, according to its Luxembourg-based operator.
GovSat-1, the first in a constellation of satellites designed with a focus on secure communications for government and military applications, is scheduled to launch on a previously flown Falcon 9 rocket no earlier than late January from Launch Complex 40. The satellite will be placed in a geostationary transfer orbit, according to SpaceX.
GovSat-1 was built by Orbital ATK, which was recently purchased by aerospace and defense giant Northrop Grumman. GovSat, meanwhile, is a public-private joint venture between Luxembourg-based satellite operator SES and the country's government.
Quelle: Florida Today
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Update: 30.01.2018
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SpaceX set to launch GovSat-1 on used Falcon 9 rocket
The GovSat-1 communications satellite, built by Orbital ATK, is the result of a public-private partnership between the government of Luxembourg and SES. The satellite is targeting a 4:25 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 30, launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station aboard a previously flown SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.(Photo: Orbital ATK)
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For the sixth time, SpaceX on Tuesday will attempt to launch a Falcon 9 rocket whose first stage has already launched a mission to space.
The so-called “flight proven” Falcon booster earned its wings last May with the launch of a classified U.S. intelligence mission from Kennedy Space Center.
The rocket’s second liftoff, this time from Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, is targeted for 4:25 p.m. Tuesday, at the opening of a more than two-hour window.
No booster landing will be attempted.
The launch forecast is iffy, with a 40 percent chance of acceptable weather. Gusting winds could pose a problem.
The passenger Tuesday is GovSat-1, the product of a public-private partnership between the government of Luxembourg and Luxembourg-headquartered SES, one of the world’s largest operators of commercial satellites.
Weighing roughly 9,300 pounds at liftoff, the satellite built by Orbital ATK is described as “a new concept in secure communications for governments and institutions.”
From a perch 22,300 miles above Central Africa, the spacecraft will cover an area spanning from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean.
Some frequencies will be reserved for military use, others for military or civil security needs. Operations supported could include communications links with troops in the field, drone surveillance or border patrol in the Mediterranean Sea. Anti-jamming and encryption capabilities offer added security.
The mission is SpaceX’s second of potentially more than 20 this year. It's the second in less than a week for SES, which last Thursday launched its SES-14 satellite on an Ariane 5 rocket.
SES was the first company to take a chance launching on a used Falcon 9 rocket — what SpaceX prefers to call “flight proven” — with the launch of SES-10 last March.
The partners teamed up again last October for another launch on a previously flown Falcon 9.
Both those rockets had first launched cargo on its way to the International Space Station. The booster now set for flight, after test-firing its main engines last Friday, helped deliver a National Reconnaissance Office payload to orbit nearly nine months ago.
In all, SpaceX re-launched five Falcon rockets last year, advancing CEO Elon Musk's goal to develop reusable rockets that could make spaceflight — including trips to the moon or Mars — less expensive.
Although SpaceX in the past has landed boosters flying this type of mission on a ship in the ocean, it will will not try to recover this one.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the National Reconnaissance Office's classified NROL-76 mission from Kennedy Space Center on May 1, 2017. The same booster, which landed at Cape Canaveral, will attempt to launch GovSat-1 from Launch Complex 40 at 4:25 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2018. (Photo: SpaceX)
Quelle: Florida Today
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LUX DELEGATION TO SEE LAUNCH OF GOVSAT-1
The satellite launched can be followed live on http://www.spacex.com
Pictured: Patrick Biewer, president-director general of GovSat; Prince Guillaume ; Princess Stéphanie, Xavier Bettel, prime minister; Gwynne Shotwell, president and director of operations of SpaceX; Karim Michel Sabbagh, president and CEO of SES
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The Luxembourg delegation is ready to witness the launch of the GovSat-1 satellite later on Tuesday 30 January.
Prince Guillaume and Princess Stéphanie, the prime minister Xavier Bettel and the economy and defence minister Etienne Schneider have all travelled to Florida to witness the launch.
The satellite will be launched aboard a SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from the Cape Canaveral launch pad in Florida, and the launch window opens at 22:23 (Luxembourg time) for an approximate duration of two hours. The launch is transmitted live on the SpaceX website.
The satellite will be operated by GovSat, a public-private joint venture created in 2015 between the Luxembourg state and SES. Its mission is to provide secure and reliable satellite communication capabilities for both military and civilian purposes to meet growing demands in the institutional and defense fields.
While part of the capacity of the GovSat-1 satellite will be used to meet Luxembourg’s requirements for military-frequency satellite communications, the plan is to resell GovSat-1’s additional communication capabilities to allied and partner countries as well as to international organisations (notably Nato and the EU).
Quelle: DELANO
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Update: 31.01.2018
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SpaceX scrubs launch attempt, will try again Wednesday
The Falcon Heavy’s opening act will have to wait.
Citing technical difficulties, a SpaceX rocket launch planned for Tuesday afternoon has been put off a day.
“Standing down for today,” a Tweet from SpaceX’s official account read. “Team is going to replace a second stage sensor. Next available launch opportunity is tomorrow, January 31.”
The mission will send a satellite into space for the government of Luxembourg. The reused Falcon 9 rocket was set to launch during a 2-hour, 1-minute window that opened at 4:25 p.m. Tuesday.
