#spacex-launches

[baronfulmen]

GREAT WORK MISTER MUSK!

Yeah you don't need a flame diverter. Fuck that shit. Oh, for anyone that doesn't know what the super wise Elon Musk is talking about here when you have a MASSIVE rocket shooting out so much fire that it lifts itself into space that energy needs to go somewhere.

Here's a good demonstration:

Anyway, Elon is smart! He bought a degree in engineering or something because it's more efficient than actually going to college and learning things!

So he knows he doesn't need that shit.

Oh.

Okay so there was a teeeeeny little bit of damage. That doesn't look too bad. Wait are those stairs on the left? They are. Okay so there's a kinda big crater.

Wait.

Where did two stories worth of stuff go?

Well, here's a video of shit flying up and almost destroying the rocket, watch from about +0.06 to +0.09 to see enormous concrete chunks making it halfway up the booster.

Also it was raining concrete nearby. So uh. That's cool.

Great job Elon. Amazing work.

[without-ado]

SpaceX's Super Heavy Booster Catch (x)

[gemini-enthusiast]

January 16th, 2025 will go down in history as a pretty eventful day in space flight, I think. Beginning with the successful first orbital launch of New Glenn before failing to land the booster, the afternoon showcased SpaceX's second Super Heavy booster catch and the RUD of their first Block 2 upper stage. A day rich with incident.

[spaceexp]

Launch cost decrease in the past decade, thanks to SpaceX.

[penultimatestalematewithdeath]

The weirdest thing about the SpaceX Starship failure is that it brings a lot of the craziness of aerospace into the public eye so people are focusing on unusual parts of the failure. Like please make fun of this launch, it’s hilarious and Musk sucks, but like. Why it was bad is more complex than just “it blew up” (even tho that’s kinda fun to poke fun at still).

Rapid unscheduled disassembly really kinda is a industry term (which is hilarious). Rockets are expected to blow up on first launch (which is kinda fucked). The fact that the rocket cleared the pad and made MAX-Q means that yes, it technically was a success (expectations are still that low for first launches lol. NASA Artemis SLS not blowing up earlier this year was honestly surprising).

Destroying your launch pad as part of the launch however?? Much less normal, much more bad than having boosters lose directional control causing a self-destruct. It causes WAY more unplanned money loss and damage to surroundings, and it’s not a “oops something went wrong” failure; it’s a “this will happen every time unless you change things” failure. Which. Means it’s really preventable. And should not happen. (And also loses Musk a lot more money than the expected loss of the rocket lol). Rocket explosion is more flashy, but that crater needs to be brought way more into the spotlight.

[theofficialastronomy101]

Space X engine test failure end up being one of the loudest booms in US history. It not only blew out glass miles away but it set off dozens of car alarms over 5 miles away.

[karlrincon]

Starship and Super Heavy are ready at the launch pad in Starbase, Texas. Targeting Saturday, November 18.

X Starship’s second integrated flight test → spacex.com/launches

[itsfullofstars]

[edwhiteandblue]

January 7, 2018 — SpaceX launches the military USA-280 "Zuma" satellite

Zuma was a classified satellite that launched onboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral. Allegedly, the spacecraft never made it to orbit and either burned up during reentry or fell into the ocean with its payload adapter, but the US government has never publicly stated Zuma's fate.

Read more about the "phantom" Zuma satellite here!

image credit: SpaceX

[lonestarflight]

Launch of SpaceX's Starship and rapid unplanned disassembly today.

Watched it live this morning and when I saw this.

I had a feeling it wasn't going to make it.

Date: April 20, 2023

source

[spacenutspod]

Astronomy Daily - The Podcast: S03E204 Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your go-to source for the latest in space and Astronomy news. I'm your host, Anna, and today we dive into an array of intriguing updates, from Uranus's mysterious magnetic field to groundbreaking space missions and celestial phenomena. Highlights: - Uranus's Magnetic Field Revelation: Delve into the recent discovery that reshapes our understanding of Uranus’s magnetic field. Discover how a rare solar wind event during Voyager 2’s 1986 flyby compressed the planet's magnetosphere, altering our perceptions and suggesting that its moons, Titania and Oberon, may be more shielded than previously thought. - Fast Radio Bursts Origin Unveiled: Explore the breakthrough in identifying the origins of fast radio bursts (FRBs), with new research linking these phenomena to magnetars in large active galaxies. Understand the role of binary star systems and heavy elements in the formation of these cosmic occurrences. - SpaceX's Launch Marathon: Get ready for a week packed with SpaceX launches, including multiple Starlink missions and the Optus X satellite. Learn about China's significant launches, including a resupply mission to the Tiangong Space Station. - Solar Polar Vortices Discovery: Discover the potential existence of polar vortices on the Sun, controlled by magnetic fields rather than atmospheric conditions. This research could revolutionize our understanding of solar behavior and aid in space weather forecasting. - Gravitational Waves from White Dwarfs: Learn about the unexpected prediction that the upcoming LISA mission could detect gravitational waves from white dwarfs, providing a new way to study stellar evolution in distant galaxies. - Congressional Hearing on UAPs: Tune into the upcoming congressional hearing examining UAP research programs, aiming for greater transparency on these phenomena. Hear from expert witnesses, including Luis Elizondo and Tim Gallaudet. For more cosmic updates, visit our website at astronomydaily.io. Sign up for our free Daily newsletter to stay informed on all things space. Join our community on social media by searching for #AstroDailyPod on Facebook, X, YouTubeMusic, Tumblr, and TikTok. Share your thoughts and connect with fellow space enthusiasts. Thank you for tuning in. This is Anna signing off. Until next time, keep looking up and stay curious about the wonders of our universe. Sponsor Links: NordVPN - www.bitesz.com/nordvpn - Secure your internet browsing with up to 74% off! Old Glory - www.bitesz.com/oldglory - Now with official NASA Merch!

[catsonsynthesizersinspace]

[without-ado]

SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch l Lori Grace l June 2024

[gemini-enthusiast]

SpaceX booster recovery operations spotted in Port Canaveral. I've seen some of their ships flitting around before, but this is the first time I've caught a booster around - if you look closely, there's actually a second laying on its side too.

If you're ever visiting KSC and have a spare moment to go off the beaten space path, I'd really recommend getting down to Port Canaveral. This particular area, known as the Cove, has a lot of public parking and restaurants with a view of the water and of the port operations. Lot of tourists in the area for cruises but a great place to spot rockets after recovery.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

[blueiscoool]

SpaceX Launches Starship Rocket Into Space on 3rd Test Flight

SpaceX's Starship megarocket, the world's largest and most powerful rocket, reached orbital speed for the first time Thursday in a historic third test flight from South Texas.

Hundreds of Spring Break spectators, rocket launch chasers and SpaceX fans gathered along the southern shores of South Padre Island and surrounding areas to witness the third test flight of the biggest rocket ever built. About 5 miles (8 kilometers) south of the crowds, SpaceX's massive Starship vehicle lifted off this morning (March 14) at 9:25 a.m. EDT (1325 GMT) from the company's manufacturing and test launch facilities near Boca Chica Beach.

"Starship reached orbital velocity," SpaceX founder Elon Musk announced on X (formerly Twitter) after liftoff. "Congratulations SpaceX team!!" The launch occurred on the 22nd anniversary of SpaceX's founding in 2002, the company said.

Neither the Starship vehicle nor its Super Heavy booster survived all the way through to their intended splashdown, but SpaceX officials said the test flight achieved several of its key goals during the flight.