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West To East Coast: SpaceX Ready For Extreme Multitasking

Posted by timothy on from the all-in-the-same-gang dept.

astroengine writes Breaking new ground is nothing new for SpaceX, but how about launch and landing operations on opposite sides of the country at the same time? A poor weather forecast in Florida prompted SpaceX to pass on a second launch opportunity Monday to put the Deep Space Climate Observatory into orbit. The first launch attempt on Sunday was called off with two minutes to spare because of a glitch with a ground-based radar system needed to track the Falcon 9 rocket in flight. The launch of the spacecraft, nicknamed DSCOVR, is now pegged for 6:05 p.m. EST Tuesday, which overlaps with the return flight of a Dragon cargo ship from the International Space Station.

23 comments

  1. I wondered about this by mykepredko · · Score: 2

    I *think* this is the first time ever any space organization has launched and recovered a spacecraft in the same day. Coupled with the operations going on at two different coasts, it's a pretty impressive performance when you think about it.

    It certainly demonstrates a lot of depth to the SpaceX organization.

    Kudos to Elon Musk, who, as many people have wondered, must either be an alien or a time traveler tasked with putting humanity on the right path for the future.

    myke

    --
    Mimetics Inc. Twitter
    1. Re:I wondered about this by gstoddart · · Score: 1

      I was kind of wondering the same thing ... that's a LOT going on in one day, and quite impressive.

      Suddenly I'm visualizing multiple daily launches and landings as if it was no big deal and just thinking "wow, that's awesome".

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    2. Re:I wondered about this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I *think* this is the first time ever any space organization has launched and recovered a spacecraft in the same day.

      Really? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V...

    3. Re:I wondered about this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm curious how Alan Shepard's first flight could have *not* been launched and recovered on the same day, since the flight only lasted fifteen minutes (i.e. about the same as the Falcon 9's first stage's flight).

      SpaceX does cool stuff, but let's not forget the people who made their work possible.

    4. Re:I wondered about this by camperdave · · Score: 2

      Alan Shepard's first flight, while launched and recovered on the same day, was a single flight. SpaceX is launching one craft while another is landing - two flights. That's what the OP was getting at.

      --
      When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
  2. Adding to the workload... by mykepredko · · Score: 3, Interesting

    AND, they are attempting to recover the first stage of the launch vehicle.

    If SpaceX pulls this off, it will be a very impressive performance.

    myke

    --
    Mimetics Inc. Twitter
  3. Old news already? by Ecuador · · Score: 1

    A couple of hours ago I read that it was delayed for Wednesday due to the weather conditions (wind).

    --
    Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. Polar Scope Align for iOS
    1. Re:Old news already? by R3d+M3rcury · · Score: 1

      This actually has me somewhat curious regarding reusability. While I appreciate what SpaceX is doing--and I think it's a good idea--I wonder about things like launch windows and the like. Suppose I'm launching some asteroid probe and it needs to leave on Thursday for appropriate gravitational boosts. But my launch gets cancelled because it would be too windy to retrieve the first stage.

      I'd imagine that SpaceX has "launch now" pricing where you end up paying for the first stage so that it will launch regardless. I wonder if you get a refund if the weather turns out to be nice and they can retrieve the first stage...

    2. Re: Old news already? by kellymcdonald78 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The eventual plan is to land near the launch site (SpaceX just signed a deal with the Airforce to lease LC13 at the Cape). As such both launch and landing sites will have the same weather conditions. Going foreword this should only be an issue with the center core of the Falcon 9 Heavy which will be too far down range to return to the launch site.

    3. Re: Old news already? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      From what I read the issue with recovery was that the weather at the landing site was too extreme for the barge to stabilize itself. The first stage will still attempt a soft landing so they should be getting data on performance in high winds of the first stage landing procedure. When landing on land a moving landing pad shouldn't be an issue.

  4. Postponed until tomorrow (2/11) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    From the website

    Postponed east coast launch until Feb. 11, 6:03pm EST.

    SpaceX Webcast

  5. Timing? by Bo'Bob'O · · Score: 1

    Strange timing for this article to be posted nearly the moment -after- the dragon has splashed down and DSCOVR was delayed to Wednesday. Couldn't have waited one more hour?

    1. Re:Timing? by TWX · · Score: 1

      Doesn't help that Slashdot was broken for several hours today, and the article was the top link with only two comments for something like six hours.

      --
      Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
  6. Called off due to wind by xQx · · Score: 1, Funny

    Someone had wind, so they called off the launch.

    Shame. Looks like Elon should've avoided beans last night.

    1. Re:Called off due to wind by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Someone had wind, so they called off the launch.
      Shame. Looks like Elon should've avoided beans last night.

      He soon may prove to be one of the most important people on this planet, but he's still no God.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

  7. SPACE GHOST : COAST TO COAST by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Is surely the correct translation, yes?

    Error 503 Service Unavailable

    Service Unavailable

    Guru Meditation:

    XID: 1748576893

    Varnish cache server

    Hello?

  8. ...unlike, apparently, Slashdot's web hosting. by jeffb+(2.718) · · Score: 1, Insightful

    I was sort of expecting a post addressing today's, erm, "issue".

    1. Re:...unlike, apparently, Slashdot's web hosting. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Who left timmy in charge? I mean the sites breaks when he is on duty.

    2. Re:...unlike, apparently, Slashdot's web hosting. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's how it plays out for the 1337 crowd... they like to talk down other people but never admit to their own shortcomings.

  9. Really do hope Elon Musk succeeds by neminem · · Score: 1

    I'm reading a great near-future series from the 90s right now (so it actually takes place in what was then the future, the mid-2000s) that hypothesizes that NASA is never going to be the powerhouse it once was, and that if we ever want to really get space travel going, what we need is an eccentric bajillionaire who *really* wants space travel to succeed. Sadly, Elon Musk is a bit too much of a dabbler compared to the extremely-driven Mariesa of the book's world (I wish we had a Mariesa), but he's what we have, so I wish him luck.

    He should read the series I'm reading now, though; might motivate him. ;)

  10. No biggie by macpacheco · · Score: 1

    The Dragon return is a low overhead task. For a company of 3000 people, it takes less than a dozen people at mission control in Hawthorne to monitor plus the recovery boat assets (which apparently are outsourced).

    The folks involved on the Cape Launch are totally non overlapping, except at the managerial levels, those managers aren't involved in the execution of those tasks.

    There is plenty to be amazed about SpaceX, but this just isn't it.

    The real challenge for SpaceX right now is ramping up F9R production, getting the first Falcon Heavy in the air, Dragon 2 tests, and maintaining a 100% primary mission success Falcon 9 has achieved, oh and finishing LC39A launch pad preparations at the Cape (allowing LC40 to be dedicated for F9R private launches, and LC39A to do NASA / DoD / Falcon Heavy missions). Should SpaceX loose a payload, this would change the whole dynamics of DoD launch certification.