Waspie_Dwarf Posted April 26, 2018 #1 Share Posted April 26, 2018 SpaceX set to debut Falcon 9 rocket upgrades with launch next week Quote SpaceX technicians at Cape Canaveral are readying for the first launch of an upgraded Falcon 9 rocket configuration next week, a mission that will debut changes to make the launcher safer for astronauts and make it easier — and less expensive — for the company to reuse first stage boosters. The launch, currently planned for May 4 during a launch window that opens at 4 p.m. EDT (2000 GMT), will loft the European-built Bangabandhu 1 communications satellite for Bangladesh. Read More: Spaceflight Now 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waspie_Dwarf Posted May 9, 2018 Author #2 Share Posted May 9, 2018 First launch of enhanced version of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 set for Thursday Quote The launch of Bangladesh’s first communications satellite on top of a new version of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket is set for Thursday, officials said Monday, after a data review following a hold-down engine firing last week. SpaceX confirmed the target launch date in a tweet Monday, and the launch window Thursday opens at 4:12 p.m. EDT (2012 GMT) and extends until 6:22 p.m. EDT (2222 GMT). Read More: Spaceflight Now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waspie_Dwarf Posted May 12, 2018 Author #3 Share Posted May 12, 2018 SpaceX debuts new model of the Falcon 9 rocket designed for astronauts Quote SpaceX debuted a more reusable, higher-thrust model of the Falcon 9 rocket Friday, hauling Bangladesh’s first communications satellite into orbit from Florida’s Space Coast. The successful launch propelled SpaceX closer to launching astronauts for NASA, which will fly on the same “Block 5” model of the Falcon 9 rocket that flew Friday. Musk said the enhanced launch vehicle will also be easier to reuse, moving toward the California-based space transport company’s ambitious mission of drastically cutting launch costs and building settlements on other worlds. Read More: Spaceflight Now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waspie_Dwarf Posted May 12, 2018 Author #4 Share Posted May 12, 2018 Musk details Block 5 improvements to Falcon 9 Quote WASHINGTON — SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk on May 10 went into detail on modifications made to the latest version of the Falcon 9, including redesigning a pressure vessel implicated in the rocket’s 2016 pre-launch explosion. In a briefing with reporters hours before the scrubbed launch of the first Block 5 Falcon 9 rocket, Musk said the Block 5 is designed to be “the most reliable rocket ever built.” Read More: Space News Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waspie_Dwarf Posted May 12, 2018 Author #5 Share Posted May 12, 2018 SpaceX targeting 24-hour turnaround in 2019, full reusability still in the works Quote WASHINGTON — SpaceX has set an ambitious goal for 2019: using the same Falcon 9 booster to conduct two launches in 24 hours. Such a feat would require more than just the rapid turnaround of Falcon 9’s reusable first-stage booster. It would also require a rapid turnaround of Air Force range support and some speedy payload integration — assuming SpaceX doesn’t want to launch an empty fairing second time around. But Elon Musk, SpaceX’s founder and chief executive, has never been shy about setting bold goals. Read More: Space News Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pallidin Posted May 12, 2018 #6 Share Posted May 12, 2018 Watched the launch (Internet stream) after the 1 day delay... beautiful!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glorybebe Posted May 13, 2018 #7 Share Posted May 13, 2018 Amazing technology! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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