SpaceX to Attempt Launch of Falcon 1 Today

fatron writes "After yesterday's flight readiness review, SpaceX announced they will be attempting the second launch of their Falcon 1 Spacecraft today. The launch is scheduled for 4:00PM Pacific time with a webcast available from T-60 minutes until launch."

Re:Let's hope

[Albert Sandberg]

It looks very windy, I think they will push the deadline... at least they should.

Re:Let's hope

[jdray]

When I first looked at the webcam, I thought the rocket was wobbling. Then I realized it was the camera itself on the stand. Still, it was momentarily unnerving.

They'll probably still launch if the winds are only at ground level. If the nav system can't get it off the ground and stabilized in a little crosswind, they don't deserve to be launching.

Most launches are private rockets.

[pavon]

This is something that the general public is fairly misinformed about. The majority of rocket launches in the US are using rockets designed and build by private companies like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Orbital Sciences. This includes NASA launches. Space X would be competing with these companies, not with NASA.

Re:Useful ?

[FleaPlus]

Is this in any way a space vehicle, or is this just another "single stage to balloon height" effort ?

Um, it's delivering a payload into orbit.

Other info sources

[FleaPlus]

For anybody looking for more frequently-updated sources of info and don't feel like watching the entire webcase, here's some other useful sources of info:

* SpaceFlight Now's Mission Status Center [spaceflightnow.com]: According to the status center, they're having some problems with remotely-monitoring the telemetry stream, which may end up postponing the launch.

* Kimbal Musk's "Kwajalein Atoll and Rockets" blog: [blogspot.com] Kimbal is Elon Musk's brother, and often posts interesting (and highly unofficial) updates from the launch site. He sometimes goes into liveblogging mode, but hasn't done this yet today.

New Launch Time

[DumbSwede]

From Space.com

MONDAY, MARCH 19, 2007
2257 GMT (6:57 p.m. EDT)


NEW LAUNCH TIME. Liftoff is now targeted for 2345 GMT (7:45 p.m. EDT). Fueling of the rocket had been suspended while trying to correct the data transmission problem between Omelek Island and the company's headquarters in El Segundo, California. So the launch team is now working to get back on track for liftoff.

Re:Other info sources

[HUADPE]

He does appear to be in liveblogging mode now, this probably changed between your post and mine. /. is not the greatest means for getting this sort of info. T minus 13:30 as of this post.

Abort!

[SirBruce]

Terminal count abort. No launch.

Re:Houston..

[bughunter]

LC - Launch Control (the smartsexy voice reading the countdown sequence instructions)
LCC - Launch Control Center (aka Mission Control)

some other TLAs overheard

SB - Strongback (the scaffold holding the vehicle until approx t minus 4 minutes)
MD - Mission Director (responsible for mission-level and enterprise-level decisions, probably Elon Musk himself)
RSO - Range Safety Officer (responsible for making sure all is clear downrange for a few miles)
GSO - Ground Safety Officer (responsible for making sure the immediate vicinity of the rocket is clear)
FSO - Flight Safety Officer (part of the Kwaj range; these guys have their finger on the destruct button)
FTSO - Flight Termination System Officer (SpaceX person responsible for verifying the command destruct receiver, ordnance, batteries, etc, are functional)

and some guesses
AVI - Air Vehicle Instrumentation (?) (flight engineer monitoring ground telemetry)

any others I've forgotten?

Re:the launch has been scrapped and is venting lOX

[Frotokid]

0003 GMT (8:03 p.m. EDT Mon.) A possible explanation for the countdown abort being called: "At about a minute-and-a-half out of launch, we shift from communicating to the vehicle through the land lines to communicating through the Range RF (radio frequency). And it is possible we were just not picking up the Range RF signal. So that's what I know so far," says Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX vice president of business development.

Re:Let's hope

[edflyerssn007]

There was a problem with the tracking radar.

-Ed

The Launch is back on!

[Teancum]

SpaceX just announced that the abort happened because of a glitch when handing off monitoring and control systems to the internal guidance computers, as a communcations delay resulted in a delay from the rocket. (see http://spacex.com/updates.php [spacex.com])

The launch is back on for 4 PM PDT (-7 hours GMT).

Let's hope that SpaceX has all of their ducks in a row on this one. This is just one of those things that happens when you have to get out of the lab and where simulations break down. Sometimes you have to actually have to fire the thing to see what happens.

This is also why it is called "rocket science".