SpaceX Falcon 9 Live Landing Attempt
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
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https://www.space.com/spacex-starshi...as-resort.html
SpaceX ramping up Starship prototype tests in Texas (and looking for a resort manager)
.....Starship and Super Heavy will both be fully and rapidly reusable. The duo will therefore be relatively cheap to fly, Musk has said — cheap enough to make crewed Mars missions and a variety of other exploration feats economically feasible, if all goes according to plan.
SpaceX is already starting to flesh out ancillary aspects of this bold vision. For example, the company recently put out a hiring call for offshore operations engineers to help develop floating spaceports for Starship vehicles.
The company is also looking to hire a resort development manager, who will be in charge of transforming Boca Chica Village into a suitable jumping-off point for Starship passengers.
"Boca Chica Village is our latest launch site dedicated to Starship, our next-generation launch vehicle. SpaceX is committed to developing this town into a 21st-century spaceport," a new SpaceX job notice reads. "We are looking for a talented Resort Development Manager to oversee the development of SpaceX's first resort from inception to completion."
That resort will likely be lavish, given that Starship trips will be quite expensive. (Musk has said that the cost of a seat aboard a Mars-bound Starship could eventually drop below $100,000.) Indeed, one of the preferred qualifications for the posted job is "experience working for high-end brand luxury development."......
SpaceX ramping up Starship prototype tests in Texas (and looking for a resort manager)
.....Starship and Super Heavy will both be fully and rapidly reusable. The duo will therefore be relatively cheap to fly, Musk has said — cheap enough to make crewed Mars missions and a variety of other exploration feats economically feasible, if all goes according to plan.
SpaceX is already starting to flesh out ancillary aspects of this bold vision. For example, the company recently put out a hiring call for offshore operations engineers to help develop floating spaceports for Starship vehicles.
The company is also looking to hire a resort development manager, who will be in charge of transforming Boca Chica Village into a suitable jumping-off point for Starship passengers.
"Boca Chica Village is our latest launch site dedicated to Starship, our next-generation launch vehicle. SpaceX is committed to developing this town into a 21st-century spaceport," a new SpaceX job notice reads. "We are looking for a talented Resort Development Manager to oversee the development of SpaceX's first resort from inception to completion."
That resort will likely be lavish, given that Starship trips will be quite expensive. (Musk has said that the cost of a seat aboard a Mars-bound Starship could eventually drop below $100,000.) Indeed, one of the preferred qualifications for the posted job is "experience working for high-end brand luxury development."......
Another successful Starlink launch today.
The first stage booster made a perfect landing. The 6th time this particular Falcon 9 first stage has done it.
Launch is about 30 mins into this vid.
The first stage booster made a perfect landing. The 6th time this particular Falcon 9 first stage has done it.
Launch is about 30 mins into this vid.
Live Launch of SpaceX Falcon9 with a booster return to the Cape.
Its all gogogog
Another successful week for SpaceX.
Starlink 11, second use of the stage 1 booster and a perfect landing on the drone ship.
Then shortly afterwards, Starship test vehicle SN6 makes a successful 150M hop.
In addition, New Zealand company, Rocketlab launch their Electron rocket to get them back in the race after a failure last month. The first stage parachutes back in preparation for the planned helicopter capture later on this year.
On the down side ULA fail to launch after a post ignition abort. About 1hr 56 m in to this video.
Starlink 11, second use of the stage 1 booster and a perfect landing on the drone ship.
Then shortly afterwards, Starship test vehicle SN6 makes a successful 150M hop.
In addition, New Zealand company, Rocketlab launch their Electron rocket to get them back in the race after a failure last month. The first stage parachutes back in preparation for the planned helicopter capture later on this year.
On the down side ULA fail to launch after a post ignition abort. About 1hr 56 m in to this video.
Watching Space X boosters land on the drone ships never seems to get old, even though it's now almost routine. Yesterday a new badge arrived that's going on the back of my Tesla, just for the amusement of all the other Space X fans. If the weather stays fine I may get the car cleaned and the badge stuck on:
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
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https://phys.org/news/2020-09-spacex-sn8-feet-week.html
SpaceX SN8 to launch and fly to 60,000 feet next week
Elon Musk, head of SpaceX, has announced via Twitter that the company's SN8 rocket will take a test flight sometime next week. The plan is for the rocket is to soar up to 60,000 feet (18,300 meters) and then return to Earth in a controlled landing.
SN8 is one in a line of SpaceX's Starships that are predecessors to vehicles for missions to the moon and Mars.
