SpaceX, Blue Origin, Virigin Galactic and other Private Space Companies Thread

[Cyber Liberty]

Scrubbed for today....

[Elderberry]

“FAA is basically giving SpaceX a hard time with the licensing because of the engine swap, it is technically a new vehicle. “

[Elderberry]

Relayed from Musk:

FAA Space Division has a fundamentally broken regulatory structure.

Their rules are set up for a handful of expendable rocket launches per year from a few governmental facilities.

Under those rules humanity will never get to Mars.

[Elderberry]

The FAA is under new management and has determined this launch could be progress for The United States and therefore must be stopped until China can surpass our technology.

[Cyber Liberty]

Did Musk really want to test SN9 in 20 MPH winds?

Yes, maybe Biden's FAA decided to go into full bureaucratic CYA mode, too, but I'm not sure about the true cause of today's mission scrub. 

[Elderberry]

The wind is currently 15mph. It would surely be more calm around 3 or 4. I can't believe that wind was an issue.

[Cyber Liberty]

The wind is currently 15mph. It would surely be more calm around 3 or 4. I can't believe that wind was an issue.

From what I saw at the video, it was the FAA's call, and I thought it was because of the wind... 

[Elderberry]

No comment about why the FAA shut down the test.

Elon Musk
@elonmusk
·
1h
Unlike its aircraft division, which is fine, the FAA space division has a fundamentally broken regulatory structure.

Their rules are meant for a handful of expendable launches per year from a few government facilities. Under those rules, humanity will never get to Mars.

[Elderberry]

SN9 is Venting.

[Elderberry]

 T-0 is now roughly estimated to be in 30 to 45 minutes. No official SpaceX link.

[Elderberry]

Engine Chill.

Launch can be any moment.

[Elderberry]

Statement from FAA just now.

 re the SpaceX SN9 flight

"We will continue working with SpaceX  to resolve outstanding Safety Issues before we approve next test flight."

[Elderberry]

Another plane approaching the launch site.  Make that multiple planes.

[Cyber Liberty]

Engine Chill.

Launch can be any moment.

What?

[Cyber Liberty]

If it gets launched, will we be treated to these announcers giggling like little kids this time?  Sounds like the same guys.

[Elderberry]

Currently aircraft in area hold.

[Elderberry]

FAA is now saying  SpaceX's license indicates IF there was an  an anomaly either on the SN8 flight or the SN9 tip over it must be disclosed otherwise no Flying.

[Cyber Liberty]

FAA is now saying  SpaceX's license indicates IF there was an  an anomaly either on the SN8 flight or the SN9 tip over it must be disclosed otherwise no Flying.

Meanwhile, it appears the FAA pulled the NOTAM...otherwise there would be no encroaching flights.

[Elderberry]

Detanking.

[Idiot]

Detanking.

Ughhhh!!!  I watched all day.  Dang bureaucrats!

[Elderberry]

SpaceX, Elon Musk clash with the FAA over Starship launch license delays

TESLARATI by Eric Ralph 1/28/2021

https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-faa-clash-starship-launch-license-delays/

In a bizarre series of events, SpaceX and CEO Elon Musk spent the day visibly clashing with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) over Starship launch licensing delays.

Just six weeks ago, Starship serial number 8 (SN8) nearly aced the SpaceX’s first FAA-approved high-altitude launch debut out of South Texas, demonstrating the rocket’s ability to safely launch to high altitudes and return back to earth. Though a pressurization issue ultimately caused SN8 to lose thrust and impact the ground before it could gently touch down, the Starship made it a full six and a half minutes into a roughly seven-minute test flight before anything went wrong – a degree of success far greater than almost anyone at SpaceX confidently expected.

In the leadup to a bizarre last-minute abort of what may or may not have been Starship SN9’s first real launch attempt, Musk had some strong words for the FAA’s space division, deeming its regulatory structure “fundamentally broken” and a regime under which “humanity will never get to Mars.” Not long after that and in the midst of a great deal of uncertainty and mixed messages about the status of the rocket’s FAA launch license, SpaceX appeared to begin loading Starship SN9 with liquid oxygen and methane propellant.

