** The Official Space Flight Thread - The Space Station and Beyond **

[Cosimo]

I am all of the dumb, lol, Thanks! Why Sat? is the fix taking longer than expected or other reasons?

SpaceX said that the schedule to make a Friday launch and complete all technical reviews that are needed would be too tight so it's Saturday.

 

[Combat squirrel]

SpaceX said that the schedule to make a Friday launch and complete all technical reviews that are needed would be too tight so it's Saturday.

Ahh cool thanks for the update Cosimo, this thread is awesome & thanks for keeping it updated

 

[Glaucus]

Exciting stuff, but have to wait till near end of year

In an "Ask Me Anything" session on Reddit Monday evening (Jan. 5), Musk told readers that the details of his Mars Colonial Transporter would be unveiled by the end of the year, and that the plan would be different from the Dragon capsules and Falcon 9 rockets SpaceX is flying today.

"The Mars transport system will be a completely new architecture," Musk wrote in the Reddit AMA. "Am hoping to present that towards the end of this year. Good thing we didn't do it sooner, as we have learned a huge amount from Falcon and Dragon." [SpaceX's Plan for Mars & Reusable Rockets (Video)]






The goal will be to send 100 metric tons (110 tons) of "useful payload," he added. "This obviously requires a very big spaceship and booster system," Musk said.

This year, SpaceX will also reveal plans for spacesuits that will meet both design aesthetics and utility requirements, Musk noted. Although he did not specify where the spacesuits would be used, it is possible that they could form the basis for future Mars exploration.

 

[Cosimo]

 

[Cosimo]

Fueling of the Falcon 9 rocket is about to get underway.

 

[Cosimo]

Weather is 90% go launch.

 

[Cosimo]

Launch at 09:47 GMT is live here:

http://www.ustream.tv/nasahdtv

http://www.spacex.com/webcast/

http://www.livestream.com/spaceflightnow

 

[Glaucus]

13mins to go
Zero issues
Due to ISS, it's a 1 second launch window.
If it has to be scrubbed, then Tuesday is next launch date.

They scared me earlier, woke up put stream on to an exploding rocket. Just Antares replay.

 

[Cosimo]

We have GO for launch.

 

[darkgen]

What's the actual mission? Several orbits and then an attempted landing on that floating platform? (The idea is that the landing vehicle auto tracts onto a moving floating platform?!)

Oh hang on. this is cargo run to the ISS , doh. I thought it was the DragonV2 test launch. Oops.

 

[Glaucus]

It's a resupply mission to the ISS,
It's the first stage they will try to recover,(big booster that ignites at launch), which will do a suborbital flight.
The dragon payload will berth with the ISS in ~2 days.

 

[StriderX]

6-7 minutes

 

[darkgen]

Yeah I actually bothered to read the mission statement and realised my error! That launch pad looks so flimsy in comparison to NASA's towers at Kennedy.

 

[Glaucus]

60seconds

 

[Cosimo]

Go Go GO

 

[Glaucus]

Lift off.

Wonder if they'll show anything from recovery attempt live, or like usual about a week latter.

 

[darkgen]

Magnificent! (shame they decided to do in pitch darkness so all we can see is a tail!)

 

[Cosimo]

 

[Glaucus]

That's a new transmission statement.

"Landing platform has received acquisition signal"

 

[darkgen]

wow that booster cone is white hot!

The landing delivery mechanism is what I'm really interested in. Hope they show it.