SN5 and SN6 recently completed tests of 500 feet each, which the company calls short hops, before returning to Earth. They were meant to test the integrity of the steel walls of the rocket. Both were launched at SpaceX's launch site in Boca Chica, Texas, and both had just one Raptor engine pushing them into the air.
SN7 was intentionally destroyed in a test tank to determine the strength limits of the design.
SN8 will launch from the same site and will have three of the Raptor engines to give it the power needed to reach the much higher altitude. The test next week will be the first time three of the Raptors will be tested together as a single unit.
Before the rocket can be launched, it must first undergo a few more tests. They are called static fires (in which the rocket is held down as the engines fire) and ground checkouts.
SN8 (unlike its predecessors) will also be fitted with flaps to assist with steering and a nosecone, which will be used in the future to hold cargo or people. The addition of both, Musk notes, will give the rocket a look much like the final design........
SpaceX SN8 to launch and fly to 60,000 feet next week
Elon Musk, head of SpaceX, has announced via Twitter that the company's SN8 rocket will take a test flight sometime next week. The plan is for the rocket is to soar up to 60,000 feet (18,300 meters) and then return to Earth in a controlled landing.
SN8 is one in a line of SpaceX's Starships that are predecessors to vehicles for missions to the moon and Mars.
SN5 and SN6 recently completed tests of 500 feet each, which the company calls short hops, before returning to Earth. They were meant to test the integrity of the steel walls of the rocket. Both were launched at SpaceX's launch site in Boca Chica, Texas, and both had just one Raptor engine pushing them into the air.
SN7 was intentionally destroyed in a test tank to determine the strength limits of the design.
SN8 will launch from the same site and will have three of the Raptor engines to give it the power needed to reach the much higher altitude. The test next week will be the first time three of the Raptors will be tested together as a single unit.
Before the rocket can be launched, it must first undergo a few more tests. They are called static fires (in which the rocket is held down as the engines fire) and ground checkouts.
SN8 (unlike its predecessors) will also be fitted with flaps to assist with steering and a nosecone, which will be used in the future to hold cargo or people. The addition of both, Musk notes, will give the rocket a look much like the final design........
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SpaceX targeting Friday, September 18th for next Starlink mission.
https://www.spacex.com/launches/index.html#top
https://www.spacex.com/launches/index.html#top
SN7.1 test article ultimate pressure test.
If you want to see what happens to a 30ft diameter stainless steel cryogenic tank when pressurised beyond its structural load capacity.
About -3.58 into this vid.
If you want to see what happens to a 30ft diameter stainless steel cryogenic tank when pressurised beyond its structural load capacity.
About -3.58 into this vid.
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From spacex.com. "SpaceX is targeting Friday, October 2, for a Falcon 9 launch of the GPS III Space Vehicle 04 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The 15-minute launch window opens at 9:43 p.m. EDT, or 01:43 UTC on October 3."
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In other launch news, a Northrop Grumman Antares rocket is expected to launch from Wallop's Island, Virginia on Friday to deliver a new toilet to the ISS as part of a cargo run consisting of science equipment, crew supplies and spare parts.
Toilet costs $23 million.
Toilet costs $23 million.
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
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SpaceX aborts launch of advanced GPS satellite for the US Space Force
SpaceX aborted the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket carrying an upgraded Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) for the U.S. Space Force on Friday (Oct. 2).
Launch controllers called off the launch about two seconds before the company's Falcon 9 rocket was supposed to lift off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The rocket was scheduled to launch the next-generation GPS III SV04 satellite into orbit at 9:43 p.m. EDT (0143 GMT on Oct. 3).
The next launch opportunity for this mission is on Saturday at 9:39 p.m. EDT (0139 GMT on Oct. 4), SpaceX principal integration engineer John Insprucker said during a launch commentary.
At the time of the abort, it was not clear if SpaceX aborted the launch due to an issue with the rocket or the ground support systems, Insprucker said. Whether SpaceX will be able to try the launch again on Saturday evening will depend on how long it takes the company to identify and solve the problem that led to the abort, he added.....
Friday's launch abort was the second in two days for SpaceX.
A different Falcon 9 rocket suffered a launch abort on Thursday while attempting to launch 60 new Starlink internet satellites from Pad 39A of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral near the Air Force station. SpaceX has not officially announced a new launch date for that mission......
SpaceX aborted the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket carrying an upgraded Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) for the U.S. Space Force on Friday (Oct. 2).
Launch controllers called off the launch about two seconds before the company's Falcon 9 rocket was supposed to lift off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The rocket was scheduled to launch the next-generation GPS III SV04 satellite into orbit at 9:43 p.m. EDT (0143 GMT on Oct. 3).
