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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #550 on: February 25, 2020, 05:08:17 PM »
Look, Ma: no crane!
Quote
Mary (@BocaChicaGal) 2/25/20, 10:17 AM
Starship SN1 has made [its] way to the launch site this morning.
More pics and video coming later.
https://t.co/nCG7E9XtKM
https://twitter.com/bocachicagal/status/1232323739242651648
Image below.  At the link, 30 sec video of SN1 on the Roll-Lift, pans slowly up the rocket and its external hardware!  Expecting tank tests in the coming days, then engines and nose cone installation.  Etc.  Several days of road closures have been scheduled.

Starship in motion:
Quote
Mary (@BocaChicaGal) 2/25/20, 10:42 AM 
Starship SN1 is moving closer to the launch mount.
@NASASpaceflight
https://twitter.com/bocachicagal/status/1232329968325099522
At the link: 30 sec. video: Slow motion on roll lift.
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #551 on: February 26, 2020, 01:52:31 AM »
Readying for the last v.1 Cargo Dragon mission to the ISS.

Second stage acting funky during testing?  No biggie, we’ll use the other second stage we already have here....

SpaceX CRS-20 Launch Targeted for March 6
Quote
SpaceX is now targeting March 6 at 11:50 p.m. EST (Mar. 7 at 04:50 UTC) for launch of its 20th commercial resupply services mission (CRS-20) to the International Space Station. During standard preflight inspections, SpaceX identified a valve motor on the second stage engine behaving not as expected and determined the safest and most expedient path to launch is to utilize the next second stage in line that was already at the Cape and ready for flight. The new second stage has already completed the same preflight inspections with all hardware behaving as expected. The updated target launch date provides the time required to complete preflight integration and final checkouts.
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacex/2020/02/25/spacex-crs-20-launch-targeted-for-march-6/


NASA Highlights Science on 20th SpaceX Resupply Mission
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-highlights-science-on-20th-spacex-resupply-mission-to-space-station
« Last Edit: February 27, 2020, 08:19:49 PM by Sigmetnow »
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #552 on: February 26, 2020, 03:33:34 AM »
Final approval granted!

Los Angeles approves a 20-year SpaceX lease for a Starship rocket facility in the city’s port
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/25/spacex-signs-lease-to-build-starship-rocket-facility-in-port-of-la.html

Summary:
   •   $1.7 million a year for 19 acres in a city port
   •   20-year lease
   •   will help and develop Starship
   •   The facility itself would be a large tent-like structure + existing buildings
   •   SpaceX wants to be up and running within the next 90 days
   •   access to water, making it easier to transport (SS and SH are too big to be transported by a road)

——
The official plan document: https://kentico.portoflosangeles.org/getmedia/9feab3f1-ae59-465f-9404-fe882621ff48/Cargo-Real-Estate_SpaceX_Transmittal-3
calls it the “Transportation Vessels Manufacturing Facility Project” — the word “rocket” is not found anywhere in the document! ;D

“Facility operations would involve the research, design, and construction of vessels too large to be transported by road, and thus to be transported via water.”

Quote
The Blacksmith and Anglesmith Shop, and Plate Shop [#6], would be used for storage and inventory. The Shop [#9] would be used for barrel production and polishing, barrel stack integration, and desks and small part fabrication and integration. The Machine Shop and Warehouse Building [#7], would be used for stacking barrels, installing hardware on integrated sub-stacks, sub-assembly fabrication, and office use with desks and computers.

Starship “rings” or “barrels” are 9m in diameter (30 feet).
Perhaps sub-sections of the rocket will be built here, then shipped via the Panama Canal to Boca Chica or Florida for final assembly near the launch site.  The doc does mention:
Quote
• Re-activate 30T crane or install new (Machine Shop and Warehouse Building [#7])
• Cut 40-foot-wide by 45-foot-tall door on the east and west ends (Machine Shop and Warehouse Building [#7])
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vox_mundi

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #553 on: February 26, 2020, 04:01:47 PM »
The Air Force And SpaceX Are Teaming Up For A 'Massive' Live Fire Exercise
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/32346/the-air-force-and-spacex-are-teaming-up-for-a-massive-live-fire-exercise

... Air Force acquisition chief William Roper told reporters at the Pentagon that the Air Force and SpaceX will conduct an event on April 8, together with other branches of the U.S. military, that will see SpaceX Starlink satellites link up with multiple armed forces systems in a “massive” live fire exercise.

The demonstration will reportedly involve shooting down a drone and a cruise missile and will take place at several different sites including Marine Corps Air Station Yuma in Arizona to Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. The massive tests will also include ground forces, submarines, ships, and a variety of space-based assets.

The live fire exercise will be part of a larger test of the Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS), a new communications ecosystem designed to enable Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2), allowing U.S. forces and allies to coordinate military operations in real-time across all domains, such as sea, land, air, space and cyber operations. The system was first tested in December 2019 with mixed results.

... During a less extensive test of the system last month, Starlink satellites connected with an AC-130 gunship.

Roper has also said that the new ABMS system will not only help replace the aging, rickety fleet of E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) command aircraft, but also add new capabilities that leverage the latest in machine learning, or artificial intelligence, to better predict what types of information users want from the system and more prominently push that information to them.
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Tor Bejnar

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #554 on: February 27, 2020, 07:41:12 PM »
Reading about "catching" Covid-19, I thought of a ditty my mother taught us growing up:
 

     Catch a falling rocket  [internet says "Sputnik" was the rhyme's original term]
     Put it in a matchbox
     Send it to the USA
     They'll be glad to get it
     Very glad to get it
     Send it to the USA

Of course, SpaceX catches rockets and the like, so it does belong in this thread!  :)
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #555 on: February 28, 2020, 10:36:31 PM »
Just released, a detailed report of SpaceX activities and environmental impact at their Florida launch sites:

[PDF] Draft Environmental Assessment for SpaceX Falcon Launches at Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station - February 2020 - spacex
https://www.faa.gov/space/environmental/nepa_docs/media/SpaceX_Falcon_Program_Draft_EA_508.pdf
[Renderings of LC-39A Mobile Service Tower and Falcon Heavy with extended fairing inside]

Reddit discussion:
https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/faacre/pdf_draft_environmental_assessment_for_spacex/

Review of the launch sites, military needs, flight frequency.
FAA Environmental Assessment details SpaceX plans at Cape Canaveral
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2020/02/faa-environmental-assessment-spacex-cape-canaveral/

From 2019:  why SpaceX is building a huge new mobile vertical launch integration facility
Air Force requests bids for space launch services, will select two companies in 2020
https://spacenews.com/air-force-requests-bids-for-space-launch-services-will-select-two-companies-in-2020/

‘EverydayAstronaut’ is preparing a deep dive video on rocket pollution, which should be available soon....
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #556 on: February 29, 2020, 02:42:05 PM »
Confirmed:  SN1 Not doing the 20K flight :o ;)

SN1 tank was tested to failure after questions about initial weld quality.
Quote
Chris B - NSF (@NASASpaceflight) 2/29/20, 12:41 AM
Starship SN1 was filled with LN2 for a cryo proof test on Friday evening at Boca Chica, before failing.
Videos and Photos from Mary (@BocaChicaGal) for NSF. Edited by Jack Beyer (@thejackbeyer)

SpaceX Boca Chica - Starship SN1 cryo proof test failure - Feb 28, 2020 - YouTube


< Looks bad but this is progress. We’re all speculating that SN1 wasn’t going to fly anyway.
Elon wasn’t happy with the weld quality on SN1 because of the wrong settings.
SN2 now needs to prove they have weld quality under control and off we go.
< ... This is how rapid iteration works, fail often, learn quickly, and ultimately move faster and spend less.

< Wonder how much infrastructure damage they had. Not seeing any movement on the live cameras still 2 hr's later.
<<  It's in the middle of the night and there's no fire. So they can just wait until dawn to assess the damage and clean up the debris. They did the same with Mk1, it even sat for days on the pad untouched before they scrapped it.

> *Hoppy watches from a safe distance*


——-  From 2/25:
Quote
Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 2/25/20, 5:49 PM
SN2 tank integration starts this week with much less circumferential pucker. Thanks Fronius!

[ Fronius = https://www.fronius.com/en-us/usa/welding-technology  “Perfect welding” ]

Elon Musk: The Persuader hammer will fix SN1. SN 2+ will have better fit & weld quality. Later serial numbers will use bigger stampings, so much less weld length.

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1230276876930863105
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TerryM

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #557 on: February 29, 2020, 03:08:09 PM »
Not a great week for The Elon's Enterprises. 8)
Terry

Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #558 on: February 29, 2020, 05:25:21 PM »
Quote
SpaceX (@SpaceX) 2/28/20, 4:23 PM
Falcon Heavy will launch @NASAPsyche! The mission, for which @NASA requires the highest level of launch vehicle reliability, will study a metal asteroid between Mars and Jupiter to help humanity better understand the formation of our solar system’s planets
https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1233502921469370368

NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for the Psyche Mission
Quote
NASA has selected SpaceX of Hawthorne, California, to provide launch services for the agency’s Psyche mission. The Psyche mission currently is targeted to launch in July 2022 on a Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

The total cost for NASA to launch Psyche and the secondary payloads is approximately $117 million, which includes the launch service and other mission related costs.

