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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #750 on: July 30, 2020, 10:20:49 PM »
Starship SN5 successful static fire!
Quote
Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 7/30/20, 4:05 PM
Starship SN5 just completed full duration static fire. 150m hop soon. 
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1288928622728712192

Screencap below from:
LIVE: Starship SN5 Static Fire From Boca Chica, Texas
➡️https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rj-tMlbrM0
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #751 on: July 31, 2020, 02:02:26 PM »
Astronaut Return Flight Readiness Review Briefing - NASA, SpaceX “Go” for Astronaut Return


Lots of questions in the phone queue, so they moved right along. 49 min.
Recovery explanations.  Reuse:  SpaceX planned reuse all along, for commercial passengers.  NASA gradually came around to that.
Jim B. says the good thing about commercial partners is NASA could grow along with them.
Limiting factors to how long Dragon can stay in free-flight after undocking are food, water, oxygen, Lithium hydroxide CO2 scrubbers.  Water and lithium hydroxide are the biggest factors — they are good for three days, can be stretched longer but they plan for three. “There’s plenty of oxygen.”
The six-hour pre-undocking decisions are due to Dragon cargo loading, including science experiment results that need to be kept in freezers.
Still saying Crew-1 “late September” and Crew-2 “six months later.”

—-
NASA and SpaceX Remain GO for Splashdown
July 30, 2020
Quote
Following a comprehensive review of the latest weather forecast in the areas surrounding each of seven potential splashdown locations, NASA and SpaceX have decided to move forward with plans to bring NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley home to Earth with a splashdown off the Florida coast on Sunday, Aug. 2, aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon “Endeavour” spacecraft.

Teams will continue to closely monitor Tropical Storm Isaias and evaluate impacts to weather around the Florida peninsula, including the potential splashdown sites in the Gulf of Mexico and along the state’s Atlantic coast. NASA and SpaceX will make a decision on a primary splashdown target approximately 6 hours before undocking Saturday.

Undocking remains scheduled for approximately 7:34 p.m. EDT Saturday, Aug. 1, and splashdown at 2:42 p.m. EDT on Sunday. This will mark the first return of a commercially built and operated American spacecraft carrying astronauts from the space station, and it will wrap up NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 mission after more than two months at the International Space Station.

More details about the return can be found in the Top 10 Things to Know for NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 Return and the splashdown weather criteria fact sheet. 
https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/2020/07/30/nasa-and-spacex-remain-go-for-splashdown/

—-
Planned events currently remain on the same schedule:
Quote
Live Programming
JULY
July 31, Friday
10:45 a.m.-11:15 a.m – International Space Station Expedition 63 on-orbit crew news conference with Station Commander Chris Cassidy and astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnke (All Channels)

AUGUST
August 1, Saturday
9:10 a.m. – SpaceX Crew Dragon DM-2 Farewell Ceremony on the International Space Station (All Channels)
5:15 p.m. – Continuous coverage begins for the SpaceX Crew Dragon DM-2 undocking from the ISS and Aug. 2 Splashdown. Hatch closure scheduled at 5:45 p.m.; undocking scheduled at 7:34 p.m. with splashdown on Aug. 2 scheduled at 2:42 p.m. EDT – Hawthorne, Calif. and Johnson Space Center (All Channels)

August 2, Sunday
(SpaceX Crew Dragon DM-2 Splashdown coverage continues with splashdown scheduled at 2:42 p.m. EDT)
5 p.m. – Post-SpaceX Crew Dragon DM-2 Splashdown News Conference (time subject to change) (All Channels)

August 4, Tuesday
4:30 p.m. – SpaceX Crew Dragon DM-2 Crew News Conference (All Channels)
https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/schedule.html

Quote
Michael Sheetz (@thesheetztweetz) 7/30/20, 5:06 PM
The Pensacola and Panama City splashdown sites for Demo-2 are looking better in the latest forecast: …
https://twitter.com/thesheetztweetz/status/1288944113467957249
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #752 on: July 31, 2020, 02:16:46 PM »
NASA Announces Astronauts to Fly on SpaceX Crew-2 Mission
Quote
NASA and its international partners have assigned crew members for Crew-2, which will be the second operational SpaceX Crew Dragon flight to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur will serve as spacecraft commander and pilot, respectively, for the mission. JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet will join as mission specialists.
...


Reddit folks add details:

NASA Announces Astronauts to Fly on SpaceX Crew-2 Mission - spacex
https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/hzezrz/nasa_announces_astronauts_to_fly_on_spacex_crew2/
< Megan McArthur is married to Bob Behnken
< I think its pretty cool Megan McArthur is going to be the pilot on the exact same craft that her husband, Bob Behnken, piloted.
< So the exact same seat position. But probably not the exact same seat, because Crew Dragon has different seat sizes available - IIRC.  So if Bob wants to graffiti a little heart symbol for Megan's attention, he'll have to do it on the instrument panel or something!

< Megan McArthur just made a Twitter account and wished Bob a happy birthday!
https://twitter.com/astro_megan/status/1288097923385790464

<<  The NASA term is a bit weird Doug is the commander and Bob is the pilot but the commander is the one who actually pilots the spacecraft.
< Doug is the Spacecraft Commander.
Bob is the JointOps Commander (i.e. commander of ISS ops from within Demo-2 crew). This position holds the same seat and Dragon-specific responsibilities as the "pilot".
Edit: It's worth noting that, as other comments have pointed out, for most of NASA's history the "Commander" is generally the one who does any manual flying, even when other astronauts have the title "Pilot". I think this is true of Apollo, and I know it's true of the Shuttle, where every landing was flown by the Commander, not the Pilot (though the Pilot was fully qualified to replace the Commander, if need be, and otherwise served as a fully qualified check-pilot supervising the Commander's actions). And that tradition continued with Demo-2, where Doug did most or all of the actual manual control.

[Also:  Shane Kimbrough flew on Shuttle Endeavour.
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #753 on: July 31, 2020, 02:28:48 PM »
Additional confirmation.
Quote
Michael Sheetz (@thesheetztweetz) 7/30/20, 4:56 PM
Universal Pictures committed to funding Tom Cruise's space movie, Deadline reports, with SpaceX partnering on the project that will send Cruise and director Doug Liman to the space station #CruiseDragon
https://twitter.com/thesheetztweetz/status/1288941678749986817

Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 7/30/20, 7:05 PM
Cool
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1288973971514302466

Sources said that Space X’s Elon Musk will be a partner in the project.
How Tom Cruise & Doug Liman Pitched Way To $200 Million Universal Commitment On Space Film With Elon Musk
July 30, 2020 11:31AM PDT
Quote
EXCLUSIVE: What did Universal Pictures execs require to commit to liftoff of the first ever narrative feature film to shoot in outer space? According to sources, all it took was an exuberant Zoom call with Tom Cruise, director Doug Liman, Christopher McQuarrie and PJ van Sandwijk. They pitched the picture with no script (Liman is writing it), and came away with a production commitment around $200 million.

Sources said that Space X’s Elon Musk will be a partner in the project and the expectation is that is that McQuarrie — Cruise’s writer/director on the Mission: Impossible films — will have a ground control role as story advisor and producer alongside Cruise, Liman and van Sandwijk.

The $200 million figure is an estimate, considering the project is still being scripted and the unprecedented logistics, but it costs more to make space-set blockbusters that never require breaking through the atmosphere. It seems a reasonable sum to make movie history for a movie studio in this pandemic moment when streamers are making all the noise.

Deadline revealed in early May that Cruise was working on the space-set action adventure and that he was serious about doing it and that Musk was involved. Deadline broke later that month that Doug Liman would be making the trip with him, and the director who helmed the Cruise pics American Made and Edge of Tomorrow, then went to Florida to witness the launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, carrying two American astronauts at the Kennedy Space Center, an historic public-private partnership that put the U.S. back in the business of human spaceflight for the first time in a decade.

Cruise and McQuarrie are back shooting Mission: Impossible Fallout but this is looking more real by the minute. Don’t expect Cruise and Liman to lose their nerve. Both are pilots and their adventurous spirit shows in their filmmaking. As for Cruise, he is a meticulous planner, but fearless in doing his own stunts that have included hanging from a helicopter and the side of a jet plane during takeoff in Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation. In Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol he scaled the Burj Khalifa, the Dubai skyscraper, and executed stunts 123 floors up.

No comment all around. 
https://deadline.com/2020/07/tom-cruise-space-movie-pitch-200-million-budget-universal-pictures-doug-liman-elon-musk-christopher-mcquarrie-1202999849/amp/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #754 on: July 31, 2020, 09:13:14 PM »
—— Starship
Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 7/30/20, 4:31 PM
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1288935356310552576
Drone photo of Starship static fire below.

SpaceX applies for FAA license to hop Starship.
Quote
On Tuesday, SpaceX submitted its application for pa launch license to fly its Starship vehicle up to 20km. The company stated that its purpose is for "Experimental med altitude hop, landing, and recovery tests of the Starship Prototype suborbital test vehicle from Boca Chica TX."

Tests later this year? ... The proposed dates for the test run from August 18, 2020, through February 18, 2021. It is not clear which Starship prototype will be tested up to 20km. The current prototype on the launch pad in Boca Chica, SN5, may make a short hop up to 150 meters early next week after undergoing a successful static fire test on Thursday.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/07/rocket-report-georgia-spaceport-fight-is-contentious-proton-set-for-2020-debut/


—-  Starlink 9 launch delayed yet again, this time due to Hurricane Isaias.
Quote
Julia (@julia_bergeron) 7/31/20, 9:40 AM
OCISLY and crew have returned to Port Canaveral after aborting the planned journey to the Starlink LZ. The fleet will dock in Port Canaveral with Isaias heading north. GO Navigator remains in the Gulf area. #SpaceXFleet 
https://twitter.com/julia_bergeron/status/1289194327030128640
Photo below, another at the link.

now targeting:
Aug. 6  Falcon 9 • Starlink 9/BlackSky Global
Launch time: 0533 GMT (1:33 a.m. EDT)
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #755 on: August 01, 2020, 04:48:06 PM »
—— Crew Dragon Endeavor, Demo-2 mission:  Return to earth
Quote
NASA Commercial Crew (@Commercial_Crew) 8/1/20, 8:26 AM
Join us this morning at 9:10 a.m. ET for the @SpaceX Dragon Demo-2 Farewell Ceremony aboard the @Space_Station.
Undocking remains scheduled for today at approximately 7:34 p.m. ET, and splashdown at 2:42 p.m. ET on Sunday, Aug. 2
https://twitter.com/commercial_crew/status/1289538115258822656
Portrait photos of Bob & Doug in their SpaceX suits at the link.

