On today's StarLink launch by Falcon9, both fairing catch vessels were at sea, but neither caught their fairing.
While SpaceX had a string of landing failures (generally spectacular) before they ever got one to work, once they got any, the success rate has been very high. For fairing catching, a couple of successes has not so far converted to usual success.
Personally, I suspect their software is already getting most of the goodness out of their configuration that is available, and something is going to need to change to get more goodness. Maybe the descent guidance can gain more control authority, but likely that means more weight, which is a big objection. Maybe the nets can get bigger (again). Maybe the ships can somehow gain more ability to adjust course and speed quickly. But these are already quite nimble ships, so adding nimbleness seems unlikely to be cheap or easy.
Putting a second catcher ship under contract and equipping it with arms and net looked like a pretty confident bet that this deal was rapidly moving toward usual success. I'd say that bet has gone sour. It will be interesting to see what they do next. The steady tempo of Starlink launches will give them plenty of opportunities to try new things (and to profit if they succeed). I'll not be surprised if they try for a few more months, then give up and cut their losses.
On today's StarLink launch by Falcon9, both fairing catch vessels were at sea, but neither caught their fairing.
While SpaceX had a string of landing failures (generally spectacular) before they ever got one to work, once they got any, the success rate has been very high. For fairing catching, a couple of successes has not so far converted to usual success.
Personally, I suspect their software is already getting most of the goodness out of their configuration that is available, and something is going to need to change to get more goodness. Maybe the descent guidance can gain more control authority, but likely that means more weight, which is a big objection. Maybe the nets can get bigger (again). Maybe the ships can somehow gain more ability to adjust course and speed quickly. But these are already quite nimble ships, so adding nimbleness seems unlikely to be cheap or easy.
Putting a second catcher ship under contract and equipping it with arms and net looked like a pretty confident bet that this deal was rapidly moving toward usual success. I'd say that bet has gone sour. It will be interesting to see what they do next. The steady tempo of Starlink launches will give them plenty of opportunities to try new things (and to profit if they succeed). I'll not be surprised if they try for a few more months, then give up and cut their losses.
I wonder why they don't just buy or rent a deserted sandbar and do it there, it wouldn't move and be much more steady. With a nice wall around it the sand would not come and go with the tides, don't want the indigent animals to get roasted on landings either so a wall would help with that too. It could still be a platform above the actual sand though and be close enough to the water that they could reach in from a ship to take it back home for the next time.
"An incredible display of man and nature. The exhaust plume of a SpaceX rocket is lit by the low sun at twilight.
"The plume takes on the shape of a flower with the trail almost looking like a broken stem, as it shoots out from behind the snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountains."
This is certainly not all of them, and seems nicely selected for a variety of views. Day/night. Distant/near. Land/sea. high and low camera mounting position. Success/failure.
The failures are clustered near the middle. To my personal taste they get someone less interesting after the failure batch.
Enjoy.
P.S. you may find it desirable to raise your viewing resolution on some of them.
This is certainly not all of them, and seems nicely selected for a variety of views. Day/night. Distant/near. Land/sea. high and low camera mounting position. Success/failure.
The failures are clustered near the middle. To my personal taste they get someone less interesting after the failure batch.
Enjoy.
P.S. you may find it desirable to raise your viewing resolution on some of them.
All are excellent videos but I like the day time videos the best. They show all the detail: pod extensions, "bow" thrusters and the beautiful Atlantic as a back drop. I never get tired of watching these landings.
May 27 is now scheduled for the next crew manned launch of a SpaceX flight. There is to be one more test before that date to test the parachute recovery system. Stay tuned.
May 27 is now scheduled for the next crew manned launch of a SpaceX flight. There is to be one more test before that date to test the parachute recovery system. Stay tuned.
So one positive result and they will put people in it? Hmmm I'm not sure if I'd volunteer for that flight.
May 27 is now scheduled for the next crew manned launch of a SpaceX flight. There is to be one more test before that date to test the parachute recovery system. Stay tuned.
So one positive result and they will put people in it? Hmmm I'm not sure if I'd volunteer for that flight.