The Psyche mission will journey to a unique metal-rich asteroid, also named Psyche, which orbits the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. The asteroid is considered unique, as it appears to largely be made of the exposed nickel-iron core of an early planet – one of the building blocks of our solar system. …
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-awards-launch-services-contract-for-the-psyche-mission


——
More details on Boeing’s OFT Starliner failures revealed:

Boeing's Starliner spacecraft is built to carry astronauts, but safety concerns loom
Quote
New York (CNN)Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, which was slated to begin flying NASA astronauts to the International Space Station this year, faces new questions about safety after a botched test flight in December.

On Friday, Boeing revealed that ground controllers lost contact with Starliner 37 times during the mission, and investigators are still working to determine how to correct those issues. The company also confirmed that it had failed to run a full simulation of how the spacecraft's software would run during the two major stretches of the mission — from liftoff to docking with the International Space Station and from undocking to landing. Such testing could have potentially detected software problems that caused Starliner to stumble off its path toward the International Space Station, forcing it to make an early landing.

Boeing said it had completed "extensive" testing of the spacecraft's software ahead of the December test mission. But those tests only focused on isolated chunks of Starliner's code, John Mulholland, manager of Boeing's Starliner program, said during a briefing about the results of an independent investigation into what went wrong.

The company previously revealed that Starliner flew through a communications blackout zone that prevented ground controllers from taking control of the spacecraft during crucial moments of the flight test. On Friday, Mulholland revealed Starliner encountered those dead periods dozens of times during flight.

Boeing executives previously said those problems could have been caused by interference from cell towers on the ground. It's not yet clear if Starliner's on-board systems could be altered to avoid such interference.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/28/tech/boeing-starliner-spacecraft-software-testing-safety-issues-scn/index.html

—-
Boeing says thorough testing would have caught Starliner software problems – Spaceflight Now
Quote
“When you do a single run from launch to docking, that’s a 25-plus-hour single run in the computer,” he said.
“The team, at the time, decided that they would have multiple tests of different chunks of the mission,” Mulholland said. “It was not a matter at all of the team consciously shortcutting, or not doing what they believed was appropriate.”
https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/02/28/boeing-says-thorough-testing-would-have-caught-starliner-software-problems/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #559 on: February 29, 2020, 05:32:30 PM »
SpaceX said to be seeking around $250 million in funding, boosting valuation to roughly $36 billion
Quote
SpaceX is looking to raise around $250 million in new funding according to a new report from CNBC’s Michael Sheetz. The additional cash would bring SpaceX’s total valuation to around $36 billion, according to CNBC’s sources — an increase of more than $2.5 billion versus its most recently reported valuation.

The rocket launch company founded and run by Elon Musk is no stranger to raising large sums of money — it added $1.33 billion during 2019 (from three separate rounds). In total, the company has raised more than $3 billion in funding to date — but the scale of its ambitions provides a clear explanation of why the company has sought so much capital.

SpaceX is also generating a significant amount of revenue: Its contract to develop the Crew Dragon spacecraft as part of the NASA commercial crew program came with $3.1 billion in contract award money from the agency, for example, and it charges its customers roughly $60 million per launch of one of its Falcon 9 rockets. Last year alone, SpaceX had 13 launches. ...
https://techcrunch.com/2020/02/21/spacex-said-to-be-seeking-around-250-million-in-funding-boosting-valuation-to-roughly-36-billion/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #560 on: March 02, 2020, 02:30:48 PM »
A flight-proven Cargo Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket are set to lift off no earlier than (NET) 11:50 pm EST, March 6th (04:50 UTC, March 7th)  Watch at spacex.com or NASA TV https://www.nasa.gov/nasalive

SpaceX's first orbital spacecraft set to smash reusability record on last launch
Quote
SpaceX revealed that Cargo Dragon capsule C112 (C1: Dragon 1; 12: capsule #12) will be supporting CRS-20 as early as this Friday. If all goes according to plan, it will be the spacecraft’s third cargo mission to the ISS since February 2017, becoming the third orbital SpaceX vehicle to do so. Even more significantly, C112 is poised to crush Cargo Dragon’s own previous record for the shortest time between two orbital launches.

Measured from splashdown to the capsule’s shipment to the launch pad, SpaceX may have spent less than a year refurbishing the Cargo Dragon spacecraft, likely more than a 50% improvement over all past refurbishment operations.

CRS-20 should thus mark a climactic and fitting end to Cargo Dragon 1’s nine-year spaceflight career. While bittersweet that the spacecraft and its many siblings will likely never fly again, Musk has said that Dragon 2 (Crew Dragon) – the spacecraft intended to replace it – is dramatically easier (and thus cheaper) to reuse than Dragon 1. As such, SpaceX should have no issue continuing its trend of lowering the cost of access to space after it begins space station cargo deliveries under its CRS2 NASA contract later this year.
https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-first-orbital-spacecraft-reusability-record/

NASA TV Coverage Set for SpaceX’s Next Space Station Resupply Mission
Schedule of briefings, press conferences, and mission coverage
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-tv-coverage-set-for-spacex-s-next-space-station-resupply-mission

——-
Quote
Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 3/2/20, 3:32 AM
So … how was your night? m.youtube.com/watch?feature=…
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1234396086581809152
EM: It’s fine, we’ll just buff it out
EM: Where’s Flextape when you need it!?
EM: ...

< So, what did y'all learn from this event?
EM: There’s a puck at the base that takes the engine thrust load. Don’t shuck the puck!
< What’s roughly the new target for static fire of SN2?
EM: We’re stripping SN2 to bare minimum to test the thrust puck to dome weld under pressure, first with water, then at cryo. Hopefully, ready to test in a few days.
< So when SN1 blew you said ‘oh Puck’?
« Last Edit: March 02, 2020, 02:41:52 PM by Sigmetnow »
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #561 on: March 03, 2020, 02:54:14 AM »
Quote
SpaceX (@SpaceX) 3/2/20, 1:51 PM
A year ago today, Falcon 9 launched Crew Dragon on its first mission, which demonstrated the spacecraft’s capability to safely and reliably fly @NASA astronauts to and from the @Space_Station

Crew Dragon’s First Demonstration Mission | One-Year Launch Anniversary



- SpaceX teams are currently in final preparations for another Crew Dragon flight – the one that will fly astronauts @AstroBehnken and @Astro_Doug and return human spaceflight capabilities to the U.S.
https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1234552008150900736
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #562 on: March 03, 2020, 05:04:11 PM »
SpaceX shrugs off Starship implosion and gets back to work as Elon Musk talks next steps
https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-starship-implosion-new-test-plans-south-texas/

Quote
Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 3/3/20, 5:39 AM
@Teslarati No matter what, we need to pressurize the production system. Rocket design is relatively easy, making one is hard, making many is extremely hard. Manufacturing is underrated.

Everyday Astronaut: How cool is it for you to start building rockets first and then build the factory around them? What a crazy weird blank slate to work with. That has to be pretty cool!

Pranay Pathole: There was a lot of disappointment concerning SN1. That's understandable.
I think that a lot of people are missing the big picture though. SpaceX isn't doing your traditional aerospace project, where things progress very linearly, and a setback costs months or years...
- They're doing many things in parallel, building the most advanced rocket ever, by a huge margin. Using nonstandard, dirt cheap manufacturing that can crack out rocket in weeks instead of years. They don't even have most of their final infrastructure yet.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1234790518481129473
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #563 on: March 05, 2020, 03:41:36 PM »
Friday night: the last V.1 Cargo Dragon will supply the ISS
March 6/7 Falcon 9 • SpaceX CRS 20
Launch time: 0450:30 GMT on 7th (11:50:30 p.m. EST on 6th)
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the 22nd Dragon spacecraft mission on its 20th operational cargo delivery flight to the International Space Station.
————

—- next Starlink launch:  Despite the hiccup with the B1056 landing last time, it (unsurprisingly) appears SpaceX is sticking with their new aggressive Starlink flight profile, maxing out the second stage and deploying the satellites soon after reaching their primary orbital velocity.
Quote
Gavin - SpaceXFleet Updates (@SpaceXFleet) 3/4/20, 5:50 PM
Here's the setup for Starlink L5. Droneship to be positioned ~628km downrange, in the same position as the previous 4 Starlink launches.

Raul (@Raul74Cz) 3/4/20, 8:45 AM
Launch Hazard Areas Map of #Starlink v1.0-L5 mission from LC-39A, valid for 14 Mar 13:36 UTC or backup 15 Mar 13:14 UTC. Droneship landing on usual location. Shorter orange Area B as previous Starlink launch implies direct inject elliptical orbit again.
https://twitter.com/raul74cz/status/1235199595933728768
Map below.

