The SpaceX company to another (the second) again delayed the launch of the carrier rocket Falcon 9 with a few companions on Board and moved it to February 22. This time the reason was the bad weather over California. Speed riding wind flows were 2 percent above the allowed values. It’s a bit, but Musk decided to play it safe. Recall that as part of the launch plans to launch two demonstration satellites MicroSat-MicroSat 2a and-2b, which will be the first in the international system of high-speed broadband Internet access Starlink supported by SpaceX.
In addition, together with the above mentioned satellites in space are to be withdrawn and radar satellite remote sensing PAZ Spanish operator Hisdesat. Initially it was planned to launch on the Ukrainian-Russian rocket “Dnepr” in 2014, however, after the events in Ukraine, the agreement with both sides was torn and the right to run PAZ in 2017 has left the company SpaceX.
The launch will be carried out using rocket-the Falcon 9 first stage version of the Block 3, which have already flown into space in August 2017. Then using her orbit was launched by the Taiwanese satellite Formosat-5. It is noted that this latest stage version of the Block 3 is SpaceX. The company also finishes using the version of the Block 4 and going to upgrade to version Block 5.
SpaceX has no plans to keep the level of the past generation, however, tries to save one or two half upgraded (slightly enlarged) of the head fairing of the rocket. In Twitter appeared the giant network, which will try to catch part of the head fairing.
The mesh is installed on the vehicle of Mr. Steven at the port of San Pedro in Los Angeles (USA). It is intended to mitigate the fall of the element of the rocket
At an altitude of about 100 kilometers the falling speed of the half fairing, weighing one ton will exceed the speed of sound is about ten times. At an altitude of about 10 kilometers, in the case of a successful orientation in space, the speed should be reduced to half the speed of sound. After that, the planned release of the parachute and turn on the GPS system, which will allow the ship Mr. Steven track the impact area of the element of the rocket and try to catch him.
The desire to keep the fairing of the Falcon 9 rocket is due to the high cost of this detail. It is $ 6 million. If you manage to save at least half of the fairing, it will reduce the total cost of the next launch, estimated at 62 million dollars, five percent.
SpaceX will try to catch some of its missiles with the giant network
Nikolai Khizhnyak