Posted on 07/03/2024 11:17:46 AM PDT by Red Badger
June 29 (UPI) -- SpaceX launched spy satellites for the United States from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Friday night.
The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4 East at the opening of a two-hour window, 8:14 p.m. PDT.
The United States' National Reconnaissance Office described the classified mission as "the second launch of NRO's proliferated architecture, delivering critical space-based ISR [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance] to the nation."
A little more than eight minutes after liftoff, the booster landed on the droneship, Of Course I Still Love You, in the Pacific Ocean. It was the eighth launch and landing for this booster. Overall SpaceX has had 326th booster landings.
SpaceX ended its webcast after the Falcon 9 landing at the request of the NRO.
It was the 66th Falcon 9 mission of the year with 47 for SpaceX's Starlink broadband project in low Earth orbit.
The first Falcon 9 launch was 14 years ago -- pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
The first NRA spy mission launch was May 22.
"NRO systems are designed, built and operated by the NRO. As a matter of national security we do not discuss the companies associated with the building of our systems, our contractual relationships with them, their specific activities, or the locations where NRO systems are built," NRO said in a statement to Spaceflight Now.
326 reusable booster landings.
How many did NASA just drop in the ocean because they said it couldn’t be done?...............
I never tire of watching these things tail-land.
(Always considered as cheap Sci-Fi till Elon did it.)
None. SpaceX developed the Falcon 9/Heavy booster as a contractor to NASA. NASA developed the more or less reusable Space Shuttle before SpaceX even existed. Finally, reuse by powered landing probably couldn't have been done in the 1960s. Or '70s. Or '80s. Or '90s. IMO, it was done pretty much as soon as it was feasible.
On a different topic, of the 128 orbital launches to date this year, 81 have been American. 30 were Chinese. 8 were Russian. But America sux ... because groupthink said so.
Too bad we’ll never reach the stars or be able to travel within our own home galaxy using conventional rocket systems. We need all new type of spacecraft, propulsion/launch systems or other means to cross the void.
Maybe within the next 500 years we’ll be able to take man to velocities approaching light speed. Even then, it’s just too darn slow. These long waits suck.
Oh! The dreaded “Spy” satellites!
Too bad they didn’t launch “Reconnaissance” satellites instead.
SpaceX has been busy on both coasts already this month.
Space Exploration Private Spaceflight
SpaceX wants to build 1 Starship megarocket a day with new Starfactory
By Meredith Garofalo published June 8, 2024
“This will enable us to increase our production rate significantly as we build toward our long-term goal of producing one Ship per day.”
workers on scaffolding in hard hats next to a giant metal rocket
Workers next to a SpaceX Starship as the sun sets behind them ahead of a launch from SpaceX Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas on April 18, 2023. (Image credit: Patrick T. Fallon /AFP/Getty Images)
Sure, the test flight of the world’s most powerful rocket this week was nail-biting. But it was also a massive win for SpaceX with a successful fourth test for Starship.
The company’s goals for this test flight were accomplished as Starship’s first-stage booster, Super Heavy, made a soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico and the 165-foot tall (50 m) upper stage, referred to simply as Ship, made a controlled landing burn during reentry before landing in the Indian Ocean.
SpaceX now aims to build on the progress with its Starship program as continues work on Starfactory, a new manufacturing facility under construction at the company’s Starbase site in South Texas. As it looks to use Starship to eventually make humanity interplanetary, SpaceX has stated the ambitious goal of producing one new Starship rocket every single day at the new facility.
When we do it to them, it’s “reconnaissance”.
When they do it to us, it’s “spying”.
Shows you who Big Media views as “us” and “them”.
We need to know what’s going on because we spread abortion and homosexuality everywhere so people hate us. Not like the old days when they were envious.
Maybe within the next 500 years
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Maybe within the next 50 years
As it looks to use Starship to eventually make humanity interplanetary
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But its too heavy and getting heavier. Not a good choice for interplanetary travel, unless its nuclear powered.
Starship needs constant refueling from prepositioned fuel rockets, which makes it needlessly complicated, fault prone, and expensive.
Or maybe already...
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