——
Octagrabber 2.0!  JRTI on steroids!
SpaceX eyes major drone ship fleet upgrades and a new rocket recovery robot
https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-new-rocket-recovery-robot-drone-ship-upgrades/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #564 on: March 05, 2020, 04:06:22 PM »
DAAAYYYUMMM!
The author met with Elon Musk in Boca Chica.

Inside Elon Musk’s plan to build one Starship a week—and settle Mars
"I think we need, probably, on the order of 1,000 ships."
Eric Berger - 3/5/2020, 7:00 AM
Quote
BOCA CHICA BEACH, Texas—How badly does Elon Musk want to get to Mars? Let me tell you a story. On Sunday, February 23, Musk called an all-hands meeting at the South Texas site where SpaceX is building his Starship spacecraft.

It was 1am. ...
https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/03/inside-elon-musks-plan-to-build-one-starship-a-week-and-settle-mars/


Reddit discussion: 
https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/fdub0s/inside_elon_musks_plan_to_build_one_starship_a/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #565 on: March 05, 2020, 09:06:23 PM »
SpaceX will send three tourists to the International Space Station next year
It’s the second space tourism effort the company has announced this year
Mar 5, 2020, 2:56pm EST
Quote
SpaceX will send three tourists on a 10-day trip to the International Space Station sometime in late 2021. It’ll use its Falcon 9 rocket and its new Crew Dragon spacecraft, the company announced on Thursday. This marks the second big space tourism announcement from the company this year.

The orbital vacation is part of a deal that SpaceX signed with Houston-based startup Axiom Space, which will manage the logistics of the trip for the three private citizens. While seven private citizens have spent time on the ISS (one of them even went twice), this mission will be the first fully private trip to the ISS.

The space tourists will spend two days traveling to and from the orbital space station and at least eight days on board, sharing space with the astronauts who work there. Tickets will cost around $55 million, and one seat is already booked, according to The New York Times. The trip was made possible after NASA announced last year that it would start opening up the ISS to more commercial activities like space tourism.

SpaceX has spent the last few years building a new version of its Dragon spacecraft that’s rated for human flight as part of a program to send NASA astronauts to the ISS. The private spaceflight company recently completed a second major flight test of this new version of Dragon where it demonstrated the ability to escape an exploding rocket. The first flight with NASA astronauts is expected to take place later this year.

But SpaceX isn’t just focused on being a taxi for astronauts. The company is increasingly embracing space tourism as a potential revenue stream. Just last month, SpaceX announced that it is working with space tourism company Space Adventures to send up to four private citizens into orbit around the Earth sometime in late 2021 or early 2022. ...
https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/5/21166657/spacex-tourists-iss-international-space-station-orbit-falcon-9-dragon

Edit, more:
SpaceX plans to fly three space tourists to the International Space Station late next year
Quote
This mission will last 10 days – with two days of travel and eight days on board the space station – and will include an Axiom “commander” to assist the three customers. Axiom said it will announce the members of the crew at a later date.

“This history-making flight will represent a watershed moment in the march toward universal and routine access to space,” Axiom CEO Michael Suffredini said in a statement. “This will be just the first of many missions to ISS to be completely crewed and managed by Axiom Space.”

Suffredini led the ISS program for NASA for a decade until 2015, shortly after which he co-founded Axiom. The company’s website offers private missions to the ISS ranging between 10 days to 180 days, with Axiom providing all the services necessary – from training to management and more. Axiom was also recently selected by NASA to build an addition to the ISS, which would be a large habitat that would attach to the space station for research and more.

NASA in 2019 announced that it would open the ISS to “private astronaut missions of up to 30 days,” saying that it would begin at a rate of two flights a year. NASA would get $35,000 a night for each astronaut, as compensation for the agency’s services a tourist would need while on board the ISS. …
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/05/spacex-axiom-deal-to-fly-three-space-tourists-to-iss-in-late-2021.html
« Last Edit: March 05, 2020, 09:24:07 PM by Sigmetnow »
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #566 on: March 05, 2020, 09:45:37 PM »
Related:

NASA's first commercial space station is on its way
Quote
Philippe Starck has designed the interiors for what will be the first commercial space station © Axiom Space

Nearly 15 months ago, the Frenchman released renderings of his designs for the habitation modules for Axiom Space’s first space-tourism program, and then in late January, NASA awarded the company the contract, tasking it with providing at least one habitable commercial module to attach to the International Space Station and thereby creating the world’s first commercial space station. ...
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/nasa-space-homes-philippe-starck-axiom
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #567 on: March 06, 2020, 01:47:02 AM »
More on Axiom’s plans:

Axiom to fly Crew Dragon mission to the space station
Quote
In a statement, Michael Suffredini, chief executive of Axiom, called the flight a “watershed moment” for commercialization of low Earth orbit. “This will be just the first of many missions to ISS to be completely crewed and managed by Axiom Space, a first for a commercial entity,” he said.

“Procuring the transportation marks significant progress toward that goal, and we’re glad to be working with SpaceX in this effort.”

The flight represents the start of Axiom’s long-term plans. The company anticipates doing as many as two such missions a year in accordance with NASA’s LEO commercialization strategy announced last June, which allows for private flights and short-term stays by commercial spaceflight participants.

NASA selected Axiom Jan. 27 to gain access to a docking port on the station’s Harmony, or Node 2, module. Axiom plans to attach a commercial module to that port in late 2024, which will be equipped with docking ports and an “Earth Observatory,” a larger version of the station’s cupola.

“That module looks like a node,” Suffredini said in an interview shortly after the NASA award in January, describing it as being similar to the station’s existing Node 2 and Node 3 modules, but one to two meters longer.

That will be followed in 2025 by a habitation module and, in 2026, a research and manufacturing module, both of which will be attached to that initial module. Ultimately, that “Axiom segment” of the station will detach when the ISS is retired and, with the addition of a power and thermal module, became a free-flying space station.


Private astronaut flights to the ISS, though, are the first steps in that effort. The company stated that it was in discussions with NASA “to establish additional enabling agreements for the private astronaut missions to ISS,” which a company spokesperson said involves the specifics of fitting a private mission into the overall schedule of missions going to the station. ...
https://spacenews.com/axiom-to-fly-crew-dragon-mission-to-the-space-station/

 - - -
Reddit discussion:
https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/fe07ef/axiom_to_fly_crew_dragon_mission_to_the_space/

< We have MECO did an absolutely TOP NOTCH interview with axiom CEO that really opened my eyes to what they are doing. Axiom is looking to do to the space station what SpaceX is doing to the space shuttle, although in a more fluid transition and without explosions. They are hoping to fully commercialize LEO manned spaceflight operations. It's really inspiring.

https://mainenginecutoff.com/podcast/147
45 min podcast

< There was a great video from Scott Manley about the ISS planned expansion by Axiom. It should have the capability to detach the ISS and function on its own.
Hopefully, these plans will be turned into reality.

NASA & Axiom Space Designing Commercial Expansion Of Space Station - YouTube
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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #568 on: March 06, 2020, 01:06:03 PM »
NASA Live
March 6, Friday (All Times Eastern U.S.)

11 a.m. - NASA-Boeing media teleconference: Update on Starliner Flight Test.  Audio of the teleconference will stream live on this page.
1:30 p.m. - Houston, We Have a Podcast Live. Astronaut Kayla Barron and astronaut selection manager Anne Roemer answer your questions about applying to become an astronaut.
4 p.m. - Prelaunch news conference for the 20th SpaceX resupply mission to the International Space Station
11:30 p.m. - Coverage of the launch of the 20th SpaceX resupply mission to the International Space Station. Launch is scheduled for 11:50 p.m. EST.

https://www.nasa.gov/nasalive
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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #569 on: March 07, 2020, 03:31:13 AM »
Succesful launch and satellites deployed. 
F9 booster made a “soft ocean landing” near OCISLY drone ship. ...

—- March 6:
Hans Koenigsmann during today’s CRS-20 pre-launch briefing:  Booster B1056 decided on its own to not risk landing on OCISLY due to winds near the surface being worse than forecast (as he gives a mock pointed look at the range weather officer sitting next to him on the stage.). :o ;D

Just now:
Quote
Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 3/6/20, 9:28 PM
Rocket will land in highest winds ever at Cape Canaveral tonight. This is intentional envelope expansion.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1236116600245256192
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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #570 on: March 07, 2020, 01:44:41 PM »
Quote
SpaceX (@SpaceX) 3/6/20, 11:20 PM
T-30 minutes until Falcon 9 launch of Dragon → spacex.com/webcast
[Watch replay at SpaceX.com]
https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1236144645005955073
< So much wind, I'm at the LC 39 gantry rn.
<< I'm over over towards Playalinda beach and it's crazy windy. This is gonna be interesting!!!
   . . .
Quote
Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 3/7/20, 12:07 AM
Envelope expanded
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1236156567449305089

SpaceX (@SpaceX) 3/7/20, 12:00 AM
Falcon 9 booster has landed on Landing Zone 1 – our 50th landing of a rocket booster!
https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1236154652447535104
 Clip of the landing at the link.

@TimOster: Congrats on the 50th landing! This is the previous 49 landings! THIS IS THE WAY
https://twitter.com/timoster/status/1236154710131961856
Compilation video at the link. 

