SpaceX ... starting to look unstoppable....

There is a webcast on the SpaceX website……

And it will be another challenging landing, “very hot and fast”.

Launch live-stream THAICOM 8 Hosted Webcast - YouTube (hosted version)
Technical live-stream THAICOM 8 Technical Webcast - YouTube
They should begin approximately 20 minutes before the launch time.

SpaceX always provides streams for each launch.

Not in EST (New York) timezone? Countdown clock

Have you guys seen this?
www.youtube.com/embed/YU3J-jKb75g

> freeme

That’s a very different rocket, the video you link there is Bezos’s “Blue Origin” — a rocket that pops up and back down.

It carries far more fuel for the payload, because it doesn’t use any fuel to attain orbit, sideways, around the planet.
So it doesn’t have to slow down after inserting a satellite into orbit at high speed — no braking, no heat problems.

That’s why Bezos’s “Blue Origin” can hover — it’s a big tank full of fuel, with lots to spare — it’s not hot, and it’s not fast.

Neat idea for “space tourist” use. I don’t know if they have any path toward actually putting something into orbit.

This is why we have politics, irrationally denying anything they don’t want to hear, making up stuff to fit preconceived conclusions and finally racism/discrimination (the last one is not always related to conspiracy type theory thinking, its just an extra “bonus”).

1+ Hank.
I was resisting the urge to comment on Blue Origin.

I did have respect for Blue Origin, right up until Bezos tweeted Congrats “Welcome to the club!”. Twitter promptly tore into him. Of course I’m sure Musk is no sweetheart either. But SpaceX is doing real launches, putting commercial payloads into GTO orbit, resupplying the international space station, all while seriously undercutting other launch companies. SpaceX is in a whole other league.

There is a what-if.xkcd on reaching space vs actually achieving orbit.

> back down onto the barge that launched it

If they reach the point they have launch barges that can move around carrying the rocket to the ideal spot to launch, they’ll have an added business opportunity, because the closer to the equator you launch, the cheaper it is to get the satellite into geosyncronous orbit.

I was wondering if EM would buy the surplus aircraft carrier Britan was getting rid of a few weeks ago, but apparently no.

Success.
Rocket just landed safely on “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship.

They’re making it look easy now.

Sci Fi becoming real!

About T minus 10 minutes as I post.

http://www.spacex.com/webcast

And successful so far — satellite on its way to its low Earth orbit, then transfer orbit to geosync.
And successful landing return of the first stage to the drone ship

The problem with these people who don’t believe we landed on the moon or in evolution or what have you is that they are often fairly intelligent but not very educated. Dumb people just drink their beer and watch sports and don’t get involved in topics like that. They just have no interest. The intelligent but ignorant people are more dangerous. They sound convincing to most people and are given equal time to discuss their opinions with people who actually know what they are talking about.

This…

But brainwash starting at young age has an incredibly dangerous force.

Damn, that drone ship video going black just as we see the rocket (ok, flames) enter the picture. :cry:

This was SpaceX’s fourth drone ship landing, sixth landing overall. And it’s great to see them increasing the frequency of launches.

Interesting read. Thanks Hank.

SpaceX is so fun…
Here is a video from the most recent success/failure I like from the You Tube

:smiley: recent starship rocket ‘news’

Truth is, after the Columbia Accident and debacle, NASA has wanted no more responsibility for Astronaut deaths. Human Space Flight was about to go extinct until SpaceX came along.