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Kudos to SpaceX for the successful launch of Falcon 9!! A little late in posting this, I know

SpaceX says they'll have a statement this evening. I have two questions I hope they'll answer:

1) Did they recover the first stage?
2) Elon was evasive about what the payload would actually do in orbit. What DID it do?

Meanwhile, they sure do have a lot to celebrate! :-)

--Greg

Unfortunately, I couldn't be home to watch the F-9 launch. Where can I find a video of the launch?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NREJEZ5eluk

This from the comment section in reference to background noise on the video:
"I'm streamed the audio through my mic rather than through my computers audio. Was in a rush."

Spaceflight Now reports that Elon is called it a "bulls-eye"

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/001/status.html

Goal was a circular orbit 250 km up inclined 34.5 degrees. They were about a percent off.

--Greg

Thanks for the link, centsworth. I was in a meeting and was also unable to see the 2:45 launch.

There was no mention in any of the blogs I read of this enormous hideous monster that came crashing over the horizon at T-3 seconds. I'm glad it didn't interfere with the launch. It could have wreaked some serious havoc if it had shown up just a few seconds earlier.

Click to view attachment

Seriously, though, congrats to SpaceX for a successful launch. I am continually impressed and heartened by what these folks are accomplishing.

Old school vs. new technology.

Move over, we're winning now....

I didn't get to watch the launch either due to work, but thanks for the great review read, all! BIG congrats to the SpaceX team!!!

As Doug observed- 90 min from a hotfire launch abort to LEO- that's one hell of a statement all by itself.

To be honest, the official webcast was problematic with skipping etc so apart from the historic bit of witnessing it as it happens, you didn't miss out on much

Here's a NASA clip showing different views than what was seen in the webcast. SFN also have a great launch gallery here.

Thanks, G. That was really clean, appreciate it!

Was wondering what those 'flaming chunks' were around the exhaust plume. Before this, I thought that they might be pieces of the engine bell ablative cooling material, but it looks like they're actually ice shards shaking off the booster & subsequently illuminated as they pass by the flames.

Ice would be my guess, too. Atlas V sheds a lot of ice debris off its LOX tank during liftoff, and Falcon 9s tank, covered in cork might be an even more susceptible surface for loose ice accumulation.

Congratulations SpaceX!

Yes, I wonder if the first stage has been/will be retrieved (of course, it's still a great success even if they don't!)

Apparently it was in fact retrieved, but severely damaged; I gotta run right now, but will find a link later.

Yes, apparently the chute didn't open.

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/sto...0_p0-232127.xml

SpaceX now has a click-here-to-watch video.

http://www.spacex.com/updates.php

--Greg

Some reports are suggesting that a bizarre 'spiral ufo' seen along the east coast of Australia this morning was created by the noted oscilation of the second stage.
Have a look at the story and video here.

Very similar to the 'wom hole spiral' seen over Norway last December.

You really have give Elon Musk applause for this. He can't be much more "all in" with spacex and he pulled this off. This is a BIG deal!

As for the ufo, if it was the falcon 9 stage 2, they might want to induce a tumble with vented propellant to help with reentry breakup.

What really caught my eye was the about 90 degree role the vehicle performed right off the launch pad. It seemed to almost yank an umbilical off sideways!

Wild! Not quite as wild as one of the people in the video's comment ('No, that was a galaxy far, far away!')...

The time seems about right. Astro0, you guys are NOT on daylight savings time right now, correct?

Correct! Looking at the orbit data posted by NORAD, and the field of view covering the entire Australian east coast, I think it had to be the second stage.
The story certainly got a run in local media and I received quite a few calls asking if our tracking station saw it.
Probably belongs in the 'reporting astronomy' thread, but try explaining to media that just because we are a space tracking station, we aren't in the business of just scanning the skies looking for little green men

Well of course. All the alien ships probably use the same warp-drive/worm-hole generator technology.

/ducks and runs.