Late-night launch of SpaceX cargo ship marks end of an era
https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/03/07/late-night-launch-of-spacex-cargo-ship-marks-end-of-an-era/
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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #571 on: March 07, 2020, 04:24:10 PM »
Starliner OFT mishap:  Independent Review Team recommends 61 corrective actions, lists 49 testing gaps.

From my notes of yesterday’s NASA/Boeing teleconference:
The rocket and Starliner “emulators” (“You can’t bring the rocket into the test lab.”) did not emulate correctly.  Software heads signed off on hardware changes without testing.  If a program step had four possible outcomes, not all outcomes were tested.
Boeing culture changes are expected to be extended to SLS and 737 Max, etc. teams as well as Starliner.  NASA will likely require changes to the way it approaches the lunar Human Landing System agreements, as well as Commercial Crew.
NASA and Boeing repeatedly refused to say whether another uncrewed Starliner Orbital Flight Test would be required (Boeing said it would pay for one, if required), or whether the next Starliner flight would occur this year, saying such a call could not be made for a few months yet.  NASA said there are other ways to show docking competence, so an actual test docking is not always necessary— for example, the first Space Shuttle/ISS docking was, of course, crewed.

More:
NASA declares Starliner mishap a “high visibility close call”
https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/03/nasa-declares-starliner-mishap-a-high-visibility-close-call/

Boeing had 49 gaps in testing for its astronaut capsule before failed flight, independent review finds
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/space/os-bz-boeing-starliner-investigation-result-20200306-imofjq5ifvgipo54t742spvhu4-story.html
 

=====
During Friday’s SpaceX CRS-20 pre-launch briefing:
Hans Koenigsmann was asked about SpaceX testing, and he described “Hardware in the Loop Testing” (HITL) — “Basically, it’s a table full of all the components that are on Dragon, another table with of all the components that are on Falcon, and then there is a really elaborate computer that basically plugs into certain parts on the Falcon side and records certain parts on the output.”  You simulate what an IMU or GPS measures, and record what the thrust vector control on the rocket does.  “In this case, it’s relatively easy, it takes ten minutes, it runs in real time, so you can basically run this every ten minutes.  And that’s what we do.” 
 
Every time we make a software change, we run it through a shortened system of tests, and we run this HITL test. You have to be super careful to do this test right, looking for test gaps; for example, you could have the same error on both the computer-simulated IMU and in the actual data tables.  So we do a test on the actual spacecraft, to be sure everything is connected properly.  That’s how you fill all those test gaps. There are certain things, like calibration, that are reviewed using an elaborate system and signed off using a paper trail all the way down to the sensor information that we get from the vendor or we get from our own acceptance test.
 
Last but not least, there’s the unit test, where we test a function every time we compile that piece of software, which tells you this function still works the way it used to work.  It allows you to test earlier, quicker, and better.  That’s our approach to software.  I can’t imagine a system that tests more or better.  We test continuously, and in my opinion that is an excellent way of testing even complicated software.

From the same briefing:
- SpaceX has the capability to manage multiple Dragon crew and/or cargo capsule missions at once.  “In our vision, there’s going to be three, maybe four, at the same time.” :)
- Parachute testing has gone really well; two last “corner case” tests are planned soon.
- There should be at least three Crew Dragon flights to the ISS before the announced Axiom private-crew flight in late 2021. 


FWIW:  Wikipedia lists the next flight after DM-2 as USCV-1, Deliver ISS Expedition 64/65 crew (NASA astronauts Michael S. Hopkins and Victor Glover, and Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi), planned for July 2020.  USCV-2 is penciled in for Starliner in December 2020, and USCV-3 with Dragon in May 2021.

The NASA rep said the Russian crew has been trained to help with emergency spacewalks and robotics support.  Science items that require multiple crew is being delayed until Commercial Crew is up and running.
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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #572 on: March 09, 2020, 08:10:11 PM »
Quote
Mary (@BocaChicaGal) 3/8/20, 11:24 PM
The highway at Boca Boca Chica is now open. The cryo pressure test on SN2 test tank is complete and it was not a popper. It is still a little frosty. ;D
https://twitter.com/bocachicagal/status/1236855282946510854

——
Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 3/9/20, 2:47 PM

SN2 (with thrust puck) passed cryo pressure & engine thrust load tests late last night
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1237087558376599554
< What's the path forward now? Static fire with SN3 and hop with SN4?
EM: Static fire & short flights with SN3, longer flights with SN4, but spooling up the whole Starship/Raptor production line is really what matters

—-
From last week:  The Move
SpaceX Boca Chica - Starship SN2 Test Tank arrives at Launch Site
#https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R13HYZTqiTc

Testing footage
SpaceX Boca Chica - Starship SN2 Test Tank Cryo Test
#https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlDBjHa0NkU
« Last Edit: March 09, 2020, 08:19:20 PM by Sigmetnow »
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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #573 on: March 09, 2020, 09:03:28 PM »
The stock market may be crashing, but SpaceX just raised half a billion dollars — twice its initial offering.

SpaceX raising over $500 million, double what Elon Musk’s company planned to bring in
Michael Sheetz
Quote
WASHINGTON — SpaceX is raising half a billion dollars in new funding, according to documents seen by CNBC on Monday, as the Elon Musk company continues work on three ambitious projects.

The company authorized $500.06 million at a price of $220 per share, the documents show, and values SpaceX at around $36 billion — up from $33.3 billion last year. Notably, the round is about double the $250 million that SpaceX was looking to raise, as CNBC reported previously.
..
In 2019, SpaceX raised $1.33 billion across three funding rounds. It’s one of the most valuable private companies in the world and, with consistently oversubscribed capital raises, SpaceX shares rank among the most in demand of any pre-IPO companies.

The company’s steady fundraising comes as it continues development on three ambitious programs: Crew Dragon, Starlink and Starship. While NASA has awarded SpaceX over $3.1 billion to develop the Crew Dragon capsule, Musk has said SpaceX has spent “hundreds of millions of dollars” of its own funds to develop Crew Dragon.

Crew Dragon and Starship represent SpaceX’s efforts to fly people in space. But Starlink is an ambitious plan to create a global network of small satellites to provide high-speed internet to any place in the world. Known as a “megaconstellation,” Starlink is expected to consist of an interconnected system of about 12,000 satellites.

SpaceX’s sixth Starlink launch is scheduled for Sunday, vice president Jonathan Hofeller said at the Satellite 2020 conference in Washington, D.C. The company will launch another 60 Starlink satellites on this mission, adding to the 302 satellites its launched already.

Hofeller’s division of SpaceX has been ramping up its efforts in recent months, with Starlink production increasing so that the company can get the network up and running.
“We produce six satellites per day,” Hofeller said.

While SpaceX expects it will cost about $10 billion or more to build the Starlink network, Hofeller said the company’s fundraising so far has largely not been directed to the Starlink division, as “we’ve been able to fund the development of Starlink primarily from our internal businesses.” He declared the company is in a “different position” in how it raises funds compared to other companies that are building satellite networks.

“That’s why, in general, we’ve been very quiet about what we’re doing because we don’t need to go out and raise money for this particular venture,” Hofeller said.
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/09/spacex-raising-500-million-in-new-funding-for-elon-musks-company.html


March 14:  Falcon 9 • Starlink 5
Launch time: Approx. 1335 GMT (9:35 a.m. EDT)
Launch site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is expected to launch the sixth batch of approximately 60 satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink broadband network, a mission designated Starlink 5.
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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #574 on: March 11, 2020, 12:09:29 AM »
Shotwell: SpaceX on track to launch first NASA astronauts in May
   • SpaceX is “gunning for May” to launch NASA astronauts on its first spaceflight with crew, president and COO Gwynne Shotwell said Tuesday.
   • She noted that the length of the mission is still under consideration, saying its “kind of TBD right now.”
   • Shotwell also noted that SpaceX is planning to reuse its Crew Dragon capsules, a decision that was in doubt previously.
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/10/spacex-aiming-for-may-astronaut-launch-will-reuse-crew-dragon.html
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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #575 on: March 14, 2020, 03:17:54 PM »
Quote
SpaceX (@SpaceX) 3/13/20, 7:37 PM
Static fire test of Falcon 9 complete—targeting Sunday, March 15 at 9:22 a.m. EDT, 13:22 UTC, for launch of 60 Starlink satellites from LC-39A in Florida
https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1238610281581785088

SpaceX readying for Sunday's sixth Starlink launch, first fifth booster flight
Quote
SpaceX is preparing its Falcon 9 to launch the Starlink V1.0 L5 mission, although the launch date has been moved to Sunday. This mission will be the first Starlink launch from LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center, and the first from the pad since the Crew Dragon In-Flight Abort Test in January 2020. The first stage is B1048.5 – marking the first time a Falcon 9 core flies for the fifth time. The launch is now scheduled for 9:22 AM Eastern on March 15.

