SpaceX News

[WLJ]

NSF live coverage of B10 testing today

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJKVjLA1cMg

[WLJ]

B10 getting frosty

[WLJ]

Issue with whatever they were trying to do yesterday so no SP or SF.
Road is closed today but no Over Pressure notice yet.

[WLJ]

Firefly you're up!

T-48:00 at time of posting

 Firefly Alpha FLTA004 "Fly the Lightning"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LItoeS3jrHg

[WLJ]

Good Firefly launch
And OP notice issued at Starbase. Hopefully whatever caused the issue(s) yesterday got worked out

[WLJ]

I give up on trying to figure out what is going on, OP noticed issued but road is currently open

[WLJ]

Booster transport stand moved to the OLM, more than likely means they're going to lift B10 off the OLM.
Also the dancefloor was moved to launch area.
What I'm thinking is that they're remove B10 from the OLM and then use the dancefloor to work on the OLM.

[WLJ]

This reusing rockets thing will never work

SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches for a Recordbreaking 19th Time | Starlink 6-32
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEapBYbkogc

[WLJ]

Elon is going all out on new signs

[WLJ]

Chris Bergin - NSF
@NASASpaceflight
The 182nd consecutive landing of a Falcon booster. Also the 15th landing on LZ-4, after the 60th launch from SLC-4E.

https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1738912710568329716

[WLJ]

Firefly you're up!

T-48:00 at time of posting

 Firefly Alpha FLTA004 "Fly the Lightning"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LItoeS3jrHg

Bad news update on the launch.

Firefly Alpha upper stage malfunction puts payload into wrong orbit
https://spacenews.com/firefly-alpha-upper-stage-malfunction-puts-payload-into-wrong-orbit/

[WLJ]

This reusing rockets thing will never work

SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches for a Recordbreaking 19th Time | Starlink 6-32
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEapBYbkogc

And then on the way back to port

SpaceX
@SpaceX
During transport back to Port early this morning, the booster tipped over on the droneship due to high winds and waves. Newer Falcon boosters have upgraded landing legs with the capability to self-level and mitigate this type of issue
8:29 PM · Dec 25, 2023
·
1.3M
 Views

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1739458501703762367

Not clear if this means they actually lost the booster and/or it went in the drink or remained on the drone ship
Wonder if they have video and if they do will they release it?

[WLJ]

Well now it's clear, yes to both
The front fell off

Hey Elon, time for a new paint job on Just Read The Instructions, just saying

Note: you can see the full size images by going to the twitter link

Julia Bergeron
@julia_bergeron
Views of B1058 on the deck of Just Read the Instructions. Starlink 6-32 was the 19th launch and landing of this booster. The crew encountered rough conditions not far from Port Canaveral. Farewell old friend.
@NASASpaceflight
 SCL views:
http://nsf.live/spacecoast

https://twitter.com/julia_bergeron/status/1739679232240799985

[WLJ]

At least it appears the engines are salvageable

[WLJ]

Meanwhile in China

Chris Bergin - NSF reposted
China 'N Asia Spaceflight 🚀𝕏 🛰️
@CNSpaceflight
Long March 3B booster fell in Guangxi

Landed in a village
No word on any casualties

https://twitter.com/CNSpaceflight/status/1739679920425689199

Can you imagine the reaction if that was Spx?

[WLJ]

And the LM 3B uses hypergolic fuel. Most are very very nasty to be around. Yikes

[WLJ]

Not the first time either. They wipe out an entire a village a few years ago. The hypergolic fuel poisoned the area.
Why you shouldn't launch over populated areas but they're so concerned with secrecy most of their launches are from inland areas a good distances from the coast.   

[MillCreek]

I assumed that when a Falcon booster landed on the unmanned landing barge, a crew went aboard to tack weld the landing legs to the deck for exactly this reason.

[WLJ]

Here's another booster falling from 3 years ago

 Slo-mo Chinese launch, booster almost lands on school (7 Sep 2020)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjlB48N7Tus

And from 5 years ago

 Spent rocket stage falls on town after Chinese satellite launch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbFOS29vAeQ

There's more
The Chinese don't give a *expletive deleted*it
Note the color of the smoke, usually a sign of hypergolics. Not good.

[WLJ]

I assumed that when a Falcon booster landed on the unmanned landing barge, a crew went aboard to tack weld the landing legs to the deck for exactly this reason.

Maybe this answers your question

Chris Bergin - NSF reposted
Gav Cornwell
@SpaceOffshore
From what we know from various tweets... B1058 lacked self-levelling legs. In rough seas, it's difficult to fully latch all arms of Octagrabber to the booster.

This was true on this final voyage. I can see some chains so it looks like X tried to strap it down where the arms didn't latch (which we've seen many times) but it just wasn't enough for the sea state on this one and became a weak point.

https://twitter.com/SpaceOffshore/status/1739679528916570530

[WLJ]

Kiko Dontchev
@TurkeyBeaver
Super disappointing and sad to lose booster 1058.

Tippy boosters occur when you get a certain set of landing conditions that lead to the legs having uneven loading. Heavy wind or sea state then cause the booster to teeter and slide which can lead to even worse leg loading. In this state, securing with the OG is super challenging and often only partial successful

We came up with self leveling legs that immediately equalize leg loads on landing after experiencing a severe tippy booster two years ago on Christmas (first flight of 1069). The fleet is mostly outfitted, but 1058, given its age, was not. It met its fate when it hit intense wind and waves resulting in failure of a partially secured OG less than 100 miles from home.

One thing is for sure… we will make lemonade out of lemons and learn as much as possible from historic 1058 on our path to aircraft like operations.

https://twitter.com/TurkeyBeaver/status/1739640175183945860

[WLJ]

This should be the launch from which the booster that fell came from.

https://www.spacelaunchschedule.com/launch/long-march-3b-yz-1-beidou-3-m25-m26/


Location of the launch site

[WLJ]

Check out the populated areas directly downrange and they're shooting rockets, hypergolic fueled rockets at that, right over their heads
Like I said, the Chinese don't give a *expletive deleted*it

[MillCreek]

I learned of a new device just now: the Octagrabber, used to secure the landed rockets to the barge.

https://space-offshore.com/Octagrabber

[WLJ]

That video was of one of two side boosters on the Long March 3B filmed falling yesterday and apparently they often fall like that into populated areas.
There are 4 side boosters on the LM 3B so where the other two went who knows.

The presence of reddish-brown gas or smoke indicative of nitrogen tetroxide is visible in both, while a yellowish gas, possibly the results of unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) fuel mixing with air, can be seen next to the building.

The first stage and four side boosters of the Long March 3B use the hypergolic propellant combination of hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide. Both the nitrogen tetroxide oxidizer and UDMH fuel present serious health risks.

The Chinese really do NOT give a *expletive deleted*it.

China launches new Beidou satellites, rocket booster lands near house
https://spacenews.com/china-launches-new-beidou-satellites-rocket-booster-lands-near-house/