For all our UMSF fans out there, a quick fun fact. The launch pad Falcon 9 took off from yesterday (SLC-40) was the same pad everyone's favorite mission (hehe), Cassini was launched from in 1997. Also, with Delta II on the way out, one can ponder whether we have witnessed the first launch of a vehicle that could replace it and ultimately launch NASA Discovery-class missions (along with Orbital's Taurus II).

Interesting times.

Those are indeed fun facts!

Nice to see continuity in history. Hopefully this was the first of a great many F9s...followed by F9 Heavies carrying Flagships!

I'm a month late, but did anyone here already point out that Elon Musk made an appearance in the movie "Iron Man 2"?

I thought that was pretty cool.

The launch pad at launch complex 40 is surrounded by 4 towers. What are they for? Lightning rods, perhaps?
TTT

Yep.

Both the Atlas V pad (also a former Titan IV pad) and Falcon 9 pad have the same 4 towers with wires in between that form a net with a hole inside for the booster to fly through.

Apparently the second stage developed an unexpected rolling motion during powered flight. This will be investigated before the next launch of the vehicle.

An extended launch highlights video has now been posted, including some new and higher quality views: http://www.spacex.com/multimedia/videos.php?id=53

There is a nice interview of a spacex official on spaceflightnow.com where they discuss some of the problems the falcon 9 had during launch. The roll the rocket had right off the launch pad was caused by torque induced by gasses swirling out of the nozzles and turbopump exhaust exiting at an angle. It takes some time for the nozzles to move over and compensate.

The full 8:37 min interview of SpaceX vice president of Astronaut Safety and Mission Assurance (and former NASA astronaut) Ken Bowersox with Miles O'Brien from This Week In Space is up on Youtube here. There's only a short segment from the interview in the round-up for This Week in Space 27 June 2010.

Also, a video of a 40 second 1st stage acceptance firing (yesterday, June 27th) for flight #2 can be seen here.

The successful Dragon drop test in August doesn't seem to have been mentioned here yet.

Info from the shuttle post-flight readiness review; the next space x falcon 9 launch has moved from no earlier than november 8 to november 18th. It will orbit a dragon capsule 2 orbits, manuver it and reenter recover it.

Just an update. SpaceX has announced the new launch date is dec 7, with the 8th and 9th as backup. Amongst other things they are waiting for a re-entry license from the federal aviation administration.

I didn't know such a license existed. What needs one? A high altitude balloon return? A Virgin Gallactic plane return?

Brian

Not surprising, though. They probably need to define an exclusion 'corridor' for the possible hazard to air traffic; makes sense to me.

Nor did you know that I have a license for my pet fish, Eric.

Lots of stuff on the FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation web site.

Not surprising at all. Sure, there were no commercial return vehicle ever in the history of mankind, but why do you think this would stop government from creating a license for one? Spaceflight is hard. Bureaucracy feels the need to ensure that it is hard even before you lift off.

Let's keep Rule 1.2 firmly in mind before engaging in any discussion of the pros & cons of government regulation, okay? We probably shouldn't lest the discussion wander too far afield.

According to Spaceflightnow the FAA has granted Space X the first commercial reentry license.

One thing they look for is appropriate insurance. YIKES!!!! I guess since they are commercial, one could sue them if the Dragon hit something.

Could be the first dragon-insurance policy ever issued though.

--Greg :-)

Update. The spacex falcon 9 launch attempt with be wednesday with the window from 1400 to1722 GMT - 0900 am to 1222 eastern time. It will carry some thousands of commemorative patches thru at least 2 orbits.

T-minus 21 minutes and counting.
http://spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/002/status.html

Webcast here: http://www.spacex.com/webcast.php

Launch aborted at T-2:50.

Clock reset at T-13min, evaluating data. Retry possible.

They're evaluating the abort condition. Launch will be pushed to the second window (10:38 - 10:43 EST) today at the earliest, depending on the what caused the abort.

Next try 1543 UTC (1043 EST)

Launch! Oh my!