#reusable_rocket

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Falcon 9 launches - strategic partnership between Amazon and SpaceX Amazon's Kuiper project, which aims to provide broadband Internet, could become a competitor to SpaceX's Starlink satellite network. There is no place for friendship in the world of business: Amazon announced a contract for three launches of Project Kuiper satellites on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Thus, Amazon is expanding its capabilities to implement its deployment strategy. Information on the exact dates and costs of launches was not provided. Project Kuiper, similar to Starlink, is being developed to provide broadband Internet access to millions of people around the world. SpaceX is already well ahead of its competitors, launching thousands of satellites and attracting more than two million subscribers to its Starlink network. In October, Amazon launched two prototypes for the first time on United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket. A few weeks ago, Amazon announced that the satellites had successfully passed tests and were now scheduled to begin mass production at a plant in Kirkland, Washington. The SpaceX factory is also nearby in Redmond. [caption id="attachment_85356" align="aligncenter" width="630"] SpaceX[/caption] Amazon signs contract to launch Kuiper satellites using Falcon 9 rocket from rival SpaceX The first Kuiper satellites to users are due to launch early next year, with beta service becoming available in the second half of 2024. Under a license from the FCC, half of the Kuiper constellation of 3,236 satellites is expected to be in low-Earth orbit by mid-2026. Most of Amazon's launches are planned to be carried out on three types of rockets (which have not yet flown a single mission): Blue Origin's New Glenn, ULA's Vulcan and Arianespace's Ariane 6. In addition to the three Falcon 9 launches, Amazon has reserved space on eight Atlas V rockets, which are solid choices. So SpaceX's Falcon 9 launch reservation provides some security for Amazon's deployment plan. The selection of SpaceX for a portion of Project Kuiper's launches could also affect the lawsuit, which alleges Amazon did not sufficiently consider SpaceX as a potential launch provider. In August, a pension fund that has Amazon shares in its portfolio filed a lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges that Amazon's directors and officers refused to cooperate with SpaceX because of the latter's competition with Blue Origin. “In light of SpaceX's proven reliability and economic advantages, the decision by Bezos-led Amazon not to even consider SpaceX as a launch provider highlights the conflicting interests Bezos has with Amazon and Blue Origin and the significant impact these conflicts will have on the board's ability to protect the interests of the company and its shareholders in conducting contract negotiations,” the pension fund said in its lawsuit. SpaceX's choice for some of Kuiper's launches refutes the pension fund's arguments. However, a hearing in this case has not yet been scheduled. Amazon said that the pension fund's claims are "completely baseless" and they intend to prove this during the legal process.

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Complaints not only about the Starship design, but also about the launch pad The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has published an analysis of the investigation following the first flight of the SpaceX Starship. The regulator has counted 63 problems that SpaceX must fix so that Starship can take off again. [caption id="attachment_54056" align="aligncenter" width="530"] SpaceX[/caption] “ There are 63 problems that urgently need to be corrected, including the ship's hull and launch pad ,” the FAA report said. The FAA said the completion of the accident investigation does not mean Starship launches can immediately resume. To comply with all regulatory requirements, SpaceX must correct the above issues and apply for approval for a second flight. SpaceX needs to fix 63 problems to get the Starship spacecraft back in the air. Interestingly, SpaceX also published material with its own investigation and analysis of the reasons that led to the premature termination of the Starship flight. The company pointed out that several rocket engines shut down during the flight, which led to the failure of the second stage separation, and a fuel leak in the tail of the rocket caused numerous fires inside, which affected the spacecraft's computer system and made it impossible to control the engines - this and was the main cause of the rocket explosion. SpaceX also said it has upgraded the rocket's thrust vector control system. The company stressed that this update " is not related to any issues discovered during the first flight tests ."

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The next launch could take place in December Visitors to the SpaceX Starbase spaceport in Boca Chica now have another place against which they can take beautiful pictures. A photograph of a giant neon sign with the inscription “Gateway to Mars” was published a couple of hours ago by the head of the company, Elon Musk. [caption id="attachment_85542" align="aligncenter" width="780"] Starship launch pad[/caption] Last week, workers began installing massive white letters on a newly built wall near the Starship launch pad. Some SpaceX fans have expressed regret over the recent construction of a large wall around parts of the launch complex. They see this as another step towards gradually closing SpaceX Starbase to the public. “Gateway to Mars,” a huge neon sign appeared on the Starship launch pad The new sign appeared a couple of weeks after Starship's second launch. This time we managed to reach the stage of stage separation, but a few moments later the launch vehicle exploded. The Starship spacecraft continued its flight , but also exploded approximately 8 minutes after it began. [caption id="attachment_85543" align="aligncenter" width="780"] Starship launch pad[/caption] Musk said the next Starship could be ready to fly in December, but SpaceX needs to get approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.

