Lanci del Falcon 1: differenze tra le versioni

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[[Image:Spacex 067.jpg|thumb|The second stage [[Kestrel (rocket engine)|Kestrel engine]] glows red hot during Falcon 1's fourth launch and first successful orbital flight.]]

'''Falcon&nbsp;1 Flight&nbsp;4''' was a test flight of the [[SpaceX]] [[Falcon 1|Falcon&nbsp;1]] rocket, which was launched on 28 September 2008, at 23:15&nbsp;[[GMT]] from [[Omelek Island]], part of the [[Kwajalein Atoll]] in the [[Marshall Islands]].<ref name="MSC">{{cite web|url=http://www.spaceflightnow.com/falcon/004/status.html|title=Mission Status Center|last=Ray|first=Justin|date=2008-09-28|publisher=Spaceflight Now|language=English|accessdate=2008-09-28}}</ref> It was Falcon&nbsp;1's first successful launch, and the first of any privately-funded, liquid-propelled [[carrier rocket]].

{{Main|Falcon 1 Flight 4}}

The fourth flight of the Falcon 1 rocket successfully flew on September 28, 2008.<ref name="SpaceX Falcon1 Flight4"/> A fifth Falcon&nbsp;1 vehicle will be ready

As a result of the failure of three previous launches, the rocket carried a non-functional [[boilerplate (rocketry)|boilerplate]] spacecraft. <ref name="F3">{{cite web|url=http://www.space.com/news/080806-spacex-falcon1-update.html|title=SpaceX Traces Third Rocket Failure to Timing Error|last=Malik|first=Tariq|coauthors=Berger, Brian|date=2008-08-06|publisher=Space.com|language=English|accessdate=2008-09-28}}</ref> The boilerplate spacecraft is a 165-kilogram (363-pound) payload mass simulator, known as '''Ratsat''',<ref name="JSR 601"/> which remained bolted to the second stage of the carrier rocket after reaching [[low Earth orbit]].<ref name="SFN preview">{{cite web|url=http://www.spaceflightnow.com/falcon/004/080927preview.html|title=SpaceX to launch its fourth Falcon 1 rocket on Sunday|last=Clark|first=Stephen|date=2008-09-27|publisher=Spaceflight Now|language=English|accessdate=2008-09-28}}</ref> It has a [[hexagonal prism]] shape, 1.5&nbsp;m (5&nbsp;ft) long.<ref name="Press release">{{cite web|url=http://www.spacex.com/press.php?page=20080928|title=Press Release: SpaceX Successfully Launches Falcon 1 to Orbit}}</ref>

for launch by January&nbsp;2009, with Falcon&nbsp;1 vehicles currently being produced at the rate of one every four months. By 2010 it is expected that production rate will be increased to one every two or three months.<ref name="MWN">{{cite web | last = Musk | first = Elon | title = Flight 4 Launch Update | work = Updates | publisher = [[SpaceX]] | date = September 19, 2008 | url = http://www.spacex.com/updates.php | accessdate = 2008-09-23 }}</ref>

SpaceX co-founder [[Elon Musk]] estimates that Ratsat will remain in orbit for between five and ten years before burning up in the atmosphere.

The rocket followed the same trajectory as the previous flight, which failed to place the [[Trailblazer (satellite)|Trailblazer]], [[NanoSail-D]], [[PreSat]] and [[Celestis|Explorers]] spacecraft into orbit. No major changes were made to the rocket, other than increasing the time between first stage burnout and second stage separation. This minor change addressed the failure seen on the previous flight, recontact between the first and second stages, by dissipating residual thrust in the first stage engine before separating them.<ref name="SFN preview" /><ref name="F3" /><ref>{{Cite news | id={{issn|0362-4331}} | last = Schwartz | first = John | title = Private Company Launches Its Rocket Into Orbit | work = [[The New York Times]] | accessdate = 2008-09-29 |date = 2008-09-29 | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/29/science/space/29launch.html?_r=1&ref=us&oref=slogin}}</ref>

Although SpaceX intends to recover the first stage of all Falcon 1 launch vehicles, they have stated that they were not able to do so after this flight.<ref name="First stage recovery">{{cite web|url=http://www.spacexpla.net/blog/?p=79 |title=Let’s celebrate a new era!|publisher=SpaceXpla.net| accessdate = 2008-10-18 |date = 2008-10-07}}</ref>

==Preparations==

When the fourth flight was first announced in August 2008, shortly after the third flight failed, it was planned for launch in September.<ref name="F3" /> The rocket that was used to conduct the test flight was originally built to launch the [[RazakSAT]] satellite. The test flight was introduced into the launch schedule because [[Astronautic Technology (M) Sdn. Bhd]] (ATSB)<ref name="ATSB">{{cite web|url=http://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/ATSB|title=ATSB|work=The Free Dictionary|publisher=Farlex|accessdate=2008-10-05}}</ref> required a successful flight to be conducted before RazakSAT could be launched.<ref name="F3" />

The schedule left very little time for modifications and testing. The rocket was shipped to the company's testing facilities in Texas where, after less than 24 hours, it was certified for launch. SpaceX chartered a United States Air Force [[C-17 Globemaster III|C-17]] flight on 3–4 September to carry both stages of the rocket 9,700 km (6,000 mi) to the launch facilities at the Kwajalein Atoll. The Falcon&nbsp;1 rocket was successfully test-fired on 20 September.<ref name="F3"/> Launch preparations on 23 September led the ground crew to replace part of a pipeline supplying [[liquid oxygen]] to the second stage [[SpaceX Kestrel|''Kestrel'']] engine. This work delayed the launch to 28 September.<ref name="SpaceX updates"/>

==Launch==

[[Image:Spacex 067.jpg|thumb|Image from Falcon&nbsp;1's successful flight]]

The launch occurred at 23:15&nbsp;[[GMT]] on 28 September, 15 minutes into a five-hour launch window. If the launch had been scrubbed, it could have been conducted during the same window until 1 October.<ref name="SpaceX updates"/> Nine minutes and 31 seconds after launch, the second stage engine shut down, after the vehicle reached orbit.<ref name="MSC"/> The initial orbit was reported to be about 330 x 650&nbsp;km.<ref>{{cite web|last=Clark|first=Stephen|title=Sweet Success at Last for Falcon 1 Rocket|date=2008-09-28|publisher=Spaceflight Now|url=http://www.spaceflightnow.com/falcon/004/index.html|accessdate=2008-09-30}}</ref> Following a coast period, the second stage restarted, and performed a successful second burn, resulting in a final orbit of 621 x 643&nbsp;km x 9.35°.<ref name="JSR 601"/>

==See also==

{{Wikinews|SpaceX rocket successfully orbits on fourth attempt}}

* [[2008 in spaceflight]]

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