NEXT SPACEFLIGHT

Status

Success

USSF-62/WSF-M 1

Launch Time
Thu Apr 11, 2024 14:25 UTC
Watch | Article

Rocket

Falcon 9 Block 5
Image Credit: SpaceX
SpaceX
Status: Active
Price: $67.0 million
Liftoff Thrust: 7,607 kN
Payload to LEO: 22,800 kg
Payload to GTO: 8,300 kg
Stages: 2
Strap-ons: 0
Rocket Height: 70.0 m
Fairing Diameter: 5.2 m
Fairing Height: 13.0 m

Vehicles

Landing Zone 4

B1082

Flight #3
56 day turnaround
307th Falcon recovery attempt
294th successful Falcon recovery
41st consecutive successful Falcon recovery
222nd consecutive successful Falcon landing

Mission Details

WSF-M 1

WSF-M (Weather System Follow-on - Microwave) is the next-generation operational environmental satellite system for the Department of Defense (DoD), to replace the microwave wavelength weather forecasting capabilities of the DMSP satellites.

Ball Aerospace has been selected in late November 2017 to be the prime contractor for 2 Low Earth Orbit (LEO) weather satellites with a passive microwave imaging radiometer instrument and hosted Government furnished energetic charged particle (ECP) sensor space weather payload developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory. The radiometer leverages the Ball-built Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Microwave Imager (GMI) instrument.

This mission will improve weather forecasting over maritime regions by taking global measurements of the atmosphere and ocean surface.

Payloads: 1
Total Mass: 1,200.0 kg
Sun-Synchronous Orbit

Location

SLC-4E, Vandenberg SFB, California, USA

Stats

2024

71st orbital launch attempt

SpaceX

337th mission
37th mission of 2024
331st successful mission
303rd consecutive successful mission

Falcon 9

323rd mission
37th mission of 2024
320th successful mission
294th consecutive successful mission