Rocket Launch notification thread

[Beati Dogu]

Following Sunday's Starlink-13 launch, Starlink-14 is due to launch on Wednesday, Oct 21st

This is at 5:36 pm UK time from SLC-40

[MartG]

Beati Dogu said:

Following Sunday's Starlink-13 launch, Starlink-14 is due to launch on Wednesday, Oct 21st

This is at 5:36 pm UK time from SLC-40

Probably still too light at that time to see it go over the UK

[Beati Dogu]

Yes, too overcast anyway where I am.

Starlink-13's launch and deployment went OK. Booster 1051 landing for the 6th time.

Both ships captured their fairings too, which I think is a first. However, one corner of the Ms. Tree's net broke and the fairing was kinda swinging in the wind for a while.

[Beati Dogu]

There's an Atlas V due to launch on the 4th Nov from SLC-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station - NROL-101

This is not the Delta 4 Heavy's NROL mission, which seems to have be having interminable issues with the ground support gear.

Launch time: 10.54 pm UK time (5.54 p.m. EST)

[Beati Dogu]

Beati Dogu said:

There's an Atlas V due to launch on the 4th Nov from SLC-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station - NROL-101

This is not the Delta 4 Heavy's NROL mission, which seems to have be having interminable issues with the ground support gear.

Launch time: 10.54 pm UK time (5.54 p.m. EST)

Now due to launch tonight at 10.13 pm UK time (5:13 p.m. EST)

If it has to delay again, the SpaceX / NASA Crew-1 flight will take priority.

[MartG]

Beati Dogu said:

Beati Dogu said:

There's an Atlas V due to launch on the 4th Nov from SLC-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station - NROL-101

This is not the Delta 4 Heavy's NROL mission, which seems to have be having interminable issues with the ground support gear.

Launch time: 10.54 pm UK time (5.54 p.m. EST)

Now due to launch tonight at 10.13 pm UK time (5:13 p.m. EST)

If it has to delay again, the SpaceX / NASA Crew-1 flight will take priority.

Just delayed to 22:32

[Beati Dogu]

Well that seemed to go OK. The new solid boosters worked fine too.

[MartG]

ESA Vega launch last night failed

https://www.esa.int/Newsroom/Vega_flight_VV17_SEOS...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qF1qZRdvZX4

[Eric Mc]

That woman drives me mad - space for the Telly Tubby generation.

No explanation in the launch coverage as to what happened. I'd like to have heard her explain to the children why the rocket didn't work properly.

[MartG]

ESA engineers reckon they've found the problem - cabling for the nozzle gimbal control fitted incorrectly so the nozzle moved in the wrong direction

https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/11/17/arianespace-...

[Zoobeef]

I imagine it was 1 persons job to connect those cables. $236million project gone.

[S6PNJ]

MartG said:

ESA engineers reckon they've found the problem - cabling for the nozzle gimbal control fitted incorrectly so the nozzle moved in the wrong direction

https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/11/17/arianespace-...

The question has to be - why wasn't it spotted on the function checks? More than one person at fault here 🤔

[MartG]

S6PNJ said:

MartG said:

ESA engineers reckon they've found the problem - cabling for the nozzle gimbal control fitted incorrectly so the nozzle moved in the wrong direction

https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/11/17/arianespace-...

The question has to be - why wasn't it spotted on the function checks? More than one person at fault here ??

Also why was it even possible to fit them incorrectly ? Poor design

[Beati Dogu]

It's certainly up there on the list of all time rocket screw ups.

[Eric Mc]

Certainly not the first time something like this has caused a launch failure. This accident was caused by a component being installed the wrong way around -


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycRVAcZC5R4

[Zoobeef]

The must test the gimbling system shirley. And no-one or no computer noticed that when it gimbled left it went right.
Definition of complacency right there, they are making shuttle era mistakes.

[Eric Mc]

They can't test the gimballing of rocket motors on second or third stages as easily as they can for a first stage. The upper stage engine bells are hidden from sight as they are inside the interstage sections and out of view. So they would be completely dependent on the telemetry data coming from the rocket to confirm if the motors gimballed when instructed to do so. If the wiring was wrong, the telemetry might have indicated that the motor was gimballing correctly even if it wasn't.

[Beati Dogu]

Someone is about to get their very own rocket.

[MartG]

Electron launch early this morning, with 'Gnome Chomsky' aboard

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

Launch is about 30m into the clip

1st stage parachute deployment was confirmed but no news yet whether they managed to recover it

Edit - pic from 1st stage under parachute

Edited by MartG on Friday 20th November 10:08

Edited by MartG on Friday 20th November 10:13

[MartG]

Splashdown of 1st stage confirmed, recovery underway

https://twitter.com/RocketLab/status/1329614164382...