Do you get special permission to be that close?

Best view of the precision gimballing I've seen:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I keep re-watching this and can&#39;t believe my eyes... This is fucking insane!<br><br>Congratulations <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpaceX</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@elonmusk</a> �� <a href="https://t.co/OKnO9tYmMf">pic.twitter.com/OKnO9tYmMf</a></p>&mdash; Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrEliDavid/status/1845446512584626586?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Yes. I was with my wife and her SpaceX colleagues on premises SpaceX owns (and have constructed employee river houses along the Rio Grande).

Although, there are also other spots right there accessible to the public for a ticket fee. For example:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark" data-cards="hidden" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mission successful! Congratulations <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpaceX</a> 🚀 <a href="https://t.co/sDugj1SBeE">pic.twitter.com/sDugj1SBeE</a></p>&mdash; Rocket Ranch StarBase (@RocketRanchTX) <a href="https://twitter.com/RocketRanchTX/status/1845461060209324205?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GZxlCe6X...jpg&name=large
https://x.com/RocketRanchTX

Awesome! Congrats!!!

:thumb:

When the adrenaline wears off at some point this morning, it will be nap time. And then party time back at Starbase this evening. It should be a rager for the history books after this show!

Holy shit they nailed it

AWESOME!!!

This is insane!!! Look at the precision:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The precision of the catch… ��<br><br>��: SpaceX highlights reel <a href="https://t.co/SfY7nTl4yi">pic.twitter.com/SfY7nTl4yi</a></p>&mdash; Everything SpaceX (@spacex360) <a href="https://twitter.com/spacex360/status/1845465175471583389?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Wow, that doesn't even seem possible. But they pulled it off!

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark" data-cards="hidden" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Unreal video from my grandpa’s friend of the catch. <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpaceX</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@elonmusk</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SpaceX</a> <a href="https://t.co/7VS7T2Ff98">pic.twitter.com/7VS7T2Ff98</a></p>&mdash; Cosmo (@Cosmo_556) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cosmo_556/status/1845554958604657051?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Unreal video from my grandpa’s friend of the catch. <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpaceX</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@elonmusk</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SpaceX</a> <a href="https://t.co/7VS7T2Ff98">pic.twitter.com/7VS7T2Ff98</a></p>&mdash; Cosmo (@Cosmo_556) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cosmo_556/status/1845554958604657051?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

https://media1.tenor.com/m/JwgZTCuFd...ked-puppet.gif

Your wife works for SpaceX? Do you ever get to see her?

There is a—um, period—each month that Elon no longer requires her services.

Otherwise, I’m relegated to the cuck chair.

(Just kidding). She works a fair amount but it ain’t that bad. Days and nights like today make it pretty special.

https://i.postimg.cc/wBXc49jB/IMG-3704.jpg

How did you get the C word through filters? Teach me master

Are you willing to dress the part? :hmmm:

https://i.makeagif.com/media/12-15-2015/ZbASDu.gif

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark" data-cards="hidden" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Watch Falcon Heavy launch <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NASA</a> &#39;s Europa Clipper spacecraft on an interplanetary trajectory to Jupiter’s moon Europa using a Mars and Earth gravity assist <a href="https://t.co/SqUPErXsGa">https://t.co/SqUPErXsGa</a></p>&mdash; SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1845842385194147876?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 14, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lQToTWKwtuw?si=nBeXAAZV0FTsDCxJ" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

No dual side booster landing from falcon heavy today. Every last bit of fuel/propulsion is needed to get clipper to its required orbit to achieve earth gravity assist.

We're spoiled with the visuals SpaceX gets from Starlink. What do you mean we don't have a steady 4K stream from deep space? :deevee:

Separation confirmed! This has to be SpaceX's highest-profile launch yet, right? Or at least I can't remember anything anywhere close to a $5 BILLION cost before.

AOS!