Replay of farewell ceremony here:
Quote
NASA (@NASA) 8/1/20, 9:09 AM
LIVE NOW: Tune in to watch as @AstroBehnken & @Astro_Doug say farewell to their @Space_Station crew members.
 Soon, the #LaunchAmerica crew will close the hatch on their spacecraft ahead of their return to planet Earth:
https://twitter.com/nasa/status/1289548827012333570

—- Jacksonville, Florida
Quote
Gavin - SpaceXFleet.com (@SpaceXFleet) 8/1/20, 9:12 AM
The fleet has docked on the St Johns River, between the Matthews and Hart bridges.
GO Searcher could deploy from here for Demo-2 Atlantic recovery operations, if required.
Gavin - SpaceXFleet.com (@SpaceXFleet) 8/1/20, 4:01 AM
The SpaceX recovery fleet will shortly be arriving at Jacksonville.
They will shelter further inland, attempting to avoid the worst of Hurricane Isaias.
https://twitter.com/spacexfleet/status/1289471304215621635
Marine tracking map below.
~ Somewhat rare to see this many fleet ships sailing together. An action shot of the Jacksonville arrival would be cool.
Gavin - SpaceXFleet.com (@SpaceXFleet) 8/1/20, 5:51 AM
*The invasion of Jacksonville begins* /s   

—-
Quote
45th Space Wing (@45thSpaceWing) 8/1/20, 9:34 AM
The 45 SW Commander has declared HURCON 3 at 0810L for the 45th SW. Accountability is not required at this time. Visit patrick.af.mil/HurricaneInfor…  for more information.
https://twitter.com/45thspacewing/status/1289555094082527232

—-
Quote
Thomas Burghardt (@TGMetsFan98) 7/31/20, 2:59 PM
A NASA Gulfstream V has departed Houston for Pensacola. #Demo2 #BringThemHome https://twitter.com/tgmetsfan98/status/1289274611889311745
~ The crew will return to KSC regardless of where they splashdown.


The preferred splashdown zone is just south of Panama City.
Crew Dragon astronauts ready for re-entry, splashdown
https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/07/31/crew-dragon-astronauts-ready-for-re-entry-splashdown/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #756 on: August 01, 2020, 05:23:23 PM »
—— #LandAmerica ;D
Quote
Bob Behnken (@AstroBehnken) 8/1/20, 10:58 AM
All my bags are packed, I’m ready to go… #LandAmerica
https://twitter.com/astrobehnken/status/1289576302333145089
Photo below.

Quote
Who recovers the crew and the Dragon Endeavour capsule from the water? What vehicles and personnel are involved?

For splashdown at any of the seven potential sites, SpaceX personnel will be on location to recover the capsule from the water. Two recovery ships, the Go Searcher and the Go Navigator, split locations between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida. On either ship will be more than 40 personnel from SpaceX and NASA, made up of spacecraft engineers, trained water recovery experts, medical professionals, the ship’s crew, NASA cargo experts, and others to assist in the recovery
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/top-10-things-to-know-for-nasa-s-spacex-demo-2-return

From July 24:
Quote
Gavin - SpaceXFleet.com (@SpaceXFleet) 7/24/20, 10:25 PM
It's happening! Crew Dragon recovery ship GO Navigator has departed from Port Canaveral and is heading to the Gulf of Mexico to support the Demo-2 splashdown.
GO Navigator will be positioned to support the 4 potential splashdown locations in the Gulf.
https://twitter.com/spacexfleet/status/1286849919286947840
Photo and marine tracking map at the link.  Destination “IFAT”

==========

—-  Starship hop
Quote
Michael Baylor (@nextspaceflight) 7/31/20, 4:28 PM
SpaceX is targeting Aug. 2 for Starship SN5's 150 meter hop test, per the latest Boca Chica beach and road closures.
Backup days are available on Aug. 3 and 4. Windows are from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Central.
cameroncounty.us/spacex/ 
https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1289296931747819522
Text image at the link.

==========

—- Wannabe engineers crave SpaceX
Engineering Graduates Rank Tesla & SpaceX As The Top 2 Favorite Employers
Quote
Today's businesses operate in a highly competitive employment landscape, so they must be attractive. Through Universum research, employers can gain valuable insight into how their organization is perceived by the employees of tomorrow.

Universum is the most recognized Employer Branding specialist in the world. On an annual basis, Universum works with over 2000 universities, alumni groups, and professional organizations across 50 markets to gather insights from students and professionals in order to advise employers on how to attract talent that fits their culture and purpose.

Elon Musk's companies are the most coveted employer among engineering graduates in a recent Universum study. Tesla is #1 on this list, and SpaceX #2. …
https://www.tesmanian.com/blogs/tesmanian-blog/employer
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #757 on: August 01, 2020, 08:22:37 PM »
Pensacola is in the “panhandle” of west Florida
Quote
Jim Bridenstine (@JimBridenstine) 8/1/20, 1:43 PM
BREAKING: @NASA and @SpaceX are targeting Pensacola as the primary return location for Crew Dragon w/ @Astro_Doug and @AstroBehnken from the @Space_Station. We are targeting undocking at 7:34 p.m. EDT today.
Read more: ⬇️
https://twitter.com/jimbridenstine/status/1289617675572969472

NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2: Teams Targeting Gulf of Mexico for Splashdown
August 1, 2020
Quote
Following a scheduled assessment of weather conditions for splashdown, teams from NASA and SpaceX are proceeding with preparations to bring NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley home to Earth aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon “Endeavour” spacecraft.

Conditions are “Go” at the primary targeted site, off the coast Pensacola, and alternate site off the coast of Panama City in the Gulf of Mexico for splashdown and recovery on Sunday, Aug. 2. Teams will continue to closely monitor Hurricane Isaias and evaluate impacts to the potential splashdown sites.

SpaceX will monitor changes to conditions until 2.5 hours prior to the scheduled undocking, when a determination to proceed with departure will be made. If conditions are marginal and exceed the accepted criteria, a joint recommendation by SpaceX and NASA will be made whether to proceed with undocking at 7:34 p.m. EDT. NASA and SpaceX will make the final decision to proceed after the astronauts are ready inside Crew Dragon just before undocking.

Live coverage of NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 return will begin at 5:15 p.m. and continue through the targeted splashdown at 2:41 p.m. on Sunday, the first return of a commercially built and operated American spacecraft carrying astronauts from the space station. It will wrap up NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 test flight after more than two months at the International Space Station. ...
https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/2020/08/01/nasas-spacex-demo-2-teams-targeting-gulf-of-mexico-for-splashdown/

Pensacola or Panama City splashdown will be supported by SpaceX recovery ship GO Navigator.
Quote
Gavin - SpaceXFleet.com (@SpaceXFleet) 8/1/20, 1:58 PM
GO Navigator is currently preparing for the recovery operation at the Port of Pensacola - ~65 km northeast of the splashdown location.
https://twitter.com/spacexfleet/status/1289621497871360000
Local marine map at the link.
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #758 on: August 02, 2020, 03:23:52 AM »
SpaceX Crew Dragon undocks from space station to bring NASA astronauts home for 1st time
Quote
The first astronauts to fly in SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft are on their way back to Earth from the International Space Station.

NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, who spent about two months at the space station following the historic launch of the Demo-2 mission on May 30, climbed aboard their Crew Dragon spacecraft today (Aug. 1) and began their 19-hour trip home with a smooth undocking at 7:35 p.m. EDT (2335 GMT). Both craft were sailing nearly 270 miles (430 kilometers) above Johannesburg, South Africa at the time.

"It's been a great two months and we appreciate all you've done as a crew to help us prove out Dragon on its maiden flight," Hurley told the station's crew just after undocking. "We look forward to splashdown tomorrow."

"Safe travels and have a successful landing," station commander Chris Cassidy of NASA replied. He rang the a "ship's bell" on the station as they departed. "Endeavour's a great ship. Godspeed." ...
https://www.space.com/spacex-crew-dragon-demo-2-astronauts-undocking.html
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #759 on: August 02, 2020, 02:55:33 PM »
—— Demo-2 re-entry and splashdown explainer
Quote
Everyday Astronaut (@Erdayastronaut) 8/2/20, 1:15 AM
When @SpaceX’s Crew Dragon deorbits, I know many will be asking, “Why didn’t they use the SuperDraco engines?” & maybe “can they use the SuperDracos if the parachutes don’t work?” Well here’s those answers in a sneak peek for tomorrow’s video all about reentering from orbit!
https://twitter.com/erdayastronaut/status/1289792009901879296
[2 min vid at the link]

Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 8/2/20, 1:42 AM
@Erdayastronaut All correct. Parachutes were originally the backup landing system, with SuperDraco thrusters as primary. Difficulty of proving thruster landing safety *and* architecture being suboptimal for moon/Mars caused us to change focus to parachutes.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1289798584179675136
~ However, we did prove that a SuperDraco landing could work by doing a propulsive hover
Quote
Dragon 2 Propulsive Hover Test - YouTube

[45 sec, including slo-mo]
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1289799068588191747 [/size]

—-
Quote
Michael Baylor (@nextspaceflight) 8/2/20, 1:00 AM
Webcast presenters talking about how they are excited to have two Dragons docked to the Space Station at once this fall with the Crew-1 and CRS-21 vehicles.
https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1289788204443267072

—-
Quote
Gavin - SpaceXFleet.com (@SpaceXFleet) 8/2/20, 8:07 AM
SpaceX: Working an issue with the generator on the recovery ship which has eliminated power redundancy. Working a plan to get a backup generator.
Even without this resolved, we do expect the ship to be at the designated landing site. No impact to timeline.
https://twitter.com/spacexfleet/status/1289895624201183233


—- Starship
Quote
Jack Beyer (@thejackbeyer) 8/2/20, 1:27 AM
SpaceX and SN5 appear ready to attempt a 150m hop! Bluezilla returned to work, a new four ring stack with lead ins was spotted, and construction at the production and launch sites continued.
Video + Photos by Mary (@BocaChicaGal) for @NASASpaceflight.
➡️ youtu.be/tYlts-iaZrg
https://twitter.com/thejackbeyer/status/1289794895163449344
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #760 on: August 02, 2020, 05:39:29 PM »
Quote
Chris G - NSF (@ChrisG_NSF) 8/2/20, 10:04 AM
For today, as I know many are wondering:
1. First and foremost, all attention and good energy to #CrewDragon as it returns for splashdown at 2:48 pm EDT (18:48 UTC).
2. After that, attention can shift to Boca Chica, where #SpaceX is preparing to hop #Starship 150m later today.
https://twitter.com/chrisg_nsf/status/1289925090709139456

—-
Quote
NASA (@NASA) 8/2/20, 8:00 AM
Space dads @AstroBehnken and @Astro_Doug woke up aboard @SpaceX’s Dragon Endeavour to hear a message from their sons, awaiting the #LaunchAmerica crew’s arrival back on planet Earth.
https://twitter.com/nasa/status/1289893953945382912
At the link: rather than the usual wake-up music, Doug and Bob were awakened with taped callouts from their kids.

—-
Quote
Chris G - NSF (@ChrisG_NSF) 8/2/20, 9:50 AM
#CrewDragon is committed to splashing down in #Pensacola now today. Dragon passed the last point an hour ago where it could have phased its orbit to align with the backup location in Panama City. So it's Pensacola or waive off to tomorrow now. 1/2
#DM2 #Demo2 #SpaceX #NASA
 https://twitter.com/chrisg_nsf/status/1289921622116192258
~ All weather and sea states are ACCEPTABLE for landing. Winds are at 1 mph and seas are "calm" in the Pensacola recovery area. 2/2

——
Quote
Gavin - SpaceXFleet.com (@SpaceXFleet) 8/2/20, 10:21 AM
SpaceX: Unable to get the replacement generator onboard before GO Navigator had to depart.
The recovery ship should arrive at the splashdown site at 17:00 UTC (1pm EDT)
https://twitter.com/spacexfleet/status/1289929284568494080
~ This does not impact the mission at all. This is why they have a redundant generator..