This mission will launch the 5th batch of 60 fully-operational Starlink satellites – the sixth batch overall – to a Low Earth Orbit (LEO). This will also be the first Starlink launch from the historic Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center. Previous Starlink missions launched from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40), just over three miles south of LC-39A.

Now, as SpaceX starts ramping up the Starlink launch frequency, there may be a new bottleneck – launch pad availability.

LC-39A has been the sole starting point for Falcon Heavy and Crew Dragon missions. Those two capabilities make it unique among SpaceX’s launch pads, as the other two can only support uncrewed Falcon 9 rockets.

However, SpaceX is now starting to use LC-39A for commercial launches during downtime between Falcon Heavy and Crew Dragon launches. This will help relieve the new strain on SLC-40 from the increased Starlink launches, allowing for more time for refurbishment and launch preparations. ...
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2020/03/spacex-sixth-starlink-fifth-booster-reflight/

=====
 
Houston, Texas, US.
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket debuts on display at Space Center Houston
You can now get up close, around and even under the first-ever commercial rocket to launch on two missions for NASA.

Quote
Delivered to Space Center Houston from its Cape Canaveral, Florida launch site on March 4, the rocket was configured and positioned for display by some of the same SpaceX engineers whose work it is to service the recovered Falcon 9 first stages between launches.

"They were so excited to be part of this," Paul Spana, Space Center Houston's exhibits manager, said in an interview with collectSPACE. "Because they see it as being historic."

"SpaceX refers to it as a 'monument.' I've never used that word, but that is the only word they use," Spana said.

"One of the technicians told me, 'What you got here is a fully functional rocket.' He said this is the real thing and everything is here," said Spana.

The Falcon's four landing legs are missing their actuators and one was flown on a different vehicle than B1035, but the four aluminum grid fins and nine Merlin 1D engines are intact as they were used in flight.

"SpaceX took a lot of steps for preservation," said Spana. "If you look close, you will see fresh silicone here and there and that is to weatherproof it."
http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-031220a-spacex-falcon9-space-center-houston.html

=====
 
Russian crew swap should not impact next ISS mission
Quote
The coronavirus pandemic could also affect the mission. Russian officials had previously suggested the pre-flight quarantine of the crew could be started earlier than normal in response to the outbreak. Shireman confirmed that such steps were under discussion.

“We expect them to take additional measures to make sure that quarantine is a little tighter,” he said. “We’re ready to deal with that if it happens.”
https://spacenews.com/russian-crew-swap-should-not-impact-next-iss-mission/


++++++++++
 
NASA inspector general says SLS moon rocket costs continue to climb
Quote
“However, as of January 2020, NASA anticipates the Artemis 1 launch date will slip to spring 2021, over two years later than its initial planned launch date, with total SLS program costs rising to $18.3 billion by that time.”

If the second Artemis launch date slips to 2023, additional costs will be incurred driving the SLS program price tag to around $22.8 billion, the report said.

In an October 2018 audit, the OIG blamed most of the delays to date on “management, technical and infrastructure issues driven mostly by Boeing’s poor performance.” …
https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/03/10/nasa-inspector-general-says-sls-moon-rocket-costs-continue-to-climb/
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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #576 on: March 15, 2020, 09:27:44 PM »
“Ignition!   Liftoff!”  … “Disregard.  We have an abort.”
Quote
SpaceX (@SpaceX) 3/15/20, 9:33 AM
Standing down today; standard auto-abort triggered due to out of family data during engine power check. Will announce next launch date opportunity once confirmed on the Range
https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1239182848076075009

Quote
Елена Мурзина (@murzina_elena) 3/15/20, 9:34 AM
@SpaceX :( 
https://twitter.com/murzina_elena/status/1239183077739581442
Video clip from T minus 10 seconds at the link.


——-
NASA no longer counting on Gateway for 2024 moon landing
March 14, 2020 Stephen Clark
Quote
NASA is modifying plans to send astronauts back to the moon in 2024 by taking the Gateway — a mini-space station to be assembled in lunar orbit — out of the critical path in favor of a simplified architecture, according to the agency’s chief of human spaceflight.

Blue Origin, Boeing and Dynetics have confirmed they proposed human-rated lunar lander concepts to NASA. SpaceX is also widely believed to have submitted a proposal, although the company has not confirmed it.

Blue Origin’s lunar lander would come in three pieces: A descent module built by Blue Origin, an ascent stage provided by Lockheed Martin, and a transfer element from Northrop Grumman.

In contrast, Boeing proposed a fully integrated lander that could launch on NASA’s Space Launch System. Boeing is also prime contractor for the SLS core stage. …
https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/03/14/nasa-no-longer-counting-on-gateway-for-2024-moon-landing/

The idea that Boeing could design, build and launch a fully integrated (descent/lander/ascent/propulsive) lunar lander, for an actual crew mission, on an (additional) SLS rocket, by the end of 2024, is… problematic, at best.

Politics may require NASA to keep feeding the Boeing space jobs program for a while, but if Starship gets to the moon before then (SpaceX’s most recent stated goal is cargo on the moon “before 2022” and humans “shortly thereafter”*), NASA will be hard-pressed to ignore the simpler, proven option at a fraction of the cost.  Starship could even take a Boeing capsule to the surface of the moon. ;D 
Might they switch Artemis from Orion/SLS to the Starship, while encouraging their international partners to continue building the Gateway (as mentioned in the article) for later?

——
Quote
Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 3/9/20, 2:47 PM
SN2 (with thrust puck) passed cryo pressure & engine thrust load tests late last night
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1237087558376599554

< What's the path forward now? Static fire with SN3 and hop with SN4?
EM: Static fire & short flights with SN3, longer flights with SN4, but spooling up the whole Starship/Raptor production line is really what matters
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1237088353406910465


*“We want to land it on the moon before 2022 with cargo and with people shortly thereafter.”
- Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX President and COO
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/27/spacex-president-we-will-land-starship-on-moon-before-2022.html

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #577 on: March 16, 2020, 07:58:07 PM »
Quote
SpaceX (@SpaceX) 3/16/20, 2:29 PM
Targeting Wednesday, March 18 at 8:16 a.m. EDT, 12:16 UTC, for Falcon 9's launch of Starlink from LC-39A in Florida
https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1239619931856982020

—-
Quote
Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) 3/16/20, 11:44 AM
I'm told that the prime crew for SpaceX's Demo-2 mission are continuing to train this week for a May launch. Training is complicated because it involves work in Houston, California, and Florida. Lots of uncertainty about what happens as the COVID-19 crises deepens in the U.S.
https://twitter.com/sciguyspace/status/1239578251770712064
< Elon needs to lend them a private jet.
Eric:  they already have them.  https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/flyout/t38flyout.html
<< T-38
> Just have them wear full suit and PLSS till launch. 
>>  I suspect Doug and Bob will launch in May as planned. NASA and SpaceX have been in health stabilization program since the IFA.
[Image below.]

Reddit:  https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/fjn2ub/spacexs_demo2_mission_are_continuing_to_train/
< Well I never would have predicted a global pandemic to be the cause of a DM-2 delay.
<< Everyone's bingo cards are worthless
>  I believe they are doing extra training for a potential extended mission, rather than the original short test flight.

—-
Quote
Everyday Astronaut (@Erdayastronaut) 3/16/20, 12:52 PM
Here's a scale comparison I never really saw coming!!! Makes you realize JUST HOW BIG Starship will be! Pictured is the Falcon 9 w/Crew Dragon, Atlas V w/Starliner, Soyuz, Starship, a Boeing 747-8F and a Boeing 737-800. YES, these are to scale!!!
https://twitter.com/erdayastronaut/status/1239595527114838018
Image below.
 
Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 3/16/20, 1:04 PM
Slight booster length increase to 70m, so 120m for whole system. Liftoff mass ~5000 mT.
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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #578 on: March 18, 2020, 04:05:38 PM »
Starlinks launched today.
Webcast has some comments about satellite paint testing and possible future sunshades!
Starlinks deploy was successful, but booster landing was not — see article below:  seems like one of the engines blew out shortly before MECO, but others then burned longer to compensate.

Quote
< Falcon 9 rocket first stage self-quarantined itself in the ocean.
Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 3/18/20, 9:03 AM
Yeah. There was also an early engine shutdown on ascent, but it didn’t affect orbit insertion. Shows value of having 9 engines! Thorough investigation needed before next mission.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1240262636547100672

<< Was it in anyway related to the scrub the other day? Same engine that was having problems?
Elon Musk:  Last launch aborted due to slightly high power. Possibly, but not obviously, related to today. This vehicle has seen a lot of wear, so today isn’t a big surprise. Life leader rockets are used only for internal missions. Won’t risk non-SpaceX satellites.

   —-
Quote
SpaceX (@SpaceX) 3/18/20, 10:34 AM 
Today’s Falcon 9 launch was the second time SpaceX has re-flown a full payload fairing. After landing in the water, both fairing halves were quickly recovered.
https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1240285435722706945
Photo at the link.

