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SpaceX's Fourth Launch Attempt RSN
Posted by
CmdrTaco
on Tuesday September 23, @05:01PM
from the houston-we-have-a-boredom dept.
from the houston-we-have-a-boredom dept.
jcgam69 writes "SpaceX's Falcon 1 is on the pad in the South Pacific Kwajalein Atoll ready for its fourth launch attempt, according to a blog post over the weekend from SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. The countdown is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 23, between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. PDT, though the launch window will extend through Thursday if need be."
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SpaceX Conducts Full Thrust Firing of Falcon 9 79 comments
Toren Altair sends us this excerpt:
"Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) conducted the first nine engine firing of its Falcon 9 launch vehicle at its Texas Test Facility outside McGregor on July 31st. A second firing on August 1st completed a major NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) milestone almost two months early. At full power, the nine engines consumed 3,200 lbs of fuel and liquid oxygen per second, and generated almost 850,000 pounds of force — four times the maximum thrust of a 747 aircraft. This marks the first firing of a Falcon 9 first stage with its full complement of nine Merlin 1C engines. Once a near term Merlin 1C fuel pump upgrade is complete, the sea level thrust will increase to 950,000 lbf, making Falcon 9 the most powerful single core vehicle in the United States. The Falcon 9 will launch SpaceX's spaceship Dragon with up to 7 humans from 2009 on."
We discussed SpaceX when it won the NASA competition to provide low cost commercial transport to the ISS, and also when it launched an earlier design. Basic specs for Falcon 9 are available, as well as a more technical paper (PDF).
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Third Falcon 1 Launch May Be This Afternoon 76 comments
ElonVonBraun writes "The web is abuzz with rumors that SpaceX will attempt its third rocket launch today. In the past two days, they have also done successful tests of their bigger, stronger rockets. When the launch does happen, sometime during this five-day window, there will be a webcast. Betting odds are that they will do it around 4PM PST."
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SpaceX Launch Fails To Reach Space 263 comments
azuredrake and many other readers have written to tell us:
"The New York Times reports that the third SpaceX launch has failed following the second-stage ignition of the Falcon 1 rocket. The SpaceX launch had three satellites on board, all of which were presumably destroyed in the incident. This marks the third failed launch for SpaceX — twice they failed to reach orbit, and once the Falcon 1 rocket was lost five minutes after launch. While the company vows to carry on, this certainly raises some questions about the likelihood of successful privatization of the Space industry."
Reader Nano2Sol points out a video of the launch from a camera on Falcon 1, and notes a small oscillation just prior to the footage being cut off. Spaceflight Now ran a mission update blog leading up to the failure, and they also have more coverage on the loss of the rocket.
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SpaceX Launch Failure Due To Timing Problem 244 comments
FleaPlus writes "Private orbital spaceflight company SpaceX recently announced that last weekend's Falcon 1 rocket launch failure was caused by a collision between the first and second stage of their rocket. This was due to a timing problem, when their brand-new engine design produced residual thrust for 1.5 seconds longer than expected; they're currently working to fix the problem and launch again, perhaps as early as next month. In a recent interview with Wired, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk remarked on their efforts: "Optimism, pessimism, f-ck that; we're going to make it happen. As God is my bloody witness, I'm hell-bent on making it work.""
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SpaceX Gets Operational License For Cape Canaveral 133 comments
FiggyOO writes "For those of you who witnessed the launch of SpaceX's Falcon 1 rocket, launch 3, you will be glad to hear that SpaceX has received a license to launch from space complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on the Florida coast. This Launch complex is just south of launch pads 39A and 39B which have been used to launch the space shuttles, and will continue in that role for a few more years. This launch complex will enable SpaceX to launch the much-anticipated Falcon 9 rocket, which will eventually carry the Dragon capsule. In doing so, SpaceX hopes to fill the void between the end of the shuttle program and the coming of the Constellation. They have already begun moving into the launch complex, including moving a 125,000 gallon liquid oxygen tank on the back of a semi." We've been following Elon Musk's SpaceX for years.
