SpaceX has confirmed it will be delaying its next rideshare mission, Transporter-2, on the Falcon 9 rocket. The launch was scheduled to take place on Friday 25th June 2021 but did not take place.
The company has stated that they need to undertake some further pre-launch checks to ensure the launch is successful when it eventually takes place. SpaceX has confirmed that they are planning ahead to a new launch date that they will announce shortly.
Transporter-1
In January of this year, SpaceX deployed a record number of satellites into space in a single mission. The Transporter-1 mission carried 143 spacecraft into the orbit of the earth and these included compact nano-microsatellites from various corporations and countries.
The previous record for satellites deployed into space was 104 satellites, and these were launched in 2017 by the Indian Mission Organization.
This uber-pool for satellites meant that different operators were able to ride into space on the same rocket. This not only lowered the costs and shared it amongst all those organizations involved, it also meant that the information and planning were shared. Overall, this is considered a more ground-breaking and unique way to explore space than has taken place in the past.
Previous to the ridesharing program, organizations wanting to launch into space could be faced with costs of over $60 million and this made space travel prohibitive to them.
SmallSat Rideshare Program
SpaceX launched the Transporter-1 from the Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral in January, making it the first dedicated SpaceX mission of the SmallSat Rideshare Program.
The SmallSat Rideshare program cost each organization involved $1 million, and in return, they were allowed to send a 200kg spacecraft into orbit. Normally, this kind of mission costs over $60 million if done on an individual basis.
SpaceX aims to make space exploration and travel easier and more accessible. Their plan was to launch the orbit every 4 months to provide what they call a ‘reliable and affordable ride to orbit’.
The Transporter-1 was the start of a potentially very lucrative business opportunity for SpaceX, by offering a carpool for different satellites. Each organization paid an amount that was based on the mass volume of their spacecraft.
Falcon 9 Rocket
The Falcon 9 rocket was created to facilitate what is known as low-earth orbit (LEO). It was named after the Star Wars Millennium, Falcon, and the 9 engines that power it.
Despite the successful launch in January 2021, things have not always been smooth sailing for the Falcon 9. In 2016 the Falcon 9 exploded when a static fire test on one of the launch pads causes an explosion at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. This led to the loss of the Falcon 9 rocket and a payload worth $200 million.
Witnesses at the time said that the explosion filled the air with dark smoke and impacted buildings in the vicinity.
Since then, SpaceX has been working on the design and engineering of the Falcon 9 to ensure that it is launched safely and successfully, so there was a huge sigh of relief when the January 2021 mission was successful.
The Transporter-1 rideshare mission was the start of the rideshare program for SpaceX.
Transporter-2
Transporter-2 is part of SpaceX’s second rideshare mission into space. This mission is not planning on being as ground-breaking as the Transporter-1 mission and intends to carry only 88 spacecraft.
Inside the rocket’s nose, there will be a range of smaller satellites including some belonging to the United States military and commercial satellites for companies including Satellogic and ICEYE.
Flight Path – Polar Corridor
SpaceX intends to use the polar corridor flight path, this flight path had not been used since the 1960s. SpaceX will use this flight path for the third time since August 2020. Normally, polar launches take off from different regions so they can fly over unpopulated areas such as California and Alaska.
In the 1960s debris from the Thor rocket allegedly killed a cow and since then there has been some reticence about flights over populated areas. This is less of a concern now as modern rockets now have flight termination software that destroys the rocket in the event of a malfunction during flight.
Falcon 9’s flight path is very unique. It will pivot to the south once it has cleared the lightning towers and go along the east coast of Florida.
Falcon 9 Delay
The announcement of the delay came as a surprise to many. However, SpaceX confirmed that they needed to undertake further pre-launch investigations and fully prepare the Falcon 9 for its payloads.
If the launch had happened on time, the Falcon 9 would have achieved 60% ‘go’ conditions. The summer storms impacted the percentage achieved and SpaceX obviously thought this was not enough percentage for them to launch.
The delay of this historic rocket launch will be disappointing for SpaceX who wants to continue to market itself as the primary, privately developed spacecraft launch company in the world.
NASA
US space agency NASA is seeing a resurgence in popularity and interest. This is in part due to their own endeavors, but teaming up with SpaceX and Elon Musk has certainly brought it to the forefront of everyone’s minds.
In 2011, NASA closed down its space shuttle program and recent government policies that reduced funding for the space program added to worries that NASA was no longer relevant and in decline.
However, in May 2020 over 150,000 spectators (and 10 million viewers) watched as NASA attempted a launch. The success of the launch made commentators remark that a ‘new era of human spaceflight’ was launched.
With help from billionaires in the private space travel industry, NASA is generating interest again and the quest for space exploration, which never really went away for many space fans, is back on the agenda.
SpaceX and NASA
The delayed launch will not affect the relationship between NASA and SpaceX. NASA recently chose SpaceX to partner up with on its commercial spaceflight operations. This is one of the highest profile collaborations in the history of space travel and is likely to continue for a number of years.
As NASA prepares itself to send astronauts to the moon in order to continue its exploration program, Artemis, SpaceX will work with NASA to facilitate the missions and develop a commercial human lander.
Although no one has landed on the moon for several decades, there is an increasing urge by organizations, both private and governmental, to generate a new space race and land on the moon.
NASA and SpaceX are collaborating on new heavy-lift rockets to facilitate further space travel and exploration. As a government agency, NASA is limited by unpredictable government policy and funding changes. SpaceX brings with it a dedicated cash flow and innovative technology and engineering. As the owner of SpaceX, Elon Musk, is known of his passion for space exploration and opening it up to humans.
Human Space Exploration
SpaceX collaborating with NASA and carrying astronauts to the space station is a huge leap for space travel. Years ago, Elon Musk spoke of a new age where human space travel would exist and be facilitated by private companies that would launch humans into space. Almost 20 years after creating SpaceX it looks like Elon Musk is realizing his dream and making good on his promises.
It’s clear from Musk’s vision and enterprise that low-earth orbiting is no longer considered to be the frontier. Space travel now goes beyond that, and collaboration partners NASA and SpaceX want to work together to push that frontier further and further.
Elon Musk has made no secret of his desire to operate a company that operates starships effectively launching passengers into space, for an affordable and sustainable price. CEO of NanoRacks Jeffrey Manber, a private user of the ISS, states that the commercial space travel marketplace is still in its infancy, and is likely to mature in the next decade. He predicts that human space travel will become increasingly accessible and ‘private destinations will start to pop up’.
SpaceX’s vision includes landing humans on Mars within the next decade. As SpaceX continues to develop Starship Musk is keen to meet his target of landing in Mars by 2026. Whether this is achievable is in some doubt, especially now that the Falcon 9 launch has been delayed.