A distant glimpse of the party at Starbase last night:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark" data-cards="hidden" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mechazilla party in the High Bay!<a href="https://t.co/e3xbqPnwZ5">https://t.co/e3xbqPnwZ5</a> <a href="https://t.co/ejHpVev5Il">pic.twitter.com/ejHpVev5Il</a></p>&mdash; Chris Bergin - NSF (@NASASpaceflight) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1845686431462617374?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 14, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mechazilla party in the High Bay!<a href="https://t.co/e3xbqPnwZ5">https://t.co/e3xbqPnwZ5</a> <a href="https://t.co/ejHpVev5Il">pic.twitter.com/ejHpVev5Il</a></p>&mdash; Chris Bergin - NSF (@NASASpaceflight) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1845686431462617374?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 14, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Not exactly "hungover" today. But tired AF!

NASA's Europa Clipper Spacecraft Launch.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ux5KMw1Bk6Q?si=1aYcJy3ruI-M9UTi" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Europa Clipper will perform follow-up studies to those made by the Galileo spacecraft during its eight years (1995–2003) in Jupiter orbit, which indicated the existence of a subsurface ocean underneath Europa's ice crust. Plans to send a spacecraft to Europa were initially conceived with projects such as Europa Orbiter and Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter, in which a spacecraft would be injected into orbit around Europa. However, due to the adverse effects of radiation from Jupiter's magnetosphere in Europa orbit, it was decided that it would be safer to inject a spacecraft into an elliptical orbit around Jupiter and make 44 close flybys of the moon instead. The mission began as a joint investigation between the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), and was built with a scientific payload of nine instruments contributed by JPL, APL, Southwest Research Institute, University of Texas at Austin, Arizona State University and University of Colorado Boulder. Europa Clipper complements ESA's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, launched in 2023, which will fly-by Europa twice and Callisto multiple times before moving into orbit around Ganymede.

Europa Clipper was launched on October 14, 2024, aboard a Falcon Heavy rocket in a fully expended configuration. The spacecraft will use gravity assists from Mars in February 2025 and Earth in December 2026, before arriving at Europa in April 2030.

The spacecraft is larger than any other used for previous NASA planetary missions.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/zEiq8i68lM">pic.twitter.com/zEiq8i68lM</a></p>&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1846157694492676169?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark" data-cards="hidden" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Spacex employees cheer and congratulate each other as they welcome booster home after it&#39;s first successful landing. A job well done. <a href="https://t.co/qlg85obbI1">pic.twitter.com/qlg85obbI1</a></p>&mdash; Anthony Gomez (@AnthonyFGomez) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnthonyFGomez/status/1846276114328834351?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Spacex employees cheer and congratulate each other as they welcome booster home after it&#39;s first successful landing. A job well done. <a href="https://t.co/qlg85obbI1">pic.twitter.com/qlg85obbI1</a></p>&mdash; Anthony Gomez (@AnthonyFGomez) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnthonyFGomez/status/1846276114328834351?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Super Heavy Booster 12 returns triumphantly to the Starbase production site!

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Onboard view showing a catch fitting on Super Heavy as it contacts a chopstick catch beam <a href="https://t.co/r1TVQEdITc">pic.twitter.com/r1TVQEdITc</a></p>&mdash; SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1845966756579627167?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 14, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

It's still crazy to me that they are able to orient it so precisely to catch on those little hooks.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dpxB1S-ohEU?si=ABxRiI0NAQIT7718&amp;start=1181" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

This footage is so damn good.

https://i.postimg.cc/xTs5tGPq/GJNg-Yu-YXEAAKTn.jpg

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Starship flip maneuver and landing burn on its fifth flight test. Vehicle improvements ensured flaps were protected from high heating, resulting in a controlled entry and high accuracy splashdown at the targeted area in the Indian Ocean <a href="https://t.co/nLIQLLVMv1">pic.twitter.com/nLIQLLVMv1</a></p>&mdash; SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1847368836947071496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Flight Test 6 is only about 4 weeksish away, if you can believe that!

