SpaceX Falcon 9 Full Thrust #1 (hotfire test)

[Dr Mordrid]

This mission is both a return to flight for SpaceX after the upper stage failure earlier this summer and the first flight of a major upgrade to Falcon 9 named Falcon 9 Full Thrust.

The Falcon 9 FT performance numbers have been increased 33% over the previous version, and will also be used as Falcon Heavy side booster cores. A second, further upgraded, version will be used as the Falcon Havy center core. Falcon Heavy's first flight has been delayed to April-May 2016 because of the F9 upper stage failure investigation.

The upper stage failure was caused by a defective strut holding down a helium tank which failed at just 20% of it's rated load. The supplier has been replaced.

The Falcon 9 Full Thrust test fire for the SES-9 comment launch will be done on the new Falcon 9/Falcon Heavy test stand at McGregor TX.

Peter B. de Selding ‏@pbdes* 2m2 minutes ago
SES: No earlier than Nov 17 for SpaceX Falcon 9 v1 upgrade flight of SES-9. 15-second ignition of denser-fueled 1st stage this week.

Falcon 9 Full Thrust upgrades

Height increased from 68.28 m (224 ft) to 70m (229.6 ft)
Stage 2 lengthened
M1DVac Stags 2 engine thrust increased;
Vac thrust: 934 kN (210,000 lbf)
M1DVac nozzle lengthened
Interstage lengthened & strengthened
New center pusher to guide Stage 2 separation
Grid fin design evolved (for stage landings)
Stage 1 structural upgrades
Landing legs upgraded
Octaweb thrust structure upgraded
Merlin 1D thrust upgraded;
SL thrust: 6,806 kN (1,530,000 lbf)
Vac thrust: 7,426 kN (1,669,500 lbf)
Propellants supercooled to increase bulk density

Dragon 2 shown (commercial & NASA crew spacecraft)

falcon9-render.jpg

[Dr Mordrid]

Yeah Baby!!

HOTFIRE!!

SpaceX

This week we static fired the upgraded Falcon 9s first stage for a planned 15 second test. This was the first test of the upgraded first stage with densified propellant, and we've now static fired both stages of the upgraded Falcon 9.

This was also the first time we utilized our new Falcon Booster Test Stand at our facilities in McGregor, TX.

Falcon Booster Test Stand

[Umfriend]

Nice. When is next launch?

[Dr Mordrid]

Mid November is the return to flight, and the accident report is due out soon. The payload will be SES-9, a ~5,500kg GEO commsat.

With the Full Thrust upgrades F9 is now powerful enough to do landings after GEO launches, so the upgraded ASDS will leave Jacksonville 2-3 days before for a landing attempt.

Also: SpaceX & Musk have reported significant Raptor (the huge Mars engine) progress this summer, so there may well be some methane powered blue fire on the test stands sooner than later.

Here's a June 2015 pic of the Raptor's oxygen-rich combustor pumping at full power on the NASA Stennis test stand. It's one of the hardest parts because of the necessary metallugy.

SpaceX - Raptor Oxygen Preburner component test at Stennis E-2 Test Stand - Summer 2015.jpg