SAOCOM 1A
Falcon 9 Block 5
SpaceX
Mission
SAOCOM 1A
Type: Communications
The SAOCOM 1A spacecraft is the first of the two SAOCOM constellation satellites. It is tasked with hydrology and land observaion, and will also operate jointly with the Italian COSMO-SkyMed constellation in X-band to provide frequent information relevant for emergency management.
Location
Space Launch Complex 4E
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
700 rockets have launched from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA.
Rocket
Falcon 9 Block 5 – SpaceX
Family: Falcon
Length: 70 m
Diameter: 3.65 m
Launch Mass: 549 T
Low Earth Orbit Capacity: 22800 kg
The Falcon 9 Block 5 was manufactured by SpaceX with the first launch on 2018-05-11. Falcon 9 Block 5 has 112 successful launches and 0 failed launches with a total of 112 launches. Falcon 9 is a two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX for the reliable and safe transport of satellites and the Dragon spacecraft into orbit. The Block 5 variant is the fifth major interval aimed at improving upon the ability for rapid reusability.
Landing
The first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket landed at LZ-4. This was the first attempt of an RTLS at Vandenberg.
Landing Zone 4 – LZ-4
LZ at Vandenberg
Return to Launch Site – RTLS
A return to launch site usually means that after stage separation the booster flips and does a burn back towards the launch site, landing near where it initially launched from.
Agency
SpaceX
Type: Commercial
Abbreviation: SpX
Administration: CEO: Elon Musk
Founded: 2002
Launchers: Falcon
Spacecraft: Dragon
Country: USA
Space Exploration Technologies Corp., known as SpaceX, is an American aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by entrepreneur Elon Musk with the goal of reducing space transportation costs and enabling the colonization of Mars. SpaceX operates from many pads, on the East Coast of the US they operate from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and historic LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center. They also operate from SLC-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, usually for polar launches. Another launch site is being developed at Boca Chica, Texas.