 ——
Chris G - NSF (@ChrisG_NSF) 8/2/20, 10:41 AM
Good reinforcement to all the "looking-for-any-tiny-thing-to-cause-needless-alarm-on-social-media" folks out there that 1 generator is fine. No safety rules are being violated. This is why there is a redundant generator onboard GO Navigator. #CrewDragon #DM2 #Demo2 #SpaceX #NASA
https://twitter.com/chrisg_nsf/status/1289934407445307392

NASA (@NASA) 8/2/20, 10:38 AM

GO Navigator is on its way to the splashdown zone off the coast of Florida. Despite being down one generator, the #LaunchAmerica crew's prime recovery ship is well equipped and there is no impact to the timeline.
https://twitter.com/nasa/status/1289933510946557953
Clip: crew notification.

—-
Quote
Chris G - NSF (@ChrisG_NSF)8/2/20, 11:22 AM
The remaining timeline for today:
13:51:54 EDT - Trunk separation
13:56:45 EDT - Deorbit burn
14:36:33 EDT - Entry Interface (re-enters atmosphere)
14:44:13 EDT - Drogue chute deploy
14:45:00 EDT - Main chute deploy
14:48:24 EDT - Splashdown
#CrewDragon #DM2 #Demo2 #SpaceX #NASA
https://twitter.com/chrisg_nsf/status/1289944630738292738


17:51:54 UTC - Trunk separation
17:56:45 UTC - Deorbit burn
18:36:33 UTC - Entry Interface (re-enters atmosphere)
18:44:13 UTC - Drogue chute deploy
18:45:00 UTC - Main chute deploy
18:48:24 UTC - Splashdown


Quote
NASA (@NASA) 8/2/20, 11:09 AM
CRUISE VIEWS: See the @SpaceX recovery ship GO Navigator make its way to the splashdown zone. The hydraulic lift on the bottom right will hoist the Dragon Endeavour carrying @Astro_Doug and @AstroBehnken.
https://twitter.com/nasa/status/1289941441008095232
1 min clip from the webcast.

—-
Quote
Chris B - NSF (@NASASpaceflight) 8/2/20, 9:57 AM
It's the EOM (End Of Mission) Ground Track Screen!
Dragon Endeavour Demo-2 (Left).
https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1289923266312724480
Image below; Shuttle Endeavor EOM screen at the link.

——-
Demo-2 to splashdown in Gulf; SpaceX, NASA eye operational Crew Dragon flights
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2020/08/demo2-splashdown-in-gulf/
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Freegrass

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #761 on: August 02, 2020, 10:14:04 PM »
So they spend all that money on a rocket, but Elon can't afford a decent camera to show us the debarkation of those astronauts onto the ship?  :-\
90% of the world is religious, but somehow "love thy neighbour" became "fuck thy neighbours", if they don't agree with your point of view.

WTF happened?

Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #762 on: August 03, 2020, 01:35:26 AM »
So they spend all that money on a rocket, but Elon can't afford a decent camera to show us the debarkation of those astronauts onto the ship?  :-\

They may have cut away on purpose, for privacy and respect in a difficult moment, after the astros  had been in weightlessness for two months.  It’s rare to see much of folks exiting the Soyuz until they are all comfortably out of the capsule and arranged nicely for photographs.


Edit:  they are now broadcasting live on the ground in Texas.  Joking about making prank satellite phone calls from the ISS [Edit: from Dragon, see #766 below :) ] just a few hours ago.
Quote
NASA (@NASA) 8/2/20, 7:39 PM
LIVE NOW: Our #LaunchAmerica astronauts are welcomed home after today's historic splashdown aboard the @SpaceX Dragon Endeavour. @AstroBehnken & @Astro_Doug arrive at Ellington Field in Houston...
https://twitter.com/nasa/status/1290069843174096898 

Another edit:  privacy of the ship’s crew’s identities may have also been a consideration when setting up the video cameras.  The crew was definitely under stress today, dealing with the fuel fumes vs. the requirement to get the hatch open quickly, and some of their... “discussions” looked rather embarrassing.  They did have a photographer at work, so we’ll likely see nice photos later.
« Last Edit: August 03, 2020, 04:01:39 PM by Sigmetnow »
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #763 on: August 03, 2020, 01:39:24 AM »
Successful autonomous return to earth of the Dragon capsule!  Astronaut egress occurred just over an hour after splashdown, delayed by small concentrations of toxic propellants outside the capsule, discovered after Dragon Endeavor had been brought aboard GO Navigator.  Given the option of exiting earlier, the astronauts radioed that they were fine with waiting, to assure everyone would be safe.

SpaceX lands NASA astronauts in the ocean for the first time in decades
https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-nasa-astronaut-splashdown-success/

SpaceX Crew Dragon makes historic 1st splashdown to return NASA astronauts home
https://www.space.com/spacex-crew-dragon-demo-2-splashdown.html

The good weather, low wind and glassy sea made for an easy splashdown — but it also allowed a buildup of the toxic combustible gas (common to returning spacecraft), plus an unhealthy concentration of pleasure boaters surrounding the capsule before it had been safed. Coast Guard vessels had maintained a safe area for splashdown, but Pensacola boaters clearly have a lot to learn.

Quote
Gavin - SpaceXFleet.com (@SpaceXFleet) 8/2/20, 5:05 PM
 
The first question of the press conference addresses all the boats near Dragon.
The Coastguard cleared a 10 nautical mile area prior to splashdown but the boats came in afterward once they saw splashdown. "It's something we need to do better next time."
https://twitter.com/spacexfleet/status/1290030986516783104
< How many @USCG cutters would it require to restrain the boating public's interest and enthusiasm for @NASA @SpaceX ? A lot.
<< I live on the Space Coast. I don’t think that would have happened if the landing was off Cape Canaveral. The people around here know the boundaries when it comes to NASA

Elon Musk and Gwynne Shotwell were front and center at displays in Hawthorne mission control.  After Bob and Doug were safely out, they celebrated the mission success with a little champagne.
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #764 on: August 03, 2020, 02:50:45 AM »
US Coast Guard statement
Quote
Miles Doran (@MilesDoran) 8/2/20, 8:29 PM
.@USCG statement on boaters surrounding @SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule after splashdown: "numerous boaters ignored the Coast Guard crews’ requests and decided to encroach the area, putting themselves and those involved in the operation in potential danger."
https://twitter.com/milesdoran/status/1290082383002087424
Text image below.
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #765 on: August 03, 2020, 03:40:34 AM »
Michael Baylor (@nextspaceflight) 8/2/20, 9:25 PM
Bob and Doug inside of Dragon Endeavour shortly after hatch opening. #SpaceX #Demo2
https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1290096314588381184

Michael Baylor (@nextspaceflight) 8/2/20, 9:26 PM
Some more good ones from NASA's very talented photographer, Bill Ingalls.
Full album: flickr.com/photos/nasahqp…
https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1290096783012454401
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #766 on: August 03, 2020, 03:54:31 PM »
—— Crew Dragon Demo-2
Quote
Mary (@BocaChicaGal) 8/2/20, 2:20 PM 
It appears that the satellite tracking antennas at Boca Chica are tracking Crew Dragon. 
https://twitter.com/bocachicagal/status/1289989570126180352
Antenna photo below.

——
Quote
Christian Davenport (@wapodavenport) 8/2/20, 7:47 PM
"Five hours ago we were bobbing around in a spacecraft making prank satellite phone calls to whoever we could get ahold of," Doug Hurley said, in one of the best post-landing quotes ever.
https://twitter.com/wapodavenport/status/1290071632531189760

Anthony Vareha (@Enterprise_Flt) 8/2/20, 10:17 PM
I recieved one of these calls at the flight director console. It started with an opening line like "Hi it's Doug and Bob and we're in the ocean." I think my response was "Yeah, I can see that."
~ After the call ended, my witty Capcom Megan Levins suggested that my response SHOULD have been "oh crap, was splashdown supposed to be TODAY?"
<  Considering they’d said they expected to spend the time between splashdown and recovery barfing, this was a way better use of time.

——
Quote
Shane Kimbrough (@astro_kimbrough) 8/2/20, 10:00 PM
Amazing, historic day today as our @SpaceX @NASA Guice Offshore and Air Center teams recovered the first crewed dragon with our astronauts onboard the DM-2 mission. I was honored to be part of the team today. #nasa #crewdragon #SpaceX
https://twitter.com/astro_kimbrough/status/1290105319729672192
Dragonship Endeavor aboard GO Navigator photo below. Shane is a member of Crew-2.

——
Quote
TomCross (@_TomCross_) 8/2/20, 8:25 PM
A monumental achievement for this group of people on the Dragon team.

I think I speak for everyone in saying that we will all remember what part of the vehicle we designed, fabricated and assembled to make Demo-2 a success. Together @SpaceX we did what some thought impossible. 
https://twitter.com/_tomcross_/status/1290081264590925827
Photo at link:  Pre-Covid, a huge SpaceX crowd is joyous in front of the Dragon

—-
How we were coming into 2020 vs how we feel now #SplashDown
https://twitter.com/krisjennerlol/status/1290068611407568896
Dragon/Astronaut photo below.


—-  next Starlink launch?
Quote
Emre Kelly (@EmreKelly) 8/3/20, 8:51 AM
 
Space news! It doesn’t stop. Hazard area issued for Thursday, Aug. 6 launch of tenth Starlink mission from pad 39A. Targeting ~0130 ET, but stay tuned for exact time confirmation from SpaceX.

Dear boats: don’t even think about it.
  https://twitter.com/emrekelly/status/1290269158089711618
Map at the link.
« Last Edit: August 03, 2020, 04:04:10 PM by Sigmetnow »
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Freegrass

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #767 on: August 03, 2020, 05:07:59 PM »
That capsule looked a little like Darth Vader when I saw it on the boat.  ;D
90% of the world is religious, but somehow "love thy neighbour" became "fuck thy neighbours", if they don't agree with your point of view.

WTF happened?

Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #768 on: August 04, 2020, 02:59:14 PM »
—— Demo-2 splashdown footage
Quote
SpaceX (@SpaceX) 8/3/20, 10:44 PM
Tracking footage of Crew Dragon’s descent, parachute deployments and splashdown
https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1290478601804996609
1:16 vid, no audio, at the link.

—-  preps for next Starlink launch
Quote
Gavin - SpaceXFleet.com (@SpaceXFleet) 8/3/20, 6:05 PM
Of Course I Still Love You droneship is about to depart for the Starlink V1 L9 mission.
This will be the fourth time that tugboat Finn Falgout has towed the droneship out for this mission...
Destination: "Back to the LZ"
https://twitter.com/spacexfleet/status/1290408353781489669
Marine tracker map at the link.

