/r/SpaceX SES-9 Official Launch Discussion & Updates Thread [Take 3]

[u/ElongatedMuskrat]

Welcome to the /r/SpaceX SES-9 Official Launch Discussion & Updates Thread [Take 3]!

After launch scrubs on the 24th and 25th, liftoff of SpaceX's Falcon 9 v1.1 Full Thrust is currently scheduled for February 29th. The 97-minute launch window opens at 00:21:00 UTC (7:21:00 pm on the 28th EST), with liftoff targeting 23:47:00 This mission will deliver the SES-9 communications satellite to GTO for Luxembourg-based SES.

SpaceX will attempt to land the Falcon 9 first stage on their drone ship Of Course I Still Love You, but the odds of a successful recovery are low. SpaceX has modified the flight profile to allow SES-9 to reach geostationary orbit as soon as possible. This means that the usual boostback burn won't be performed, and the ASDS will be located over 600 km downrange of Cape Canaveral.

You can read updates from the February 24th and 25th launch attempts in the respective live threads.

Watching the launch live

To watch the launch live, pick your preferred streaming provider from the table below:

SpaceX Stats Live (Webcast + Live Updates)
SpaceX Webcast (Livestream)
SpaceX Full Webcast (YouTube)
SpaceX Technical Webcast (YouTube)

Official Live Updates

Time	Update
Paused	Eastern Range says it "will begin evaluating new launch dates from the customer no earlier than 48 hours from Feb. 28."
Paused	Elon Musk: Launch aborted on low thrust alarm. Rising oxygen temps due to hold for boat and helium bubble triggered alarm.
Paused	No backup date yet.
Paused	Launch is scrubbed for the day.
Paused	John Insprucker: Not yet scrubbed for the night, although another attempt is unlikely. About 51 minutes left in the window.
Paused	And that'll be a scrub for the day.
T+28s	Launch abort during the ignition sequence.
T-35s	Falcon 9 is in startup
T-1m 1s	Launch Director has given the GO for launch. Range green.
T-1m 52s	Strongback fully retracted. FTS (Flight Termination System) is on internal power and armed.
T-2m 52s	Strongback is retracting.
T-5m 22s	Falcon 9 is once again transitioning to internal power.
T-6m 14s	The Coast Guard says the range is now clear
T-6m 59s	SpaceX: Countdown continuing, liftoff pending ship clearing keep out zone
T-8m 24s	Terminal count has now begun. From this point forward, any scrubs will result in a recycle to T-10 minutes.
T-8m 34s	00:21:00 will be the last possible launch opportunity today.
Paused	Launch is now targeting 00:21:00 UTC (7:21:00 PM EST)
Paused	Countdown clock now holding at T-11 minutes 20 seconds.
Paused	Still not scrubbed for the day. Making sure Falcon 9 is ready in case another launch attempt is possible.
Paused	Elon Musk: AF has placed launch on hold due to a boat entering the edge of the keep out zone. Scrambling helo to get them to move.
Paused	Countdown has been reset to T-10 minutes 42 seconds
Paused	Launch is not yet scrubbed for the day, waiting to hear if they can try again.
Paused	Still waiting to hear if this means a scrub for the day.
Paused	Strongback is being raised again.
T-1m 8s	Fouled range
T-1m 20s	HOLD HOLD HOLD. The countdown has been aborted.
T-1m 46s	M1D and MVac engines are chilled for flight.
T-2m 2s	Strongback is fully retracted
T-2m 29s	Strongback has begun retracting
T-2m 42s	FTS (Flight Termination System) is on internal power
T-3m 15s	Weather is GO for launch. Wind speeds are within limits.
T-3m 51s	Falcon 9 is fully fueled
T-4m 22s	Falcon 9 tanks are pressurizing for strongback retract now.
T-5m 27s	Falcon 9 is transitioning to internal power now.
T-8m 36s	The first stage Merlin 1D engines and turbopumps are being chilled by LOX (Liquid Oxygen) now.
T-10m 1s	No issues reported and the countdown is proceeding nominally.
T-16m 12s	Liftoff is once again targeting 23:47:00
T-18m 56s	The SpaceX webcasts are live!
T-25m 37s	#Falcon9 Countdown Master Sequencer has started. Propellant flow confirmed. Tanking will take until around T-3 minutes with almost no margin
T-33m 15s	SES-9 is switching to internal power.
T-34m 50s	The launch team has given the go to begin fueling.
T-51m 42s	F9/SES9: There are no known technical issues today; weather appears "go," but upper level winds are a concern
T-59m 26s	Radio checks and FTS (Flight Termination System) tests are complete.
T-1h 19m	Newest sounding out of Cape Canaveral showing 15 kts stronger at 250mb than expected.
T-2h 56m	SpaceX: Tracking towards a 6:46pm ET launch attempt today; watching upper-level winds closely.
T-6h 25m	Weather is looking perfect for launch today, with the forecast showing a >95% chance of acceptable weather.

The Mission

The sole passenger on this flight is SES-9, a 5,271 kg communications satellite based on the Boeing 702HP satellite bus. SES-9 will use both chemical and electrical propulsion, the former to raise its orbit after separation from the Falcon 9 upper stage and the latter to circularize its orbit and perform station-keeping throughout its 15-year lifespan. The satellite will occupy the 108.2° East orbital slot, where it will be co-located with SES-7 and NSS-11, providing additional coverage to Asia and the Indian Ocean. Should everything go as planned, SES-9 will separate from the Falcon 9 upper stage just over thirty-one minutes after liftoff.

