SpaceX rockets and launches

[de_dog]

Screencapped this one from LabPadre

 

[a_chap]

You have to admit, this looks pretty cool:




Taken from the current live-cam feed.

 

[NoXion]

Have they launched any of them yet?

Also, I hear that SpaceX might have been put in the naughty corner by regulators for one of their tests:

Elon Musk’s SpaceX violated its launch license in explosive Starship test, triggering an FAA probe

SpaceX’s next test Starship test launches are getting a close look from the FAA.

www.theverge.com

 

[Crispy]

WaPost confirms that FAA approval has been granted.
Village evacuation ordered, TFR issued, weather looks good.

Good chance of a Starship launch today! Window opens 14:00 UK time

 

[MickiQ]

WaPost confirms that FAA approval has been granted.
Village evacuation ordered, TFR issued, weather looks good.

Good chance of a Starship launch today! Window opens 14:00 UK time

Let's hope it doesn't knock SN10 over when it comes back to land

 

[Crispy]

Fuelling is about to start. Could be as little as 35m till launch

 

[editor]

Cams here

 

[Crispy]

Some fool had skipped the road closure and was hanging out in the exclusion zone. Currently driving back out after the Sherrif caught up with them.

 

[weltweit]

Is there going to be a countdown or something?

 

[Crispy]

Is there going to be a countdown or something?

If/when the official SpaceX channel goes live, we won't know when till it happens.
Approx 10m from now, based on previous engine tests

 

[teuchter]

Can someone concisely outline the significance of this launch to me? I haven't really been paying attention to space stuff recently.

 

[Crispy]

SpaceX Stream



2m30s

 

[Crispy]

Can someone concisely outline the significance of this launch to me? I haven't really been paying attention to space stuff recently.

It will be the biggest rocket ever flown, fully reusable. Designed (seriously) for colonising Mars.
This is the second test flight of the upper stage. THe last test flight went smoothly right up to landing, which it just missed and went boom

 

[Crispy]

3rd time lucky?

 

[Dead Cat Bounce]

Ah crap

 

[teuchter]

Oops

 

[Limejuice]

Perfect flight for 19.99 km...

 

[Dead Cat Bounce]

Hopefully SN10 is ok.

 

[weltweit]

Hmm, another success then ??

 

[Duncan2]

Did it really ever look as though that was going to work???

 

[Callie]

It will be the biggest rocket ever flown, fully reusable.

I wish to dispute this bit ! Not very reusable

 

[Duncan2]

Might get a few coke cans out of the remnants.

 

[Crispy]

I wish to dispute this bit ! Not very reusable

yet!

 

[Limejuice]

Looked like the engine re-start didn't work properly.

 

[Duncan2]

And no parachute.

 

[weltweit]

Well they are certainly getting through StarShips at quite a rate.

Hopefully with the two failing in similar situations they may have an idea what to rectify.

 

[Duncan2]

The positive to take away is that there were no people aboard.

 

[teuchter]

It will be the biggest rocket ever flown, fully reusable. Designed (seriously) for colonising Mars.
This is the second test flight of the upper stage. THe last test flight went smoothly right up to landing, which it just missed and went boom

If this is the upper stage - it will not take off by itself in real use, is that right? So have they designed an upper stage that can take off by itself, just for experimental purposes?

 

[a_chap]

Clearly just the one engine re-lit and something fell off.

 

[teuchter]

Another question - why are these things silver when previous rockets have always been white? Is it because we're in the future now?