No fairing catch attempt will be made today. Both of the catch ships spent some time in rough seas, then subsequently motored to Morehead City port. I speculate that there may have been damage to the arm structure detected. Launch is currently expected in about an hour.
I was curious....it's designed to attach to the space station so why can't they put a similar attachment on something else to then boost it up to the right orbit? Or is this just a 'it's cheaper to let the insurance pay for it then try to save it' thing? They could launch something from a plane, attach, boost it to the right orbit and then let it return to doing the job it was designed to do.
Some of the news coverage stated that if this had been a manned mission there would have been a good chance that it could have been saved with a space station rendezvous. It was not a total loss. Much was learned. After all this is "rocket science".
Capsule recovery will be challenging tomorrow, Saturday the 18th. We have had high winds and the ocean looks to have ~17 foot swells. I think launch weather is important but so is recovery weather/conditions for this particular launch since it is basically a test of the abort mechanism for future manned flights. If something does go wrong you might want to look at the capsule to evaluate what happened/went wrong.
I suspect you need to recover the capsule to be sure no onboard recorder found something wrong. Many possibilities not likely to be down linked. Also the high seas give the recovery team a real test and invaluable experience, as long as they aren't over maximum design.
Pushed back again, currently targetting 10:30 a.m. EST. Looking for the best weather on offer within the window.
Once they start loading fuel, their options to push out the launch time much go away (the supercooled fuel warms up). So if we get within half an hour of target it will go on the then planned time, or not go today at all.
No fairing catch attempt will
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No fairing catch attempt will be made today. Both of the catch ships spent some time in rough seas, then subsequently motored to Morehead City port. I speculate that there may have been damage to the arm structure detected. Launch is currently expected in about an hour.
Starliner launch not
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Starliner launch not successful. Read about it here: https://www.wesh.com/article/boeing-starliner-wont-reach-space-station/30289994
robl wrote:Starliner launch
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I was curious....it's designed to attach to the space station so why can't they put a similar attachment on something else to then boost it up to the right orbit? Or is this just a 'it's cheaper to let the insurance pay for it then try to save it' thing? They could launch something from a plane, attach, boost it to the right orbit and then let it return to doing the job it was designed to do.
Some of the news coverage
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Some of the news coverage stated that if this had been a manned mission there would have been a good chance that it could have been saved with a space station rendezvous. It was not a total loss. Much was learned. After all this is "rocket science".
uncrewed flight test is
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uncrewed flight test is targeted for 8 a.m. EST Saturday, Jan. 18:
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/spacex-nasa-gear-up-for-in-flight-abort-demonstration
Capsule recovery will be
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Capsule recovery will be challenging tomorrow, Saturday the 18th. We have had high winds and the ocean looks to have ~17 foot swells. I think launch weather is important but so is recovery weather/conditions for this particular launch since it is basically a test of the abort mechanism for future manned flights. If something does go wrong you might want to look at the capsule to evaluate what happened/went wrong.
I suspect you need to recover
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I suspect you need to recover the capsule to be sure no onboard recorder found something wrong. Many possibilities not likely to be down linked. Also the high seas give the recovery team a real test and invaluable experience, as long as they aren't over maximum design.
launch put off until Sunday.
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launch delayed until Sunday, ~8 am est. Weather/rough seas cited as reason.
targeting a 10 am launch
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targeting a 10 am launch window today the 19th. cold front moving in with clouds obscuring tracking so this might force another delay. stay tuned...
Pushed back again, currently
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Pushed back again, currently targetting 10:30 a.m. EST. Looking for the best weather on offer within the window.
Once they start loading fuel, their options to push out the launch time much go away (the supercooled fuel warms up). So if we get within half an hour of target it will go on the then planned time, or not go today at all.