KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — Less than 60 hours after a Falcon 9 rocket launched 10 Iridium NEXT satellites into space from the West Coast, on the other side of the continent SpaceX is set to send the SES-11 spacecraft into orbit for a scheduled liftoff at 6:53 p.m. EDT (22:53 GMT) Oct. 11, 2017, from Launch Complex 39A.
Launching atop a flight-proven Falcon 9 rocket, SES-11 will be SpaceXÂ’s 15th mission in 2017, continuing a very busy year for the company. The particular first stage used for this mission, core 1031, was first flown during CRS-10 in February 2017.
Additionally, this flight will mark the first repeat customer to fly on a recovered booster. In late-March of 2017, SES-10 was launched atop the first re-flown booster on behalf of Luxembourg-based SES.
The SES-11 mission was originally planned to launch on Oct. 7, 2017. However, on Oct. 5, SpaceX opted to delay the flight until after the Iridium-3 satellites were delivered into space via a West Coast Falcon 9 rocket. The reason for the delay was not announced.
SES-11/EchoStar-105 is a hybrid communications satellite manufactured by Airbus Defence and Space and will provide Ku- and C-band coverage across North America, including Mexico, Hawaii, and the Caribbean. It is a dual-mission satellite for both U.S.-based EchoStar and SES.
The 11,500-pound (5,200-kilogram) satellite will be placed in geostationary orbit over 105 degrees West Longitude and is intended to replace the AMC-15 and AMC-18 satellites that were launched in 2004 and 2006, respectively. Optimized for digital television delivery, SES-11 utilizes the Airbus Eurostar E3000 platform and is designed to accelerate the roll-out of high and ultra-high definition video services to North America.
According to SES, “The spacecraft’s Ku-band capacity will replace AMC-15 at 105 degrees West, an orbital position where EchoStar has been our anchor customer since 2006. The spacecraft’s C-band capacity will provide [a] replacement for AMC-18 at the same position.”
SES has been a long-time customer of SpaceX and agreed to fly SES-10 using a flight-proven Falcon 9 first stage on March 30, 2017, becoming the first geostationary satellite to be launched using a reused booster. The first stage for the SES-11 mission was first flown on Feb. 19, 2017, to send a Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station.
The Oct. 11 launch will be the third time SpaceX has used a flight-proven Falcon 9 booster.
As of Oct. 10, the weather forecast is calling for partly cloudy skies with a high of 82 degrees Fahrenheit (28 degrees Celsius). Winds are predicted to be about 8 mph (13 km/h) out of the east-northeast. Should the weather or a technical issue crop up, the company has a two-hour launch window to get the Falcon 9 off the ground. A backup date not been announced should the flight attempt be scrubbed.
This mission will be the 43rd Falcon 9 rocket to launch since 2010 and the 15th in 2017 – with up to five more planned before year’s end. Additionally, it will be the 11th to fly out of Launch Complex 39A. After SES-11 gets off the ground, SpaceX’s next flight is expected in late October and will see Koreasat 5A orbited for KT Corporation.
Launching atop a flight-proven Falcon 9 rocket, SES-11 will be SpaceXÂ’s 15th mission in 2017, continuing a very busy year for the company. The particular first stage used for this mission, core 1031, was first flown during CRS-10 in February 2017.
Additionally, this flight will mark the first repeat customer to fly on a recovered booster. In late-March of 2017, SES-10 was launched atop the first re-flown booster on behalf of Luxembourg-based SES.
The SES-11 mission was originally planned to launch on Oct. 7, 2017. However, on Oct. 5, SpaceX opted to delay the flight until after the Iridium-3 satellites were delivered into space via a West Coast Falcon 9 rocket. The reason for the delay was not announced.
SES-11/EchoStar-105 is a hybrid communications satellite manufactured by Airbus Defence and Space and will provide Ku- and C-band coverage across North America, including Mexico, Hawaii, and the Caribbean. It is a dual-mission satellite for both U.S.-based EchoStar and SES.
The 11,500-pound (5,200-kilogram) satellite will be placed in geostationary orbit over 105 degrees West Longitude and is intended to replace the AMC-15 and AMC-18 satellites that were launched in 2004 and 2006, respectively. Optimized for digital television delivery, SES-11 utilizes the Airbus Eurostar E3000 platform and is designed to accelerate the roll-out of high and ultra-high definition video services to North America.
According to SES, “The spacecraft’s Ku-band capacity will replace AMC-15 at 105 degrees West, an orbital position where EchoStar has been our anchor customer since 2006. The spacecraft’s C-band capacity will provide [a] replacement for AMC-18 at the same position.”
SES has been a long-time customer of SpaceX and agreed to fly SES-10 using a flight-proven Falcon 9 first stage on March 30, 2017, becoming the first geostationary satellite to be launched using a reused booster. The first stage for the SES-11 mission was first flown on Feb. 19, 2017, to send a Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station.
The Oct. 11 launch will be the third time SpaceX has used a flight-proven Falcon 9 booster.
As of Oct. 10, the weather forecast is calling for partly cloudy skies with a high of 82 degrees Fahrenheit (28 degrees Celsius). Winds are predicted to be about 8 mph (13 km/h) out of the east-northeast. Should the weather or a technical issue crop up, the company has a two-hour launch window to get the Falcon 9 off the ground. A backup date not been announced should the flight attempt be scrubbed.
This mission will be the 43rd Falcon 9 rocket to launch since 2010 and the 15th in 2017 – with up to five more planned before year’s end. Additionally, it will be the 11th to fly out of Launch Complex 39A. After SES-11 gets off the ground, SpaceX’s next flight is expected in late October and will see Koreasat 5A orbited for KT Corporation.