SpaceX News

[French G.]

I may be late to the party but I just saw my first starlink satellite train tonight. And I'm mostly okay and the meds seem fine but... The ones in charge ought to publicize this stuff. Because some unbalanced wacko is going to see that and figure that the aliens are here, the end is nigh, time to go bang the neighbor and then settle some old scores. 

[WLJ]

Live at time of posting

 SpaceX Starship 25 Engine Testing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMRFGRGRU7w

[WLJ]

Marcus House with his weekly update https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIb2lHjHuVA

Of note
Elon time
Water deluge system details
Build site upgrades
B12 being assembled
S28
Moon lander mock up?
ISS news
The week's launches rundown including SX's F9 200th landing
Some JWST news

[WLJ]

NSF updates https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzDBRNOeAow

Of note
Stokes making progress on a fully reusable rocket
After the sell of Virgin Orbit assets news including Cosmic Girl (They're going to change her name   )
ULA Vulcan news, could be more delays. Hint, not the BE-4s.
Cats!
Launches of the week
200th F9 landing!
BepiColombo Mercury flybys
Upcoming launches

[WLJ]

Falcon 9 is launching the Satria mission with the Indonesian Ka-band high throughput communications satellite. The beginning of 3 1/2 hour launch window opens at 5:20PM EDT from SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. The first stage, B1067, is flying for the 12th time and will attempt to land on A Shortfall of Gravitas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtMOvm6Ivk8

[WLJ]

Live at time of posting

SpaceX Starship 25 Testing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hip5Jih3aOA

[WLJ]

Delta IV Heavy launch last night

 Delta IV Heavy Launched the NROL-68 for the National Reconnaissance Office
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxlRPt5uaW4

[cordex]

Only one more Delta IV planned, right?

[WLJ]

Only one more Delta IV planned, right?

Yep, one more and that's the end of the line for the DIVH.
Scheduled for Q1 2024

[WLJ]

More Starlink last night as well.
Making it look easy, again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98JQV1czLsA

[WLJ]

Interesting little piece of info on the the DIVH wiki page

Missions thirteen through sixteen were announced by the National Reconnaissance Office.[22] For the final four missions (13-16) including modifications, ULA was awarded US$2.2 billion, or US$440 million per launch.[23] This can be compared with the Falcon Heavy launch price of $90M to $150M. As of June 2023, only one remain before ULA retires the Delta IV Heavy.[24]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_IV_Heavy

Pretty rocket but at 3x to 4.8x the cost per launch compared to FH plus the upcoming Vulcun you can see why they're being retired.
Not sure why the wide range of prices for FH but even the highest is far cheaper

[cordex]

Not sure why the wide range of prices for FH but even the highest is far cheaper

I'm guessing mostly based on how many of the boosters/core can be recovered, but custom fairing is likely to play into it too.  A fully expended Falcon Heavy is going to run a lot more than one they are able to plan to recover everything from.

[WLJ]

I'm guessing mostly based on how many of the boosters/core can be recovered, but custom fairing is likely to play into it too.  A fully expended Falcon Heavy is going to run a lot more than one they are able to plan to recover everything from.

Ah! Didn't think of that

[RocketMan]

I'd bet the wide range in Falcon Heavy pricing is due to whether the center booster is recovered or not.  Some launches to higher orbit require expending the center booster rather than recovering it.

Edit:  "Missed it by that much."  Cordex beat me to it.

[WLJ]

Not only much cheaper but more capable

Numbers from wiki

LEO
DIVH - 63,470lbs
FH - 120,000/140,000lbs (Reuse/Fully expended)

GTO
DIVH - 31,350lbs
FH - 16,000*/59,000lbs

* number seems off to me.

[AZRedhawk44]

GTO
DIVH - 31,350lbs
FH - 16,000*/59,000lbs

* number seems off to me.

To recover the boosters, they have to have MECO early enough that the booster doesn't burn up on re-entry.  There are basically 3 flight profiles for FH:
1. Expended.  Side cores burn to completion and fall to the ocean.  Center core burns to completion and falls in the ocean.  This gives the greatest reserve to the 2nd stage to push a heavy payload.
2. Downrange booster recovery, center core expended.  Side cores cut out with reserve to be recovered on drone ships.  Center core burns to completion.  Less boost to the 2nd stage.
3. RTLS booster recovery, center core downrange recovery.  Side cores reserve even more fuel to cancel out horizontal momentum and return to launch site.  Center core reserves fuel to land.  Least boost to 2nd stage, it's got a lot of work to do and a heavy payload to do it to.

[WLJ]

SpaceX is targeting Friday, June 23 at 11:35 a.m. ET (15:35 UTC) for a Falcon 9 launch of 56 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. If needed, backup opportunities are available on Saturday, June 24 at 9:05 a.m. ET (13:05 UTC) and 10:46 a.m. ET (14:46 UTC).

The first stage booster supporting this mission previously launched CRS-24, Eutelsat HOTBIRD 13F, OneWeb 1, SES-18 and SES-19, and three Starlink missions. Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the Just Read the Instructions droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lwAP91Y7Cs

[fifth_column]

I saw a Starlink array last night about 9:45PM Central. I'm in SE WI. It's like living in the future . . . .

[WLJ]

Keep having click bait YT videos pop up that from the titles say to show a LIVE SpaceX launch. Check the schedule and none listed. Seeing more and more crap like this on YT.

[WLJ]

Switching over to "Hot Staging" for Starship. That's where the 2nd stage engines fire while the 2nd is still attached to the 1st. Musk says this will allow more than a 10% increase in payload but will require a redesign of the upper part of the 1st to have vents and shielding.

He also notes they have made over a thousand changes to the vehicle

 SpaceX changing Starship stage separation ahead of next launch
https://spacenews.com/spacex-changing-starship-stage-separation-ahead-of-next-launch/

[WLJ]

Interesting video
I want to try that slide LOL

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to stand next to a partially fueled Saturn 5 rocket, just hours before the historic Apollo 11 launch, with the looming threat of a catastrophic explosion? Or more importantly, how a group of brave individuals could survive such an ordeal? In this video I will take you inside the abandoned 1960s bunker known as the rubber room, and reveal the incredible measures taken to protect the Apollo crew in the event of a disaster.

NASA’s Hidden Underground Bunker
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89zdHsb2pWU

[WLJ]

Zack Golden
@CSI_Starbase
This morning SpaceX completed the concrete foundation under the Orbital Launch Mount.

Over a period of 10.5 hours, 132 loads of concrete were delivered to the Launch Complex. This is equivalent to almost exactly 1,000 cubic meters.

This will need a few days to cure before the next steps can begin.

https://twitter.com/CSI_Starbase/status/1673350738553221123

[WLJ]

Live at time of posting

SpaceX Ship 25 Static Fire Testing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iv-TSySI6DY

[WLJ]

Suppose t to go live at 10:00 EST

The Galactic 01 mission (formerly known as Unity 23) will be Virgin Galactic's fifth crewed spaceflight and SpaceShipTwo's first commercial mission. It is a research mission for the Italian Air Force. The crew will consist of pilots Frederick Sturckow and Michael Masucci as well as crewmembers Beth Moses, Walter Villadei, Angelo Landolfi, and Pantaleone Carlucci. 

Virgin Galactic 01 mission - First Commercial Crew Mission
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Su9IbRyS_aE

[WLJ]

 

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/_aX3C1HSccY