Gavin - SpaceXFleet.com (@SpaceXFleet) 8/3/20, 6:13 PM

Departure!!
Of Course I Still Love You droneship is en-route to the Starlink LZ. Launch NET August 6th.
Photo captured via the WKMG ClickOrlando Canaveral Webcam.
https://twitter.com/spacexfleet/status/1290410588095602698
Photo of OCISLY & tug leaving port at the link.

EDIT:
Quote
Julia (@julia_bergeron) 8/4/20, 3:53 AM
OCISLY still has quite a way to go to make it to the Starlink landing zone. I am now seeing the Starlink 10th mission launch scheduled for Aug. 7th at 1:12 am EDT from LC 39A. That would line up with when the fleet would be ready for recovery.
#SpaceXFleet
https://twitter.com/julia_bergeron/status/1290556483441250304


—— GO Navigator update
Quote
Kyle Montgomery (@Kyle_M_Photo) 8/3/20, 2:00 PM
GO Navigator is still docked in Pensacola. Looks like they craned something onto(or possibly off) GO Navigator, I'm guessing it's a new backup generator. #SpaceXFleet #SpaceX
https://twitter.com/kyle_m_photo/status/1290346854719291393
Photos at the link.
< Better late than never! Naughty generator. ;)
 
Kyle Montgomery (@Kyle_M_Photo) 8/3/20, 2:09 PM

Looks like the believed to be generator is now strapped down the helipad
https://twitter.com/kyle_m_photo/status/1290349133174386688
Another photo 


—- Starship SN5 hop attempt aborted yesterday, will try again today
Quote
Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 8/3/20, 7:23 PM
 I’m in the Boca control room. Hop attempt in ~33 minutes.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1290427983727964160

Some comments submitted to the live video:
< Thank you for televising the revolution.
< Elon is there!  In the control room via Twitter.
< My mom asked why I am watching a bunch of tanks. ;D

Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 8/3/20, 8:44 PM
Scrubbed for the day. A Raptor turbopump spin start valve didn’t open, triggering an automatic abort. We’ll figure out why & retry tomorrow.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1290448540821594114  

Quote
Brady Kenniston (@TheFavoritist) 8/3/20, 11:37 PM
Starship SN5's first hop attempt was ended before it began. A turbopump spin start valve failed to open, ending the test prematurely. Mary provides gorgeous views as Starship is tanked, spun up and detanked.
Video from Mary (@BocaChicaGal)
 ➡️ https://t.co/x5bnugptev

https://twitter.com/thefavoritist/status/1290492150547791872

Watch at the NASAspaceflight youtube channel:  https://m.youtube.com/c/NASASpaceflightVideos/videos
« Last Edit: August 04, 2020, 03:08:01 PM by Sigmetnow »
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crandles

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #769 on: August 05, 2020, 01:45:47 AM »
Raptor chill so another try for starship hop could be 10-30 min away.



Edit Siren gone so 10 min

Bruce Steele

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #770 on: August 05, 2020, 02:02:18 AM »
Crandles, I started watching and it launched and set back down in a cloud of dust. When the dust cleared it was standing. Thanks for the heads up.

If you hit crandles live you tube it shows where it landed, the pad it took off from is in left of frame by the tanks.
« Last Edit: August 05, 2020, 02:17:43 AM by Bruce Steele »

crandles

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #771 on: August 05, 2020, 02:10:19 AM »
yes, go SpaceX  ;D

Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #772 on: August 05, 2020, 02:26:16 AM »
STARSHIP SN5 FLIES!
➡️ 90 second video of the flight at the link.  Screencap below.

Quote
Chris B - NSF (@NASASpaceflight) 8/4/20, 7:59 PM
LAUNCH! Starship SN5 has launched on a 150 meter test hop at SpaceX Boca Chica.
Under the power of Raptor SN27, SN5 has conducted what looks like a successful flight!
Listen to the SpaceXers cheer!
Mary (@BocaChicaGal) filming history!

https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1290799617882431488

~ To the uninitiated and casual followers. IN THE LAST TWO DAYS SpaceX concluded the mission that returned US domestic crew launch and return capability, then test hopped a prototype rocket that is destined to be the first vehicle to land humans on Mars.

THAT'S why we're excited!
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #773 on: August 05, 2020, 02:41:08 AM »
The single Raptor engine in SN5 is mounted off-center, because future prototypes will have 3 Raptors in a triangular configuration, per Elon Musk.  That is why the rocket does a “power slide” off the launch mount and the engine does not thrust straight down.  SN5 also rolled (rotated) approximately 90° during its flight, testing the ‘steering’ thrusters.

Quote
Trevor Mahlmann (@TrevorMahlmann) 8/4/20, 8:20 PM
There for 20m.
There for 120m.
Here for 150 m.

With certainty, I can say, offset thrust is the best thrust.

full-resolution download: tmahlmann.com/photos/Rockets…
https://twitter.com/trevormahlmann/status/1290804812829818885
Photo below.
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #774 on: August 05, 2020, 02:57:18 AM »
Starship’s landing legs are hidden under the bottom “skirt,” and thus are not easily visible while on the launch mount, but they extend for landing.

Quote
Trevor Mahlmann (@TrevorMahlmann) 8/4/20, 8:44 PM
Leg deploy

 photos.tmahlmann.com/Rockets/SpaceX…

support me on patreon and help me get to more tests like this: patreon.com/trevormahlmann 
https://twitter.com/trevormahlmann/status/1290810985998057473
Photo below.
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #775 on: August 05, 2020, 03:21:06 AM »
The Raptor is a full-flow staged combustion cycle rocket engine — a very efficient but very complex engine that has rarely been attempted before.  This is only the second time one has (intentionally ;) ) flown. 
SpaceX’s ‘Starhopper’ was the first.

Is SpaceX's Raptor engine the king of rocket engines?
https://everydayastronaut.com/raptor-engine/
Article and video.
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #776 on: August 05, 2020, 04:39:36 AM »
Starship’s landing legs are hidden under the bottom “skirt,” and thus are not easily visible while on the launch mount, but they extend for landing.
...


Quote
Michael Baylor (@nextspaceflight) 8/4/20, 10:03 PM
Sounds like the plan is now to get more experience with the launch process. Makes sense, given that a lot of the ground support equipment and systems on the vehicle are new. Perhaps, SN6 will get to fly to 150 meters too!
https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1290830777781899266

  —-
Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 8/4/20, 9:17 PM
V1.1 legs will be ~60% longer. V2.0 legs will be much wider & taller — like Falcon, but capable of landing on unimproved surfaces & auto-leveling.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1290819191835164672

< What's next, Elon? 20km hop?
Elon Musk:We’ll do several short hops to smooth out launch process, then go high altitude with body flaps

< when will you do a hop and a relight? i.e. - land and take off again?
Elon Musk: Soon

—-
Quote
< Road to Mars
https://twitter.com/flcnhvy/status/1290800650033475585
Photo below: SN5, Starhopper. 

Elon Musk:
Progress is accelerating
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1290817143785783296
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #777 on: August 05, 2020, 01:37:29 PM »
—— Starship SN5 first hop video from SpaceX
Quote
SpaceX (@SpaceX) 8/4/20, 11:37 PM
Starship takes flight
https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1290854457136181248
At the link: 1-minute drone & interior view, with control room audio.


—- This South Padre Island Starship cam view vividly illustrates the rocket’s pitch changes during the flight.
Quote
Spaceflight Now (@SpaceflightNow) 8/4/20, 9:31 PM
A full-scale prototype of the huge Starship vehicle SpaceX says will fly people to the moon and Mars flew for the first time Tuesday in South Texas.
“Mars is looking real … Progress is accelerating,” says @elonmusk.
Video: @SpacePadreIsle
FULL STORY: [link below]
https://twitter.com/spaceflightnow/status/1290822667352838144
Hop video at the link.

SpaceX clears big hurdle on next-gen Starship rocket program
https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/08/05/spacex-clears-big-hurdle-on-next-gen-starship-rocket-program/


—— NSF’s edited video. 10 minutes.
Quote
Chris B - NSF (@NASASpaceflight) 8/5/20, 12:44 AM
Under the roar of Raptor, Starship SN5 took flight during a successful 150m test hop at Boca Chica.

Mary (@BocaChicaGal) had several cameras filming this historic event, with editing by Jack Beyer (@thejackbeyer)
https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1290871349637009408


 

 
« Last Edit: August 05, 2020, 01:42:59 PM by Sigmetnow »
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crandles

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #778 on: August 05, 2020, 06:36:04 PM »

Quote
No one would have believed, in the last years of the nineteenth century, that human affairs were being watched from the timeless worlds of space. No one could have dreamed that we were being scrutinised as someone with a microscope studies creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water. Few men even considered the possibility of life on other planets. And yet, across the gulf of space, minds immeasurably superior to ours regarded this earth with envious eyes, and they drew their plans against us......

The chances of anything coming from Mars are a million to one, he said
The chances of anything coming from Mars are a million to one...
But still, they come!

Umm, better make that


The chances of anyone going to Mars are a million to one, they said...

But slowly, and surely, Musk advanced his plans.

Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #779 on: August 06, 2020, 03:36:52 AM »
—- Starship SN5 hop
Quote
Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) 8/4/20, 8:04 PM
Just so we're clear, SpaceX built a Mars rocket out of rolls of steel, in tents, in South Texas, in weeks. And the first time they flew it, it made a smooth launch, a controlled flight, and safely landed. This is truly remarkable.
https://twitter.com/sciguyspace/status/1290800794028187648
Eric Berger: Mars is still long freaking way away. So very far. But the first step is low-cost, frequent access to space for tons of stuff. This is the first step toward that first step. And it's a big one.

Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 8/4/20, 8:29 PM
Exactly
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1290807173258203136

SpaceX Starship leaps towards Mars with picture-perfect hop debut
https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-starship-sn5-hop-debut-success-mars/


—- Demo-2 splashdown videos
Quote
Chris B - NSF (@NASASpaceflight) 8/5/20, 5:44 PM
 
NASA has released some gorgeous 4K footage of Dragon Endeavour splashdown and recovery ops following the successful conclusion to Demo-2.
...
https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1291127972573872131
4k links and some clips at this link.⬆️


—— No operational Boeing Starliner Crew flights expected before 2022. :o
Quote
Michael Baylor (@nextspaceflight) 8/5/20, 9:07 PM
Commercial Crew notional dates:
- SpaceX Crew 1 - NET 9/27/20
- OFT-2 - 11/18/20 (Under review)
- SpaceX Crew 2 - 3/30/21
- CFT - 4/21
- SpaceX Crew 3 - 8/12/21
- SpaceX Crew 4 - 2/4/22

- Boeing Crew 1 - 2/24/22
- Boeing Crew 2 - 4/21/22
- Boeing Crew 3 - 12/14/22
Via NASA SMSR
https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1291179132676722689


—- Falcon 9 mission contracts signed
SpaceX, ULA to launch C-band satellites for SES
Quote
Commercial satellite operator SES has selected SpaceX and United Launch Alliance to each launch two geostationary satellites designed to replace C-band capacity in the United States that the Federal Communications Commission is repurposing for 5G cellular networks.
https://spacenews.com/spacex-ula-to-launch-c-band-satellites-for-ses/

PredaSAR may launch 48 satellites with SpaceX, exec says
August 4, 2020
Quote
“We agreed to do one and we will negotiate the rest later,” Bell said. “We would like to work with SpaceX on the rest of them, and I’m sure we’ll come to an agreement in the near future.”
https://spacenews.com/predasar-may-launch-48-satellites-with-spacex-exec-says/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #780 on: August 06, 2020, 04:54:46 PM »
SpaceX (@SpaceX) 8/5/20, 6:09 PM
Starship liftoff and landing photos → flickr.com/spacex
https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1291134383559069696
Photos below.