But as the company prepares for the GovSat 1 launch, most of the industry’s attention has turned to SpaceX’s next mission: the maiden test voyage of its highly anticipated Falcon Heavy rocket.
The three-booster rocket is scheduled to launch Feb. 6 from the Space Coast, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said Saturday.
It has been roughly three years since the company first expected to launch Falcon Heavy, which will carry a Tesla automobile into space with it, a nod to another of Musk’s companies.
But first, the company must pull off the Luxembourg mission, which will send a rocket into space carrying the government’s GovSat 1 communications satellite.
The Orbital ATK-built spacecraft is a joint effort between the government of Luxembourg and SES.
“Its mission is to provide secure, reliable and accessible satellite communication services for governments, addressing connectivity demands for (defense) and institutional security applications,” SES says on its website.
The mission had initially planned to launch Jan. 15.
Quelle: Orlando Sentinel
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Updat: 22.10 MEZ
Start von Falcon-9 mit GovSat-1 Satelliten
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Quelle: SpaceX
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Update: 1.02.2018
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Royal audience as SpaceX launches satellite for Luxembourg
SpaceX had a royal audience as it launched a satellite for Luxembourg.
The Falcon 9 rocket blasted off late Wednesday afternoon from Cape Canaveral, Florida, hoisting GovSat-1 for the government of Luxembourg and SES, the European country's prime satellite operator. The satellite will support both military and civilian security efforts.
Witnessing the launch were Luxembourg's Prince Guillaume and his wife, Stephanie. The country's prime minister, Xavier Bettel, and other high-ranking officials also were present.
The rocket's first-stage booster — which also flew last spring — was not recovered this time. Instead, it dropped into the Atlantic.
With GovSat-1 now in orbit, SpaceX can focus on next week's debut of its new, big Falcon Heavy rocket. The test flight is scheduled for Tuesday.
Quelle: abcNews
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GovSat-1 Successfully Launched on SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket
GovSat’s first satellite, GovSat-1, will be positioned at 21.5 degrees East and provide highly secure capabilities to governments and institutions
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, 31 January 2018 – The GovSat-1 spacecraft was successfully launched into space today on board a flight-proven SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 04:25 PM EST from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
GovSat-1 is the first satellite of GovSat, a public private partnership between the Government of Luxembourg and the world-leading satellite operator SES.
The multi-mission satellite will be located at the 21.5 degrees East orbital slot, to serve governmental and institutional customers over Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and provide extensive maritime coverage over the Mediterranean and Baltic seas, and the Atlantic and Indian oceans.
The highly flexible and resilient GovSat-1 payload features advanced security capabilities and uses dedicated frequencies in X-band and military Ka-band. GovSat-1 is equipped with six high- powered fully steerable spot beams, a high-power X-band Global beam, and features sixty-eight transponder equivalent units in total.
The satellite is entirely dedicated to government and institutional users, and will be operated by GovSat from the Secure Mission Operations Centre in Luxembourg. The secure and robust connectivity on GovSat-1 will enable critical communications in theatres of operations, interconnect key institutional or defence sites, and support applications such as Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) and communications on the move, among others.
The Luxembourg Government has pre-committed an important amount of capacity on the satellite in support of its NATO commitments. The remaining capacity will be made available to governmental and institutional users on commercial business terms.
“The launch of GovSat-1 opens up a new era of secure satellite connectivity for governments and institutions," said Patrick Biewer, Chief Executive Officer of GovSat. “It brings differentiated capabilities on secure X- and military Ka-band, leveraging private sector efficiencies and strong governmental support. GovSat-1 was designed to meet the specific needs of government customers, and will enable a wide array of defence and civilian security applications, even in the most remote locations.”
Xavier Bettel, Prime Minister of Luxembourg, said, “Luxembourg has always been a pioneer in the space industry and has a long tradition in innovative partnerships with private aerospace companies. The launch of GovSat-1 is the beginning of a new space experience for Luxembourg, after the foundation of SES in 1985 and the launch of the first SES satellite nearly 30 years ago. GovSat and the launch of GovSat-1 is another step towards strengthening the position of Luxembourg as a key player in the aerospace sector, and contributes to a diversification of our economy.”
Etienne Schneider, Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of the Economy, said, “Luxembourg has delivered on our pledge to increase our defence spending as a NATO ally in line with our defence commitments. We are doing this through an innovative partnership with the Luxembourg based leading satellite operator SES. We are thus providing an efficient and reliable solution for satellite communications that meets the increasingly sophisticated demands of our NATO allies. We are leveraging the competences of the Luxembourg space industry, which enjoys a great reputation worldwide and is further being developed through Luxembourg's SpaceResources.lu initiative.”
Karim Michel Sabbagh, President and CEO of SES, said, “Global government satellite communications is an important growth driver for SES, and we continue to expand our capabilities to serve this thriving market. The GovSat-1 satellite brings differentiated capabilities which complement SES’s existing suite of offerings for governments and institutions. This unique solution is possible thanks to our partnership with the Luxembourg Government.”
The spacecraft was built by Orbital ATK and is based on the GEOStar-3TM satellite platform. It is Orbital ATK’s 40th GEOStar satellite.
