08/30/2020 - 16:08
- Clarín.com
- Society
After multiple postponements, all for reasons beyond his control, the countdown to the launch of SAOCOM 1B finally began . The most advanced satellite with the Made in Argentina seal, will take off this Sunday at 8:20 p.m. , aboard the Falcon 9 rocket, of Space X, from the Kennedy Space Center, located in Cape Canaveral (Florida, United States).
And although everything is technically ready, the only downside is the weather conditions . In the event of electric shocks, the launch counter, until further notice, will reset to zero.
After conducting "a new feasibility analysis on launch opportunity conditions," authorization was received "from the United States Air Force, responsible for the Cape Canaveral base," they reported this Sunday from the Ministry of Science. and the National Commission for Space Activities (CONAE).
The activities began at 9 in the morning, with the first communications between the Argentine and American engineers, which continued until 12.
At Cape Canaveral, professionals from Space X -the firm of magnate Elon Musk- will be together with 13 Argentine engineers from CONAE and INVAP. In Argentina, support will be provided for the launch from Córdoba, Buenos Aires and Bariloche .
In Buenos Aires, the support will be provided at the CONAE headquarters, where professionals from the GEMA laboratory of the National University of La Plata (UNLP) will also be present.
In Bariloche, Río Negro province, operations will be supported by INVAP. In Falda del Carmen, Córdoba, the Mission Control Center is installed in the Teófilo Tabanera Space Center of CONAE.
From there, operations with Cape Canaveral are monitored and actions are coordinated between all the headquarters located in the country.
The tasks scheduled for the date will resume at 4:30 p.m. where a complete check will be carried out with all earth stations, two of the CONAE in Argentina (Córdoba and Tierra del Fuego) and 5 support stations distributed in the world.
The purpose of the Saocom is the measurement of soil moisture and its application in agriculture, hydrology and in the preparation of emergency risk maps
At 5.30 pm the red team joins the Mission Control Center, which will occupy the main control monitoring the launch . At 6.30 p.m. he takes control and takes all the tests again.
At 20.03, the last test between all the stations is given, to define the launch. At 20:10 SpaceX gives the last warning before launching. At 20:18 the launch takes place.
At 20:22, Space X will try to recover the first stage of the launcher , with 5 Merlin engines. At 8:32 p.m. SAOCOM 1B separates from the pitcher. At 20:33, the satellite passes through the first station that makes contact with the satellite, in Lima, Peru.
At 8:41 p.m. the opening of solar panels is verified to charge the batteries and turn on the GPS.
From that moment, the Mission Control Center of CONAE in Córdoba begins to receive telemetry (health / status data) from the satellite and to communicate with the rest of the groups.
The monitoring continues with the next satellite pass through the station in Tierra del Fuego and then through the North Pole station. Then the CONAE Control Center in Córdoba executes the first commands on the SAOCOM 1B.
It immediately begins with the deployment of the SAR radar antenna, each of the 7 panels, one at a time, until the enormous 35-square-meter structure is fully deployed. The antenna deployment operation will end within 24 hours of launch.
The launch can be followed live on the Spacex channel (www.spacex.com/launches) and will be broadcast from YouTube! through the Casa Rosada website (www.youtube.com/user/casarosada), starting at 20:05.
DD