Because a launch flow is virtually indistinguishable – aside from paperwork – from the process of preparing a Starship for a wet dress rehearsal (WDR) or Raptor engine static fire, it’s impossible to know if SpaceX was attempting to hedge its bets or simply taking advantage of established readiness to perform additional ground tests.

incredibly weird given that SN9 is a virtually identical copy of Starship SN8, which the FAA approved to fly an identical trajectory like six weeks ago. https://t.co/DQCxYdA5rV
— Eric Ralph (@13ericralph31) January 28, 2021

It was pretty clear they didn't have FAA authorization. My assumption is that SpaceX expected to obtain it at some point today.
— Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) January 28, 2021

According to vague but official comments from the FAA provided to Washington Post reporter Christian Davenport, the licensing issue “is related to SN9,” which could imply a vehicle hardware or software issue but could just as easily be true for almost anything even tangentially related to the launch (range, ground systems, politics, semi-arbitrary risk analysis, etc).

Ultimately, perhaps just a minute or less away from a possible static fire or launch, SpaceX aborted Starship SN9’s mysterious January 28th test and gradually detanked the rocket over the next few hours.

[Cyber Liberty]

I think the FAA was trying to make some last minute hay over the "Ilene" incident....

[Idiot]

I think the FAA was trying to make some last minute hay over the "Ilene" incident....

I think it's because Musk criticized the tech stock darlings and this was payback.

[Elderberry]

No FAA approval yet. Launch window Today closes at 2PM.

[catfish1957]

I think it's because Musk criticized the tech stock darlings and this was payback.

My thoughts too.  Strange all the sudden, FAA wants to get involved.

[Elderberry]

NOTAM : 1/8562
 
FDC 1/8562 ZHU TX..AIRSPACE BROWNSVILLE, TX..TEMPORARY FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS WI AN AREA BOUNDED BY 260124N/0970742W TO 255818N/0970742W TO 255818N/0971108W TO 260124N/0971108W TO POINT OF ORIGIN SFC-7200FT TO PROVIDE A SAFE ENVIROMENT FOR SPACE OPS PURSUANT TO 14 CFR SECTION 91.143. SPACEX ARE AUTH IN THE AIRSPACE. SPACEX TEL 310-363-5421 IS IN CHARGE OF THE OPS. HOUSTON /ZHU/ ARTCC TEL 281-230-5560 IS THE FAA CDN FACILITY. 2101291200-2101300600

[Elderberry]

Mary
@BocaChicaGal
I have been informed that I may return home to Boca Chica Village. No Starship SN9 flight attempt today. #WenHop continues.
Fire
Rocket
Fire

@NASASpaceflight

[Idiot]

Mary
@BocaChicaGal
I have been informed that I may return home to Boca Chica Village. No Starship SN9 flight attempt today. #WenHop continues.
Fire
Rocket
Fire

@NASASpaceflight

Can't believe they won't let them fly.  There's something really bad going on behind the scenes. 

[Cyber Liberty]

NOTAM : 1/8562
 
FDC 1/8562 ZHU TX..AIRSPACE BROWNSVILLE, TX..TEMPORARY FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS WI AN AREA BOUNDED BY 260124N/0970742W TO 255818N/0970742W TO 255818N/0971108W TO 260124N/0971108W TO POINT OF ORIGIN SFC-7200FT TO PROVIDE A SAFE ENVIROMENT FOR SPACE OPS PURSUANT TO 14 CFR SECTION 91.143. SPACEX ARE AUTH IN THE AIRSPACE. SPACEX TEL 310-363-5421 IS IN CHARGE OF THE OPS. HOUSTON /ZHU/ ARTCC TEL 281-230-5560 IS THE FAA CDN FACILITY. 2101291200-2101300600

"SPACEX ARE AUTH IN THE AIRSPACE."

So are they authorized by the FAA, or not?

[Elderberry]

"SPACEX ARE AUTH IN THE AIRSPACE."

So are they authorized by the FAA, or not?

No. Still awaiting final FAA go-ahead.

[Cyber Liberty]

No. Still awaiting final FAA go-ahead.

No point in watching Nerdle then.  Won't be today, not tomorrow and probably not 2/1 either.  Musk got on Biteme's shitlist over the Gamestop fiasco.

[Idiot]

No point in watching Nerdle then.  Won't be today, not tomorrow and probably not 2/1 either.  Musk got on Biteme's shitlist over the Gamestop fiasco.

[Elderberry]

FAA reviews delay SpaceX Starship test

Space News by Jeff Foust — January 29, 2021

https://spacenews.com/faa-reviews-delay-spacex-starship-test/

A test flight of SpaceX’s Starship launch vehicle is on hold as the company awaits approval from the Federal Aviation Administration, a delay that has publicly aggravated the company’s chief executive.