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SpaceX Flight 4 Launch Postponed 59 comments
Matt_dk noted that yesterday's launch plans for SpaceX have hit some turbulence. He says "SpaceX Flight 4 Launch has been postponed. The static fire took place on Saturday [20 Sep 2008, CA time], as expected, and no major issues came up. However, after a detailed analysis of data, we decided to replace a component in the 2nd stage engine LOX supply line. There is a good chance we would be ok flying as is, but we are being extremely cautious.
This adds a few extra days to the schedule, so the updated launch window estimate is now Sept 28th through Oct 1st [CA time]."
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On Fourth Launch Attempt, SpaceX Falcon 1 Reaches Orbit 24 comments
xp65 writes with the just-announced success of Elon Musk's SpaceX's long efforts to reach orbit with a privately-developed launching craft: "T+0:08:21 Falcon 1 reached orbital velocity, 5200 m/s Nominal Second stage cut off (SECO) — Falcon 1 has made history as the first privately developed liquid fueled launch vehicle to achieve earth orbit!"
dbullard adds "This was a completely new vehicle — it's not using any previously developed hardware. All developed from scratch. No government supplied hardware, Russian engines, or old ICBM motors. My hat's off to the employees of Space X — all 550 of them. (Note — no 'cast of thousands,' just 550).
They've got video of the entire launch."
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Not Today... (Score:5, Informative)
From an email I received this morning from the SpaceX news mailing list:
The static fire took place on Saturday [20 Sep 2008, CA time], as expected, and no major issues came up. However, after a detailed analysis of data, we decided to replace a component in the 2nd stage engine LOX supply line. There is a good chance we would be ok flying as is, but we are being extremely cautious.
This adds a few extra days to the schedule, so the updated launch window estimate is now Sept 28th through Oct 1st [CA time].
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Saturday, with luck (Score:5, Informative)
Good luck to them! Space-X has already won the stick-to-it award for persistence-- now let's hope they win the "great-success-after-hard-work" award.
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Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
However, I truly hope they pull it off. I fear that failure by SpaceX would dry up entrepreneurial space efforts in a big way.
Re:Not Today... (Score:4, Insightful)
well, first off, all of NASA's research and technology should be freely available in the public domain. that would make it much easier for commercial space travel to take off. i mean, why are we funding public research if it's not going to be public?
i wonder if the patents NASA is auctioning, or has auctioned, off would make SpaceX's task easier. i mean, i don't care if private corporations start taking over space exploration or if space travel is commercialized. it doesn't even matter if private corporations profit from tax-funded research--so long as _everyone_ has access to that research and is allowed to do the same.
but now it's like if we'd taken all the money used to fund NASA over the past few decades and instead just given it to a handful of private corporations. they alone get to profit from research paid for by the American public and then charge everyone else for access to the technology that our tax dollars already paid for. it's almost like the situation with the telecoms where the infrastructure we paid for is being privately controlled and we're charged extortionate rates to use.
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Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
To be fair, this is not their failing. That type of experience simply doesn't exist much any more. This is a fact which has constantly repeated it self over time.
Lacking experience is the constant component which simply disappears. This can be observed in many technical areas.
o Military contractors are constantly relearning lessons well known since WWII and Korea.
o It now takes 20%-40% longer to build aircraft which have changed little since the 60s. This is believed to be directly attributable to both the
Castle in a Swamp! (Score:3, Funny)
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Re: (Score:2)
Listen, lad. I built this kingdom up from nothing. When I started here, all there was was swamp. Other kings said I was daft to build a castle on a swamp, but I built it all the same, just to show 'em. It sank into the swamp. So, I built a second one. That sank into the swamp. So, I built a third one. That burned down, fell over, then sank into the swamp, but the fourth one... stayed up! And that's what you're gonna get, lad: the strongest castle in these islands.
Good reference there. I was thinking more along the lines of an ancient rap....
We like the rockets, the rockets that go boom! We're Tina and Buffy and we like tha boom.
it is delayed a week (Score:3, Informative)
http://www.spacex.com/updates.php
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Re: (Score:2)
week=7
28-23=5
5=7
???
