
SpaceX Launches Super-Heavy Communications Satellite - blago
http://www.space.com/36852-spacex-launches-inmarsat-5-f4-satellite.html
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kirrent
Interestingly, this launch wasn't within the original capabilities of the
falcon 9 and was originally scheduled for a falcon heavy launch. The
lengthening of the rocket, using densified propellants, and more changes meant
that they could instead use a falcon 9 even though they couldn't recover it.
It's a cool reminder of just how much the falcon 9 has changed.

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valuearb
According to wikipedia the Falcon 9 has increased GTO payloads from 4,500 kg
to 8,000 kg from the 1.0 version to the Full Thrust version. And payload to
LEO from 10,450 kg to 22,800 kg.

These improvements have been passed on to the Falcon Heavy, and it's expect to
put 64,000 kg into LEO, just shy of the SLS's 70,000 kg.

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aphextron
>just shy of the SLS's 70,000 kg.

Is the SLS system even worth it anymore? They are using repurposed 1970's
shuttle era technology at massively inflated costs. To be fair, no one could
have possibly foreseen the quantum leap in rocket technology SpaceX has made
over the past 8 years since the SLS was designed. But it's beginning to seem
more and more like a government welfare program for Boeing rather than an
effective launch system.

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lmm
Bear in mind that the Falcon Heavy was supposed to fly 2-3 years ago. At this
point I'm starting to wonder whether it ever will.

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thomassnielsen
There are many reasons for the delay, one of which is Elon Time™, but the
previously mentioned improvements to F9 and being able to launch many payloads
with it instead is also among them.

As to when it will fly, I expect by the end of the year. They have finally
begun static firing actual rocket cores recently, including the heavily
redesigned (and another reason for delays) center core.

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Animats
This is good. Space-X just needs to keep those routine launches going, catch
up on their backlog, and keep their customer base happy. They were falling
behind for a while, and losing customers to Arianespace.

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jamesrom
Can someone explain why it's called "Super-Heavy"?

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greglindahl
Because it has a mass large enough to be awkward to launch in an Ariane 5
upper berth or with Proton. "Super Heavy" is a bad choice of words since
rockets themselves are often classed as "medium", "heavy", and "super heavy",
and this satellite is nowhere near the mass for needing a "super heavy" rocket
to launch.

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ge96
Damn 50Mbps by satellite