SpaceX had planned to perform a suborbital flight of its Starship SN9 vehicle at its Boca Chica, Texas, test site Jan. 28. The vehicle would have made a flight similar to that by the SN8 vehicle Dec. 9, this time going to an altitude of 10 kilometers before landing back at Boca Chica.

However, temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) closing airspace around the test site were unexpectedly lifted around the middle of the day, even as SpaceX was preparing the vehicle for the flight. A source familiar with the discussions between the FAA and SpaceX said that the agency requested additional information about the vehicle and flight plan before giving final approval.

SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk berated the FAA for the delay. “Unlike its aircraft division, which is fine, the FAA space division has a fundamentally broken regulatory structure,” he tweeted. “Their rules are meant for a handful of expendable launches per year from a few government facilities. Under those rules, humanity will never get to Mars.”

The company proceeded with launch preparations Jan. 28, leaving some to wonder if the company might perform a launch without a TFR in place or other FAA approvals. That turned out to be a wet dress rehearsal, with the vehicle fueled but the countdown halted before engine ignition.

A second launch attempt Jan. 29 did not get nearly as far. An FAA air traffic advisory early in the day stated that the launch had been canceled, although the TFR remained in place. By midmorning, though, SpaceX said it was now targeting no earlier than Feb. 1 for the SN9 launch.

Neither SpaceX nor FAA have disclosed additional details about the issue preventing FAA approval for the launch. “We will continue working with SpaceX to resolve outstanding safety issues before we approve the next test flight,” FAA spokesperson Steven Kuhn told SpaceNews Jan. 29.

“The FAA will continue to work with SpaceX to evaluate additional information provided by the company as part of its application to modify its launch license,” the FAA said in a statemente late Jan.

[Idiot]

What a beautiful sight seeing SN9 (Eileen) and SN10 (Bo (Derek)) on the launch pads.

[Elderberry]

[GtHawk]

What a beautiful sight seeing SN9 (Eileen) and SN10 (Bo (Derek)) on the launch pads.

Well there is no arguing, that's a nice pair!

[Elderberry]

Elon Musk blasted the FAA for canceling a Starship test flight as the agency reportedly probes launch license violation

Business Insider by Morgan McFall-Johnsen Jan 30, 2021

https://www.businessinsider.in/science/news/elon-musk-blasted-the-faa-for-canceling-a-starship-test-launch-but-the-agency-said-outstanding-safety-issues-were-at-play/articleshow/80541998.cms

•   SpaceX was ready to attempt a Starship rocket test flight on Thursday, but it couldn't get clearance from the FAA.

•   Elon Musk criticized the agency on Twitter, saying that with its rules "humanity will never get to Mars," but the FAA told Insider it was working with SpaceX to "resolve outstanding safety issues."

•   On Friday, The Verge reported the hold-up may be related to the first high-altitude Starship flight, which ended in an explosion and may have violated SpaceX's launch license.

SpaceX was ready to launch its latest prototype of its Starship rocket about six miles into the air on Thursday.

That is, until the Federal Aviation Administration stepped in.

The rocket sat on the launchpad at the company's facilities in Boca Chica, Texas, ready for workers to remotely load propellant into its fuel tanks. Local roads were also closed to make way for any explosions, and the company even posted an announcement about the flight on its website. All that SpaceX needed was approval from the FAA.

But the FAA pulled its airspace closure - a requirement for launch - triggering a public complaint by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk against the regulatory agency.

The holdup may be related to the SN8 explosion and a license violation

In a new FAA statement emailed to Insider on Friday, the agency disclosed that it is still evaluating modifications to SpaceX's launch license. That seems to be why it wasn't ready to approve the SN9 flight this week. "The FAA will continue to work with SpaceX to evaluate additional information provided by the company as part of its application to modify its launch license," an FAA spokesperson said in the statement. "While we recognize the importance of moving quickly to foster growth and innovation in commercial space, the FAA will not compromise its responsibility to protect public safety. We will approve the modification only after we are satisfied that SpaceX has taken the necessary steps to comply with regulatory requirements."

It's unclear what those modifications are, but based on the new statement, Nield suspects the holdup has something to do with anomalies (like an explosive landing) during the launch of the previous prototype, SN8. SpaceX may not have provided the FAA with a satisfactory report on the incident. It could also be an amendment to the quantity of propellant or the thrust of the engines, he said.

[Elderberry]

LabPadre
@LabPadre
Someone has skills. In front of the @PearlSouthPadre
. #SpaceX #BocaChica #Texas #Starship

[Elderberry]

[catfish1957]

LabPadre
@LabPadre
Someone has skills. In front of the @PearlSouthPadre
. #SpaceX #BocaChica #Texas #Starship

FAA agents are on their way to investigate.   