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
launch window=oct 1 - sep 28= 4 days :)
oct 1 - sep 23 = 9 days
28 - 23 = 5 days
(9+5)/2 = 7 days.
Just messing around, though. Obviously if I meant exactly 7 days I would have said 7 days rather than a week. There is an implied margin of error when you use larger units. :)
Those trees look mighty close... (Score:4, Funny)
So do all those very combustible looking trees fold over at launch like those ones in Thunderbirds?
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Add an accelermeter to the stage seperation logic. (Score:2)
Just a suggestion.
"As it turned out, a very small increase in the time between commanding main engine shutdown and stage separation would have been enough to save the mission."
If the residual thrust was the problem I would think that an accelerometer would act as a good safeguard. Heck I would thing that the INS could provide this input.
Re: (Score:2)
Is the use of an accelerometer to control second stage separation the norm? (I am neither a rocket scientist nor a rocket engineer, but I would like to know.)
Also, are ullage motors normally used for stage separation engine starts, or are they reserved for engines starts after a longer weightless perion?
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I would think accelerometers aren't used. Another point of failure and all.
We Look For People To Make It Go (Score:5, Interesting)
Not relevant to TFA, but to the /. crowd:
Unix/Linux admin and software engineer positions open at the L.A. facility. https://spacex.com/careers.php [spacex.com]
The subject line is a ripoff of a ST:TNG episode. I'm not with SpaceX. I'm still trying.
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South Pacific??? (Score:2)
(GMT -12:00) Eniwetok, Kwajalein (Score:2)
So they're the ones who've been creating all those forum spam accounts!
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
...using Earth as the counterweight. Brilliant!
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Yea... It's turtles ALL THE WAY DOWN. Didn't anybody tell you?
Re:Let me know when they get one up (Score:5, Insightful)
I couldn't disagree more. I'm interested enough that I might watch it live, but would never hear about it anywhere else. Please post to Slashdot a few hours before they launch!
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Re: (Score:2, Informative)
Seriously, while I appreciate their tenacity, these attempts weren't news the last time either. Please skip the "here they go again" post and just let us know how it went, ok?
in other news, ailing former dictator fidel castro is still alive
Re: (Score:2)
sinking that kind of money from your own pocket into something like this takes some guts.
If you have that kind of money to throw around, what else are you going to do with it? Losing 100 million isn't going to affect his standard of living at all, so essentially there is no risk on his part. Money is like RAM, if it's not used, it's wasted.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
I'm all for learning from my mistakes, but how much do these things cost to build and launch
SpaceX charges $6.7 million for them. They apparently make a profit at that price, so the actual costs are presumably somewhat less than that.
It should be noted though that in general the per-launch costs (fuel, materials, etc.) tend to be quite low compared to the costs of paying the salaries of people in the company. One of the reasons SpaceX's prices are so low compared to the competition is because they designed from the get-go to minimize the number of people required to build and launch their rockets.
Somewhat (Score:3, Informative)
Re:RSN? (Score:4, Funny)
If it's "Real Soon Now" as acronymfinder suggests, then the summary writer and editor both suck.
Naw, it actually stands for "Retarded Spinning Narwhal", a complicated and beautiful acrobatic maneuver that some rocket ships can perform just as they leave the atmosphere. "Narwhal" as a comparison to the long and pointy nature of the ship and a reference to the animal's aquatic dexterity, "Spinning" which describes what the move consists of, and "Retarded" for both the crazy-looking pattern of multi-axis rotation and a jibe at the people who'd risk their lives and a multi-million space craft doing such a dangerous trick just to show off.
I have to say I'm pretty surprised that SpaceX would attempt a RSN on what they hope to be their first successful launch. Most firms and more so pilots would like to make sure the ship will make it to space and back safely a few times before trying it. On the other hand, a well-executed RSN is one hell of a way to announce their success, a giant space-born banner reading "We're here, we're in space, get used to it!"
The more you know! [wordpress.com]
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