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SpaceX Boosts Malaysian Satellite Into Orbit
Soychemist writes "On the same day that yet another shuttle launch was postponed, SpaceX successfully carried a Malaysian satellite, RazakSAT, into orbit. This is the second successful launch in a row for Elon Musk's space exploration startup. Later this year the company will launch its larger Falcon 9 rocket, which could be used to carry cargo to the International Space Station. RazakSAT was designed by ATSB and carries a high resolution camera. If it is intact, the satellite will take photographs of Earth that could be used to better manage natural resources."
Adds xp65: "The satellite was separated from the Falcon 1 about 48 minutes after liftoff at 3:35 GMT (11:35 pm EDT). The orbit is 685 km and 9 degrees inclination. Launch was delayed several times due to a faulty helium valve on the ground and bad weather at the launch site at Kwajalein. This was the fifth flight of the Falcon 1 rocket, with the last two flights being succesful. Later this year the inaugural flight of the larger Falcon 9 rocket is planned from Cape Canaveral."
RazakSAT!
Well, how 'bout that?
Truly a moment to savor.
In the lee of the Earth she's a hairy boar,
But by light she's a hell of a shaver.
Burma Shave
Get thee glass eyes, and, like a scurvy politician, seem to see things thou dost not.--King Lear
Let's start a commercial space station. First, connect a module to the ISS. Then, when those idiots plan to burn it down in 2016 via re-entry, disconnect it and start a new space station with that single module.
Excellent! Go, Space-X!
http://www.geoffreylandis.com
The Wired article also embeds the complete launch video.
Yes, I know, its good to make fun of NASA and its shuttle program.
I guess it doesn't take long for the public to remember that the space shuttle carries humans and thus is subject to a completely different set of requirements. Loose a Malaysian satellite - who cares, they are insured (BTW the insurance rate is of course based in part on the success/failure rate).
Not to mention the shuttle is in a completely different payload class, and more importantly, it is used with hundreds of thousands of miles on the air frame.
From the bottom of the article "Now 0-for-3, SpaceXâ(TM)s Elon Musk Vows to Make Orbit". While the shuttle has had its failures, its record is slightly better.
Yes, Soychemist, you are an ass.
TODO: create/find/steal funny sig.
In a blow to the domestic economy, American defense contractors have re-adjusted their bids. In light of new competition, next generation shuttle toilet seats will now only cost US$20,000. It's all Elon's fault.
Let's start a commercial space station. First, connect a module to the ISS. Then, when those idiots plan to burn it down in 2016 via re-entry, disconnect it and start a new space station with that single module.
The Space Shuttle external tanks are the close to the size of a 747 hull and have to make it to orbit with the Shuttle. (Otherwise it would run out of fuel!) Also, they contain hydrogen and O2, which evaporate completely, leaving an empty, non-toxic hull capable of supporting atmospheric pressures. Lots of people have proposed using them as the basis of really large space stations.
http://www.freemars.org/studies/torus/ettoru2.html
Wow, that video of the launch was awesome! There's still stuff that can make my jaw drop. Its a testament to the technical prowess of the USA and the engineers working at SpaceX, this really is the future. On a side note, with more commerical players sucessfully entering the low earth orbit launch business, space junk pollution will come a real big problem in the next decade. Time to launch a space garbage truck!
Awww... a cute environment angle. All science stores have to have them now I guess.
You jest, but I work in satellite remote sensing -- and all the research funding is for environmental monitoring and geoscience (and it always has been, since the 1970s or thereabouts). The primary mission for these sorts of payloads is, in fact, environmental monitoring. Nothing cute about it.
Pirate Party UK
What we need is a bootstrap launch of Project Orion. Use the nuke propulsion to orbit the steel plates, shock absorbers and what-not needed to build a score of Orions in orbit. Then in short order we could have a fully equipped lunar base; a real space station in Earth orbit; and Orions heading out to Mars and the asteroid belt.
All it would take is one, or at the most two launches from Earth using the cleanest 20 kiloton bombs we can devise, and we could be on our way to building a generation ship to explore the nearest planet bearing stars.
"I improvise. It's my greatest talent. I prefer situations to plans..." --Wintermute, William Gibson's "Neuromancer"
...but all those private space programs got a huge boost from the decades of NASA doing experiments in the first place.
