/sci/ - Science & Math

Scrubadub Edition
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Greetings lads, we're getting close to SpaceX's eighth launch of 2018!

Mission: NASA's TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite)
Launch window: April 18, 22:51 UTC (18:51 EDT) <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Booster: B1045 - the first flight of the last Block 4 booster to be built
Launchpad: SLC-40 @ Cape Canaveral, Florida
1st stage landing? Yes, ASDS landing on OCISLY
Final TESS orbit: An elliptical high Earth orbit (HEO); 108,000 x 375,000 km, 37º

SpaceX stream: http://www.spacex.com/webcast
NASA stream: https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/
Press Kit: http://www.spacex.com/sites/spacex/files/tesspresskit.pdf
Weather Forecast: http://www.patrick.af.mil/Portals/14/documents/Weather/L-1%20Forecast%2018%20Apr%20Launch.pdf?ver=2018-04-17-103422-863

What is TESS?
TESS is a smol (362 kg) exoplanet-searching satellite. It scans the stars, looking for blips in their brightness, which often indicates a planet exists in that particular star system. Would you like to know more?
NASA site: https://tess.gsfc.nasa.gov
MIT site: https://tess.mit.edu
Fact sheet: https://www.orbitalatk.com/space-systems/science-national-security-satellites/science-environment-satellites/docs/TESS_Factsheet.pdf

>Hey, that's a pretty small satellite!
Yes, it was originally designed to be launched on a Pegasus rocket, but was changed to Falcon 9. With F9's capabilities, TESS does not have to use as much of it's onboard propellant for maneuvering to its final orbit.

>Orbit details:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AIbD2WxyN8

News from the prelaunch conf:
>no Mr. Steven, but fairing recovery hardware is still onboard (fairing 2.0)
>fairing will soft land in the ocean
>plan to reuse this booster for the next CRS mission
>only takes a couple weeks to refurbish stages now
>2nd stage will do a 3rd burn to kick it out on a hyperbolic trajectory (space trash)

SCRUUUUUUUUBB