![]() ![]() It is characterized by the capability of frequency re-use, afforded by a mix of frequency and polarization in small spot-beams. Intelsat 35e is the fourth of Luxembourg-based Intelsat’s high-throughput “EpicNG” advanced digital platforms, the concept for which was first unveiled back in 2012. Fabricated by Boeing, Intelsat 35e will replace the 2002-launched Intelsat 903 satellite, which is expected to be maneuvered to a new orbital location by year’s end. The payload for Monday’s flight was the heavyweight Intelsat 35e satellite, which will provide communications coverage over the Americas, the Caribbean, Europe and sub-Saharan Africa from its geostationary orbital “slot” at 325.5 degrees East longitude, positioned over the Atlantic Ocean, to the north-east of Brazil. Moreover, when one counts a third Upgraded Falcon 9- which thundered out of Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., on 25 June-this year has seen a remarkable uplift in SpaceX’s launch cadence, as the Hawthorne, Calif.-based organization sets its sights on ticking-off up to 20 missions in 2017. But tonight, SpaceX added another feather to its cap by flying its tenth mission of the year and setting a new record of just 12 days between launches from Pad 39A. Image Credit: SpaceXĮven in those few short months, the pad has established a number of new records, from the flight of a re-used Upgraded Falcon 9 first-stage “core” in March to an empirical turnaround record of just 14 days between two launches. Intelsat 35e represents the fourth EpicNG high-throughput communications satellite to be placed into orbit for Luxembourg-headquartered Intelsat. These lofted 15 communications satellites into orbit, as well as a pair of Dragon cargo ships to the International Space Station (ISS) and saw Pad 39A’s first fully classified customer since the shuttle era. Earlier this spring, after a multi-year hiatus, it returned to operational service, hosting SpaceX’s birds and has now conducted an impressive eight missions between February and tonight. ![]() Due to the heavyweight nature of the payload-which tips the scales at around 14,770 pounds (6,700 kg)-no attempt to land the Upgraded Falcon 9’s first stage on either the Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship (ASDS) or Landing Zone (LZ)-1 was made on this mission.įrom the maiden voyage of the mighty Saturn V to the first manned lunar landing and from the ascent of Skylab to the first and last flights of the Space Shuttle, historic Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida has seen dozens of launches since November 1967. ![]() Following the second scrub, SpaceX elected to return to Upgraded Falcon 9 to a horizontal configuration for attention, standing down for a couple of days to prepare for a third launch attempt. Wednesday’s successful launch came after a pair of disappointing scrubs on Sunday and Monday, both automatically commanded at T-9 seconds. EDT, right on the opening of a 58-minute “window” and successfully delivered the Intelsat 35e high-throughput communications satellite into Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO). The 230-foot-tall (70-meter) booster lifted off at 7:38 p.m. SpaceX and Pad 39A established another record this evening (Wednesday, 5 July), as the personal-best-beating tenth Upgraded Falcon 9 of 2017 roared into space and the historic, Apollo-era complex saw its second launch in only 12 days. SpaceX successfully launches its tenth Upgraded Falcon 9 of 2017 at 7:38 p.m. ![]()
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