—-
SpaceX loses record-breaking rocket booster after sixth successful Starlink launch
By Eric Ralph,  March 18, 2020
Quote
SpaceX has suffered its second rocket landing failure of 2020 despite the fact that both lost Falcon 9 boosters successfully launched 60 Starlink satellites, an anomaly that CEO Elon Musk says will need a “thorough investigation”.

After a rare last-second launch abort on March 15th and a three-day range-related delay, Falcon 9 booster B1048 lifted off with 60 upgraded Starlink v1.0 satellites on its fifth orbital-class mission. At least for the first two and half minutes, the booster performed precisely as intended, carrying a fueled upper stage and its ~16 metric ton (36,000 lb) payload to an altitude of 55 km (34 mi) and a velocity of 1.8 km/s (1.1 mi/s). However, about 10 seconds before the booster reached main engine cut-off (MECO) and stage separation, something went wrong.

While there is some ambiguity in his response, according to Musk, at least one of Falcon 9 B1048’s nine Merlin 1D engines performed an early shutdown before MECO. The rocket’s computer immediately accounted for the anomaly, extending the remaining eight-engine booster burn 5-7 seconds beyond the nominal timeline to ensure mission success. While the booster’s loss is still disappointing and the premature engine shutdown more than a little concerning, it’s critical to remember that mission success was ensured. Just 15 minutes after liftoff, the rocket’s upper stage successfully spun up and deployed another 60 Starlink satellites, bringing SpaceX’s operational constellation to an incredible ~350 satellites. ...
https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-falcon-9-booster-lost-successful-starlink-launch/
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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #579 on: March 20, 2020, 02:21:21 PM »
Indirectly relates to Dragon DM-2 launch (now targeted for mid-to-late May:  https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/18/nasa-and-spacex-targeting-mid-to-late-may-for-first-astronaut-launch-despite-coronavirus-pandemic/ ).


No family, fanfare for NASA astronaut launching next month
Quote
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A NASA astronaut who’s about to leave the planet for six months will blast off without any family or fanfare because of the coronavirus.

Chris Cassidy said Thursday that he won’t have any guests at his April 9 launch from Kazakhstan. He expects to say goodbye in Russia to his wife on Friday, three weeks earlier than planned.

Because of the coronavirus outbreak, she’s going back home to Houston. One of his three children, meanwhile, is trying to get back to the U.S. from New Zealand.

There will be a smaller team than usual at the launch pad, too. ...
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/no-family-fanfare-for-nasa-astronaut-launching-next-month
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #580 on: March 20, 2020, 04:41:12 PM »
SpaceX got their FCC license for Starlink user terminals in the US.

Expires 3/23/2035
The license is for 1,000,000 terminals. According to it, the diameter of terminal is 0.48 meters.
https://licensing.fcc.gov/myibfs/displayLicense.do?filingKey=-429157

Location:  CONUS, Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, USVI
Quote
14.47-14.5 GHZ* is ALLOCATED (*INDICATES RADIO ASTRONOMY USE FOR SPECTRAL LINE OBSERVATIONS), ALL PRACTICABLE STEPS SHALL BE TAKEN TO PROTECT THE RADIO ASTRONOMY SERVICE FROM HARMFUL INTERFERENCE. EMISSIONS FROM SPACEBORNE OR AIRBORNE STATIONS CAN BE PARTICULARLY SERIOUS SOURCES OF INTERFERENCE TO THE RADIO ASTRONOMY SERVICE (SEE ITU RADIO REGULATIONS AT NOS. 4.5 AND 4.6 AND ARTICLE 29). US342
...
In the 10.7-11.7 GHz band, operations must be coordinated with the radio astronomy observatories listed in 47 CFR § 2.106, n.US131, to achieve a mutually acceptable agreement regarding the protection of the radio telescope facilities operating in the 10.6-10.7 GHz band For the purposes of coordination with these listed facilities or the National Radio Quiet Zone, correspondence should be directed to the National Science Foundation Spectrum Management Unit
CAPS in the original!

Reddit:  https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/flsrl7/spacex_got_their_fcc_license_for_the_user/

Per Musk’s previous comments, testing could begin after one more Starlink launch.
(However, it takes several months for the satellites to reach their operational orbits, so....)
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #581 on: March 21, 2020, 09:15:03 PM »
Quote
Marcus House (@MarcusHouseGame) 3/21/20, 9:41 AM
My new video is up! Today we're talking about the amazing @SpaceX SN3 Starship and its rapid staking. It's all coming together quickly. So much good news (and gosh do we all need it this week)!
Beautiful footage as always @NASASpaceflight /@BocaChicaGal!

youtu.be/2XDdnoJh5LY

https://twitter.com/marcushousegame/status/1241359320039616513
Includes discussion of the recent booster landing failure.

——
Speculation: SpaceX Part in NASA's Plan for Lunar Settlement
Quote
NASA has long-harbored ambitions for a lunar outpost, dating back to the Apollo era. Unfortunately any hope for such a lunar settlement has foundered due to the extraordinary cost – until now. It has been reported NASA would like to build such an outpost in tandem with the LOP-G space station, using a combination of commercial and SLS vehicles.

Any lunar settlement would require significant amounts of payload to be delivered at a reliable rate and cost. This would likely require either SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy or Starship launch vehicles due to their Super Heavy Lift capabilities and partial/full reuse. For example, Falcon Heavy can deliver ~20mt to low lunar orbit while Starship could land a truly herculean 100mt on the lunar surface, plus vehicle return and reuse!

After SpaceX were awarded a contract to study in-space refuelling, NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine appeared to confirm their reliance on a more commercial approach: -
“Starship is a really big vehicle. Being able to refuel it will be necessary to become a vehicle that can get to the moon. SpaceX can use it for their reasons and we can use it for our reasons."

Overall, it seems likely NASA will soon make Starship part of their CLPS Program, which awards contracts to develop a lunar delivery service.
“For CLPS, we offered the Starship and Super Heavy launch capability,” said Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX’s president and chief operating officer. “That capability far exceeds the mass that CLPS was looking for [>10kg], but we think that brings pretty extraordinary capability to NASA, both for the CLPS program and others. We can bring about 100 metric tons to the moon, and certainly return more.” …
https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/flugv3/speculation_spacex_part_in_nasas_plan_for_lunar/

—-
Amid bankruptcy reports, OneWeb launches 34 more satellites
March 20, 2020
Quote
OneWeb launched 34 more satellites for its broadband Internet network Saturday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, despite reports that the company might seek bankruptcy protection and stringent restrictions on travel stemming from the coronavirus pandemic.

Citing sources familiar with the negotiations, Bloomberg reported OneWeb is grappling with “high costs and stiff competition” in the satellite broadband market. Bloomberg said OneWeb was considering filing for bankruptcy even as the company considers other possible out-of-court alternatives.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/03/20/amid-bankruptcy-reports-oneweb-plans-launch-of-34-more-satellites/

—-
Facing pandemic, NASA shutters rocket factory, halts SLS and Orion testing
March 20, 2020
Quote
NASA announced Thursday that work on the Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket and Orion crew capsule at facilities in Louisiana and Mississippi is being halted due to the spreading coronavirus pandemic, a stoppage that could force further delays on the already behind-schedule and over-budget programs.

Meanwhile, NASA officials said Thursday they are making plans to try and keep the agency’s next Mars rover and the multibillion-dollar James Webb Space Telescope on schedule for launches in later this year and in 2021.

NASA and its international partners are expected to continue operations aboard the International Space Station, which has been home to astronauts continuously since 2000. The station’s next three-man crew is scheduled for launch April 9 on a Russian Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

NASA said Wednesday that the first piloted test flight of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, developed with NASA funding, is scheduled for launch in mid-to-late May from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken are training for the mission, which will dock with the space station.

NASA plans to continue work on Mars rover, James Webb Space Telescope
The coronavirus pandemic could have far-reaching impacts across a range of NASA missions, but agency officials said Thursday they will attempt to insulate two of NASA’s most critical robotic science missions from delays caused by COVID-19-related closures.

Lori Glaze, head of NASA’s planetary science division, said the Perseverance rover remains on schedule for liftoff during a limited 20-day window opening July 17. If the mission — also known as Mars 2020 — misses this summer’s launch window, the next chance to send the rover to Mars won’t be until 2022, a delay that could add to the $2.5 billion mission’s price tag.

The Perseverance rover mission is one of two high-priority projects within NASA’s science division that are pre-approved to continue work even if the agency elevates all centers to Stage 4 in the coronavirus response plan.

The other mission is the James Webb Space Telescope, according to Grey Hautaluoma, a NASA spokesperson.
The Webb telescope is currently scheduled for launch in March 2021, but officials are expected to reassess that schedule in May after recent delays in testing at the observatory’s Northrop Grumman factory in California.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/03/20/facing-pandemic-nasa-shutters-rocket-factory-halts-sls-and-orion-testing/
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TerryM

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #582 on: March 21, 2020, 11:30:11 PM »
Has Spacex closed their Hawthorne factory in accordance with the California lockdown orders?


Will Spacex be following NASA's lead and shuttering all of their facilities to save employees, their families and communities from CV19?


