[Shadowmuse Blown]

Will it launch tomorrow?

UPDATE: Launch is targeted for 9am today.

[Shadowmuse Blown]

Will it launch tomorrow?

UPDATE: Launch is targeted for 9am today.

Okay , due to a stuck valve, it didn’t launch.  Now aiming for tomorrow morning beginning around 9:30am EDT

[Shadowmuse Blown]

Will it launch tomorrow?

UPDATE: Launch is targeted for 9am today.

Okay , due to a stuck valve, it didn’t launch.  Now aiming for tomorrow morning beginning around 9:30am EDT

Starship 24 launched this morning and cleared the tower.  However, just before the point where the booster was to separate something went wrong and the spacecraft experienced a rapid unexpected disassembly (FTS was engaged as the rocket began to spin out of control).

Launch was awesome, though! (Below)

On to the next test vehicle!

[TheZookie007]

And that's the most spectacular burning up of three billion US dollars ever.

To paraphrase Stephen Colbert:

"Houston, we have an apt metaphor for Twitter."

[Shadowmuse Blown]

View of the Orbital Launch Mount after launch, yesterday. 

I have no idea why they didn’t build a flame diverted trench of water deluge system which would have minimized damage to the mount and concrete surface.  This is kinda crazy and one reason some of the engines were damaged on take off—pieces of concrete getting blasted everywhere.  What are they going to do, rebuild this thing each time?  This has to be severely rethought before the next launch.  What a waste of time and resources. 

UPDATE TODAY WITH BETTER IMAGE

[TheZookie007]

View of the Orbital Launch Mount after launch, yesterday. 

I have no idea why they didn’t build a flame diverted trench of water deluge system which would have minimized damage to the mount and concrete surface.  This is kinda crazy and one reason some of the engines were damaged on take off—pieces of concrete getting blasted everywhere.  What are they going to do, rebuild this thing each time?  This has to be severely rethought before the next launch.  What a [waste] of time and resources. 

UPDATE TODAY WITH BETTER IMAGE

Agreed. My best guess is: isn't this a VTOL vehicle? Or am I confusing it with another one in SpaceX's fleet?

[Shadowmuse Blown]

View of the Orbital Launch Mount after launch, yesterday. 

I have no idea why they didn’t build a flame diverted trench of water deluge system which would have minimized damage to the mount and concrete surface.  This is kinda crazy and one reason some of the engines were damaged on take off—pieces of concrete getting blasted everywhere.  What are they going to do, rebuild this thing each time?  This has to be severely rethought before the next launch.  What a [waste] of time and resources. 

UPDATE TODAY WITH BETTER IMAGE

Agreed. My best guess is: isn't this a VTOL vehicle? Or am I confusing it with another one in SpaceX's fleet?

Yes, eventually both booster and Starship are to return to the launch tower and get caught by the chopsticks. 

[Shadowmuse Blown]

Before and after comparison of the tower’s base

[rtpoe]

While we weren't paying attention, the European Space Agency's "Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer" lifted off on April 14. Back in January, to publicize the "Juice" (JUpiter ICE - get it?) mission, the ESA released a call for themed "mocktail" recipes. After 70 space enthusiasts from ESA member states sent in their entries, all were compiled into the Space Juice Recipe Book (available here)

Dr. Maggie Lieu created this one, whose color changes from blue to pink and purple, imitating the changing colors of Jupiter’s cloudtops:

[TheZookie007]

Nice one, rtpoe!

[solvegas]

 

[Shadowmuse Blown]

Japan’s commercial Hakuto-R lunar lander apparently crashed into the lunar surface, but it took some awesome shots before it was lost.  Here’s one looking back at the Earth. 

I’m a little confused by the description given this one as they talk about the Moon’s shadow creeping over Australia, which was undergoing a full solar eclipse, but it looks like a full Earth to me.

[solvegas]

Cool photo from the Hubble telescope. 

[Shadowmuse Blown]

Falcon Heavy launch from February 3rd

[Shadowmuse Blown]

Okay, a bit of scary news regarding the aborted Starship launch a couple of weeks ago: apparently, it took a while from the time they hit the destruct button to the time Starship actually blew itself up… like 50 seconds!

Here’s a pic of the holes in the side of the rocket as they awaited it to blow up.  These holes should be a LOT bigger as the rocket self destructed.  So, now SpaceX has to redesign the system and get FAA approval.

It’s supposed to go boom almost instantly.