SpaceX Tuesday...

[Beati Dogu]

Drone footage of the Boca Chica launch site in Texas:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLdPm07pEbg

Not a lot going on there so far this year.

[RobDickinson]

SpaceX launching an echostar sat on pre flown booster no earlier than October, from 39a.

That means the fh November date isnt going to happen..

[Flooble]

Same as last year then!

[MartG]

Beati Dogu said:

Drone footage of the Boca Chica launch site in Texas:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLdPm07pEbg

Not a lot going on there so far this year.

IIRC they have to let that pile of earth settle for several months, due to the nature of the ground under it

[Beati Dogu]

Yes, it looked that way in January drone footage too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yz5T2nUh5Po


Apparently there'll be some more work done shortly.

The big mound is not the launch site, it's where the Horizontal Integration Facility where they put the rockets & payload together will be located.

The launches will be from the other cleared area nearby.

Edited by Beati Dogu on Wednesday 6th September 00:20

[MartG]

Livestream link for today's Falcon 9/X-37B launch ( if it's not scrubbed due to weather ). Launch window runs from 14:50 BST to 19:55 BST - due to the classified nature of the mission the target launch time has not yet been announced.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9M6Zvi-fFv4

[MartG]

On its way to the pad yesterday

[Buzz84]

the live stream is up now with the countdown currently just passing 9mins till launch

[Eric Mc]

Yep - all going ahead so far.

[anonymous-user]

Touchdown!

[MartG]

Smooth launch and landing

[Eric Mc]

All so smooth now.

Pity they weren't able to broadcast from the top stage events. I'd really like to see the X-37 deploy into orbit.

[Efbe]

will have to rewatch it, but i;m sure I saw somethings flying past when it was at it's apogee

[Eric Mc]

Lots of bits fall off rockets during launch - ice from the tank, fuel residue, insulation etc. It's not unusual.

[Efbe]

Eric Mc said:

Lots of bits fall off rockets during launch - ice from the tank, fuel residue, insulation etc. It's not unusual.

absolutely, but just looked like seagulls to me

[Eric Mc]

Probably flying at high altitude to avoid Irma

[Efbe]

seagulls turned spacegulls

[Eric Mc]

Warning to ISS crew, if during an EVA you decide to take a break for some chips, watch out for spacegulls.

[Beati Dogu]

The US Air Force has confirmed the X37B was deployed OK. We won't be seeing that little bugger for a while.


Spacex are not even trying to recover the fairings this time. With a couple of Hurricanes rolling around, they're not sending the recovery ships out.

[Leithen]

It's hard not to warm to Elon Musk - How not to land an orbital rocket booster..