SpaceX

A short Twunk thread from Stephen Clark @StephenClark1, 12:51 PM - Jul 25, 2023 et seq.

A couple bits of info from the Crew-7 preview news conference:

SpaceX has begun using a new launch control center at the company's Hangar X facility at KSC for Starlink missions.

It'll be used to control the Falcon Heavy/Jupiter 3 launch Wednesday night, then again for Crew-7.

And SpaceX's first space station cargo mission from the SLC-40 launch pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station since 2020 will be the Northrop Grumman NG-20 mission in December.

This is the first of three Cygnus resupply launches Northrop has contracted to SpaceX.

No update from NASA or SpaceX on the construction of a new tower at SLC-40 for crew and cargo launches. Not sure it's required for Cygnus cargo loading, but will be needed for Dragon.

CProphet (Chris Prophet) pointed out in The Other Place points out that it is said to be a launch control center, but mission control remains at Hawthorne, CA. Another user said that Hawthorne seemed crowded, and another wrote that it'll replace the "rented KSC fire control room".

Also, Hangar X is at the Roberts Road facility at Cape Canaveral, FL.