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Space

SpaceX Successfully Launches Falcon 9 Carrying Starlink Demo Satellites (techcrunch.com) 51

SpaceX has successfully launched a Falcon 9 from SLC-4 at Vandenberg Air Force Base today, its first launch since its successful Falcon Heavy test earlier this month. The launch took off early Wednesday morning, after being rescheduled a couple of times from an initial target of this past weekend. From a report: The launch was primarily designed to bring the PAZ satellite to orbit (which was deployed as planned into a low Earth, sun-synchronous polar orbit), a satellite for a Spanish customer that's designed to provide geocommunications and radar imaging for both government and private commercial customers. This launch had a secondary purpose, however, and one that might ultimately be more important to SpaceX's long-term goals. SpaceX packed two demonstration micro satellites for its planned internet broadband service (which Elon Musk confided via tweet it will call 'Starlink'). These will perform tests required before it's certified to operate the service, which it hopes to use to generate revenue by signing up subscribers to its internet service, which will hopefully be globe-spanning once complete.
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SpaceX Successfully Launches Falcon 9 Carrying Starlink Demo Satellites

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  • Impressive (Score:3, Interesting)

    by 110010001000 ( 697113 ) on Thursday February 22, 2018 @09:42AM (#56169263) Homepage Journal
    SpaceX and Musk continue to push the boundaries of human exploration. With the launch of BFR we will soon have Mars in our grasp.
  • I was hoping to see the contrail from near San Diego. Could not but have seen some in the past. I once drove five hours to a place near Vandenberg to watch a launch and it was a great experience that was over in around one minute.
    • ... it was a great experience that was over in around one minute.

      Well, that was about thirty seconds longer than my wedding night...

    • by Zorro ( 15797 )

      It is really only worth it if there is an expected Twilight effect.

      Like this:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Xzs-R193U0

    • From LA it was mostly in the clouds. I think you could kind-of see the first stage separation, but not clear enough to be sure.

  • by taiwanjohn ( 103839 ) on Thursday February 22, 2018 @10:03AM (#56169369)

    Still wondering why the uber-geek who sent a car beyond Mars orbit with "DON'T PANIC!" on the dashboard didn't name his satellite swarm "Skynet" instead. Somebody else must already have the trademark.

  • by JoshuaZ ( 1134087 ) on Thursday February 22, 2018 @10:14AM (#56169415) Homepage
    This launch was also the first launch of the new fairing https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/02/spacex-falcon-9-paz-launch-starlink-demo-new-fairing/ [nasaspaceflight.com]. The fairing is the two halves of the nose-cone which protect the payload from wind when the payload is going up in the atmosphere (as well as helping keep the overall rocket have less drag). Once the rocket hits the upper atmosphere (generally about the same time or shortly after 2nd stage cut off, depending on the specific rocket), the fairing breaks off since it is extra, unnecessarily mass at that point. SpaceX has been very interested in recovering the fairings and the upgraded fairing is both slightly larger (which is good because volume limitations are an issue for the Falcon 9 and even more so for the Falcon Heavy), and is also aimed at trying to make fairing recovery possible. If they can get fairing recovery and reuse to work then SpaceX will have another way of reducing the cost of launches since the fairings cost a few million to manufacture. The fact that this fairing was used without any apparent major glitches is very promising.
    • by Eloking ( 877834 ) on Thursday February 22, 2018 @10:51AM (#56169571)

      Thanks, I was unaware of the new fairing.

      A few interestings points in the linked article :

        - Falcon9 fairings have an estimated cost of about six million dollars. After a quick search, it's look like the advertised cost is 61.2 million maiking the fairing about 10% of the cost. Honestly, it's way more than I anticipaded.
        - The new fairing will not only survive atmosphere reentry, but they will "reorient themselves" before the ewentry and then deploy a parachute. It's bery impressing and I'm very curious about how they did this.
        - SpaceX is making a recovery boat with a big net to catch those new fairing that will come. For what I read, it's pretty similar to Of Course I Still Love You drone ship.

      Can't wait to see if they succeded.

      • by Rei ( 128717 )

        Honestly, it's way more than I anticipaded.

        It's more than SpaceX anticipated as well. Initially there were no plans to recover the fairings because, hey, it's a fairing, how much could it cost? Turns out, quite a bit actually.

        - SpaceX is making a recovery boat with a big net to catch those new fairing that will come. For what I read, it's pretty similar to Of Course I Still Love You drone ship.

        Already exists. Its name is "Mr. Steven". And it's actually quite different from Of Course I Still Love You; i

    • by SuperKendall ( 25149 ) on Thursday February 22, 2018 @11:18AM (#56169735)

      I found another article [geekwire.com] that has a link showing Mr Steven (the catcher boat) and the fairing (which Mr. Steven missed this time, but the fairing, er, faired quite well landing in the ocean).

  • How can we call a system that delivers Internet from the skies above? I would go with SKYNET.
    • by EvilSS ( 557649 )
      In real life Skynet was thwarted by a trademark suit brought by the Terminator franchise rights holders in 2021.

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