Main Engine Cut OffSpaceX’s Early 2017 Cadence
Stephen Clark of Spaceflight Now on the upcoming SES-10 mission from Pad 39A:
Assuming the final launch pad work is completed in the coming days, and SpaceX can launch its next two missions on, or close to, their current target dates, the launch of SES 10 could occur around Feb. 22, at the earliest, an SES official told Spaceflight Now.
Assuming the next three launches hold their date, SpaceX will hit their target cadence of once every two weeks right off the bat. Iridium-1 on January 14, EchoStar 23 on January 26, CRS-10 on February 8, SES-10 on February 22. Those are gaps of 12 days, 13 days, and 14 days, respectively.
Even if we assume each launch is delayed between 3 and 7 days for weather or technical reasons, they’d still start the year off with a very promising pace.