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Approval will be received by Friday Elon Musk has confirmed that SpaceX will receive approval to launch the Starship rocket by the scheduled date of November 17. I have just been informed that approval to launch is due in time for launch on Friday. The space company SpaceX previously announced the exact date of the second Starship launch. But then it was reported that the company was still awaiting final approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). [caption id="attachment_81961" align="aligncenter" width="780"] Starship rocket[/caption] Confirmed: the huge 122-meter Starship rocket will launch on November 17 On its first launch, the rocket rose high and flew for more than three minutes, but lost several engines, caused serious damage to the launch pad and entered a dive, after which it was remotely  destroyed . After the launch, a crater appeared in the ground, concrete pieces scattered across the area, and the environment was damaged, some species of wildlife of which are in danger of extinction. The launch also caused a fire of approximately 16,000 m2 within  the state park.

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According to Reuters, the company neglected labor safety standards SpaceX employees suffered more than 600 work-related injuries due to Elon Musk’s ambitions in his quest to fly to Mars and safety violations, as reported by Reuters, citing official data from US government agencies and information received from victims. “The Reuters Investigative Reporting Unit found that Musk's company flouted safety regulations at hazardous rocket and space facilities across the United States. The employees paid a high price for this. Based on interviews with them and government data, we have documented at least 600 work-related injuries suffered by SpaceX employees since 2014,” Reuters writes, saying that this is a known number of cases and the total number has not been disclosed. [caption id="attachment_81905" align="aligncenter" width="780"] SpaceX[/caption] Hundreds of SpaceX employees were injured and one died due to Elon Musk's ambitions to conquer space. In many cases, we are talking about serious injuries or even disability. Reuters has documented at least 600 previously unreported workplace injuries at Musk's rocket company: broken limbs, amputations, electrocutions, head and eye injuries and one death. SpaceX employees say they are paying the price for the billionaire's ambition to colonize space at a rapid pace. More than a hundred people were cut, and about thirty suffered broken or dislocated bones or crushed limbs. All this was due to clutter in the workplace, lack of training, overwork, lack of safety precautions and haste. As Reuters notes, SpaceX believes that employees themselves should be responsible for their own safety. But employees confirm that Elon Musk himself often neglects security requirements. To speed up production and reduce costs, SpaceX has begun building rockets in tents on the unequipped Gulf Coast, according to the agency.

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This is the 270th flight of Falcon 9 rockets. The space company SpaceX today completed its 80th orbital launch in 2023, placing more than 1,000 tons of cargo into orbit.  [caption id="attachment_81323" align="aligncenter" width="780"] SpaceX[/caption] A Falcon 9 rocket launched 23 second-generation Starlink internet satellites into orbit from the Kennedy Space Center's launch pad at Cape Canaveral in Florida. The launch took place at 00:05 US East Coast time (08:05 Moscow time) on November 8, 2023. https://youtu.be/scmGtpWC7jg The launch was successful and the company has already reported the deployment of 23 Starlink satellites in orbit. Meanwhile, the first stage of the launch vehicle successfully landed on an autonomous floating platform called Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic Ocean.  SpaceX successfully completed its 80th orbital launch in 2023: video and photos [caption id="attachment_81324" align="aligncenter" width="400"] SpaceX[/caption] [caption id="attachment_81325" align="aligncenter" width="400"] SpaceX[/caption] [caption id="attachment_81326" align="aligncenter" width="780"] SpaceX[/caption]

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Estimated deadline announced The space company SpaceX said it could launch the second flight test of its Starship rocket as early as mid-November 2023. However, the company is still awaiting approval from US regulatory authorities. [caption id="attachment_80030" align="aligncenter" width="780"] SpaceX[/caption] SpaceX revealed the tentative launch date on its website on Friday, November 3, 2023, days after the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) completed a safety review focused on the launch's potential impacts on public health and property.  SpaceX is ready to send a huge 122-meter Starship rocket into orbit The FAA's report was part of a broader assessment needed before SpaceX can conduct another test flight. The first attempt was unsuccessful, it took place on April 20, 2023. Then the Starship upper stage failed to separate from the Super Heavy launch vehicle as planned. SpaceX sent a command to self-destruct the ship a few minutes after launch. The incredibly powerful rocket even damaged the orbital launcher at Starbase and made a large crater in the concrete.  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is still consulting with the FAA on the Endangered Species Act. The Environmental Protection Agency has 135 days to issue a revised opinion, but the permit will likely be issued much sooner. 

