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SpaceX rockets and launches

Absolutely spectacular view. I don't think I've ever seen that.
Even on Shuttle I don't think they ever released any on-board footage of reentry did they?
 
Not live. But there were quite a few hand shot videos from the cabin. STS-107 in particular. Plus there was the STS-28/SILTS in-tail camera that thermally imaged the port wing during entry. Of course, they didn't have the camera angle to (almost) the underside to image the plasma sheath more clearly.
 
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2hats said:
Not live. But there were quite a few hand shot videos from the cabin. STS-107 in particular. Plus there was the STS-28/SILTS in-tail camera that thermally imaged the port wing during entry.
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Yeah I've seen the cabin shots, but never such clear footage of reentry plasma from the outside

That was a great flight. The system is good for putting stuff in orbit now, basically. Stage recovery can be worked on as they fly it (just as they did with Falcon 9). I suspect the next flight will be full of Starlinks.
Crucially, as far as we can see, there were no FAA-worthy incidents, so that next flight shouldn't be held up by licensing.
 
Crispy said:
Yeah I've seen the cabin shots, but never such clear footage of reentry plasma from the outside
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Wasn't really possible with the shuttle as everything was hidden well behind the heat shield. Starship offers a peek around that courtesy of the two sets of body flaps, where one set has a shallow view to the underside of the other, and the main vehicle body, depending on the relative orientation at the time.

There was re-entry video from Artemis 1 too. Shot from the cabin looking backwards into the turbulent plasma wake. A somewhat different process there as the heat shield for that is ablative (like Soyuz, Apollo and earlier human spaceflight missions, sample returns).

Here, possibly some parts of the heat shield was lost (certainly didn't all look like ice; pieces of tiles too maybe).
 
2hats said:
Here, possibly some parts of the heat shield was lost (certainly didn't all look like ice; pieces of tiles too maybe).
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For sure, there was a big chunk of interconnected hexagons falling back at one point.
 
WSJ story hinted at this programme a few weeks ago - Musk's SpaceX is building spy satellite network for US intelligence agency, sources say. Several test prototype vehicles have already been flown.
WASHINGTON, March 16 (Reuters) - SpaceX is building a network of hundreds of spy satellites under a classified contract with a U.S. intelligence agency, five sources familiar with the program said, demonstrating deepening ties between billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk's space company and national security agencies.

The network is being built by SpaceX's Starshield business unit under a $1.8 billion contract signed in 2021 with the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), an intelligence agency that manages spy satellites, the sources said.

The plans show the extent of SpaceX's involvement in U.S. intelligence and military projects and illustrate a deeper Pentagon investment into vast, low-Earth orbiting satellite systems aimed at supporting ground forces.

The planned Starshield network is separate from Starlink, SpaceX's growing commercial broadband constellation that has about 5,500 satellites in space to provide near-global internet to consumers, companies and government agencies.

The classified constellation of spy satellites represents one of the U.S. government’s most sought-after capabilities in space because it is designed to offer the most persistent, pervasive and rapid coverage of activities on Earth.

"No one can hide," one of the sources said of the system’s potential capability, when describing the network's reach.
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E2a: there was a previous mention of Starshield over a year ago, concerning LEO comsats, either leveraging Starlink satellites or just the tech. Whether/how these are related remains to be seen.
 
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Working for US Intelligence? That might make him a target for assassination by a foreign power.

Oh no. How sad.
 
2hats said:
WSJ story hinted at this programme a few weeks ago - Musk's SpaceX is building spy satellite network for US intelligence agency, sources say. Several test prototype vehicles have already been flown.


E2a: there was a previous mention of Starshield over a year ago, concerning LEO comsats, either leveraging Starlink satellites or just the tech. Whether/how these are related remains to be seen.
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Giving the spy satellite contract to the guy who shuts off Starlink in Ukraine when it looks like it might get used against Russia. Now way that could ever go wrong, eh?
 
Also, SpaceX has avoided paying its bills to contractors, resulting in 70 liens being placed against it:

www.chron.com

SpaceX isn’t paying its bills in Texas

Businesses have filed more than 70 liens since 2019 to get money from Elon Musk's rocket and spacecraft company.
www.chron.com www.chron.com

Seems like the fish rots from the head down.
 
NoXion said:
Giving the spy satellite contract to the guy who shuts off Starlink in Ukraine when it looks like it might get used against Russia. Now way that could ever go wrong, eh?
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If the NRO have two brain cells to rub together, they'll be buying the hardware, not the service.
Don't know how much meat that bills story has on it. The original reporting says
Reuters couldn't determine for every lien whether outstanding bills were owed by SpaceX or by one of its contractors who commissioned work or materials on its behalf.
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So it's probably the usual construction industry "we only profit when we sue" bullshit. The whole Starship project and Starbase construction project is run by Shotwell, not Musk, so I wouldn't expect the same level of assholery as he displays at Twitter.
 
Navigational warnings would suggest that the next Starship test flight attempt, FT4, will target a window opening at 1300BST on 5/6/7 June.
 
beesonthewhatnow said:
What’s the aim for this one? Orbit, or are they not there yet?
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Still suborbital. They didn't demosnstrate attitude control or engine relight with the upper stage last time, so it's basically a repeat of that. Only difference is that they'll attempt the flip maneuver after reentry (if they make it that far).

It's worth noting that the launch license has been granted before the mishap investigation has closed for the last flight. There are also several specific failure modes in the new license that will not automatically trigger another mishap investigation. Shows that the FAA are becoming more confident in SpaceX's ability to do this safely.
 
I had the livestream on in the background, but it was was confusing because streams of previous launches have Pavloved me into thinking cheers from SpaceX workers mean Starship has exploded
 
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