|
Anyone dismissing the Starhopper as less than serious should watch the current rash of successful Spacex launches, followed by the still amazing return of the first stages back to a flawless landing (well, mostly these days). The cost savings in multiple reuse of the first stage are staggering, and it took a commercial venture to make that a reality. Apparently sucking off the public teat like NASA prevents you from thinking that way...
|
Originally Posted by Two's in
(Post 10529769)
Anyone dismissing the Starhopper as less than serious should watch the current rash of successful Spacex launches, followed by the still amazing return of the first stages back to a flawless landing (well, mostly these days). The cost savings in multiple reuse of the first stage are staggering, and it took a commercial venture to make that a reality. Apparently sucking off the public teat like NASA prevents you from thinking that way...
Technology has moved on and has allowed Space X to land their boosters on a dry platform, which allows greater re-use. Not surprising that this is a big step up from STS, as STS was conceived way back in 1969. |
|
|
|
Video of Elon Musk explaining what's going on.
There can be no doubt, this is not a joke. |
https://www.space.com/spacex-starlin...g-success.html
SpaceX Just Launched 60 Starlink Satellites (And Nailed a Milestone Rocket Landing) |
Marvelous!
Those first stage landings are getting to be routine. Can't wait to see the big Starship nail a powered landing. |
Another successful launch and booster recovery. I am intrigued that this was an “instantaneous” launch window - literally a one second launch window with a reschedule if missed.
|
https://www.space.com/spacex-starlin...h-success.html
SpaceX Launches 60 Starlink Satellites, Nails Rocket Landing in Record-Breaking Flight CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX kicked off 2020 with the record-breaking launch of its third batch of Starlink satellites. Sixty of the internet-beaming satellites launched atop a used Falcon 9 booster on Monday, Jan. 6. The sooty Falcon 9 rocket roared to life at 9:19 p.m. EST (0219 GMT Tuesday), lifting off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station here in Florida. Its nine Merlin 1D engines lit up the night sky above the space coast as it climbed towards orbit...... The satellites rode into space atop a reused Falcon 9 first stage, marking the second time the company has flown a booster four times. The star of this mission, dubbed B1049.4 by SpaceX, previously lofted the first batch of Starlink satellites as well as the Iridium-8 and Telstar 18 VANTAGE missions...... Following the successful launch, the rocket's first stage gently touched down on a SpaceX's drone ship landing platform "Of Course I Still Love You" in the Atlantic Ocean, marking the company's 48th booster recovery. SpaceX designed its souped up Falcon 9 rocket to fly as many as 10 times with only light refurbishments in between. The company has yet to fly a booster five times, but with four successful flights under this booster's belt, it's likely that it could fly again in the future...... The launch is part of the private spaceflight company's plan to create a constellation of small broadband satellites, each weighing slightly more than 485 lbs. (220 kilograms), that will provide internet coverage to the world below. With this launch, it brings SpaceX's burgeoning constellation up to 180 satellites, making it the largest satellite fleet in orbit..... One of SpaceX's fairing catcher boats, GO Ms. Tree, attempted to catch a fairing half in its giant outstretched net Monday night, but failed to snag it, SpaceX officials said. “We didn't catch it this time. We got really close," SpaceX Starlink satellite engineer Laurel Lyons said during live commentary. "But we're going to keep on trying again." Payload fairings (also known as the rocket's nose cone) are designed to protect the payload during launch. Each fairing is equipped with its own navigation system that allows it to glide gently back to Earth. The Falcon 9’s payload fairing come in two halves that are jettisoned once the rocket reaches space. With each piece fetching roughly $3 million, SpaceX hopes to save some money by reusing them on future flights. To date, GO Ms. Tree (the vessel formerly known as Mr. Steven) has made two successful catches. The company acquired a second vessel in order to eventually scoop up both fairing pieces. That ship, dubbed GO Ms. Chief, is sidelined tonight as crews work on necessary repairs due to damage sustained from its last mission. |
Will the projected tens of thousands of such satellites start falling from the sky at some point?
|
Yes, but at that weight they’ll burn up during reentry. Downside, they’ll need continuous replacement, upside they won’t add to the debris field outside LEO.
|
In-flight test abort of Falcon/Dragon combo next Saturday 18th at 1010 ET (1510 UCT). Live stream on NASA and SpaceX.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/01/1...ht-abort-test/ |
|
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX postponed a critical launch escape test of its Crew Dragon astronaut taxi today (Jan. 18) due to bad weather at the mission’s launch site. The next attempt will be on Sunday, the company said.
The California-based spaceflight company was scheduled to launch its unpiloted Crew Dragon spacecraft on a used Falcon 9 rocket today from the historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. However, bad weather at the launch site, coupled with rough seas at Crew Dragon's recovery zone in the Atlantic Ocean, prompted the delay. "Standing down from today's in-flight Crew Dragon launch escape test due to sustained winds and rough seas in the recovery area," SpaceX wrote in a mission update on Twitter. "Now targeting Sunday, January 19, with a six-hour test window opening at 8:00 a.m. EST, 13:00 UTC." You can watch the launch live here and on Space.com's homepage on Sunday, courtesy of SpaceX, beginning at about 7:40 a.m. EST (1240 GMT). You can also watch the launch directly from SpaceX here, or |
I wonder if they'll have the spectacular booster breakup as the Dragon pulls away on the launch abort system that occurred on the final test of the Little Joe II/Apollo abort system :E
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....c943c59361.jpg BTW, for those of you who aren't Apollo geeks like me, that Little Joe II breakup wasn't intended. One of the roll control devices failed hard over, causing the Little Joe II to start spinning so fast that the centrifugal forces tore it apart. But it made for a spectacularly successful test of the Apollo abort system. :ok: |
Supposed to destruct spectacularly. Effectively it is an ultra thin tin can with the top torn off at max-Q where the supersonic air will be rammed into the tube.
|
Test seemed a total success - falcon broke up explosively as expected after separation.
|
Another successful SpaceX launch of another 60 Starlink satellites yesterday. That makes 300 in orbit and SpaxeX the owners of the largest constellation in orbit.
The first stage was on its fourth trip and missed the landing platform at sea by about 50m. Unsure why but the video shows something dropping off during the re-entry burn so it seems reasonable to assume the problem is easily solvable. |
Originally Posted by ORAC
(Post 10690428)
Another successful SpaceX launch of another 60 Starlink satellites yesterday. That makes 300 in orbit and SpaxeX the owners of the largest constellation in orbit.
The first stage was on its fourth trip and missed the landing platform at sea by about 50m. Unsure why but the video shows something dropping off during the re-entry burn so it seems reasonable to assume the problem is easily solvable. Four missions - now we're starting to see some economies in the business............... |
| All times are GMT. The time now is 07:10. |
Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.