Booster 13 static fire later today.

I thought it was being caught on the grid fins at first until I saw the view from the tower. That is not a large target.

Booster 13 Static Fire Test
 

Should be soon, pre-fire venting underway.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LP3m2L_hkA4?si=Aqqu0aQDfSoOoCKU" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

That'll buff out...

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BhGw5eDwoeA?si=exyYjt13IscBOcMT&amp;start=295" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark" data-cards="hidden" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Musk seems to be gaming while SpaceX staff brief him on Starship Flight 5. &quot;We were one second away from telling the rocket to abort... and try to crash into the ground next to the tower&quot; someone in the background says. <a href="https://t.co/WoFEFM6oRu">https://t.co/WoFEFM6oRu</a></p>&mdash; Joey Roulette (@joroulette) <a href="https://twitter.com/joroulette/status/1849917452202934572?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 25, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">T150 clear in 3:25. Too much time spent killing minions vs elites. Had &lt;3 min potential. <a href="https://t.co/oYRqqpVyGe">pic.twitter.com/oYRqqpVyGe</a></p>&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1849914261482652113?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 25, 2024</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">Yeah 😂</p>&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1849939578775572607?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 25, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yxv_kP5ci2k?rel=0" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen scrolling="no" allow="accelerometer; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share;"></iframe></div>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark" data-cards="hidden" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Starship’s fifth flight test was a seminal moment in iterating towards a fully and rapidly reusable launch system.<br> <br>Next up: the sixth flight test of Starship is targeted to launch as early as Monday, November 18 → <a href="https://t.co/oIFc3u9laE">https://t.co/oIFc3u9laE</a> <a href="https://t.co/5496ApNHkA">pic.twitter.com/5496ApNHkA</a></p>&mdash; SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1854230607603360190?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 6, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hI9HQfCAw64?si=v7I_VJ9apnvhHV51" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

The sixth flight test of Starship is targeted to launch as early as Monday, November 18.

A live webcast of the flight test will begin about 30 minutes before liftoff, which you can watch here and on X @SpaceX. You can also watch the webcast on the new X TV app. The 30-minute launch window will open at 4:00 p.m. CT. As is the case with all developmental testing, the schedule is dynamic and likely to change, so be sure to check in here and stay tuned to our X account for updates.

Starship’s fifth flight test was a seminal moment in iterating towards a fully and rapidly reusable launch system. On the first attempt, the Super Heavy booster successfully returned to the launch site and was caught by the chopstick arms of the launch and catch tower at Starbase. Starship’s upper stage went on to demonstrate several improvements, resulting in a controlled entry and high accuracy splashdown at the targeted area in the Indian Ocean.

The next Starship flight test aims to expand the envelope on ship and booster capabilities and get closer to bringing reuse of the entire system online. Objectives include the booster once again returning to the launch site for catch, reigniting a ship Raptor engine while in space, and testing a suite of heatshield experiments and maneuvering changes for ship reentry and descent over the Indian Ocean.

The success of the first catch attempt demonstrated the design feasibility while providing valuable data to continue improving hardware and software performance. Hardware upgrades for this flight add additional redundancy to booster propulsion systems, increase structural strength at key areas, and shorten the timeline to offload propellants from the booster following a successful catch. Mission designers also updated software controls and commit criteria for the booster’s launch and return.

Analogous to the fifth flight test, distinct vehicle and pad criteria must be met prior to a return and catch of the Super Heavy booster, which will require healthy systems on the booster and tower and a final manual command from the mission’s Flight Director. If this command is not sent prior to the completion of the boostback burn, or if automated health checks show unacceptable conditions with Super Heavy or the tower, the booster will default to a trajectory that takes it to a landing burn and soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. We accept no compromises when it comes to ensuring the safety of the public and our team, and the return will only take place if conditions are right.

