Cool little recap of yesterday's flight.

<blockquote class="reddit-embed-bq" style="height:500px" data-embed-height="500"> <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/aviation/comments/14n627p/vss_unity_flying_an_italian_air_force_crew_on/">VSS Unity flying an Italian Air Force crew on Virgin Galactic's first operational mission yesterday</a><br> by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/675longtail">u/675longtail</a> in <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/aviation/">aviation</a> </blockquote><script async="" src="https://embed.reddit.com/widgets.js" charset="UTF-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ship 25 completes a six-engine static fire test at Starbase in Texas <a href="https://t.co/wCCrh0RRNA">pic.twitter.com/wCCrh0RRNA</a></p>&mdash; SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1673509777819967488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Some great shots of Tuesday's static fire of SN25.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Additional views from yesterday’s Ship 25 static fire <a href="https://t.co/dwdVETLJsV">pic.twitter.com/dwdVETLJsV</a></p>&mdash; SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1673808523497721856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/BDjXS0Qjhk">pic.twitter.com/BDjXS0Qjhk</a></p>&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1673587083267518465?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The second orbital test flight should be coming along soon!


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">🇺🇸🧹<br><br>-<a href="https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NASASpaceflight</a> <a href="https://t.co/RaB7ZM9IW0">pic.twitter.com/RaB7ZM9IW0</a></p>&mdash; Nic Ansuini (@NicAnsuini) <a href="https://twitter.com/NicAnsuini/status/1675254679884689409?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Happy Independence Day weekend, y'all!

A real Fairchild 𝑢A741 opamp date code 6920A (May, 1969). These were used on the Apollo 11 mission. Note the large metallization area which is the 30 pF internal compensation capacitor. This device was designed by Dave Fullagar and was probably released in 1968.


https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...opamp_6920.jpg

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nlOkUBSS1LY" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

And there's a FH launch scheduled next week:


EchoStar 24 (Jupiter 3)
Launch Time
Wed Jul 26, 2023 9:04 PM MDT

EchoStar 24 (Jupiter 3) will be the heaviest geostationary satellite ever launched, at just over 9 metric tons.

It has been busy AF down here in Boca Chica. Non-stop activity. Updates from two of the best channels that cover Starbase:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eDEQZXW7EEw" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/B_i97rasIe4" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Hopefully EchoStar's payload doesn't prove to be a waste of hundreds of millions of dollars, as ViaSat's was after their own recent Falcon Heavy Launch.

Northrup Grumman effed up big time on that ViaSat-3 satellite reflector:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HILMJqNfgFU" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Insurers brace for ViaSat-3 claim

Quote:

https://i0.wp.com/spacenews.com/wp-c...g?w=4096&ssl=1 A rendering of a ViaSat-3 satellite, the first of which launched April 30, 2023 on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy and suffered an "unexpected event" post launch that has prevented the deployment of the broadband satellite's large reflector antenna. Credit: Viasat

ViaSat and EchoStar relying on SpaceX to launch their previous gen alternatives to Starlink is pretty funny though. Cost for a Falcon Heavy launch is about $100MM. ViaSat-3 was a fully expendable Falcon Heavy launch, while the upcoming EchoStar 24/Jupiter-3 launch will expend the booster only (the side boosters are set to be reused).

"God help us. We're in the hands of engineers."

https://64.media.tumblr.com/3f0b544c...8Wj1rf2nv9.gif


<iframe width="768" height="432" src="https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/2c93361f-486a-4940-acfb-51fa92c72539/embed?autoplay=false" title="getyarn.io" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

With the current breakneck rate of progress (S25 and B9 testing, and implementation of the new deluge system for the Orbital Launch Mount) it feels like Orbital Flight Test #2 is probably right around the corner. i.e. Within 30-60 days perhaps. The one wild card is probably the FAA/environmental lawsuit situation. But I suspect Elon Musk has all his bases covered there, too.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_krgcofiM6M" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VC99B-FHg6Y" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I'd like to catch one of these Starship launches from Rocket Ranch's observation site, which is about as close as you can get...

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XW9nMG82vjw" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

...aside from a questionable-at-best viewing location on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uJlu7dmVc8c" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Falcon Heavy launch tonight 10 pm CT.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cJ_CJtncLBU" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Approximately eight minutes after launch, Falcon Heavy&#39;s side boosters will return to Earth and land on Landing Zones 1 and 2 <a href="https://t.co/rI1Cv9EBzy">pic.twitter.com/rI1Cv9EBzy</a></p>&mdash; SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1683576125765844995?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 24, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Orbital launch no. 112 of 2023 🇺🇲🚀🛰️<br><br>Jupiter 3 | SpaceX | July 27 | 0304 UTC<a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpaceX</a> to launch the with 9.2 tons heaviest geo stationary com🛰️<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EchoStar24?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EchoStar24</a> aka <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Jupiter3?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Jupiter3</a> on its <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FalconHeavy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FalconHeavy</a>🚀 from LC-39A, Cape Canaveral.<br>It is the 7th flight of a Falcon Heavy🚀 from LC-39A and… <a href="https://t.co/yHJrTCoosN">pic.twitter.com/yHJrTCoosN</a></p>&mdash; Space Intelligence (@SpaceIntel101) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceIntel101/status/1684168237242626048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 26, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

FH launch in 10 minutes!

Or not.

Scrubbed.

Has this thing launched recently or ever? Seems it's gotten scrubbed a ton.