Starship Launch #2
• Quick post-op #1
• Quick post-op #2
• Quick post-op #3
• Detailed post-op analysis #4
Two Falcon9 Starlink Launches
for a weekend threefer!
• Friday midnight launch from the Cape
• Sunday night launch from Vandenberg
Okay, another one
Will they have a seal onboard this week to study seal mating habits during launch?
I’m really hoping this launch will be super successful.
I dunno, I think it’ll be hard to beat the first launch, what with engines getting damaged, pad destroyed, tank farm abused, Starship doing a “swing your partner” before blowing up after successfully leaving the pad…
Yeah,
like back in the day.
A spectacular failure makes sure that everybody knows that this stuff is hard to do
and that a successful mission is something to be really proud of
They replaced two (maybe three!) grid fin actuators, which meant they had to destack the Starship AND the Hot Stage ring. Got it done overnight, too!
…and ULA thinks they are going to get a launch cadence of two Vulcan Centaurs a month.
Pull my finger and tell me another one. Hah!
FULL SEND
And, looks like a successful launch.
Are there still some problems to be worked on? Yep.
Still, though, amazing to watch.
It. Was. EPIC!!
Sure, the FTS system(s) were tested as well, but so what? It’s why they are there.
The AAR is going to make for some interesting reading…
Elon is just too generous.
If he would not have blown up both stages after the successful liftoff, millions of FAA-type bureaucrats would be out of a job.
Now they get to study the list of ‘problems’ Elon sends them for months and months, and then scream “Elon, you must fix those things you told us about”.
Perpetual employment. What a wonderful feature.
Nah,
just cheap
Didn’t want to have to hire a big ship to go look for big pieces
There were lotsa problems that resulted in the loss of first the booster then the starship, but they will be overcome. It’s not like this is NASA, after all, or any of the Legacy Spacecraft companies. After all, look how many tries it took to get the Falcon 9 to settle down and become what is now the most reliable system ever!
I have faith in those guys N gals. They are *committed*!!