SpaceX Breaks New Ground With Recent Satellite Launch

While NASA made recent news with the launch of its MAVEN satellite to Mars, space transport company SpaceX has made strides towards goals of their own in the past month. Just last week, their Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched with the intent of placing a commercial satellite in a geostationary orbit, higher than the company has ever carried a payload before. With this milestone, SpaceX is putting itself in position to carry the commercial space industry in the near future.

The Falcon 9 rocket carrying the SES-8 satellite launches from Cape Canaveral, FL on December 3, 2013. [2]

The Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida on December 3 at 5:41 pm ET, carrying with it the SES-8 telecommunications satellite. The satellite, weighing 2,138 kilograms (6,918 pounds), was launched to provide television and broadband signals to customers for SES, a telecommunications company based in Luxembourg. This was actually the third attempt to launch the satellite, after technical problems scrapped the first two launches, which took place the week of Thanksgiving. The first try, which occurred on November 25, was cancelled due to abnormal pressure readings in the liquid oxygen system of the first stage rockets prior to launch. The company tried to launch again on Thanksgiving day, but computers again detected a problem as the thrust ramp was slower than expected. To be safe, SpaceX stopped the launch again and re-inspected its nine engines. Later on, founder Elon Musk stated that the problem was an "oxygen contamination in igniters containing TEA-TEB." As a safety precaution, the gas generator in the rocket's central engine was replaced for the third attempt. [1][3][4]

With the successful launch in the third attempt, SpaceX inserted the satellite into a geostationary transfer orbit which reaches altitudes between 295 kilometers (183 miles) and  80,000 kilometers (49,700 miles). Within two weeks, the satellite will stabilize at an altitude of 36,000 kilometers (22,000 miles). In geostationary orbits, the orbital period is equal to that of the rotational period of the Earth, thus allowing the satellite to remain "fixed" in its location relative to the Earth. With the ability to reach these orbits proven by the Falcon 9 launch, SpaceX can now offer its services to the expansive military and commercial launch markets. The company's specific target is the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program, which launches security satellites for the United States government and has long been provided by the United Launch Alliance, a joint effort between Boeing and Lockheed Martin. The launch of the SES satellite was the second of three launches SpaceX needs to successfully accomplish to certify the Falcon 9 for the EELV program, with the first taking place in late September. [1][5][6]

Patch commemorating the SpaceX mission. [7]

With the Falcon 9 well on its way to certification for national launch programs, SpaceX is nearing its goal of becoming a major factor in the commercial space industry.

Sources:
[1]Boyle, Alan. "Third Time's the Charm: SpaceX Launches Big Commercial Satellite." NBC News. N.p., 3 Dec. 2013.<http://www.nbcnews.com/science/third-times-charm-spacex-launches-big-commercial-satellite-2D11655907>.

[2]<http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/4c67eefb93960f7d91d36d555c48ddb3641fcf98/c=88-0-3903-2868&r=x404&c=534x401/local/-/media/USATODAY/test/2013/12/04//1386161746000-spacex-.jpg>

[3]Chang, Jon M. "SpaceX's First Commercial Launch: Third Time Is a Charm." ABC News. ABC News Network, 3 Dec. 2013. <http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/spacexs-commercial-launch-time-charm/story?id=21069734>.

[4]Manning, Craig. "Report: SpaceX Rocket Launch Delayed Due to Thrust Glitch."Natmonitor.com. National Monitor, 30 Nov. 2013. <http://natmonitor.com/2013/11/30/report-spacex-rocket-launch-delayed-due-to-thrust-glitch/>.

[5]"Geostationary Orbit." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Aug. 2013.<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geostationary_orbit>.

[6]Hennigan, W. J December. "SpaceX Reaches Milestone in Rocket Launch from Cape Canaveral." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 03 Dec. 2013.<http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-spacex-rocket-launch-20131204,0,5831669.story>.

[7]<http://s1.ibtimes.com/sites/www.ibtimes.com/files/styles/v2_article_large/public/2013/12/02/spacex-ses-8-launch-patch.png>