The next launch opportunity for this mission is on Saturday at 9:39 p.m. EDT (0139 GMT on Oct. 4), SpaceX principal integration engineer John Insprucker said during a launch commentary.
At the time of the abort, it was not clear if SpaceX aborted the launch due to an issue with the rocket or the ground support systems, Insprucker said. Whether SpaceX will be able to try the launch again on Saturday evening will depend on how long it takes the company to identify and solve the problem that led to the abort, he added.....
Friday's launch abort was the second in two days for SpaceX.
A different Falcon 9 rocket suffered a launch abort on Thursday while attempting to launch 60 new Starlink internet satellites from Pad 39A of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral near the Air Force station. SpaceX has not officially announced a new launch date for that mission......
SpaceX has not officially announced a new launch date for that mission.....
Live Coverage
All these scrubs are going to cause a hell of a backlog. Crew Dragon is supposed to launch on 31st.
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Thread Starter
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...-b1042597.html
SpaceX schedules Starship’s first triple-Raptor static fire test
A photo posted by CEO Elon Musk confirms that SpaceX has successfully installed three functional Raptors on Starship SN8 just hours before road closure notices revealed the company’s first triple-engine static fire schedule.......
Curiously, SpaceX remained quiet for several days after Starship SN8 passed its first big test. Whereas with past Starship prototypes SpaceX has often filed test plans (appearing in the form of road closures) even before the current phase of testing is complete, the company waited until Tuesday, October 14th to file closure notices for “SN8 static fire” testing.
Same as Starships SN4, SN5, and SN6, all of which successfully graduated from cryo proof to static fire testing (and even flight tests for the latter two), SpaceX began Starship SN8’s test campaign with a cryo proof. It took three days and at least as many attempts but SN8 ultimately “passed cryo proof” according to Elon Musk, likely meaning that the ship reached sustained pressures of 7.5 bar (~110 psi) or more.
Cryo proof complete, SpaceX installed Starship SN8’s engines – the first time multiple Raptors have been fully integrated with a rocket or test stand – in preparation for another Raptor first: multi-engine static fires.......
Starship SN8’s triple-Raptor static fire test window opened at 9pm CDT on October 14th and closes at 6am on the 15th, with an identical 9pm-6am backup on the 15th and another window from 8am to 4:30pm on the 16th. LabPadre (below) will continue to offer 24/7 views of Starship, including any static fire testing, while NASASpaceflight.com will likely provide live coverage once testing begins in earnest.
SpaceX schedules Starship’s first triple-Raptor static fire test
A photo posted by CEO Elon Musk confirms that SpaceX has successfully installed three functional Raptors on Starship SN8 just hours before road closure notices revealed the company’s first triple-engine static fire schedule.......
Curiously, SpaceX remained quiet for several days after Starship SN8 passed its first big test. Whereas with past Starship prototypes SpaceX has often filed test plans (appearing in the form of road closures) even before the current phase of testing is complete, the company waited until Tuesday, October 14th to file closure notices for “SN8 static fire” testing.
Same as Starships SN4, SN5, and SN6, all of which successfully graduated from cryo proof to static fire testing (and even flight tests for the latter two), SpaceX began Starship SN8’s test campaign with a cryo proof. It took three days and at least as many attempts but SN8 ultimately “passed cryo proof” according to Elon Musk, likely meaning that the ship reached sustained pressures of 7.5 bar (~110 psi) or more.
Cryo proof complete, SpaceX installed Starship SN8’s engines – the first time multiple Raptors have been fully integrated with a rocket or test stand – in preparation for another Raptor first: multi-engine static fires.......
Starship SN8’s triple-Raptor static fire test window opened at 9pm CDT on October 14th and closes at 6am on the 15th, with an identical 9pm-6am backup on the 15th and another window from 8am to 4:30pm on the 16th. LabPadre (below) will continue to offer 24/7 views of Starship, including any static fire testing, while NASASpaceflight.com will likely provide live coverage once testing begins in earnest.
Last edited by ORAC; 15th Oct 2020 at 09:59.
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Thread Starter
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...dband-auction/
SpaceX gets FCC approval to bid in $16 billion rural-broadband auction
SpaceX is one of the 386 entities that have qualified to bid in a federal auction for rural-broadband funding.
SpaceX has so far overcome the Federal Communications Commission's doubts about whether Starlink, its low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite service, can provide latency of less than 100ms and thus qualify for the auction's low-latency tier. With the FCC's Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) set to distribute up to $16 billion to ISPs, the FCC initially placed SpaceX on the "incomplete application" list, which includes ISPs that had not shown they were qualified to bid in their desired performance and latency tiers.
