LAUNCH TIME | June 18, 2022 - 16:19 |
LAUNCH PROVIDER | SpaceX |
CUSTOMER | Bundeswehr |
ROCKET | Falcon 9 Block 5 - Booster 1071 |
LAUNCH SITE | Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg SFB, CA |
PAYLOAD MASS | 2,200 Kg ci |
DESTINATION | Orbita eliosincrona (SSO) |
LANDING SITE | Landing Zone 4 |
WEATHER | - |
SpaceX will launch the SARah 1 radar satellite for the Bundeswehr (armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany) and other rideshare satellites (not yet announced) on the Falcon 9 rocket.
The Falcon 9 fairings will be recovered from the sea approximately 633 km off the coast of California by the support ship NRC Quest.
A few hours after the satellites are released, the second stage will turn on its engine to perform a deorbit maneuver and disintegrate in the Earth's atmosphere. Re-entering the atmosphere avoids the creation of new space debris.
What is SARah 1?
The SARah 1 satellite is a radar reconnaissance satellite built by Airbus Defense and Space and operated by the German military.
The satellite will replace the old SAR-Lupe constellation used for reconnaissance purposes.
SARah 1 has a phased array antenna, two solar panels and batteries to power the satellite.
SARah 2 and SARah 3 will be two "reflective antenna" satellites, which means they will fly in formation with SARah 1 to increase the resolution of the constellation.
Falcon 9
The Falcon 9 Block 5 is SpaceX's partially reusable two-stage launch vehicle. The vehicle consists of a reusable first stage, a consumable second stage and a reusable fairing pair.
The first stage The Falcon 9 first stage contains 9 Merlin 1D engines optimized for sea level. Each engine, powered by RP-1 and liquid oxygen (LOx), produces 845 kN of thrust at sea level.
After the separation from the second stage, the booster starts up some of the 9 engines to make a landing on the Landing Zones located on the coast or on the droneships located in the open sea.
The second stage The second stage is the only expendable part of the Falcon 9. It contains a single Merlin 1D Vacuum motor that produces 992 kN of thrust. The second stage is capable of several ignitions, allowing the Falcon 9 to place loads in different orbits.
Fairings The Falcon 9 fairing is made up of two reusable halves. The first half is called the active half and houses the pneumatics for the separation system while the other is the passive half.
Both fairing halves feature thrusters and a parachute that are used to gently touch the fairing half into the ocean
The official live stream will start approximately at T- 15 minutes.