—-
Remembering Starhopper - 150 m Hop 6 Month Anniversary
Quote
Published on Feb 27, 2020
6 months ago, Starhopper successfully completed a 150 meter hop, marking a significant step toward making Humans a multi-planetary species and the second flight of a Full Flow Staged Combustion rocket engine (the first being Starhopper’s 20 meter hop). Relive the glory days with this video, including never before posted footage of the Abort Flamethrower, both 20 and 150 meter hops + more.
6 min




—- Starlink 9/ BlackSky Global
Quote
Gavin - SpaceXFleet.com (@SpaceXFleet) 8/5/20, 7:02 PM
OCISLY has arrived at the Starlink landing zone! The droneship is ~634 km downrange.
Ms. Tree and Ms. Chief are nearing the fairing recovery area, ~695 km downrange.
Launch NET Aug 7th at 01:12 EDT.
https://twitter.com/spacexfleet/status/1291147689162350592
Marine tracking map below.

Aug. 7:  Falcon 9 • Starlink 9/BlackSky Global
Launch time: 0512 GMT (1:12 a.m. EDT)
Launch site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida
Quote
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is expected to launch the tenth batch of approximately 60 satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink broadband network, a mission designated Starlink 9. Two Earth observation microsatellites for BlackSky Global, a Seattle-based company, will launch as rideshare payloads on this mission. Moved forward from June 24. Delayed from June 23, June 25 and June 26. Scrubbed on July 8 due to poor weather. Scrubbed on July 11 due to technical issue. Delayed from July 29, July 31, Aug. 1 and Aug. 6. [updated Aug. 4]
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #781 on: August 06, 2020, 10:13:38 PM »
—— Tonight!
Quote
SpaceX (@SpaceX) 8/6/20, 12:28 PM
Targeting Friday, August 7 at 1:12 a.m. EDT [0512 GMT ] for Falcon 9’s launch of 57 Starlink satellites and 2 spacecraft from @spaceflight’s customer BlackSky spacex.com/launches
https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1291410868563873792
Quote
SpaceX (@SpaceX) 8/6/20, 12:30 PM
Falcon 9’s first stage booster supporting this mission previously launched two Starlink missions, Crew Demo-1, and the RADARSAT Constellation Mission
https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1291411255547240448
Four launch photos at the link.

===========

—— More on this:
—— No operational Boeing Starliner Crew flights expected before 2022. :o
Quote
Michael Baylor (@nextspaceflight) 8/5/20, 9:07 PM
Commercial Crew notional dates:
- SpaceX Crew 1 - NET 9/27/20
- OFT-2 - 11/18/20 (Under review)
- SpaceX Crew 2 - 3/30/21
- CFT - 4/21
- SpaceX Crew 3 - 8/12/21
- SpaceX Crew 4 - 2/4/22

- Boeing Crew 1 - 2/24/22
- Boeing Crew 2 - 4/21/22
- Boeing Crew 3 - 12/14/22
Via NASA SMSR
https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1291179132676722689
...

Quote
Michael Baylor (@nextspaceflight) 8/5/20, 9:09 PM
Schedule planning seems to represent the earliest that each mission could be ready and needed, as launching two Commercial Crew missions in February 2022, seems unlikely to happen, for instance. Will likely end being only one of those.
https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1291179455214493699
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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #782 on: August 07, 2020, 03:32:24 PM »
—— Starlink’s tenth mission
Quote
—-
SpaceX (@SpaceX) 8/7/20, 1:13 AM
Liftoff!
https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1291603226303766528
20 sec webcast clip

SpaceX (@SpaceX) 8/7/20, 1:21 AM
Falcon 9’s first stage has landed on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship
https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1291605444809523200
20 sec webcast clip

SpaceX (@SpaceX) 8/7/20, 2:21 AM
Both BlackSky satellites have been deployed
https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1291620343249920000

SpaceX (@SpaceX) 8/7/20, 2:47 AM
Deployment of 57 Starlink satellites confirmed
https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1291626962411126784
30 sec clip from webcast

—-
SpaceX (@SpaceX) 8/7/20, 12:58 AM
Watch Falcon 9 launch SpaceX’s tenth Starlink mission → spacex.com/launches
https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1291599538977779714
And the Twitter Broadcast replay is in the tweet.

SpaceX launches tenth Starlink mission, nails booster’s fifth landing
By Eric Ralph August 6, 2020 
Quote
While Starlink-9 was originally scheduled to launch as early as June 23rd, Principal Integration Engineer John Insprucker – a familiar fixture and voice on SpaceX webcasts – was quick to note that through the more than six subsequent weeks of delays, “Falcon 9 has been trouble-free.” He also partially answered the main question on everyone’s mind, noting that all of those delays could be traced back to bad weather and issues with the mission’s payloads.

Notably, the next two non-Starlink launches currently on SpaceX’s manifest are SAOCOM 1B – the first polar orbit launch from the East Coast in half a century – and Crew-1 – Crew Dragon’s first operational astronaut launch. Scheduled no earlier than late-August and late-September, respectively, both major customer missions are likely to be punctuated by several Starlink launches over the next two months. With Starlink-9 complete, SpaceX could be just 4-5 missions away from rolling out Starlink internet service according to a comment from COO/President Gwynne Shotwell that service could begin after the 14th Starlink launch. ...
https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-tenth-starlink-launch-fifth-booster-landing/
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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #783 on: August 08, 2020, 05:44:40 PM »
Elon Musk gives SpaceX employees a day off after historic week
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/07/elon-musk-gives-spacex-employees-a-day-off-after-historic-week.html

—- Starlink
Quote
Michael Sheetz (@thesheetztweetz) 8/7/20, 6:27 PM
SpaceX told the FCC in a late July presentation that the company’s Starlink unit is “now building 120 satellites per month” and has “invested over $70 million developing and producing thousands of consumer user terminals per month.”
https://twitter.com/thesheetztweetz/status/1291863550504443905
Info slide below.

—- SpaceX and ULA win military launch competition worth $653 million -- and that's just the start
Quote
New York(CNN Business) Elon Musk's SpaceX and Boeing-Lockheed Martin joint venture United Launch Alliance are the big winners in a stiff competition to secure military launch contracts, teeing up the companies to dominate the lucrative market for launching US national security satellites for years to come.

The initial awards will give $316 million to SpaceX for one launch and $337 million to ULA for two launches. But the total value of the deal could be worth far more, as the military will ask one or the other company to launch additional missions.

SpaceX is expected to handle 40% of all national security satellites slated to go up over the next five to seven years, while ULA will handle the other 60%. Military officials did not say exactly how many launches that might enetail, nor did they provide a total contract value. …
https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2020/08/07/tech/spacex-ula-military-national-security-contract-scn/index.html


—- The First planetary defense mission:  smash a smallish, 500kg spacecraft into a small asteroid, and see what happens.
NASA awards DART launch contract to SpaceX
April 11, 2019
Quote
SpaceX will launch a NASA mission to test an asteroid deflection technique at a significantly lower price than past agency contracts won by the company.

NASA said April 11 it awarded SpaceX a contract to launch the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) on a Falcon 9 in June 2021 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The total cost to NASA for the mission, including the launch and related services, is $69 million.

DART is a mission under development at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory as part of NASA’s planetary defense program. The spacecraft will use an electric propulsion system to travel to the asteroid Didymos. DART will collide with a small moon orbiting Didymos, sometimes nicknamed Didymoon, at a speed of six kilometers per second.

Astronomers will measure the change in the moon’s orbit around Didymos as a result of the impact to measure how well the energy of the impact was transferred to the moon. That will help scientists gauge the effectiveness of the “kinetic impactor” approach proposed as one means of deflecting an asteroid on a collision course with the Earth.

DART originally planned to launch as a rideshare on the commercial launch of a geostationary orbit satellite. The mission switched several months ago to a dedicated launch. NASA did not disclose if DART, which weighs about 500 kilograms, will share the launch vehicle with another spacecraft. …
https://spacenews.com/nasa-awards-dart-launch-contract-to-spacex/
Image below.

Quote
SpaceX Falcon 9 : NASA DART : July 2021
NASA LAUNCH SERVICES II - SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES. THIS IS A BILATERAL MODIFICATION TO REVISE THE DOUBLE ASTEROID REDIRECTION TEST (DART) LAUNCH DATE WINDOW, AUTHORIZE SPACEX TO USE A PREVIOUSLY-FLOWN FIRST STAGE BOOSTER, AND INCORPORATE TERMS FOR ACCEPTANCE OF PREVIOUSLY FLOWN HARDWARE.
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=47871.40

DART - The First Planetary Defense Mission - YouTube
13 min.  Good explainer.



=====
Quote
South Korea mulls exiting its own launch program. South Korean defense industry analysts say the nation would have difficulty competing with other countries in the launch industry, which can provide more advanced technologies and services at lower prices with their already established space-industry infrastructure. "Even if South Korea develops its own rockets, they would not be able to excel more than aerospace giants like SpaceX in terms of technology," said Shin Jong-woo, a senior researcher at the Korea Defense and Security Forum, in The Korea Times.

Ten times the cost ... The country's space institute, KARI, has developed several small-satellite rockets, but these are not competitive with SpaceX's Falcon 9, which recently launched South Korea's first military communications satellite, ANASIS-II. "The costs spent by the South Korean government to develop the two rockets were 10 times higher than those spent by SpaceX," Kim Seung-jo, former president of KARI, said. "But the South Korean government's outcomes in its rocket projects were far behind the Falcon 9 rocket produced by SpaceX."
https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/08/rocket-report-virgin-galactic-delays-commercial-flights-electron-beefs-up/
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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #784 on: August 08, 2020, 06:08:39 PM »
—— Starship ——
Quote
Michael Baylor (@nextspaceflight) 8/7/20, 3:10 PM
Watch Live: Starship SN5 is about to be lifted onto a stand
#https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZF9SxZwZJo
[ 1hr47. Crane lifts just enough to put “pipe stands” underneath to take the weight off the legs, so they can be retracted. 
Screencap below. Short clip in NSF tweet below ⬇️]
https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1291813932814884864


< I think [Starship legs] may have had something like a crush core. This is a screen cap from @NASASpaceflight following the hop.
https://twitter.com/fly_me_2_mars/status/1291842484822138881
Image below.


Quote
Chris B - NSF (@NASASpaceflight) 8/7/20, 4:35 PM
Humans for scale!

https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1291835348209803264
20 sec NSF Live clip: humans at base of Starship SN5

[ Photo below of human & Falcon 9 for comparison.]

Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 8/7/20, 4:58 PM
[Starship with SuperHeavy booster] will look crazy tall with booster & fairing at 122m / 394 ft
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1291841121669091330

From SpaceX.com:
Diameter:  9m/30ft
Height: 120m/394ft (SS+SH)
SS alone: 50m/160ft
SH: 70m/230ft   6 legs

Prototypes like SN5:
Diameter:  9m/30 feet
Around 30m/98 ft tall without booster or fairing
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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #785 on: August 09, 2020, 04:05:23 PM »
—— Starship SN5
Photo below.
Quote
RGVAerialPhotography (@RGVaerialphotos) 8/8/20, 2:27 PM
SN5 after its historic 150M Hop!
@elonmusk #spacex #bocachica
2100ftMsl  08/07
What’s do you think will happen to it after it gets moved?
patreon.com/RGVaerial
https://twitter.com/rgvaerialphotos/status/1292165652132892679

Everyday Astronaut (@Erdayastronaut) 8/8/20, 6:11 PM

Spot the tiny humans!!! This shot really puts it into scale!!! A full blown Starship and SuperHeavy will be hard to fathom!!!!
https://twitter.com/erdayastronaut/status/1292221982910615552 

Quote
Everyday Astronaut (@Erdayastronaut) 8/8/20, 6:24 PM
@elonmusk what’s gonna happen to our good friend SN-5? Will it fly again? Will it get 3 raptors and fly a little higher? Will it Hopper and just watch the others fly?

Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 8/8/20, 6:28 PM
Not sure yet, but hopefully. Will need leg & other repairs. Probably SN6 flies before SN5.
We need to make flights simple & easy — many per day.

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1292226279995879426  

——
Quote
Chris B - NSF (@NASASpaceflight) 8/8/20, 8:28 PM
A full video showing how the SpaceX teams took care of Starship SN5 following her hop on to the landing pad.
The first-ever post-flight processing flow for Starship.
Video and Pictures from Mary (@BocaChicaGal). Edited by Jack Beyer (@thejackbeyer).
https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1292256474866032640
⬇️




===== SpaceX

Success of SpaceX an inspiration for all
South China Morning Post - editorial
https://apple.news/AlCmnYxBrQFGo51LHbx1SQg

———————————————
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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #786 on: August 10, 2020, 02:27:06 PM »
—- The Military Launch Contract: Another Perspective
SpaceX, ULA win multibillion-dollar military launch contract years in the making
Quote
…  Regardless of the missed opportunities, the NSSL LSA Phase 2 contract is a major win for SpaceX and guarantees the company’s Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets some 13-14 military launch contracts over a five-year period. For ULA, the victory is like a massive relief, given that the company’s next-generation (expendable) Vulcan Centaur rocket has next to no chance of sustaining itself with commercial launch contracts. Much like Atlas V in the last decade of the rocket’s life and Delta IV over most of its two-decade career, ULA’s Vulcan rocket will continue the trend of relying almost exclusively on US military contracts.

This time around, however, the US military’s preferential treatment of ULA is nakedly obvious. At almost every turn, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets can provide the same launch services as ULA for anywhere from 20-50% less. For the few missions (direct to geostationary) where ULA’s Atlas V, Delta IV, and Vulcan rockets might actually have a step up over SpaceX, the US could have easily awarded ULA the smaller 40% share or even split that 40% share with Blue Origin or Northrop Grumman, giving SpaceX the lion’s share and likely saving hundreds of millions of dollars – if not $1B+ – over the next seven years.

Instead, business (more or less) as usual will continue for at least another decade as the US military functionally subsidizes ULA’s existence by prioritizing a more expensive rocket to achieve the same outcome. The first LSA Phase 2 launches are currently scheduled to begin no earlier than (NET) 2022. 
https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-ula-win-multibillion-dollar-military-contract/


—- Starlinks
Quote
Jonathan McDowell (@planet4589) 8/9/20, 5:06 PM
Starlink 22 reentered at 1453 UTC Aug 9 over Sichuan
https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1292568015742078980
Map with track at the link.

~ Starlinks 58, 28, 66, 33 and 1040 are also in very low orbits now and may reenter in the coming days
~ Yes, their orbits are being deliberately lowered. They are prototypes that are no longer needed now the operational V1.0 sats are in orbit

Elias Eccli: From launch 1 to launch 8: 478 launched, 474 of which still in orbit, 458 of which appear healthy. All 57 sats from launch 9 appear healthy as well so far, i.e. 535/531/515.
youtu.be/aj_-91dV87M
< They are just burning up in the atmosphere or does anything touch the ground?
Jonathan McDowell: Burning up, most likely
Later Starlinks are designed to burn up completely upon reentry.


—- Starship, Velociraptor, thrust to weight ratio
Quote
Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 8/7/20, 5:29 PM
I think we can get (Veloci)Raptor T/W on par with Merlin. Latter also started out with about half its current T/W.

Elon Musk:Yeah, full name of engine is Velociraptor or Raptor for short

< Is Super Heavy increasing in 2m or Starship increasing 2m in height?
Elon Musk:  Haha, good catch. Booster will have fixed legs that add ~2m in height.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1291849720973783040


—- Boca Chica Starship Spaceport, Sunday August 9, 2020
Quote
Chris B - NSF (@NASASpaceflight) 8/9/20, 9:34 PM
A lengthy video covering all elements of the SpaceX Boca Chica spaceport, from the Production Facility to the launch site, including drive pasts and focused areas.

Video and Pictures from Mary (@BocaChicaGal). Edited by Jack Beyer (@thejackbeyer).

➡️youtu.be/C7iRxboxFb4
 
https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1292635508997226497
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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #787 on: August 11, 2020, 08:58:20 PM »
—- Starship
SN5 was moved from the landing pad back to the build site this morning, for inspection, repair, and possible reflight.
SN6 has been brought out of the high bay; a road closure this afternoon may be for transporting it to the launch site.

Quote
Mary (@BocaChicaGal) 8/11/20, 1:43 PM
SN5 and SN6 at SpaceX Boca Chica.
@NASASpaceflight 
https://twitter.com/bocachicagal/status/1293241631286734849
Photo below.


—— Falcon 9 reuse
From the most recent Starlink launch: both fairing halves were scooped out of the water (looking grossly undamaged) and booster 1051.5 has returned to port after its fifth flight and landing.

Quote
Julia (@julia_bergeron) 8/10/20, 9:15 AM
Falcon 9 fairing half with people for scale. Imagine piloting a ship to get under this as it parafoils down towards you. There is guidance involved, yes, but sometimes things don't go as planned and the Captain has to be ready for abort and scoop.
https://twitter.com/julia_bergeron/status/1292811705857249281
Photo below. Reminder:  an even bigger fairing is in the works for military missions that will require it.

Starlink: SpaceX’s 100th mission may break an incredible reusability record
SpaceX's upcoming launch could raise the bar for reusing rockets.
Quote
SpaceX may be about to take another step in its plan to reuse space rockets.
The company is expected to send up its 11th batch of Starlink satellites in mid-August, sending up 58 craft from Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The mission is also expected to send up three SkySat imagine satellites for Planet as part of a ride-sharing agreement, after the company previously hitched a ride in a Starlink mission in June. The extra satellites will be used to help bring SpaceX's high-speed, low-latency internet connectivity constellation to life.

But SpaceX's mission could be notable for its impressive use of rocket reusability. Eric Berger, senior space reporter at Ars Technica, claimed via Twitter last week that the mission could use a booster that has previously flown five times. This would be the sixth mission for booster B1049, the first time SpaceX has flown the same first-stage rocket that many times.

As Twitter user Simon Merton noted in response, this could be SpaceX's 100th mission. The website SpaceXStats notes that the company has launched 99 missions. Of those, five were with the Falcon 1 rocket, 91 with the Falcon 9 rocket, and three with the Falcon Heavy. SpaceX's first successful launch, and fourth launch overall, was in 2008.

Reusing rockets forms part of its mission to make spaceflight more accessible for all. Landing a booster after flight saves approximately $46.5 million of the $62 million price tag associated with a Falcon 9 launch. That means saving the booster enables SpaceX to reduce the costs of spaceflights even further, which in turn can fund more ambitious projects like a city on Mars. …
https://www.inverse.com/innovation/starlink-spacexs-100th-mission

Quote
Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 8/11/20, 2:36 PM
@Teslarati A little toastier each flight
   
SpaceX returns five-flight Falcon 9 booster to port as next reuse milestone nears
https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-falcon-9-five-flight-booster-return/amp/
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1293254976739799040
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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #788 on: August 12, 2020, 02:25:27 AM »
—-It’s not the Starship “build site” ;D
Quote
Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 8/11/20, 2:15 PM
SN 5 & 6 at Starship Production Complex in Texas
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1293249680445526018
[Photo at the link.]

Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 8/11/20, 2:17 PM

SN7 will be new alloy test tank taken to burst pressure. SN8 will have body flaps & nosecone.

< How long till SN6 is ready to hop? Will it be to 150 meters like SN5?
Joseph Day (@eusapient) 8/11/20, 3:05 PM
Has to do the pressure test, preburner, static fire, and then maybe it can hop. Perhaps by then SN5 will be back and we can watch two Starship prototypes flying. SN6 hopefully will go faster than SN5, which seemed to take forever, more than a month. SN6 needs a Mass Sim too.
https://twitter.com/eusapient/status/1293262309129773056


    “Progress is accelerating.” Musk tweeted after Tuesday’s test flight.


—- Future SpaceX Spaceport
Quote
Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 8/11/20, 6:19 PM
@Teslarati Aiming to make it super fun!
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1293311095013220353

SpaceX is hiring a Spaceport resort developer for its Texas rocket factory
Quote
SpaceX has big plans to ferry travelers to Mars in the near future, and part of that venture looks to include luxury accommodations while customers spend time with the company on Earth. A recent job board posting for a “Resort Development Manager” has come to light, specifically referring to a project at the launch provider’s Boca Chica Village location in Texas.

“SpaceX is committed to developing this town into a 21st century Spaceport. We are looking for a talented Resort Development Manager to oversee the development of SpaceX’s first resort from inception to completion,” the posting states. …
https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-spaceport-resort-developer-texas-rocket-factory-job-opening/amp/
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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #789 on: August 13, 2020, 04:18:19 PM »
Falcon and Dragon: reuse
Quote
Ken Kremer (@ken_kremer) 8/12/20, 9:29 AM
All legs up !! Finally on the third try with more fits and starts and crane crew up close intervention on jig lifts the 4th (r) landing leg was fully retacted flush against this sooty but superb B1051.5 5x launched/landed 1st stage @PortCanaveral . #SpaceX #Stalink
https://twitter.com/ken_kremer/status/1293540189382549506
Photo below.

——
Back at Cape Canaveral, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule preps for next mission
August 12, 2020 Stephen Clark
Quote
“The capsule is designed for five to 10 missions,” said Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX’s president and chief operating officer. “We’ll have to see how things work out after we examine the capsule when it gets back to port and back to the Cape to our facilities there, but based on the telemetry and any visible indications that we’ve had so far, the vehicle looks like it’s in really good shape.”

Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s commercial crew program, said SpaceX’s proposal to reuse the Crew Dragon spacecraft “looked like it was a reasonable thing to do.”

“I think part of the question was how long does it take refurbish the vehicle,” Stich said. “It takes about four months or so. We have a lot of margin getting to the flight in the spring timeframe for Crew-2. The vehicle … as gets back to Area 59 at the Cape, it’ll start going through its maintenance.”

