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Tencent Technology News, according to foreign media reports, due to the growing coronavirus epidemic in the United States, space exploration technology company SpaceX's first mission for the US Space Force-the launch of an upgraded version of the GPS III satellite activity-has been greatly delayed.
It was not until recently that it was merged into the space force that the US Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) discussed this decision in a press release in more detail, confirming that the center has chosen to postpone SpaceX ’s GPS III SV03 launch. The SMC Center postponed the launch not because of a technical failure, or because of a rocket or satellite issue, but to "minimize the impact of the new crown epidemic on launchers and early orbit operators", which may refer to Lockheed -Employees of Martin, Raytheon or SpaceX.
This is the second time SpaceX has postponed its launch due to a coronavirus pandemic, after the Argentine government's emergency team asked its space agency (CONAE) to postpone the launch of the SAOCOM 1B Earth observation satellite. SpaceX's two commercial (non-Starlink) launch activities were delayed by a month or two. However, there are reasons to believe that the delay of these launches may be indefinite, because they seem to have to wait until the end of the US coronavirus outbreak.
"The US Space and Missile Systems Center confirmed that the launch of the next-generation GPS satellite will be delayed by 2 months. This satellite was originally scheduled to be launched from Florida on April 29 using the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to minimize the new crown The impact of the virus on launchers and early orbit operators. "Stephen Clark tweeted on April 7, 2020.
Therefore, SpaceX's next two to three Falcon 9 launches are likely to be Starlink satellite launch missions within the company, which put more communication satellites into orbit. SpaceX's next Starlink mission—the seventh overall—is expected to be launched in the second half of April. Since the production activities of SpaceX ’s Starlink factory went smoothly, at least two other batches of satellites are ready for launch, and they are waiting for the Falcon 9 rocket to bring them into orbit.
After two failed booster landing attempts in February and March 2020, the number of SpaceX ’s reliable flying rockets is rapidly decreasing, making it more difficult for the company to support the active Starlink launch rhythm. Excluding the two Falcon heavy Block 5 side boosters that flew in April and June 2019, SpaceX now has only three boosters left: B1049, B1051, and B1059.
Thankfully, although SpaceX's Hawthorne plant shifted its focus more to the payload fairing and upper stage, the production rate has slowed, but the company continues to manufacture Falcon 9 boosters. At present, the boosters B1058 and B1060 have passed the acceptance test of McGregor, Texas, and are waiting for the first launch at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The B1058 should be the first SpaceX rocket to carry astronauts in history. The earliest time was in late May 2020. The B1060, which was assigned to launch the GPS III SV03 navigation satellite, will not wait until June 30 for its first appearance.
At the same time, the Falcon 9 booster B1060 completed the static ignition test in McGregor, Texas in February 2020, and may now be underway at SpaceX's Cape Canaveral LC-40 launch pad test. Assuming everything goes according to plan, both B1058 and B1060 will land after completing their respective May and June launch missions, which may release boosters for refurbishment and reuse in future SpaceX missions, including Starlink satellite launches task.
Unfortunately, because the United States still appears to be in the early stages of a coronavirus pandemic, there is a great possibility of a delayed launch in the future. SpaceX's Hawthorne, California factory and headquarters have already had 6 confirmed cases of new coronary pneumonia. Without strict and immediate intervention, this number could easily continue to grow. However, for now, the company seems determined to move forward in this crisis. (Tencent Technology Review / Music)