They do it the military way. Look for those with the most guilty expression and tell them they volunteered.
May 27 is now scheduled for the next crew manned launch of a SpaceX flight. There is to be one more test before that date to test the parachute recovery system. Stay tuned.
So one positive result and they will put people in it? Hmmm I'm not sure if I'd volunteer for that flight.
They do it the military way. Look for those with the most guilty expression and tell them they volunteered.
LOL been there done that not doing it again either. Don't get me wrong loved my time in but once out realized there was a different path for me.
So one positive result and they will put people in it? Hmmm I'm not sure if I'd volunteer for that flight.
Urm... no. There have been a lot of successful tests on the parachute system. Both NASA and SpaceX seriously want it to work, so they are being cautious.
On today's StarLink launch by
)
On today's StarLink launch by Falcon9, both fairing catch vessels were at sea, but neither caught their fairing.
While SpaceX had a string of landing failures (generally spectacular) before they ever got one to work, once they got any, the success rate has been very high. For fairing catching, a couple of successes has not so far converted to usual success.
Personally, I suspect their software is already getting most of the goodness out of their configuration that is available, and something is going to need to change to get more goodness. Maybe the descent guidance can gain more control authority, but likely that means more weight, which is a big objection. Maybe the nets can get bigger (again). Maybe the ships can somehow gain more ability to adjust course and speed quickly. But these are already quite nimble ships, so adding nimbleness seems unlikely to be cheap or easy.
Putting a second catcher ship under contract and equipping it with arms and net looked like a pretty confident bet that this deal was rapidly moving toward usual success. I'd say that bet has gone sour. It will be interesting to see what they do next. The steady tempo of Starlink launches will give them plenty of opportunities to try new things (and to profit if they succeed). I'll not be surprised if they try for a few more months, then give up and cut their losses.
archae86 wrote:On today's
)
I wonder why they don't just buy or rent a deserted sandbar and do it there, it wouldn't move and be much more steady. With a nice wall around it the sand would not come and go with the tides, don't want the indigent animals to get roasted on landings either so a wall would help with that too. It could still be a platform above the actual sand though and be close enough to the water that they could reach in from a ship to take it back home for the next time.
Thought you might like
)
Thought you might like this.
"An incredible display of man and nature. The exhaust plume of a SpaceX rocket is lit by the low sun at twilight.
"The plume takes on the shape of a flower with the trail almost looking like a broken stem, as it shoots out from behind the snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountains."
Flower Power, by Brandon Yoshizawa, taken in USA
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-52007548
Someone on Reddit pointed out
)
Someone on Reddit pointed out that SpaceX has posted a youtube playlist of Falcon 9 landings:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBQ5P5txVQr-Q68JtHuTTBWldX2psIqA1
This is certainly not all of them, and seems nicely selected for a variety of views. Day/night. Distant/near. Land/sea. high and low camera mounting position. Success/failure.
The failures are clustered near the middle. To my personal taste they get someone less interesting after the failure batch.
Enjoy.
P.S. you may find it desirable to raise your viewing resolution on some of them.
archae86 wrote:Someone on
)
All are excellent videos but I like the day time videos the best. They show all the detail: pod extensions, "bow" thrusters and the beautiful Atlantic as a back drop. I never get tired of watching these landings.
Thanks for posting.
May 27 is now scheduled for
)
May 27 is now scheduled for the next crew manned launch of a SpaceX flight. There is to be one more test before that date to test the parachute recovery system. Stay tuned.
robl wrote:May 27 is now
)
So one positive result and they will put people in it? Hmmm I'm not sure if I'd volunteer for that flight.
mikey wrote:robl wrote:May 27
)
They do it the military way. Look for those with the most guilty expression and tell them they volunteered.
Winterknight wrote:mikey
)
LOL been there done that not doing it again either. Don't get me wrong loved my time in but once out realized there was a different path for me.
mikey wrote:So one positive
)
Urm... no. There have been a lot of successful tests on the parachute system. Both NASA and SpaceX seriously want it to work, so they are being cautious.
On any testing plan, there is always a last test.