I know that Musk says that children can't be affected - but the WHO issued a strong rebuttal to that almost immediately.


Hawthorne is in the heavily built up Los Angeles County and a hot spot there would be particularly difficult and expensive to control. Employees had been complaining about the vulnerability of the on-site nursery at Spacex Hawthorne. Hopefully it's been closed in accordance with the governor's orders.
Hawthorn is also ~1hr from my house in California. It's been under lockdown since the 16th and >29% are over 45. Tesla has a design shop in the city.


OT - The governor of New York has called out the National Guard to force any scoff laws into complying with his stringent lockdown orders. Hopefully GF2 was already in compliance and their employees are safe at home.


Stay Safe
Terry

Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #583 on: March 22, 2020, 09:20:19 PM »
Well-researched, with lots of data.

“CO2 emissions from all commercial aviation in 2018 totaled 918,000,000 tonnes of CO2. Compare that to the 22,780 tonnes from the aerospace industry in that same year, and we realize that you would have to fly 40,300 times more rockets per year to equal the output of airliners.

CO2 emissions from the airline industry were only 2.4% of global CO2 emissions!!! So that means in 2018, the global CO2 output of rockets was only 0.000059% of all CO2 emissions. In other words, there are a lot bigger fish to fry.”


WHAT IS THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ROCKETS HAVE ON OUR AIR?


Text version:
How much do rockets pollute? - Everyday Astronaut
https://everydayastronaut.com/rocket-pollution/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #584 on: March 22, 2020, 10:02:39 PM »
Quote
<< Will you make ventilators in the SpaceX factory?

Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 3/20/20, 1:54 PM
Yeah, SpaceX is working on ventilators too
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1241060582402347008
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #585 on: March 25, 2020, 01:33:02 PM »
The SAOCOM 1B satellite launch scheduled for NET March 30 will be delayed, because the Argentinian satellite’s technicians can’t travel to the Cape.  There are also several smallsats included with this launch, which face similar obstacles.
 
SpaceX gets first taste of coronavirus epidemic's consequences
Quote
Shortly after the growing global pandemic began to bare its teeth, the Argentinian government made the decision to almost completely ban international travel for the time being, while citizens now face heightened restrictions in a bid to legally enforce social distancing precautions. A scientific satellite launch has unsurprisingly not won exemption rights, meaning that it’s now all but impossible for the Argentinian space agency to send people and supplies back and forth from Florida – a necessity for something as complex as a satellite launch campaign. ...
https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-rocket-launch-coronavirus-conseqeunces/

—-
The $400 billion space industry is bracing for coronavirus, as two NASA employees test positive
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/15/the-400-billion-space-industry-and-nasa-brace-for-coronavirus.html

——
Quote
Michael Baylor (@nextspaceflight) 3/25/20, 1:07 AM
Video: SpaceX is making the final preparations at its Boca Chica launch site ahead of Starship SN3's upcoming test campaign. Meanwhile, Starship SN4 construction is already well underway.
Footage via @BocaChicaGal and edited by @thejackbeyer.
https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1242679365709598722

SpaceX Boca Chica - Launch site preps underway as Starship SN3 nears completion



——-
March 23, 2020
Study recommends minimizing elements for Artemis lunar lander
Quote
The study looked at more than 326,000 different potential architectures, using varying combinations of launch vehicles, module designs and propulsion options. Aerojet used an approach called “utility analysis” to score the performance of each architecture using various technical and cost criteria, then picked 21 architectures for further study.

“The highest utility scoring configurations are the two-element configurations,” Kokan concluded, with just ascent and descent stages and without a transfer stage. In those scenarios, the heavier descent stage would launch on a Space Launch System Block 1B rocket, with its Exploration Upper Stage (EUS), and the ascent stage on a commercial launch vehicle, such as a Falcon Heavy or Vulcan Heavy.
https://spacenews.com/study-recommends-minimizing-elements-for-artemis-lunar-lander/
« Last Edit: March 25, 2020, 01:44:53 PM by Sigmetnow »
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #586 on: March 25, 2020, 03:08:12 PM »
Aerospace and defense companies like SpaceX are counted as “critical infrastructure” businesses. Their launches and technology support national security, the functioning of global positioning systems and more.
SpaceX sends some workers home after employee and One Medical medic test positive for COVID-19
Quote
At least one employee and one outside health care provider at SpaceX’s headquarters in Hawthorne, California, have tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus, sending some employees into quarantine, according to an internal memo seen by CNBC. At the facility, the company has taken other steps to try and protect nervous workers, including handing out protective gear and making hand sanitizer in-house, according to several current employees and family members who spoke to CNBC.
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/24/spacex-one-medical-employees-in-hawthorne-test-positive-for-covid-19.html

—-
Military officials committed to keeping Cape Canaveral open for launches
Quote
The 45th Space Wing typically prioritizes national security space missions, such as the launch of a military communications, navigation or reconnaissance satellite, first on the range. Then civilian government missions, such as launches of NASA science probes or crews and cargo to the International Space Station, receive second priority.

Schiess said he does not expect to have to allocate staff and range resources away from commercial missions to support critical national security missions.

“I don’t see that happening at all, but if we got to a point where we had to decide, we have a normal standard process where national security space takes precedence, followed by civil missions, and then followed by commercial (launches),” Schiess said.

Schiess said military officials are working with dozens of contractors required to support range operations. If Florida’s government issues a stay-at-home order — as other states have done — range employees with a federal badge should still be able to travel and from work, he said.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/03/24/military-officials-committed-to-keeping-cape-canaveral-open-for-launches/
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TerryM

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #587 on: March 25, 2020, 08:52:35 PM »
<snipped>
Schiess said military officials are working with dozens of contractors required to support range operations. If Florida’s government issues a stay-at-home order — as other states have done — range employees with a federal badge should still be able to travel and from work, he said. <snipped>
Badges - We don' need no steenkin' Badges
Said no one in particular ::)


Terry

Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #588 on: March 26, 2020, 01:03:00 PM »
Starship SN3 is coming together! 

Quote
Rafael Adamy (@fael097) 3/25/20, 6:11 PM
Ladies and gents, we're finally seeing a full #Starship to be! That's right, for the first time since Mk1 we may have a full height Starship prototype!
Photos by @BocaChicaGal and @nomadd13 for @NASASpaceflight
https://twitter.com/fael097/status/1242937212163051526
Image below.

< Thanks Rafael! Awesome as usual. Appreciate all your work, keeping track of ring segments, nose cone sections, engine sections. I suspect that since this is only a 20k hop, SpaceX won’t be doing the belly flop landing attempt with SN3. As such no need for flaps. Save that for SN4
<< Fanfare for the Common Rocket playing from the heavens. Saint Keith of the Keyboard Emerson, assisted by Saint Moog, engineer of twisty knobs.

—-
From earlier: 
Quote
Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 3/17/20, 1:19 AM
@fael097 Pretty close. Design is evolving rapidly. Would be great to flatten domes, embed engines & add ~1.5 barrel sections of propellant for same total length. Also, current legs are a bit too small.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1239783440704208896
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #589 on: March 26, 2020, 01:21:00 PM »
Quote
Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 3/26/20, 3:12 AM
SN3
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1243073406884630528
Left image below.

< Will SN3 have windows?
<< no, runs on linux

—-
*Around 3am local time, SpaceX technicians stacked Starship SN3’s two main segments, completing its tank and engine section.

SpaceX Starship launch pad upgraded as Elon Musk reveals rocket production milestone
https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-starship-launch-pad-upgrades-production-milestone/
Image below.
« Last Edit: March 26, 2020, 02:15:21 PM by Sigmetnow »
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #590 on: March 27, 2020, 08:55:15 PM »
New SpaceX Cargo DragonXL for Artemis lunar missions! 8)

•NASA has selectedSpaceX as the initial commercial partner to deliver cargo, experiments and other supplies to the lunar Gateway.
•The Gateway Logistics Services contract enables NASA to order missions for as long as 12 years with a 15-year performance period.
•NASA is planning multiple supply missions in which the cargo spacecraft will stay at the Gateway for six to 12 months at a time.


Quote
SpaceX (@SpaceX) 3/27/20, 2:27 PM
SpaceX will launch a variant of Dragon, optimized to carry more than 5 metric tons of cargo to Gateway in lunar orbit
https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1243605680449130497

NASA Awards Artemis Contract for Gateway Logistics Services
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-awards-artemis-contract-for-gateway-logistics-services

Falcon Heavy launcher
NASA picks SpaceX for lunar orbit missions with Dragon XL, Falcon Heavy
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/27/nasa-picks-spacex-for-lunar-orbit-missions-with-dragon-xl-falocn-heavy.html

Edit:  The current Dragon can carry 6,000kg/13,228lbs of payload.
https://www.spacex.com/dragon
« Last Edit: March 27, 2020, 09:04:45 PM by Sigmetnow »
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crandles

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #591 on: March 28, 2020, 01:36:34 PM »
Coronavirus: OneWeb blames pandemic for collapse

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52070949

Less competition for SpaceX. Wonder if they will consider buying assets and if so is that for assets or just to stop competition.


Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #592 on: March 28, 2020, 03:29:57 PM »
Coronavirus: OneWeb blames pandemic for collapse

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52070949

Less competition for SpaceX. Wonder if they will consider buying assets and if so is that for assets or just to stop competition.

Well, a week ago, the reason was “high costs and stiff competition.” (See #581 above.)  But coronavirus likely set up a death blow.

Interesting that the U.K. will be responsible for the satellites if OneWeb goes under.  I wonder if ESA would be interested in acquiring them.
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #593 on: March 28, 2020, 03:34:06 PM »
Quote
Michael Sheetz (@thesheetztweetz) 3/27/20, 8:37 PM
SpaceX is set to launch the GPS III SV-3 mission no earlier than April from Cape Canaveral in Florida.

The company notes that the @45thSpaceWing is proactively monitoring the coronavirus situation, with no guarantee of onsite media access for the mission.
https://twitter.com/thesheetztweetz/status/1243698702969118724

———-

SpaceX "DARKSAT" results: can Starlink and astronomy happily coexist?
By Eric Ralph March 27, 2020
Quote
…As previously discussed on Teslarati, initial results first published on March 18th revealed that the Starlink DARKSAT prototype – essentially an early alpha test for darkening techniques – was already 55% darker than unmodified spacecraft. While making satellites less reflective makes thermal management a much greater challenge, DARKSAT has managed to raise its orbit and begin operations without issue, although it’s unknown whether the satellite’s antennas and avionics are also functioning nominally.

For darker spacecraft, perhaps the most important test will be long-term reliability, as constantly absorbing more heat than a reflective satellite is likely to put their structure, avionics, and radiators through significantly more thermal stress. As such, SpaceX may launch a limited number of additional darkened prototypes over the coming months but is much less likely to darken all satellites on any given launch until DARKSATs have successfully operated in orbit for months or even years.

On the ground, SpaceX may try to perform sped-up stress testing, but proving that darker satellites are a viable solution will almost invariably take time. Earlier this month, CEO Elon Musk revealed that SpaceX may attempt to design deployable solar shades for Starlink satellites if darkening their bodies is not enough to fully mitigate major impacts to astronomy. Knowing SpaceX, the first in-orbit solar shade test(s) could happen during any of several upcoming Starlink launches. …
https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-starlink-darksat-astronomy-impact-photos/

Quote
Dr Marco - Stay At Home! - Langbroek (@Marco_Langbroek) 3/23/20, 1:10 PM
These images which I shot yesterday evening, show 3 @SpaceX #starlink satellites, including STARLINK-1130 "DARKSAT", passing the same part of the sky in 10 min time.
As can be seen, Starlink-1130 is clearly fainter due to its reflectance-reducing coating.
https://twitter.com/marco_langbroek/status/1242136773670703106
Image below.
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #594 on: March 31, 2020, 03:36:15 PM »
     We knew this. :)
Japan To Launch Astronaut On SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Spacecraft
Quote
The Japanese space agency (JAXA) has announced that one of its astronauts will fly on the first operational launch of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, possibly by the end of 2020.

In a brief statement JAXA said astronaut Soichi Noguchi had been selected for the mission, noting he was “currently preparing and training” for the flight, which will take him to the International Space Station (ISS) for six months. … 
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanocallaghan/2020/03/31/japan-to-launch-astronaut-on-spacexs-crew-dragon-spacecraft/#bef90c23df80

========
SpaceX shares payload guide for Starship
The new document does not include pricing information for Starship, alas.
Eric Berger - 3/31/2020
Quote
SpaceX has released the first edition of a Payload User's Guide for its Starship launch system, which consists of a Super Heavy first stage and the Starship upper stage. The six-page guide provides some basic information for potential customers to judge whether a launch vehicle meets their needs for getting payloads into space.

The new guide is notable because it details the lift capabilities of Starship in reusable mode, during which both the first and second stages reserve enough fuel to return to Earth. In this configuration, the rocket can deliver more than 100 metric tons to low-Earth orbit and 21 tons to geostationary transfer orbit.

The killer application, however, is the potential to refuel Starship in low-Earth orbit with other Starships, enabling transportation deeper into the Solar System for 100 tons or more. "The maximum mass-to-orbit assumes parking orbit propellant transfer, allowing for a substantial increase in payload mass," the document states. SpaceX has yet to demonstrate this technology—which has never been done on a large scale in orbit—but the company's engineers have been working on it for several years and partnered with NASA last summer. … 
https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/03/spacex-releases-a-payload-users-guide-for-its-starship-rocket/

https://www.spacex.com/sites/spacex/files/starship_users_guide_v1.pdf
Images below.

———————————
— Comparing SLS:
“The 322-foot-tall block 1 SLS will be capable of boosting 70 tons to low-Earth orbit or 26-ton payloads to the moon.   Follow-on versions, using a more powerful Exploration Upper Stage with four RL-10 engines, upgraded solid-propellant boosters and higher-thrust main engines will generate nearly 12 million pounds of thrust to propel payloads weighing more than 45 tons to the moon.”
https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/03/10/nasa-inspector-general-says-sls-moon-rocket-costs-continue-to-climb/

———————————
« Last Edit: March 31, 2020, 03:47:40 PM by Sigmetnow »
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Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #595 on: March 31, 2020, 04:50:02 PM »
Quote
We knew this. :)

But this is a surprise:  the first Crew Dragon flight after Demo-2 will now have a crew of four!

NASA Adds Shannon Walker to First Operational Crewed SpaceX Mission
Quote
NASA has assigned astronaut Shannon Walker to the first operational crewed flight of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft on a mission to the International Space Station.

Walker will join NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins and Victor Glover Jr., as well as Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), for a six-month expedition aboard the unique space laboratory.

This mission will be the first in a series of regular, rotational flights to the station following NASA’s certification of the new crewed system following completion and validation of SpaceX’s test flight with astronauts, known as Demo-2. This test is expected to take place in mid-to-late May as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

Pending the successful Demo-2 test, Walker, Glover, Hopkins, and Noguchi will launch aboard Crew Dragon on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. That launch is targeted for later this year. ...
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-adds-shannon-walker-to-first-operational-crewed-spacex-mission
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Tom_Mazanec

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #596 on: March 31, 2020, 04:50:57 PM »
Why do they call it the "Starship"? AFAIK it won't go a millionth of the way to the nearest star!

Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #597 on: March 31, 2020, 05:31:11 PM »
Why do they call it the "Starship"? AFAIK it won't go a millionth of the way to the nearest star!

The same reason SpaceX’s autonomous drone Falcon-landing ships are named after Ian M. Banks “culture ships.”  Or the first space shuttle (prototype) was called Enterprise.  Or why Boeing calls their space capsule “Starliner.”

It’s Musk’s homage to the starships of Star Trek, the series that inspired so many to target their lives toward space:

Quote
The CEO of the rocket company SpaceX, Elon Musk, showed support for Space Force since the beginning. In a tweet in September this year, Musk wrote he supports Space Force because he felt the US needed to "make Starfleet real."

Last Friday as the new branch of the military was signed into existence, Musk welcomed Space Force with the Star-Trek reference, "Starfleet begins" he wrote via Twitter. ...
https://www.tesmanian.com/blogs/tesmanian-blog/elon-musk-shows-support-for-u-s-space-force

Edit:
When Musk asked his Twitter followers to suggest names for the first BFR/Starship, his favorite was “Starship Heart of Gold,” from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and its “infinite improbability drive.”

Edit 2:
Besides, the earlier name, “Interplanetary Transport System” was, well, dull.
https://www.inverse.com/innovation/spacex-elon-musk-aims-for-mars-bound-starship-to-tackle-more-missions

Edit 3:
The “nearest star” is only 93 million miles away. ;)
« Last Edit: April 01, 2020, 01:38:26 AM by Sigmetnow »
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Sigmetnow

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #598 on: April 02, 2020, 06:31:25 PM »
NASA logo:  “the meatball” vs. the “the worm”
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Jim Bridenstine (@JimBridenstine) 4/2/20, 12:06 PM
The worm is back! When the @SpaceX Falcon 9 lifts off carrying @NASA_Astronauts aboard #CrewDragon, it will sport the iconic symbol to mark the return of human spaceflight on American rockets from American soil.
More:
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/the-worm-is-back
#TheWormIsBack
https://twitter.com/jimbridenstine/status/1245744389692981259
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

TerryM

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Re: SpaceX
« Reply #599 on: April 03, 2020, 05:25:33 PM »
Elon has had the crew in Boca Chica working away despite CV-19 restrictions.



It huffed, and it puffed, and it blew itself down.

The results were far from encouraging as SN3 proved to be the 3d vehicle in a row that couldn't stand the strain of cryogenic loading. Musk continues to talk of outer space fuel transfers, but so far he hasn't hasn't figured out how to fuel up on land.

Musk's Massive Missile ended up looking like the crushed tin tinkertoy tube that the fat kid sat on.

https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/3/21206662/spacex-starship-deep-space-rocket-failure-test-stand-texas-prototype
Terry