Posted on 04/19/2023 9:37:38 AM PDT by Red Badger
A vapor trail forms as SpaceX launches 53 Starlink Satellites from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 24. SpaceX plans to put 21 more satellites into space on Wednesday. File Photo by Joe Marino/UPI | License Photo April 19 (UPI) -- SpaceX successfully launched 21 second-generation Starlink satellites into orbit on a blue sky day in Florida that went off with few problems Wednesday.
The flight took off at around 10:31 a.m. after a handful of delays but once it left the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station everything appeared to go routinely well. That included the return of the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket onto the "Shortfall of Gravitas" drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.
The flight allowed SpaceX to continue to populate low-Earth orbit with its Internet-enabling devices.
VIDEO AT LINK..............
The batch of second-generation satellites was deployed after some of the first-generation Starlink satellites deorbited sooner than originally planned. The improved satellites will eventually make up the bulk of the Starlink fleet around Earth at an altitude of 332 miles.
SpaceX had originally planned to send a batch of full-sized v2 satellites into space on its Starship rocket, the company's largest yet, but the rocket is still in its testing stages, with its latest trial flight postponed on Monday after a pressurization issue. It is now scheduled for Thursday.
The smaller "mini v2" satellites still feature a majority of the improvements over the previous v1.5 satellites. SpaceX has more than 4,000 Starlink satellites orbiting the Earth but has plans to greatly increase that total. The space company has the approval to put as many as 12,000 more Starlink craft into orbit.
The Starlink satellites were created to deliver broadband Internet service to remote or underserved locations around the world. Some scientists, though, have complained that so many satellites could prevent other science space observations.
SpaceX has been launching the Starlink satellites at a rapid pace. On March 24, it put 56 satellites into space. The company has also built an impressive winning streak in its landing of the first stage.
SpaceX will make its second attempt of the Super Heavy Starship test fought Thursday morning from its facility in Boca Chica, Texas.
When you have nearly unlimited billions of taxpayers' dollars to spend getting the astronauts to the Moon before the Russians, recycling isn't even on the board..................
Now, Let’s see if SpaceX can launch the Starship/BFR tomorrow morning. It’ll be something if it can get off the ground ..and not explode.
Regarding reusability, I think you’re being a bit unfair to NASA. They were, in fact, thinking about reusability in the 1970s, and built the space shuttle. Every part of it was supposed to be reusable in some sense. The orbiters and SRB were supposed to fly again, the external fuel tanks were supposed to be used as construction materials on orbit. It never quite lived up to its promise for a host of reasons, related to the reasons aviation pioneers Octave Chanute and Otto Lillienthal weren’t the first to achieve powered heavier than air flight: Technology wasn’t quite advanced enough yet. The Wrights needed a light, powerful engine. SpaceX needs small, powerful computers.
Elon Musk stands on the shoulders of giants, just as Orville and Wilbur did. I’m pretty sure he knows this.
If it does explode, Musk will build a new one and launch it in a couple months. The speed at which they operate is mind-boggling.
I saw a string of those satellites on my way home after work around 5-5:30 AM a few weeks ago. Looked like a glowing line headed east in the black sky. Pretty cool.
I’ll be watching from 8:30-9:30 CST for that launch.
“Thousands of satellites going into orbit to watch and record our every move and Internet message.”
I’m sending this message to the wearer of a thick tinfoil hat named: Gnome1949 from my Starlink wireless internet.
Be VERY afraid!
“Thousands of satellites going into orbit to watch and record our every move and Internet message.”
As if that hasn’t been going on since W’s Patriot Act, and in earnest for the last 10 years. Musk is behind the curve on spying.
Now, if our cruise ship whill be connected to Starlink internet before February, I’m good.
The lesson learned from the space shuttle is that it is not a good idea to build a spacecraft that looks like an airplane. 250,000 lbs to orbit, 200,000 lbs back. I think after the moon landings, NASA turned into just another government bureaucracy. It has become worse with the SLS. Many if not most of the major components are space shuttle hardware, and yet it was still over budget and behind schedule. I have a feeling the SpaceX going to beat them back to the moon.
The space shuttle program did produce some good hardware. All the engines used on the recent Artemis mission were used space shuttle engines.
You’ll never have a career writing headlines or clickbait with that attitude, mister.
Madam, I'm pretty sure the Mayflower didn't have an internet connection...
Go ahead, announce your ignorance.
“No Spaceplanes” is one reasonable lesson to learn from the STS program. It’s not a universal, but it is a good general lesson. See the USAF (or is it USSF) X-37 for a counter-example. Another good lesson is “Protect Your Heatshield”. Also “Tell the Ecofreaks to Fcck Themselves”.
SLS is a horrible kludge. The blame for this lies solely with Congress, which insisted on reusing STS parts and technology. So here’s another lesson: “Don’t Let Politicians do Engineering”.
As for who gets to Luna next: I will be watching tomorrow’s Starship launch attempt with great interest.
LOL!
Musk himself has stated that in order for humans to be (potentially) saved from A.I., we will need to “merge with A.I.”
The StarLINK-NeuraLINK “merger” must come first as it will be the backbone of the A.I. control grid. Because coincidentally, the technology that will “save us from A.I.” - also just happens to be identical to the technology that will allow both micro and macro control of human behavior...everywhere on earth, 24/7/365.
Yup - I'm seeing fiber trucks all of a sudden myself. I was on an 18-month Starlink waiting list when the box came. I thought, no way it could live up to billing. It surpassed it. Totally worth the wait.
I wonder how many diversity hires they have working on the SLS. I think if they had to design new engines from scratch, they would be lucky to get to the moon before Elon Musk gets to Mars.
I think they probably had to build the space shuttle just to show how bad an idea it was. Maybe someday, new engines, new fuels, new materials. But right now I think SpaceX is on the right path. I will be watching tomorrow, too!
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