JCC The Official SpaceX Launch/Disaster Thread

There most amazing footage of the first stage landing yet, HERE

 

There is a launch tonight

Their frequency is getting ridiculous.

 

Inmarsat 5. It's a large heavy satellite, and it's going to geostationary which is a pretty high orbit. The rocket will be launched in expendable configuration (no first stage landing). In the future, larger, heavier sats like this will be launched by the Falcon Heavy, enabling recovery of the stages.

 

This launch was a joy to watch. It's remarkable that we have these rockets travelling so fast and yet it still takes about 25 minutes to get them where they need to go. It really puts the scale of Earth into context.

 

CRS-11 is launching today, at 21:55 UTC / 17:55 EDT. This is a Dragon resupply mission to the International Space Station. Launch is about four and a half hours from the time of this post. Live stream will be here:



Following stage separation, a landing of the first stage will be attempted back at the Cape.

 

Stream is live. Well, live to the logo-and-starfield-and-music screen. Launch is due in just over 10 minutes.

EDIT: Scrubbed due to lightning in the vicinity. Next attempt Saturday.

 

On again for 21:07 UTC / 17:07 EDT. About 25 minutes from this post.

Hosted stream:


Technical stream:

 

Just coming here to post this. I'm having a great day and get to see a rocket launch too.

 

THAT was an amazing shot of the landing.

 

This is becoming practically routine.

 

The landing shot starts at 1:20.

 

This is footage of the Cygnus from orbital ATK leaving the ISS before the SpaceX Dragon Arrives.

 

Woohoo! Flight Engineers! That's what I used to do... at a somewhat lower altitude.

 

SpaceX have a doubleheader this weekend, with BulgariaSat-1 launching today from the Cape, (18:10 UTC / 14:10 Florida time), and the Iridium NEXT sats 11 - 20 launching from Vandenberg on Sunday at 20:24 UTC / 13:24 California time.

The BulgariaSat launch is in a couple hours time, here's the live stream:

 

Stream is live. Currently T-14.

 

I juuuuust missed the actual liftoff.

 

That was suspenseful. The landing burn started, then the rush of it hit the water by the drone ship and the screen froze. Whew!

 

Looks like they only just stuck the landing. That's the furthest off-center I've seen it. A few more feet and it would have gone over the side.

 

Part 2 coming up today. About four hours from the time of this post.



Oh and:

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status...io/iframe/twitter.min.html#878821062326198272

 

Here's SpaceX's own stream link (the one above is from Space Videos, which might have different content):

 

Stream has started (intro screen).

 

A one second launch window. Don't know why. But that means if there is a delay, like a sensor goes off and they stop then launch minutes later, then they have to scrub and go tomorrow.

 

Stream is live. Looks like the second stage second burn is going to last almost no time at all.

Conditions at the landing ship are marginal, windy. They're going to try landing anyway.

They have a one second launch window so if there's a holdup they will scrub for the day.

 

Piece of cake landing. Look at that.