Stich said NASA will follow along with SpaceX’s maintenance, “just to make sure that there’s nothing untoward.” …
https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/08/12/back-at-cape-canaveral-spacexs-crew-dragon-capsule-begins-preps-for-next-mission/
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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #790 on: August 13, 2020, 04:23:11 PM »
Starship Thermal Protection System (TPS)
Quote
< Wow!! Are these different heat shields on each vehicle? Are you still experimenting with materials/welding technique for the tiles?
Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 8/11/20, 2:19 PM
Same hex tiles, slightly different mounting method. Need bigger sections of tiles to see how they hold up with cryo shrinkage, pressure expansion & body bending.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1293250823296884746

—-
Quote
Chris B - NSF (@NASASpaceflight) 8/10/20, 10:55 PM
Why Starships SN5 and SN6 prepare for a potential hop tag team test campaign, a sign of the future was seen in the form of TPS installation, suitably provided in the pattern of an X.
Video and Pictures from Mary (@BocaChicaGal). Edit: @theoripper.
➡️youtu.be/73xYM5PLPow
https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1293018173269250050
Screencaps below.
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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #791 on: August 13, 2020, 04:30:34 PM »
Starship SN6 - to the launch pad
Quote
Brady Kenniston (@TheFavoritist) 8/11/20, 11:20 PM
Starship SN6, in preparation for a brand new test campaign, rolls to the pad to be proofed, static fired, and hopped. If successful, SN6 will become the second, full scale, prototype to fly.

Video and Pictures from Mary (@BocaChicaGal).
https://twitter.com/thefavoritist/status/1293386946874572800
SpaceX Boca Chica - Starship SN6 rolls to the pad to be proofed, fired, and flown
➡️https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZyZjqGgET8

——
Quote
Chris B - NSF (@NASASpaceflight) 8/12/20, 6:15 PM
Starship SN6 has been placed on the launch mount!

Thanks to Mary (@BocaChicaGal) for being out there all day to catch this via livestreaming.
Securing now happening: youtube.com/watch?v=U5n3yV…
https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1293672360277663748
26 sec webcast clip at the Twitter link.
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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #792 on: August 13, 2020, 04:38:40 PM »
Waiting for Eric Berger to write an article….

Starship skeptics
Quote
Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) 8/11/20, 2:17 PM
After speaking to a few leaders in the traditional aerospace community it seems like a *lot* of skepticism about Starship remains post SN5.  Now, [SpaceX has] got a ways to go. But if your business model is premised on SpaceX failing at building rockets, history is against you.

< Can you go into more detail about their worries? Is it just generic "new designs are always harder than they look" stuff, or is it something specific about the Starship architecture?
Eric Berger:  Everything from "They shouldn't be blowing up that many tanks" to "It's a stunt" to "they're not close to solving the technical problems."

Everyday Astronaut: So wait. [SpaceX is] already the cheapest, one of the most reliable rides to space with an increasing cadence & experience. They could ride the F9 / FH wave for 10+ years with out touching anything & take the market share. Who honestly doubts they won’t make progress w/ Starship
… As in who cares if starship never even does anything but blow up for the next 5 years and then gets canned... F9 / FH are a decade ahead of the competition already! They could scratch further advances entirely and still be a leader.

Nathan Gilmore: In my MBA we studied Kodak, IBM, BlackBerry, few others about failure to recognize but also "acknowledge" threats to their business. I suspect twenty years from now, students will study aerospace industry and how they did not see SpaceX for the threat they truly are.
< No doubt in my mind this will happen. Worst case scenario Starship isn't operational until 2031, most likely it will come into full operation by 2026, at that point it's game over for old space.

< A smarter business model might be making things that can be lifted inexpensively in those rockets.
Susan Witts:  Well, that IS an interesting point. If I can make my satellites out of steel and off-the-shelf modules, with a 3-ton impact shield and a lifetime's-worth of propellant, maybe I can out-craft my competitors with their expensive bespoke every-kilo-counts ultra-engineering?

Tony Tran:
1. Reusability is impossible
2. Reusability is unprofitable
3. Big Fat Steel rocket can't fly
4. Orbital refueling is impossible
5. You can't build a colony on Mars

Neotopiaman:  Most are so behind, it's all they have...
Starship works, then expendable rockets very soon become a rounding error in the share of tonnage to orbit.

—-
Quote
Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) 8/12/20, 11:02 AM
Here's some grade-A trolling of Dmitry Rogozin by a priest from Siberia, Father Aleksandr Mikushin.

“May God the Merciful bless you [Elon Musk] and your employees for continued success in the space industry."
ura.news/news/1052444726

Mikushin continues:

"And please send some of your company’s specialists to Russia. May they teach the staffers at the Salyut Construction Bureau how to build re-usable booster stages."

   —-
< Fun fact, so when a colony is built, the colony becomes part of the diocese the ship departed from.
So, the Moon colony will likely fall under the Archdiocese of Orlando.
Which will make it the largest diocese in the Solar System.
<< But if it's a Starship launched from Texas, different diocese.
https://twitter.com/sciguyspace/status/1293563611772854272
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #793 on: August 14, 2020, 08:36:45 PM »
—- Starlink
SpaceX recently submitted a new request with the FCC, seeking to increase the number of Starlink user terminals and Wi-Fi routers to 5 million due to “extraordinary demand.”

SpaceX ‘built a U.S. world-leading manufacturing system' for Starlink
Quote
SpaceX Engineer Matt Monson leads Starlink software development, during a Reddit ‘Ask Me Anything’ session he shared Starlink is “currently generating more than 5TB [5 terabytes] a day of data”. – “Each launch of 60 satellites contains more than 4,000 Linux computers,” Monson wrote. “The constellation has more than 30,000 Linux nodes (and more than 6,000 microcontrollers) in space right now.”

“We’ve had many instances where a satellite on orbit had a failure we’d never even conceived of before, but was able to keep itself safe long enough for us to debug it, figure out a fix or a workaround, and push up a software update,” Monson shared. He also revealed SpaceX is beaming software updates to the Starlink satellites in space approximately once a week, “with a bunch of smaller test deployments happening as well.”

Customers will receive Starlink broadband internet via a user terminal dish and router. SpaceX says it has “invested over $70 million developing and producing thousands of consumer user terminals per month” with a “high-rate production soon to come.” The FCC already approved the operation of 1 million dish terminals in the United States. SpaceX recently submitted a new request with the FCC, seeking to increase the number of Starlink user terminals and Wi-Fi routers to 5 million due to “extraordinary demand.” The company has already initiated a private Starlink Beta testing phase. Employees are actively testing the network before it rolls out service to the public. …
https://www.tesmanian.com/blogs/tesmanian-blog/spacex-starlink-sats


—- Fairings
Quote
Ken Kirtland IV (@KenKirtland17) 8/13/20, 7:18 PM
Here is a graphic I made of America's Fairings! Looks like we're going to be bringing some big stuff to space (and the Moon).
All the fairings shown are scale to one another.
https://twitter.com/kenkirtland17/status/1294050623520940034
[Image below.]

Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 8/13/20, 8:28 PM
 Starship fairing will actually have more height than shown here. Dome will be flatter & more of tip is accessible. Usable volume ~1000 cubic meters.*
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1294068379049893888
*1000 cubic meters is larger than the pressurized volume of the International Space Station, or a 747 aircraft, or the size of a six-bedroom house.


—- Starship flight animation
At the link: 2 minute, sharp animation of Starship 20km hop.  Launch to apogee, pitch to “belly-flop” attitude to bleed off speed during descent, flip to “flamey end down” at the last moment to land.
Quote
Corey (@C_Bass3d) 6/11/20, 6:43 PM
What do you think, SN6 or SN8?
➡️ https://twitter.com/c_bass3d/status/1271211383514857473

Everyday Astronaut (@Erdayastronaut) 8/14/20, 12:57 PM
The spaceflight community is getting so good at these renders and animations! Here’s another great render! Can’t wait for SN-8

Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 8/14/20, 1:35 PM
Impressive
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1294326695546122241
< Will the raptors all gimbal together like this on the actual starship?
<< The three sea level Raptors will, but the vacuum Raptors will be fixed. On Superheavy most of the engines will be fixed as well, with just the center cluster able to gimbal.

—- Next launch
Aug. 18: Falcon 9 • Starlink 10/SkySats 19-21
Launch time: 1431 GMT (10:31 a.m. EDT)
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch 58 satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink broadband network, a mission designated Starlink 10. Three SkySat Earth-imaging satellites for Planet will launch as rideshare payloads on this mission. Delayed from late July.
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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #794 on: August 14, 2020, 08:56:27 PM »
This just in:
NASA & SpaceX are targeting no earlier than Oct. 23 for Crew Dragon’s first operational mission to the Space Station.

NASA, SpaceX Targeting October for Next Astronaut Launch
August 14, 2020
Quote
Crew-1 will launch in late October to accommodate spacecraft traffic for the upcoming Soyuz crew rotation and best meet the needs of the International Space Station. Launch will follow the arrival of NASA astronaut Kate Rubins and cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov of the Russian space agency Roscosmos aboard their Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft and the departure of NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner from the space station. The launch timeframe also allows for a crew handover with NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 mission next spring.

The Crew-1 mission is pending completion of data reviews and certification following NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 test flight, which successfully launched NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley to the International Space Station on May 30 and returned them safely home with a splashdown off the Florida coast in the Gulf of Mexico on Aug. 2.  Demo-2 was the first crewed flight test of a commercially-owned and operated human space system.
https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/2020/08/14/nasa-spacex-targeting-october-for-next-astronaut-launch/

The next Soyuz crew is currently targeted to launch on Oct. 14.
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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #795 on: August 15, 2020, 05:47:56 PM »
—- Starlink launch prep
Quote
Gavin - SpaceXFleet.com (@SpaceXFleet) 8/14/20, 2:44 PM
Departure! Of Course I Still Love You droneship is heading ~634 km downrange to the Starlink LZ! Next launch NET August 18th, 10:31am EDT.
Photo captured by the WKMG-TV Canaveral webcam. ClickOrlando.com
https://twitter.com/spacexfleet/status/1294344173810847745
Photo at the link.

Quote
Kyle Montgomery (@Kyle_M_Photo)8/13/20, 3:49 PM
Looks like Ms. Tree is getting some practice scooping fairings. #SpaceXFleet #SpaceX
https://twitter.com/kyle_m_photo/status/1293998202333679628
⬇️ Photo below.


—- Crew-1
Quote
Ben Cooper (@LaunchPhoto) 8/14/20, 6:01 PM
The four members of Crew-1 undergo MRAP launch pad evacuation training ahead of their launch, now planned for NET October 23 at 6am.
https://twitter.com/launchphoto/status/1294393744997912577
⬇️ Photo below.

Quote
Ben Cooper (@LaunchPhoto) 8/14/20, 6:01 PM
More photos of Crew-1 undergoing water egress training ahead of their launch, now planned for NET October 23 at 6am.
https://twitter.com/launchphoto/status/1294393624231387136
Photos at the link.