The returning booster will slow down from supersonic speeds, resulting in audible sonic booms in the area around the landing zone. Generally, the only impact to those in the surrounding area of a sonic boom is the brief thunder-like noise with variables like weather and distance from the return site determining the magnitude experienced by observers.

Starship’s upper stage will fly the same suborbital trajectory as the previous flight test, with splashdown targeted in the Indian Ocean. An additional objective for this flight will be attempting an in-space burn using a single Raptor engine, further demonstrating the capabilities required to conduct a ship deorbit burn prior to orbital missions.

Several thermal protection experiments and operational changes will test the limits of Starship’s capabilities and generate flight data to inform plans for ship catch and reuse. The flight test will assess new secondary thermal protection materials and will have entire sections of heat shield tiles removed on either side of the ship in locations being studied for catch-enabling hardware on future vehicles. The ship also will intentionally fly at a higher angle of attack in the final phase of descent, purposefully stressing the limits of flap control to gain data on future landing profiles. Finally, adjusting the flight’s launch window to the late afternoon at Starbase will enable the ship to reenter over the Indian Ocean in daylight, providing better conditions for visual observations.

Future ships, starting with the vehicle planned for the seventh flight test, will fly with significant upgrades including redesigned forward flaps, larger propellant tanks, and the latest generation tiles and secondary thermal protection layers as we continue to iterate towards a fully reusable heat shield. Learnings from this and subsequent flight tests will continue to make the entire Starship system more reliable as we close in on full and rapid reusability.

Stopped by the Orbital Launch Mount a few minutes ago to see the full stack of Flight 6 Starship, after dinner and Old Fashioneds at Starbase.

https://i.postimg.cc/L6xvvDjJ/temp-Imagec3-Ar-Fk.avif

https://i.postimg.cc/3x61QwS7/temp-Imagea-M46by.avif

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Targeting Tuesday, November 19 for Starship’s sixth flight test. A 30-minute launch window opens at 4:00 p.m. CT → <a href="https://t.co/oIFc3u9laE">https://t.co/oIFc3u9laE</a> <a href="https://t.co/s3Rk8TWfen">pic.twitter.com/s3Rk8TWfen</a></p>&mdash; SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1857624156952735839?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Volunteered at the Laguna Madre Humane Society this morning. Located right next to the Lighthouse in Port Isabel. Beautiful, clear day—perfect for some distance views of the Flight 6 full stack across the bay (and the Rocket Garden/Production Site), from atop the lighthouse.

https://i.postimg.cc/nzp1YTW0/temp-Imagei-EBF1e.avif

https://i.postimg.cc/ZK2FDJg9/temp-Imagefmf-IKg.avif

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark" data-cards="hidden" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Watch Starship&#39;s sixth flight test → <a href="https://t.co/oIFc3u9laE">https://t.co/oIFc3u9laE</a> <a href="https://t.co/acpdO2brbP">https://t.co/acpdO2brbP</a></p>&mdash; SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1857841326542434339?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="1120"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Watch Starship&#39;s sixth flight test → <a href="https://t.co/oIFc3u9laE">https://t.co/oIFc3u9laE</a> <a href="https://t.co/acpdO2brbP">https://t.co/acpdO2brbP</a></p>&mdash; SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1857841326542434339?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark" data-cards="hidden" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here is the full talk from <a href="https://twitter.com/Gwynne_Shotwell?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Gwynne_Shotwell</a> at the Baron Capitol conference from yesterday!<br><br>03:50 - Mechazilla<br>08:54 - Regulatory struggles <br>11:51 - Starshield<br>18:00 - Why we need to make life multiplanetary <br>22:23 - SpaceX management <br>26:39 - Starlink<br>38:43 - Starlink on Mars… <a href="https://t.co/EzaacTMc4S">pic.twitter.com/EzaacTMc4S</a></p>&mdash; Robin (@xdNiBoR) <a href="https://twitter.com/xdNiBoR/status/1857866735698792646?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="840"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here is the full talk from <a href="https://twitter.com/Gwynne_Shotwell?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Gwynne_Shotwell</a> at the Baron Capitol conference from yesterday!<br><br>03:50 - Mechazilla<br>08:54 - Regulatory struggles <br>11:51 - Starshield<br>18:00 - Why we need to make life multiplanetary <br>22:23 - SpaceX management <br>26:39 - Starlink<br>38:43 - Starlink on Mars… <a href="https://t.co/EzaacTMc4S">pic.twitter.com/EzaacTMc4S</a></p>&mdash; Robin (@xdNiBoR) <a href="https://twitter.com/xdNiBoR/status/1857866735698792646?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Freaking OUTSTANDING! :thumb::thumb::thumb::thumb:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark" data-cards="hidden" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This is the top of Megabay at Starbase <a href="https://t.co/oLnH9oIqMS">https://t.co/oLnH9oIqMS</a></p>&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1858864184542269627?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 19, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Breathtaking view at SpaceX Starbase <a href="https://t.co/ZRJeu6xH8Q">pic.twitter.com/ZRJeu6xH8Q</a></p>&mdash; Dima Zeniuk (@DimaZeniuk) <a href="https://twitter.com/DimaZeniuk/status/1858800357582749831?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 19, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Nice of them to do this one in the middle of the day this time. I was getting tired of getting up at 5am. ROFL

