SpaceX Tuesday...

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Beati Dogu

8,862 posts

138 months

Wednesday 1st November 2017
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Awesome. Even seeing it up at the pad for a dress rehearsal will be pretty cool.

RobDickinson

31,343 posts

253 months

Wednesday 1st November 2017
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p1stonhead said:
Ridiculous that a single rocket launching and then landing again is a bit boring now hehe
19 landings in a row...

Amazing how we have gone from impossible to routine in a very short space of time.

ULA must be crapping themselves

Beati Dogu

8,862 posts

138 months

Wednesday 1st November 2017
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I believe it's 19 landings total, but 15 in a row so far. The last landing failure was back in June last year, when it ran out of fuel above the deck.

So far there have been 44 Falcon 9 launches & 24 attempted landings. Three rockets this year alone weren't able to attempt a landing; Filling in for F9 Heavy.

Only three Falcon 9s have re-flown, although that could increase to 7 within two months. The current generation is only capable of a single re-use. The forthcoming "block 5" ones will take on the lessons they've learned and should hopefully be capable of 8-10 flights each. They'll also have quicker turn round times. Get that right and get F9 Heavy going and they can really dominate on price & timetable. Even a conservative organisation like NASA is OK for them to use pre-flown Dragon capsules and rockets now too.

AshVX220

5,929 posts

189 months

Thursday 2nd November 2017
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Eric Mc said:
Rapid Unplanned Disassembly.
Ta. beer

AshVX220

5,929 posts

189 months

Thursday 2nd November 2017
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MartG said:
Looks like they are trying to squeeze Falcon Heavy in before New Year

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2017/11/spacex-aim...
bks, if those dates are accurate I'll miss it (I'm back in the UK for Christmas and New Year), oh well, hopefully I'll get to see the 2nd one go up. But I'll try and watch this one live via the internet.

Solocle

3,247 posts

83 months

Thursday 2nd November 2017
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Eric Mc said:
Rapid Unplanned Disassembly.
Somebody else is a fan of KSP thumbup

Beati Dogu

8,862 posts

138 months

Friday 3rd November 2017
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The rocket is back at Port Canaveral now.

MartG

20,622 posts

203 months

Wednesday 8th November 2017
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It appears SpaceX had a rapid unscheduled disassembly of a development Block 5 Merlin engine earlier this week

https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/11/an-experim...


MartG

20,622 posts

203 months

Saturday 11th November 2017
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Beati Dogu

8,862 posts

138 months

Tuesday 14th November 2017
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Here's a nice promo video of SpaceX's McGregor test facility in Texas:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXYh4re0j8M&t=...

MartG

20,622 posts

203 months

Wednesday 15th November 2017
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SpaceX is targeting launch of the Zuma spacecraft from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The two-hour primary launch window opens at 8:00 p.m. EST on Thursday, November 16, or 1:00 UTC on Friday, November 17. A backup two-hour launch window opens at 8:00 p.m. EST on Friday, November 17, or 1:00 UTC on Saturday, November 18.

Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage will attempt to land at SpaceX’s Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

MartG

20,622 posts

203 months

paolow

3,208 posts

257 months

Thursday 16th November 2017
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MartG said:
Curious as to what the payload might achieve - but a little late to watch it all live sadly frown

AshVX220

5,929 posts

189 months

Thursday 16th November 2017
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MartG said:
Literally just opened that article an apparently Zuma is delayed until tomorrow.

In the article Lon Rains, communications director for Northrop Grumman’s space division said.

“As a company, Northrop Grumman realizes that this is monumental responsibility and have taken great care to ensure the most affordable and lowest risk scenario for Zuma,”

I think this could be something far more interesting or important than just another Intelligence satellite launch.

Edited by AshVX220 on Thursday 16th November 19:48

Caruso

7,422 posts

255 months

Thursday 16th November 2017
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AshVX220 said:
I think this could be something far more interesting or important than just another Intelligence satellite launch.

Edited by AshVX220 on Thursday 16th November 19:48
It seems to have the larger payload fairing, could it be an X-37 launch?

RobDickinson

31,343 posts

253 months

Thursday 16th November 2017
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Nope theres 2 of those and ones just gone up the other is not long down.

And they talk about those anyhow

MartG

20,622 posts

203 months

Thursday 16th November 2017
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SpaceX has issued a statement on the launch delay:

“We have decided to stand down and take a closer look at data from recent fairing testing for another customer. Though we have preserved the range opportunity for tomorrow, we will take the time we need to complete the data review and will then confirm a new launch date.”

Beati Dogu

8,862 posts

138 months

Friday 17th November 2017
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Caruso said:
It seems to have the larger payload fairing, could it be an X-37 launch?
That's built by Boeing & it can use SpaceX's standard 5.2 m wide fairing (although designed for the Atlas V's 5.4 m wide fairing).

The US Air Force is known to have at least two of them though, so maybe the Northrop Grumman thing is subterfuge.

No government agency is owning up to this one. Even the secretive NRO is denying it's theirs.

Maybe it's Tesla "launching" the Model 3 or their new truck. wink


MartG

20,622 posts

203 months

Friday 17th November 2017
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"SpaceX has postponed its next launch from the Kennedy Space Center indefinitely to examine data from a recent payload fairing test for another customer."

https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/11/16/spacex-delay...

Beati Dogu

8,862 posts

138 months

Friday 17th November 2017
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This really isn't helping Falcon Heavy's chances of launching this year.
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