Posted on 07/05/2017 4:02:06 PM PDT by Robert A Cook PE
First tried on Sunday and Monday were automatically aborted at T-10 seconds, we shall see if this one goes.
Launch Window starts at 7:37 pm, lasts one hour.
No recovery, the payload fuel weight is too much.
Same reports about time, no reports of problems from the SpaceX website.
I’m there. Ready to launch.
Looks good!
From Daytona Beach, the missile track went right across the moon. Noise from the launch just got up here at 7:41.
Impressive view.
The Stage 1 recoveries got so interesting that I have almost stopped caring about the primary missions...!
Looked good on the stream, in a bit they’ll show the deploy
We heard three distinct rumbles up here. Echoes of the launch reverbing from the atmosphere layers?
Amazing!
Just like the underwater cameras monitoring the capping of the Deepwater Horizon blowout, the SpaceX camera took us right along for the ride, looking out the tail section of the second stage, peering right past the engine thruster cone...red hot, looking back at the Earth.
The engine is now shut down, coasting in orbit until the reach Africa in about 20 minutes, where they will re-start the burn, to dial-in the final deployment parameters.
Kind of like thunder I guess.
I was watching through binoculars. That sucker really accelerates.
About 30 seconds til restart.
These are the last few updates from the link up above.
Looks good.
07/05/2017 20:11
Spacecraft engineers are expected to be able to confirm the health of the newly-launched Intelsat 35e satellite in about 40 minutes during a pass over a ground station in South Korea.
07/05/2017 20:10
Intelsat 35e separation! The new Boeing-built satellite for mobile phone, television and data services has deployed from the Falcon 9 rocket’s second stage.
07/05/2017 20:09
A ground station in Hartebeesthoek, South Africa, is now tracking the rocket.
07/05/2017 20:07
Deployment of the 14,905-pound (6,761-kilogram) Intelsat 35e satellite is coming up at T+plus 32 minutes, 1 second.
07/05/2017 20:06
SpaceX confirms the second stage engine has shut down and achieved a “good orbit for payload deploy.”
And to think that it took Magellen’s crew three years to “orbit” the earth by sea.
For those in Florida it looks like the rocket made a large noctilucent cloud. It’s blown quite a bit to the west. It should be visible for hundreds of miles.
They said the first stage was "expendable" and would not be recycled. But what about the second stage, is it still in orbit, or will it be brought back and landed?
They are looking into that, but the returns are less. And the technology would be enormous. It would have to have a heat shield.
Once up higher (much faster horizontal velocity) after the second stage burn, you’d have use a lot more fuel to stop, then turn around and land the second stage motor and second stage tank assembly and add a landing leg assembly. That would add a lot of weight to the first stage nine engines and their fuel. Don’t think you’d gain much to save one engine ....
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