Space & rocket launch thread

[CurtEgerer]

^^^

I didn't really know what this Blue Origin thing even was, other than hearing the name before. But since I follow a lot of the rocket launches, it popped up on the YT feed and I clicked. It took a few minutes to figure out what was happening. Weird, weird looking capsule that reminded me of some sort of RV. And what's with all the windows and I can see lots of people in there?! Then it blasts off and it was the weakest, most unimpressive launch I had ever seen. Click. Off. Move on to something else. Then the memes started. Now I understand.

[pmax]

[bmcuscgr94]

Successful launch of a Minotaur rocket today, a Falcon 9 on tap for this weekend.

https://syvnews.com/news/local/military/vandenberg/nro-missions-slated-to-launch-from-vandenberg-sfb-today-and-saturday/article_6240c45e-5b5f-5ed8-abaf-66287e47c856.html

[bmcuscgr94]

We were supposed to have 2 launches today. One's delayed until tomorrow:

https://www.ksby.com/news/local-news/firefly-announces-5-day-launch-window-for-next-mission-from-vandenberg-sfb

The other one is still on:

https://www.ksby.com/news/local-news/spacex-falcon-9-rocket-to-take-off-from-vandenberg-sfb-sunday-evening

[pmax]

[Baz]

12 min to go.....

[bmcuscgr94]

Our West coast launches scheduled for today have all been delayed until tomorrow. Two in one day is a new thing.

https://www.ksby.com/news/local-news/firefly-announces-5-day-launch-window-for-next-mission-from-vandenberg-sfb

https://www.ksby.com/news/local-news/spacex-falcon-9-rocket-to-take-off-from-vandenberg-sfb-sunday-evening

[Baz]

Watch live as a Super Heavy booster and Starship launch on a critical test flight for SpaceX's fully reusable rocket, following two consecutive failures of the Starship upper stage.

Liftoff of the 9th fully integrated Starship from SpaceX's Starbase facility at Boca Chica Beach, in Texas, is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CDT / 7:30 p.m. EDT / 2330 UTC on Tuesday, May 27.

A highlight of the mission will be the reuse of a Super Heavy booster for the first time. The booster will not return for a catch by the launch tower but will instead make a hard splashdown off-shore to allow for more testing.

Our live coverage, hosted by Will Robinson-Smith, will begin two hours before launch and is brought to you in partnership with LabPadre.

T-4 minutes....

[A930Rocket]

It was a good flight for the first eight minutes or so, and then I stopped watching.

Did I understand the announcers correctly, it was the second time the booster was used today or just used again overall?

[cockerpunk]

i love that starship blowing up again doesnt even make the news anymore.

[Baz]

Originally Posted by A930Rocket

It was a good flight for the first eight minutes or so, and then I stopped watching.

Did I understand the announcers correctly, it was the second time the booster was used today or just used again overall?

It was the 2nd use of the booster.

it marked the first time SpaceX reused a Super Heavy booster from a prior launch. The booster used Tuesday previously launched on Starship's seventh test flight in January before it was caught back at the launch pad and refurbished for another space shot.

Booster 14 comes in for the catch after flying to the edge of space on January 16.

Good article here with lot of info:
https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/05/spacex-may-have-solved-one-problem-only-to-find-more-on-latest-starship-flight/

[Baz]

40 minute video of some fascinating stuff!

[Baz]

Watch live coverage from Cape Canaveral as Falcon 9 rocket launches with 23 satellites for SpaceX's Starlink internet service.

Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is scheduled for Friday, June 13 at 11:29a.m. EDT (1529 UTC). The first-stage booster, making its 21st flight, will land on SpaceX's drone ship 'A Shortfall of Gravitas,' stationed in the Atlantic Ocean, a little more than eight minutes after leaving the launch pad.

The mission, designated Starlink 12-26, will take a south-easterly trajectory on departure from Florida's Space Coast. Of the 23 satellites aboard, 13 are equipped for direct to cellphone communications.

Commentary will be provided by Spaceflight Now's Will Robinson-Smith starting about one hour before launch.

T minus 7 minutes......

[cockerpunk]

another starship blows up on the pad this morning. this time during a test firing.

if your rocket system can't survive a test firing .... why have you attempted to launch it a dozen times?

this is just poor program management at this point. the thing should be bulletproof on the test pad before even *attempting* a launch.

[Scott Douglas]

Worse yet, it blew up during fueling, not firing.

[cockerpunk]

there really at this point, is no excuse.

like 2 years into trying to launch this thing, there shouldnt be a thing you can do on the test pad to it, that you dont 99.9999% know the outcome of. like you should know and understand this system and how it works and what happens to it on a test pad that well, YEARS before you tried to launch it at all. this knowledge is 4 years late guys.

guys, its a rocket ... not a software package.

if spaceX was NASA, everyone cheering them on would be demanding their heads and cutting their budget for the wonton waste, poor program malmanagement, and just colossal waste of time and money this has been.



no wonder NASA basically abandoned starship years ago.

[Cajundaddy]

SpaceX is really struggling with Starship propulsion. Re-entry is a pretty big challenge considering the heat and forces involved. Having it self-destruct on a test pad suggests deeper problems. My dad was on the engineering team for Titan/Gemini in the 1960s and they lost a lot of them during testing.

During a successful launch a thousand things have to go right, and failure requires only one thing to go wrong. Maybe time to bring back Tom Mueller for consultation and analysis. He was the principal designer on both Merlin and Raptor engines that put SpaceX into orbit.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Titan_launches

[Baz]

Just a scratch

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 19, 2025

[bmcuscgr94]

We got another one tomorrow morning. I think we're close to 40 launches so far this year.

Vandenberg SFB Guardians and Airmen are scheduled to support the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 26 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) on Saturday, June 28.

Liftoff is targeted for 9:47 a.m. PT, with backup opportunities available until 10:46 a.m. PT. If needed, additional launch opportunities are also available on Sunday, June 29 starting at 9:47 a.m. PT.

A live webcast will begin approximately five minutes before liftoff and can be viewed at https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=sl-15-7, on X @SpaceX, or through the new X TV app.

Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship, which will be stationed in the Pacific Ocean.

There is the possibility that residents of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties may hear one or more sonic booms during the launch, but what residents experience will depend on weather and other conditions.

[Baz]

Australia’s first homegrown orbital rocket, Gilmour Space’s Eris, launched from Bowen Orbital Spaceport but didn’t reach orbit due to an engine failure seconds after liftoff. Regulatory delays and a fairing mishap preceded the flight, and one of the four Sirius engines faltered, causing the 30-metric-tonne rocket to lose thrust and slide off course. A second engine failure led to a slow descent and an unintended propulsive landing, with the rocket staying upright until it tipped over. Check out the footage and analysis of this dramatic test flight, and what’s next for Gilmour’s ambitious program.