The FCC also said that LEO providers "will face a substantial challenge" obtaining approval to bid in the low-latency tier because they must "demonstrat[e] to Commission staff that their networks can deliver real-world performance to consumers below the Commission's 100ms low-latency threshold."
That changed yesterday when the FCC announced the list of bidders that qualified for the auction that is scheduled to begin on October 29.....
SpaceX appears to be the only LEO satellite provider in the approved list of applicants, with a partial exception: Hughes, a traditional satellite provider, is an investor in OneWeb and has said it will use OneWeb's LEO capacity as part of its bid to get RDOF money.
OneWeb, which is in bankruptcy, is not bidding in the auction itself. Viasat is considering a move into LEO satellites but, like Hughes, Viasat today uses geostationary satellites with poor latencies of around 600ms.
SpaceX's Starlink service is in a limited beta and appears to be providing latencies well under the 100ms threshold.
SpaceX still isn't guaranteed to get FCC funding. After the auction, winning bidders will have to submit "long-form" applications with more detail on how they will meet deployment requirements in order to get the final approval for funding.....
SpaceX gets FCC approval to bid in $16 billion rural-broadband auction
SpaceX is one of the 386 entities that have qualified to bid in a federal auction for rural-broadband funding.
SpaceX has so far overcome the Federal Communications Commission's doubts about whether Starlink, its low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite service, can provide latency of less than 100ms and thus qualify for the auction's low-latency tier. With the FCC's Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) set to distribute up to $16 billion to ISPs, the FCC initially placed SpaceX on the "incomplete application" list, which includes ISPs that had not shown they were qualified to bid in their desired performance and latency tiers.
The FCC also said that LEO providers "will face a substantial challenge" obtaining approval to bid in the low-latency tier because they must "demonstrat[e] to Commission staff that their networks can deliver real-world performance to consumers below the Commission's 100ms low-latency threshold."
That changed yesterday when the FCC announced the list of bidders that qualified for the auction that is scheduled to begin on October 29.....
SpaceX appears to be the only LEO satellite provider in the approved list of applicants, with a partial exception: Hughes, a traditional satellite provider, is an investor in OneWeb and has said it will use OneWeb's LEO capacity as part of its bid to get RDOF money.
OneWeb, which is in bankruptcy, is not bidding in the auction itself. Viasat is considering a move into LEO satellites but, like Hughes, Viasat today uses geostationary satellites with poor latencies of around 600ms.
SpaceX's Starlink service is in a limited beta and appears to be providing latencies well under the 100ms threshold.
SpaceX still isn't guaranteed to get FCC funding. After the auction, winning bidders will have to submit "long-form" applications with more detail on how they will meet deployment requirements in order to get the final approval for funding.....
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Thread Starter
https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-hig...osecone-flaps/
SpaceX installs flaps on first high-altitude Starship’s nosecone
SpaceX installs flaps on first high-altitude Starship’s nosecone
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Thread Starter
SpaceX has successfully launched the latest batch of its Starlink satellites.
Sunday’s launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, brings the total number of Starlink satellites in low-Earth orbit to more than 800, forming a constellation large enough to beam high-speed internet down to Earth.....
The network is already live in areas of Canada and northern US, where a limited number of users have tested it.
Emergency responders in Washington State set up a free WiFi hotspot using the Starlink network for residents of Malden, which was mostly destroyed by wildfires in September.
A remote Native American tribe has also used Starlink for remote learning and telehealth appointments during the coronavirus pandemic.
Earlier this month, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said that a wider public beta would be possible following launches in October.
“Once these satellites reach their target position, we will be able to roll out a fairly wide public beta in northern US and hopefully southern Canada,” he tweeted. “Other countries to follow as soon as we receive regulatory approval.”.....
Sunday’s launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, brings the total number of Starlink satellites in low-Earth orbit to more than 800, forming a constellation large enough to beam high-speed internet down to Earth.....
The network is already live in areas of Canada and northern US, where a limited number of users have tested it.
Emergency responders in Washington State set up a free WiFi hotspot using the Starlink network for residents of Malden, which was mostly destroyed by wildfires in September.
A remote Native American tribe has also used Starlink for remote learning and telehealth appointments during the coronavirus pandemic.
Earlier this month, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said that a wider public beta would be possible following launches in October.
“Once these satellites reach their target position, we will be able to roll out a fairly wide public beta in northern US and hopefully southern Canada,” he tweeted. “Other countries to follow as soon as we receive regulatory approval.”.....