To the point where I think even nowaday, nobody would care to even think about investing in space exploration.
Any sufficiently advanced intelligence is indistinguishable from stupidity.
From the Wired article:
Before that breakthrough, the company lost a Malaysian satellite deployment system along with the ashes of actor James Doohan, who played Scotty on Star Trek, and an inexpensive NASA satellite.
That's what I get for not reading every day.
Ya know, the best way to 'manage' natural resources is to leave them the fuck alone
Excellent idea. So, you're suggesting that all of the humans in the world are rounded up into spots on the planet that do not have natural resources (like, dirt, plants, or water - you know, resources), and have them stand perfectly still until they die. Of course, 6 billion rotting corpses will impact the local natural resources... hmmm. Maybe make some sort of oven or something to cook them all in, and the very last person who's daring to breath (and use up those natural oxygen resouces!) can make sure that the carbon sequestration is working right before killing himself, too. But, man... where to operate all of those disposal facilities? Whaddya do with billions of people?
Yeah, that would be a bit dramatic, wouldn't it. I know... let's force sterilization on everyone that doesn't see things exactly your way, and then you can be free of any further ethical fussiness. Well, except that the ones you keep alive (who will continue to insist on doing things like drinking water, urinating, and eating stuff that grows in the dirt) may actually give birth to some kids that, again, won't see things your way. You'll have to decide how to dispose of them, too.
Oh, and don't forget the ants. They are forever re-arranging the local natural resources. Piling up dirt over here, moving organic debris from one place to another, respirating... the nerve! And beavers. Don't forget the beavers. You're going to have to decide how you're going to certify specific beavers as being sufficiently thoughtful about what streams they back up, which local grasses and small mammals they drown, and which beautiful trees they knock down just so they can have a snack and build a new house - one that's no doubt a big, rodent version of an evil McMansion. The beavers that aren't towing the line? Kill 'em. Likewise with birds that pluck the wrong grasses out when making nests. Birds are notorious for not keeping Earth Mother Gaia first and foremost in their minds when they reproduce, poop on things, and eat seeds that could be making new plants. The bastards.
Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
Here you go little troll... have some food.
Milestones. "licks finger, chalks imaginary blackboard"
Way to go, SpaceX. Kudos to the team.
SB
It's old. The more humans I meet, the more I like my cats. At least they are honest.
>> On the same day that yet another shuttle launch was postponed...
So, the private sector can now control the weather? Storms in Florida are keeping the Shuttle on the pad this week. If Elon Musk was launching a vehicle with people and it was storming at the launch site, he'd postpone, too. Go ask him what would happen to his fortune if he launched his first manned vehicle on a stormy day and lost the crew.
In terms of manned flight, the private sector is 40 years behind.
-- Slashdot: When Public Access TV Says "No"
You jest, but I work in satellite remote sensing -- and all the research funding is for environmental monitoring and geoscience (and it always has been, since the 1970s or thereabouts). The primary mission for these sorts of payloads is, in fact, environmental monitoring. Nothing cute about it.
Uuum, I disagree. Forgive me if I am picking nits, but I too work in the space industry (namely launch analysis and verification). I work very closely with ULA to help ensure that a given payload will make it to orbit. To state that all research funding in general or in remote sensing specifically comes from environmental monitoring is simply false. Granted, a lot of geosci and enviro-sats are developed and launched. However, the U.S. government funds a ton of research in this area for detecting certain occurrences that are not of an environmental science nature. These are most commonly referred to as spy satellites and there are plenty of examples of them on orbit right now.
Aside from payloads that monitor military operations, the government also develops a lot of proof of concept payloads and launches. The is also quite a bit of R&D funding dumped into satellites and remote sensing by private companies for all sorts of things; such as testing a new communication method's ability to throughput a certain type of remote sensing data. In fact some of this research even comes at the university level for nothing more than a, "Let's do this cool proof-of-concept work to help industry and give our students experience" reason.
To say that satellite remote sensing is ALL funded for environmental monitoring is just plain false. (Don't forget that the name 'satellite' does not imply Earth orbits, any spacecraft that orbits another body is also a satellite and these include LRO, Cassini, The Mars Recon. Orbiter, and Venus Express. Each of these satellites are also remote sensing satellites used for applications other than simple environmental monitoring).
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so are they gonna reuse the first stage? did they put a parachute on it this time, unlike last time?