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The first stage of the rocket has already landed on a platform in the Atlantic Ocean On Friday, space company SpaceX broke its own record for rocket reuse. A Falcon 9 rocket launched 23 Starlink internet satellites into orbit from the Kennedy Space Center's launch pad at Cape Canaveral in Florida. [caption id="attachment_79823" align="aligncenter" width="780"] SpaceX[/caption] The launch took place at 20:37 US East Coast time (03:37 Moscow time) on November 3, 2023. [caption id="attachment_79825" align="aligncenter" width="420"] SpaceX[/caption] Record launch: the 18th launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was successful According to the mission description on the SpaceX website, this was the unprecedented 18th launch of the first stage of a Falcon 9. https://youtu.be/Lq5DbACBmXo The launch was successful and the company has already reported the deployment of 23 Starlink satellites in orbit. Meanwhile, the first stage of the launch vehicle successfully landed on an autonomous floating platform called A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean several hundred kilometers off the coast of Florida. [caption id="attachment_79828" align="aligncenter" width="780"] SpaceX[/caption]

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SpaceX is actively preparing to launch a second test flight of Starship, building the latest prototype model, and continues to work with the Federal Aviation Administration to obtain launch approval. Starbase on the Gulf Coast has completed preparations for the second test flight of Starship, which SpaceX hopes to launch soon. “Starship is fully assembled as the team prepares for the launch rehearsal. We continue to work with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to obtain launch approval,” SpaceX wrote on Monday on the X social network, which also posted photos of the process of preparing and installing Starship at Starbase. [caption id="attachment_70286" align="aligncenter" width="650"] SpaceX[/caption] [caption id="attachment_70287" align="aligncenter" width="780"] SpaceX[/caption] [caption id="attachment_70288" align="aligncenter" width="780"] SpaceX[/caption] One step closer to Mars: SpaceX aims for a second Starship test flight. The US Federal Aviation Administration recently completed its investigation into Starship's first test flight, which took place on April 20. The purpose of this flight was to send the upper stage of the Starship around the Earth, landing in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii. However, shortly after liftoff, problems occurred and the separation of the two stages failed, and SpaceX deliberately destroyed the prototype over the Gulf of Mexico. Elon Musk said that the new Starship is ready for launch from a technical point of view - in particular, SpaceX engineers have successfully tested the Raptor engines on both stages. When fully assembled, Starship stands nearly 122 meters tall. It is the largest and most powerful rocket ever built, with much more thrust than NASA's famous Saturn V moon rocket. Both Starship stages are designed to be reusable, which Musk believes is the breakthrough needed to make settlement on Mars economically feasible.

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It acts as a Bragg mirror Astronomers will now see fewer SpaceX satellites when observing the sky. After years of scientists complaining about the high reflectivity of the company's constellation of Internet satellites, SpaceX has begun using a new "mirror film" that diffuses light from Earth. Last week, SpaceX launched 22 new Starlink V2 satellites on a Falcon 9 rocket, demonstrating the new mirror coating for the first time. A previously published video shows a highly reflective dielectric mirror film covering satellites. It seems counterintuitive that adding a mirror coating to satellites would make them less visible from the ground, but that's exactly what Starlink claims. SpaceX unveils 'mirror film' to hide Starlink satellites from astronomers [caption id="attachment_57266" align="aligncenter" width="780"] SpaceX[/caption] SpaceX says it has been working for the past few years on this film, which acts as a Bragg mirror, also known as a distributed Bragg reflector. It consists of several layers of plastic with different refractive indices. This creates interference patterns that scatter light but transmit radio waves. SpaceX also coated parts of the satellites with low-reflective black paint to absorb light. SpaceX designed the Starlink satellites to be cheap and easy to replace, but the more visible versions to astronomers will remain in orbit for years. Some existing satellites have "canopies" to reduce reflectivity, but SpaceX was never happy with this solution because it increased atmospheric drag after launch. Starlink is currently the only satellite megaconstellation, but other companies such as Amazon are planning to launch their own versions.