After watching 1 through 5 from South Padre Island, Port Isabel, South Bay, and Starbase, Flight 6 will be my first I won’t be getting out for. But hope to catch it while taking my afternoon lunch hour at home. Will see how visible and audible it is from about 15ish miles away in town. Also, no more post-launch ragers at Starbase. Although there feels like a lot of excitement for this one (and the VIP attendee), feels like transition to routine Starship launches as the status quo is underway.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">All systems and weather are looking good for today&#39;s flight test of Starship.<br><br>The live launch webcast on <a href="https://twitter.com/X?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@X</a> will go live ~40 minutes before liftoff, which is targeted for 4:00 p.m. CT → <a href="https://t.co/1xyLhQKE2N">https://t.co/1xyLhQKE2N</a> <a href="https://t.co/lqy2CsL4vz">pic.twitter.com/lqy2CsL4vz</a></p>&mdash; SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1858894148914606196?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 19, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Bummer—no booster catch this time!

Wonder why the called off the catch?

Yeah, I'll be curious if they say anything about it. They said that the tower was good earlier, so presumably some sort of sensor on the booster said no.

I’m assuming we will find out fairly soon, SpaceX is very open with their information. By contrast, Blue Origin’s New Shepard failure causes still are not public.

Turned out Mechazilla was the culprit, after all.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ok, so <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SpaceX</a> have officially stated now that &quot;automated health checks of critical hardware on the launch and catch tower triggered an abort of the catch attempt&quot;.<br><br>There was no issue at this point with the booster. Terrific news. <a href="https://t.co/dNu8AFiubs">https://t.co/dNu8AFiubs</a> <a href="https://t.co/0F61xGkotu">pic.twitter.com/0F61xGkotu</a></p>&mdash; Marcus House (@MarcusHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarcusHouse/status/1859075598452445421?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 20, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Starship launch from <a href="https://twitter.com/iss?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ISS</a>. We happened to be overhead! <a href="https://t.co/SLRlLoRriv">pic.twitter.com/SLRlLoRriv</a></p>&mdash; Don Pettit (@astro_Pettit) <a href="https://twitter.com/astro_Pettit/status/1859574336186675524?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 21, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yP06FiJogt8?si=ihPSIXoIGa9ObhwS" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

NASA’s Voyager 1 Resumes Regular Operations After Communications Pause


NASA’s Voyager 1 has resumed regular operations following a pause in communication last month. The probe had unexpectedly turned off its primary radio transmitter, called an X-band transmitter, and turned on the much weaker S-band transmitter. Due to the spacecraft’s distance from Earth — about 15.4 billion miles (24.9 billion kilometers) — this switch prevented the mission team from downloading science data and information about the spacecraft’s engineering status.

