New SS-520 launch time posted:
Launch window opens January 15th, 8:33 +0900(JST)
Which is January 14th, 23:33 UTC (3:33 pm Pacific, 6:33 Eastern in the US)
Just over L-24 hours. Hope for better weather this time.
-Nathan
On Thu, Jan 12, 2017 at 10:25 AM, Nathan Bergey <nathan.bergey@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I think rescheduled for Saturday the 14th? I haven't seen a launch
time posted yet.
In the mean time, here is an interesting chart comparing launch
trajectories of the Kappa series of sounding rockets, Epsilon,
Lambda-4S and SS-520-4 ascent trajectories.
https://twitter.com/moffmiyazaki/status/819568191324045312
SS-520 is very much taking the approach of "go straight up and turn
right" to get to orbit.
-Nathan
On Wed, Jan 11, 2017 at 9:39 PM, Kaido Kert <kaidokert@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
The first countdown got scrubbed, weather.
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2017/01/jaxa-ss-520-rocket-tricom-1-launch/
On Tue, Jan 3, 2017 at 10:33 AM, Henry Spencer <hspencer@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
On Tue, 3 Jan 2017, Lars Osborne wrote:
180 x 1500 km orbit?
If that is a limitation of the launch vehicle, it seems to be of limited
utility. :/
As Nathan has already noted, it's a one-shot tech demo (like Lambda-4S, in
fact) with no intention of being practically useful.
I'm sure you could get a lower apogee by reducing the fuel load in the
final motor, but anything resembling precision insertion would be hard with
a simple solid. If you asked Scout for a circular orbit, insertion altitude
was fairly accurate, but the other side of the orbit had only about a 75%
chance of being less than 100km off! This is why modern all-solid launchers
generally have at least the option of a little liquid final stage for orbit
trim.
Similarly, a higher perigee probably requires either a trim stage or major
design revisions -- most likely, 180km is the highest final-stage ignition
altitude that the lower stages can provide.
Henry