—- Starship SN6
Quote
Michael Baylor (@nextspaceflight) 8/13/20, 4:24 PM
Starship SN6's cryogenic proof test is set for Aug. 16 between 8 am and 5 pm CDT.
Back up opportunities are scheduled for Aug. 17 and 18.
https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1294007020069126144
Text image of the schedule at the link.


—- Fairings 2.0
Quote
Ken Kirtland IV (@KenKirtland17) 8/14/20, 6:00 PM
America's Fairings 2.0
I shared a graphic comparing rocket fairings that went further than expected. So I gave it a huge refresh with more details. Let me know what you think!
https://twitter.com/kenkirtland17/status/1294393359704956929
⬇️ Image below.
~ Some Notes:  The blue columns in the center of each fairing show a standardized comparison of payload capacity for each rocket. It shows how much water they can take to LEO, GEO, and TLI. Every single rocket is shown carrying a 3 meter cylinder of water.
~ Next update will get Block 1a and Block 1B SLS, Skylab, and maybe even shuttle.
< Looks like the blue whale would fit comfortably in Starship's fairing. That's very reassuring according to Star Trek
<< Also, I think it’s a humpback. Too short for a Blue.
Other notes:  Starship on-orbit refueling will increase mass to GTO and TLI.  And Lunar Starship will be much lighter than regular Starship, as it will not need the capability to survive earth re-entry.
« Last Edit: August 15, 2020, 06:00:33 PM by Sigmetnow »
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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #796 on: August 17, 2020, 04:09:43 PM »
—— Starlink 10 launch tomorrow
Watch at spacex.com
Quote
SpaceX (@SpaceX) 8/17/20, 7:09 AM
Targeting Tuesday, August 18 at 10:31 a.m. EDT [1431 GMT] for Falcon 9’s launch from Space Launch Complex 40 in Florida of 58 Starlink satellites and 3 @planetlabs spacecraft
https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1295316943134547968

SpaceX (@SpaceX) 8/17/20, 7:10 AM

Falcon 9’s booster supporting this mission previously launched Telstar 18 VANTAGE, Iridium-8, and three separate Starlink flights
https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1295317183900205057
Launch porn photos at the link.

Quote
Starlink Updates (@StarlinkUpdates) 8/16/20, 2:00 PM
Sunday Overview Graphs 
https://twitter.com/starlinkupdates/status/1295057942065090563
⬇️ Graph below; others at the link.

ICYMI:  100th SpaceX mission; *sixth* launch of this booster
Starlink: SpaceX’s 100th mission may break an incredible reusability record
https://www.inverse.com/innovation/starlink-spacexs-100th-mission


—-  Starship(s!) update
SN6 begins test campaign as future Starships hatch plans for SpaceX’s next leap
By Chris Bergin  August 16, 2020
Quote
Following the successful test of Starship SN5 during its 150-meter hop just a week ago, the next Starship (SN6) is preparing to repeat the test in the coming days. With a potential tag-team – or hop-team – role for SN5 and SN6, a roadmap is starting to form ahead of the more ambitious tests that will involve Starships SN8 and SN9 – both of which are already under various stages of construction at SpaceX Boca Chica.

With the incredible build and test cadence continuing at SpaceX’s facility in South Texas, a “hot-swap” in the Mid Bay was required after SN5 rolled back from the launch site, following what was the first successful hop of a Starship test vehicle.

With SN6 already assembled in the Mid Bay and waiting patiently for her turn at testing, the two prototypes swapped places, allowing SN5 to take SN6’s slot in the bay, while the latter rolled to the vacated test mount at the launch site. …
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2020/08/sn6-campaign-future-starships-hatch-next-leap/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #797 on: August 18, 2020, 04:00:17 PM »
—— Fairing reuse and markings
Quote
Gavin - SpaceXFleet.com (@SpaceXFleet) 8/18/20, 7:55 AM
The fairing on today's Starlink mission flew on the fourth Starlink mission back in January.
It was Ms. Tree's third catch of a fairing half!
https://twitter.com/spacexfleet/status/1295690849452425222

Trevor Mahlmann:  Clearer shot of the GO Ms. Tree / GO Ms. Chief silhouette on the reused fairings for the eleventh #Starlink mission this morning  So cool!
      https://www.tmahlmann.com/photos/Rockets/SpaceX/SpaceX-Starlink/
https://twitter.com/trevormahlmann/status/1295689288361943042

⬇️ Photos below.

Gavin - SpaceXFleet.com: I don't think I've ever seen this marker before, really cool. I've seen photos of the recovered-from-water symbol. It's like three lines iirc?
Trevor Mahlmann:  Yeah! Same here!
Here are close ups of both the scooped and ship-caught icons:
⬇️ Third photo below.

Gavin - SpaceXFleet.com:  Handy table of all fairing recovery attempts:   spacexfleet.com/fairing-data/ 


—- SAOCOM 1B launch delay
Quote
Michael Baylor (@nextspaceflight) 8/17/20, 12:56 PM
The reason for the extended SAOCOM 1B delay is due to a range conflict with the NROL-44 mission on nearby SLC-37B, according to the end of this article.
The polar corridor trajectory of the SpaceX launch was likely the source of the issue.
cba24n.com.ar/amp/tecnologia…
https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1295404062603530241
[Article in Spanish.]

~ This means that SAOCOM 1B will be unable to launch until the Delta IV Heavy lifts off with NROL-44. The Delta launch is currently targeting Aug. 26
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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #798 on: August 18, 2020, 04:10:54 PM »
——  Starship SN6
Quote
Michael Baylor (@nextspaceflight) 8/17/20, 12:18 PM
Starship SN6 successfully completed a cryogenic proof test Sunday afternoon in Boca Chica, Texas. Next up should be Raptor engine installation.

 https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1295394483912073216
< possibly today the thrust simulator was removed during the night

EDIT:  Mary has spotted a new Raptor!
Quote
Mary (@BocaChicaGal)8/18/20, 10:14 AM
Raptor SN29 has arrived at SpaceX Boca Chica launch site. Starship SN6 will hop with Raptor SN29.
...
https://twitter.com/bocachicagal/status/1295725642089205760
⬇️ Third photo below.


—— Raptor engine development
Quote
Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 8/17/20, 7:00 PM
Raptor engine just reached 330 bar chamber pressure without exploding!
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1295495834998513664
[Photo of quiescent engine, and a graph, at the link.]

RCgothic:  330 atmospheres in the combustion chamber. 10% better than June's spectacular 300bar.
The next best is RD-180's 265bar.
Chamber pressure is good for both thrust and efficiency.

< Nice! What SN are you up to now?
Elon Musk:  [Raptor] SN40 is about to be tested & has several upgrades over 330 bar engine. For reference, 330 bar on Raptor produces ~225 tons (half a million pounds) of force.

Everyday Astronaut: Holy crap! You just shattered the record!!! Does hitting that high of target come with some loss in throttling? Because won’t these higher thrust Raptors not throttle?
< What do you mean by throttling? As in controlling how much power you output?
Everyday Astronaut: Exactly! Merlin for example can deep throttle down to under 40% of its max output (I forget the exact number) thanks largely in part to its pintle injector. Raptor hasn’t gone below 50% that I’m aware of and might have a harder time doing so than the Merlin.

Elon Musk:  Max demonstrated Raptor thrust is ~225 tons & min is ~90 tons, so they’re actually quite similar. Both Merlin & Raptor could throttle way lower with added design complexity. Raptor preburner & Merlin gas generator flameout are what limit lower bound.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1295553672454311941

< Lower thrust would be required for lunar and mars landings no? They’d have to essentially have to hover with much less weight?
Everyday Astronaut:  That’s what those upper engines are for on Lunar Starship. Lower [Thrust to Weight Ratio] and less ground disturbance — real question is what exactly they are (mini Raptors is what we’ve heard!)

—-  Starship 20km hop, fan animation #2
Quote
Corey (@C_Bass3d) 8/17/20, 4:36 PM
With more and more hardware showing up at the construction site, #SN8's 20km hop and belly flop are feeling a little more real, despite how unreal it'll look.
https://twitter.com/c_bass3d/status/1295459409154498565
[Render video at the link.]

Elon Musk:  Very impressive render. Note, legs will be bigger & there’ll be way more stuff in engine bay. Main engines actually do majority of work in turning ship vertical before landing.

Everyday Astronaut:  Another awesome render! I think people might forget how high 20km is! That’s about twice as high as a commercial airliner flies, so watching Starship bellyflop out of the sky at that altitude will be crazy!!!

Elon Musk:  Yeah, Starship will be a tiny dot at 20km. Hard to see with naked eye. We’ll do lots of flights.


—— Boca Chica, Texas
Quote
RGVAerialPhotography (@RGVaerialphotos) 8/17/20, 6:49 PM
SpaceX Boca Chica Build Site 2 years apart.
“The long term goal for SpaceX is to build the technologies necessary to make life multiplanetary” @elonmusk
Thanks for choosing Boca Chica to make this a reality! #spacex #bocachica

Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 8/18/20, 2:05 AM
This little spit of dirt will take us to Mars
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1295602704073609216
⬇️ Photos below.
« Last Edit: August 18, 2020, 04:19:24 PM by Sigmetnow »
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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #799 on: August 18, 2020, 07:13:42 PM »
—- Starlink 10 / Skysat mission: success
SpaceX Breaks Record with Booster’s Sixth Flight
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2020/08/spacex-break-record-sixth-flight/

Booster landed, one half of (reused!) fairing caught.
Quote
Gavin - SpaceXFleet.com (@SpaceXFleet) 8/18/20, 11:17 AM
FAIRING CATCH!
Ms. Tree caught her fifth fairing half. No luck for Ms. Chief - going in for the scoop.
https://twitter.com/spacexfleet/status/1295741538744639488
⬇️ Image below. Also my screencap of Booster B1049.5 just after landing on OCISLY.

Skysat details:
More Starlinks and SkySats ready for launch Tuesday from Cape Canaveral
https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/08/17/more-starlinks-and-skysats-ready-for-launch-tuesday-from-cape-canaveral/


——- Funding round
SpaceX Raises Nearly $2 Billion In Equity And Grows Total Investors To 75
Quote
  Astronautic launch services provider and equipment manufacturer SpaceX conducted its tenth Starlink launch earlier today, and at the same time, it set new records for booster reusability. SpaceX, which has shaken up its industry by reducing launch costs by making its rockets reusable intends to make humans a space-faring civilization by creating vehicles that enable interplanetary transportation.

SpaceX's Latest Capital Raise Is Largest In Company's History As It Adds 59 New Investors On Board
The first time that SpaceX disclosed similar funding round to the Commission was back in 2009 when the company raised $15 million in capital in December. Judging by the details of the filing, investor pessimism surrounding a company that had been in the industry for seven years back then is evident. During the capital raise, SpaceX had put up $60 million of equity for sale, and as evident from the figure above, the company managed to raise only a quarter of this amount.

Comparing the 2009 capital run to the one that SpaceX conducted earlier this month, the difference in investor opinion and the company's capital needs is evident. During the latest round, SpaceX put up a staggering $2 billion of equity for sale - and investors gobbled all of this up greedily by purchasing $1.9 billion worth of shares. ...
https://wccftech.com/spacex-equity-investor-grows-2-billion/
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