For what it is worth one of my friends said he saw 20 UFOs last week.

They were probably drones.

Probably Starlink.

(Please try and keep this non-political. I know it is to some extent, but let's focus on the implications rather than shit-slinging.)

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I am delighted to nominate Jared Isaacman, an accomplished business leader, philanthropist, pilot, and astronaut, as Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Jared will drive NASA’s mission of discovery and inspiration, paving the way for…</p>&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1864358177728516252?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

I didn't see this coming at all. Jared is the guy behind the Inspiration4 and Polaris Dawn missions. He's a huge fan of spaceflight (and SpaceX in particular), so this pretty strongly suggests that SpaceX is going to have a lot of pull with NASA in the coming years. Crazy.

It's debatable whether it's a good thing to keep pushing more of NASA's resources toward the private sector, but there's no question that NASA has struggled under its own weight for a while (see: SLS). In general, I think Jared is a good guy - super smart, very motivated, and very passionate. I'm excited to see what he'll do.

And Jared's response:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I am honored to receive President Trump’s <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> nomination to serve as the next Administrator of NASA. Having been fortunate to see our amazing planet from space, I am passionate about America leading the most incredible adventure in human history.<br><br>On my last mission…</p>&mdash; Jared Isaacman (@rookisaacman) <a href="https://twitter.com/rookisaacman/status/1864346915183157636?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

SpaceX stock about to go ****ing bonkers with this incoming administration.

Not surprising considering how much money Musk threw into his campaign.

https://www.space.com/space-explorat...-the-iss-video

Another video from the ISS. So cool.

NASA update on Artemis in ~30 minutes

plus.nasa.gov/scheduled-video/nasa-artemis-campaign-leadership-news-conference/

Berger is my favorite space journalist, and I thought this article about Isaacman was really solid.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Who is Jared Isaacman? Why is his nomination as NASA administrator being welcomed in most quarters of the spaceflight community? And how might he shake up the space agency?<a href="https://t.co/J64y2o7nP3">https://t.co/J64y2o7nP3</a></p>&mdash; Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) <a href="https://twitter.com/SciGuySpace/status/1864750831167209530?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Sounds like it's "just" another delay. Not surprising, but I bet bigger changes are in store soon.

These two poor bastards are going to come down looking like Jack Nicholson at the end of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c30nze6e4geo

Nasa says that the astronauts stuck on the International Space Station will have to wait even longer to get home.

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were due to be back after just a week when they blasted off in June.

Their stay was extended to February next year because of technical issues with the experimental spacecraft, Starliner, built by Boeing.

Now - following a delay in launching a new capsule to the ISS - the pair won't be back until late March or possibly April.

Nasa said the delay posed no risk to the astronauts.

In a statement Nasa stated: "The International Space Station recently received two resupply flights in November and is well-stocked with everything the crew needs, including food, water, clothing, and oxygen. The resupply spacecraft also carried special items for the crew to celebrate the holidays aboard the orbital platform."

Id be livid if I were them. Also there is no way I'd be comfortable coming back on a god damn Boeing made spaceship.

Just to clarify, they're coming back on a SpaceX Dragon capsule (which is already on station). The delay is because the next crew rotation is waiting on their Dragon to be ready to fly. Ironically, it's delayed because they're building a new one rather than reusing an old one.

And as for being up there that long, I'm sure it's challenging in some ways, but this is literally what they built their careers on. They may never go to space again, so I bet they appreciate the time they have even if they miss being home at times.

