After government re-opened, SpaceX sought two Falcon Heavy permits

The reopening of the federal government means that launch companies can once again file for launch licenses with various agencies, and it seems that SpaceX took full advantage of this fact on Monday. The company sought three permits from the Federal Communications Commission (which can be searched here). One of the permits concerns the next International Space Station cargo supply mission for the Dragon spacecraft, CRS-17, which had been scheduled for March. This permit for "Dragon capsule telemetry, tracking, and command" indicates that the mission will now fly no earlier than April 12. Of potentially more interest are applications for two permits related to the launch of the next Falcon Heavy mission, Arabsat 6A, and the landing of two side boosters and the central core. These applications indicate that the launch of the Arabsat 6A mission will occur no earlier than March 7 from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A. This is consistent with existing estimates for the current launch date. The landing permit also confirms that SpaceX will seek to land the two side boosters at its landing zone along the Florida coast—setting up for a repeat of the dramatic side-by-side landings during the inaugural Falcon Heavy test flight last February. The company will also attempt to land the center core on an ocean-based drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean about 1,000km offshore. During the first test flight of the Falcon Heavy rocket, SpaceX narrowly missed landing the center core.

Successful landings needed

Arabsat 6A is a large, Saudi Arabian telecommunications satellite. It weighs about 6 tons and is bound for geostationary orbit. There is a lot riding on these landings, as SpaceX intends to reuse both the side boosters and the center core for its third Falcon Heavy mission, Space Test Program-2. This flight could occur as early as April, although some slippage to the right seems likely, as a one-month turnaround of three boosters is ambitious. The payloads for this ride-share mission, bought by the US Air Force, include six weather research satellites, several demonstration missions, and academic projects. One of the more intriguing payloads comes from the Planetary Society. Its LightSail 2 CubeSat project will attempt to make solar sail-powered flight in Earth orbit. Once in space, the 61cm-long spacecraft will separate from the upper stage of the Falcon Heavy rocket and undergo a series of maneuvers to deploy a light sail made of Mylar that will spread out to encompass an area of 32 square meters. This sail will attempt to use the constant pressure from sunlight reflecting off of the sails to raise itself to higher orbits around the Earth. If the Falcon Heavy center core does not successfully land on a drone ship after the Arabsat 6A flight, it is not clear how long it would take SpaceX to manufacture another one.