[Elderberry]

Sea Launch Zenit 3SL Failure - NSS-8 - Multi-view Footage (Previously unseen)

NASA Spaceflight

Now that Sea Launch - albeit under Russian control - is expected to see the Oddessy Launch Platform make a come back with the Soyuz 7, we've dug up these clips from the depth of NSF L2 and edited together a video. The only videos on youtube show the first 10 seconds and Sea Launch's live webcast at the time cutting to its logo seconds after the failure. Our video shows the uncut version and some clips from the cameras both on Oddessy and Sea Commander, provided exclusively to NSF.

The event: On 30 January 2007, a Zenit-3SL lost thrust almost immediately after liftoff - caused by debris in the turbopump. The payload was NSS-8 communications satellite for SES New Skies.

Sea Launch recovered and launched again, but later went out of business. After being mothballed in Long Beach, the platform will be used by the Russian Soyuz 7 rocket.


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[Elderberry]

Watch live today: bluShift Aerospace to launch 1st biofuel rocket from Maine

Space.com
https://www.space.com/17933-nasa-television-webcasts-live-space-tv.html

Update for 1 p.m. EST: bluShift Aerospace's is now targeting a launch of Stardust 1.0 between 2:30-3:00 p.m. EST (1930-2000 GMT).

The small-satellite launch startup bluShift Aerospace will attempt its first Stardust suborbital rocket launch from Maine Sunday (Jan. 31) and you can watch it live here. Liftoff is currently targeted for 10:45 a.m. EDT (1545 GMT). 

The Brunswick, Maine-based bluShift will attempt to launch its Stardust 1.0 suborbital rocket up to a 1 mile high from a runway on the decommissioned Loring Air Force Base (now the Loring Commerce Centre) in Limestone, Maine. The rocket can carry about 17 lbs. (8 kilograms) on this launch, and is carrying three primary payloads on this flight.

Liftoff is scheduled during a one-hour window that opens at 10 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT). This is the second attempt by bluShift to launch the Stardust 1.0. An earlier attempt on Jan. 15 was thwarted by bad weather.

More at link.


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[Elderberry]

 SpaceX Starship SN9 10-Kilometer Flight Live Stream - Take 4 - FAA approval: Check

 What about it!?

SpaceX is trying it again. This time with Starship SN9 and this time with a new header tank pressurization system and the goal of sticking the landing!

FAA seems to have given the OK! Fingers crossed!


Error 404 (Not Found)!!1

[catfish1957]

FAA seems to have given the OK! Fingers crossed!

Now if OSHA, EPA, or DOT shows up.........

[Cyber Liberty]

Now if OSHA, EPA, or DOT shows up.........

I heard the Food Inspectors are sniffing around...

[Elderberry]

SN9 Launch Time "EST" 25 Minutes per LabPadre

Launch Time pushed out. now 40 Minutes???????

Changed Again. Now Launch ETA  2PM CST

[Elderberry]

Estimated Launch Time:  T-16 minutes  for Launch around 2:24CST

[Elderberry]

Space Force officially ends launch partnerships with Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman

Space News by Sandra Erwin — January 26, 2021

https://spacenews.com/space-force-officially-ends-launch-partnerships-with-blue-origin-and-northrop-grumman/

From October 2018 through December 2020, Blue Origin was paid $255.5 million and Northrop Grumman got $531.7 million.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Force on Dec. 31 officially terminated launch technology partnerships signed in October 2018 with Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman.

The Air Force awarded Launch Service Agreements to Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman and United Launch Alliance. These were six-year public-private partnerships where both the government and the contractors agreed to invest in rocket development and infrastructure required to compete in the National Security Space Launch program.

The plan from day one was to discontinue the LSAs with companies that did not win a National Security Space Launch procurement contract. Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman lost to ULA and SpaceX, which were selected in August 2020. The Space and Missile Systems Center confirmed in a statement to SpaceNews that the LSAs with Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman ended in Dec. 31, 2020.

From October 2018 through December 2020, Blue Origin was paid $255.5 million. The original six-year agreement was worth $500 million. Northrop Grumman got $531.7 million over that same period, nearly two-thirds of the total value of the LSA which was $792 million.

[Elderberry]

LANDING - Starship SN9 10 km High Altitude Test Flight


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[Idiot]

LANDING - Starship SN9 10 km High Altitude Test Flight


Error 404 (Not Found)!!1

Beautiful flight...too bad the second raptor engine didn't relight apparently.