At long last, it looks like BO is on the verge of launching New Glenn. No launch date yet, but it won't be long.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A successful hotfire of our fully integrated New Glenn launch vehicle at LC-36! The seven-engine hotfire lasted 24 seconds and marked the first time we operated the entire flight vehicle as an integrated system. Read more: <a href="https://t.co/2VEpDNsLs2">https://t.co/2VEpDNsLs2</a> <a href="https://t.co/G5ywBUfUmm">pic.twitter.com/G5ywBUfUmm</a></p>— Blue Origin (@blueorigin) <a href="https://twitter.com/blueorigin/status/1872827014278774846?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

SpaceX is getting ready to ring in the new year with a Starship launch from South Texas as soon as Jan. 10. CEO Elon Musk posted the date on his X social media site Monday, about two weeks after Federal Aviation Administration issued a launch license for the next test flight.

Although SpaceX founder Elon Musk is known for outspokenness and controversial comments on his social media site X, he has been relatively restrained when it comes to US space policy in recent years.

For example, he has rarely criticized NASA or its overall goal to return humans to the Moon through the Artemis Program. Rather, Musk, who has long preferred Mars as a destination for humans, has more or less been a team player when it comes to the space agency's lunar-focused plans.

This is understandable from a financial perspective, as SpaceX has contracts worth billions of dollars to not only build a Human Landing System as part of NASA's Artemis Program but also to supply food, cargo, and other logistics services to a planned Lunar Gateway in orbit around the Moon.

But privately, Musk has been critical of NASA's plans, suggesting that the Artemis Program has been moving too slowly and is too reliant on contractors who seek cost-plus government contracts and are less interested in delivering results.
Silent on policy no longer

During the last 10 days, Musk has begun airing some of these private thoughts publicly. On Christmas Day, for example, Musk wrote on X, "The Artemis architecture is extremely inefficient, as it is a jobs-maximizing program, not a results-maximizing program. Something entirely new is needed."

Then, on Thursday evening, he added this: "No, we’re going straight to Mars. The Moon is a distraction."

https://www.spacex.com/launches/miss...rship-flight-7

The seventh flight test of Starship is preparing to launch.

The upcoming flight test will launch a new generation ship with significant upgrades, attempt Starship’s first payload deployment test, fly multiple reentry experiments geared towards ship catch and reuse, and launch and return the Super Heavy booster.

A block of planned upgrades to the Starship upper stage will debut on this flight test, bringing major improvements to reliability and performance. The vehicle’s forward flaps have been reduced in size and shifted towards the vehicle tip and away from the heat shield, significantly reducing their exposure to reentry heating while simplifying the underlying mechanisms and protective tiling. Redesigns to the propulsion system, including a 25 percent increase in propellant volume, the vacuum jacketing of feedlines, a new fuel feedline system for the vehicle’s Raptor vacuum engines, and an improved propulsion avionics module controlling vehicle valves and reading sensors, all add additional vehicle performance and the ability to fly longer missions. The ship’s heat shield will also use the latest generation tiles and includes a backup layer to protect from missing or damaged tiles.

The vehicle’s avionics underwent a complete redesign, adding additional capability and redundancy for increasingly complex missions like propellant transfer and ship return to launch site. Avionics upgrades include a more powerful flight computer, integrated antennas which combine Starlink, GNSS, and backup RF communication functions into each unit, redesigned inertial navigation and star tracking sensors, integrated smart batteries and power units that distribute data and 2.7MW of power across the ship to 21 high-voltage actuators, and an increase to more than 30 vehicle cameras giving engineers insight into hardware performance across the vehicle during flight. With Starlink, the vehicle is capable of streaming more than 120 Mbps of real-time high-definition video and telemetry in every phase of flight, providing invaluable engineering data to rapidly iterate across all systems.

While in space, Starship will deploy 10 Starlink simulators, similar in size and weight to next-generation Starlink satellites as the first exercise of a satellite deploy mission. The Starlink simulators will be on the same suborbital trajectory as Starship, with splashdown targeted in the Indian Ocean. A relight of a single Raptor engine while in space is also planned.

