Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) Tuesday successfully launched the SES-8 telecommunications satellite into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO).
Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., at 5:41 p.m. EST, according to a company statement. Approximately 185 seconds into flight, the Falcon 9 second stage’s single Merlin vacuum engine ignited to begin a five-minute, 20-second burn that delivered the satellite into its parking orbit. Eighteen minutes after injection into the parking orbit, the second stage engine relit for just over one minute to carry SES-8 satellite to its final GTO. The restart of the Falcon 9 second stage is a requirement for all GTO missions.
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| Falcon 9 ready Tuesday to launch SES-8. Photo: SpaceX. |
The launch marks the second of three certification flights needed to certify the Falcon 9 for Air Force missions under the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program, which would allow SpaceX to compete for all national security space missions. Tuesday’s mission also marked SpaceX’s first commercial launch from its central Florida launch pad and the first commercial flight from Cape Canaveral in over five years.
SpaceX twice last week scrubbed launch attempts due to oxygen system issues (Defense Daily, Dec. 3).
The launch was SES’ maiden use of a Falcon 9 rocket. SES-8, developed by Orbital Sciences [ORB], features up to 33 Ku-band transponders, according to a SES statement. SES-8 is the sixth Orbital-built GEOStar satellite ordered by SES, according to an Orbital statement. ATK [ATK] supplied its Planar Unfolding Modular Array (PUMA) solar arrays for SES-8, which were successfully deployed Tuesday night, the company said in a statement.
SES has three more SpaceX launches under contract. The company’s next launch is slated for early 2014 when an Ariane 5 rocket from Arianespace is scheduled to lift the ASTRA 5B satellite from Kourou, French Guyana.