The flight test will include several experiments focused on ship return to launch site and catch. On Starship’s upper stage, a significant number of tiles will be removed to stress-test vulnerable areas across the vehicle. Multiple metallic tile options, including one with active cooling, will test alternative materials for protecting Starship during reentry. On the sides of the vehicle, non-structural versions of ship catch fittings are installed to test the fittings’ thermal performance, along with a smoothed and tapered edge of the tile line to address hot spots observed during reentry on Starship’s sixth flight test. The ship’s reentry profile is being designed to intentionally stress the structural limits of the flaps while at the point of maximum entry dynamic pressure. Finally, several radar sensors will be tested on the tower chopsticks with the goal of increasing the accuracy when measuring distances between the chopsticks and a returning vehicle during catch.

The Super Heavy booster will utilize flight proven hardware for the first time, reusing a Raptor engine from the booster launched and returned on Starship’s fifth flight test. Hardware upgrades to the launch and catch tower will increase reliability for booster catch, including protections to the sensors on the tower chopsticks that were damaged at launch and resulted in the booster offshore divert on Starship’s previous flight test.

Distinct vehicle and pad criteria must be met prior to a return and catch of the Super Heavy booster, requiring healthy systems on the booster and tower and a final manual command from the mission’s Flight Director. If this command is not sent prior to the completion of the boostback burn, or if automated health checks show unacceptable conditions with Super Heavy or the tower, the booster will default to a trajectory that takes it to a landing burn and soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. We accept no compromises when it comes to ensuring the safety of the public and our team, and the return will only take place if conditions are right.

The returning booster will slow down from supersonic speeds, resulting in audible sonic booms in the area around the landing zone. Generally, the only impact to those in the surrounding area of a sonic boom is the brief thunder-like noise with variables like weather and distance from the return site determining the magnitude experienced by observers.

This new year will be transformational for Starship, with the goal of bringing reuse of the entire system online and flying increasingly ambitious missions as we iterate towards being able to send humans and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, and Mars.

This is neat to read. It's hard for us plebes to tell what changes between iterations, but it's clear that the answer is...a lot.

SpaceX announced today (Jan. 8) that it's targeting Monday (Jan. 13) for Flight 7 of Starship, the 400-foot-tall (122 meters), fully reusable megarocket designed to help humanity settle the moon and Mars.

Starship is scheduled to lift off Monday at 5 p.m. EST (2200 GMT) from Starbase, SpaceX's manufacturing and launch site in South Texas. You'll be able to watch the action live; the company will webcast the flight beginning about 35 minutes before liftoff.

New Glenn launch tonight! (Or tomorrow morning depending on how you look at it.) It'll be fascinating to see if everything goes to plan - it's fun to have something to compare against SpaceX's "move fast and break" stuff approach to development.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A timeline for the Blue Origin New Glenn launch, scheduled for Sunday between 1-4am EST. <a href="https://t.co/S5Oyp6NKx4">pic.twitter.com/S5Oyp6NKx4</a></p>&mdash; Jeff Foust (@jeff_foust) <a href="https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/1878087234420711726?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 11, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here’s a glimpse of the New Glenn-1 flight profile �� <a href="https://t.co/n6YbKgcgfc">pic.twitter.com/n6YbKgcgfc</a></p>&mdash; Blue Origin (@blueorigin) <a href="https://twitter.com/blueorigin/status/1878079517484265811?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 11, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

I think we just have to wait on the live stream to be posted, but it should show up here in theory:
https://www.youtube.com/@blueorigin

For the first flight, the booster has been given the nickname So You’re Telling Me There’s a Chance.

On the social media site X, Dave Limp, the chief executive of Blue Origin, explained: “Why? No one has landed a reusable booster on the first try. Yet, we’re going for it, and humbly submit having good confidence in landing it. But like I said a couple of weeks ago, if we don’t, we’ll learn and keep trying until we do.”

Apparent webcast location:

https://www.blueorigin.com/missions/ng-1

It'd be great if this launch goes well. I think only the first stage booster is meant to be reusable for now.

Delayed another day.

https://x.com/blueorigin/status/1878...z2Q0wPXHQ&s=19