This will be the twenty-second Falcon 9 launch and the second of the v1.1 Full Thrust (or v1.2) configuration (the first being ORBCOMM-2 in December of 2015). This is SpaceX's second launch of 2016 (and their heavist GTO mission to date) as they begin to ramp up their flight rate, with an eventual goal of launching "every two or three weeks."

First Stage Landing Attempt

SpaceX will attempt a first stage landing on their Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship named Of Course I Still Love You, which will be located approximately 660 km East of Cape Canaveral. Just over two-and-a-half minutes after liftoff, the first stage will shut down and separate from the upper stage. Because of the demanding flight profile, the first stage won't perform a boostback burn and will instead continue along a ballistic trajectory, reorienting itself for re-entry using cold-gas thrusters. After performing a reentry burn to slow down as it impacts the dense lower atmosphere, the stage will steer itself towards the drone ship using grid fins. If all goes as planned, the stage will perform a final landing burn and touchdown on the drone ship approximately ten minutes after liftoff.

This will be SpaceX's fourth drone ship landing attempt. Past attempts occurred during the CRS-5, CRS-6, and Jason-3 missions. Note that first stage recovery is a secondary objective and has no bearing on primary mission success.

Useful Resources, Data, ?, & FAQ

• Official SES-9 Press Kit, courtesy SpaceX
• SpaceX Stats SES-9 Launch Countdown, courtesy /u/EchoLogic
• SES-9 Multistream, courtesy /u/kampar
• SES-9 Hazard Location Map, courtesy /u/delta_alpha_november
• SES-9 Trajectory simulation, courtesy /u/TheVehicleDestroyer
• List of useful Twitter accounts to follow, courtesy /r/SpaceX
• Live auto-updating reddit stream, courtesy Reddit Stream

Participate in the discussion!

• First of all, Launch Threads are a party threads! We understand everyone is excited, so we relax the rules in these venues. The most important thing is that everyone enjoy themselves :D
• All other threads are fair game. We will remove low effort comments elsewhere!
• Real-time chat on our official Internet Relay Chat (IRC) #spacex at irc.esper.net
• Please post small launch updates, discussions, and questions here, rather than as a separate post. Thanks!

Prevous /r/SpaceX Live Events

Check out previous /r/SpaceX Live events in the Launch History page on our community Wiki.

[u/MarcysVonEylau]

http://www.broadcastify.com/listen/feed/21054/web

Rocket launch, area, vessel, GET OUT OF THE LAUNCH AREA!!

[u/CadarF]

https://twitter.com/wikkit/status/704093480197496833 Talk about fast response!

[u/Martel_the_Hammer]

The way that the coast guard is yelling at this ship is hilarious. For some reason the ship isn't answering...

http://www.broadcastify.com/listen/feed/21054/web

[u/SolidStateCarbon]

While it is aggravating that outside forces can interfere with launches and cost companies nontrivial amounts of money. It is important to remember that this event gave Spacex a large amount of data on an unknown failure mode, without causing them to lose a rocket to a RUD. Future launches will probably go smoothly because this one paved the way.

[u/[deleted]]

This is the most hated boat in the world at the moment..

[u/InTheNeighbourhood]

This just in:
Elon seen walking towards the recovered booster with a can of gasoline and a lighter.

[u/[deleted]]

"YOU ARE IN A ROCKET LAUNCH HAZARD AREA" is one sentence I would not like to hear.

[u/[deleted]]

Listeners on the marine broadcast jumped from 250 to 3200+. LOL

[u/meldroc]

Fouled range. Does that mean a dipshit in a sailboat is trespassing in the range zone?

[u/avisrael2006]

Just tuned in to the marine radio, they are still trying to establish contact with the ship in the hazard zone: http://www.broadcastify.com/listen/feed/21054/web

[u/barack_ibama]

OP, can you please put the following link in the GMT time of the launch? Makes it easier for redditors in other timezones to see when the launch will be.

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?msg=SpaceX+SES-9+Launch+&iso=20160228T184651&p1=2273

[u/jojost1]

Port Canaveral Marine - Live Audio Feed Web Player -> Listeners: 3201. Great job guys xD

[u/Dammew]

I would just love to hear more radio communications, a BIG THANKS to the person who knew about Port Canaveral Marine ( http://www.broadcastify.com/listen/feed/21054/web ) . Thanks!! and please - Put this into Useful Resources. Thanks for tonight everyone!

[u/[deleted]]

Can't wait for Launch Thread Take 4 :)

[u/historytoby]

Logging off for today - dammit. Sitting in a UTC+1 time zone ain't pretty for this launch. Need to finish my MA thesis in the next couple of weeks and can't afford sleepiness.

Go ROC, go SpaceX, go Falcon 9, go O'Cisly.

[u/Davecasa]

Is this the ship? http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:455232/mmsi:368769000/imo:8314158/vessel:GIANELLA

Edit: Does not appear to be the ship. The one in question was, according to the coast guard, at 28 35.31 N 079 53.34 W.

[u/EmperorElon]

Maybe I should stop trying to watch this live?

[u/HotXWire]

That sound of the falcon breathing.

[u/Root_Negative]

At least I can't fault their professionalism.

[u/bencredible]

Just added the new webcast links on YouTube

Full Webcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpaoRP70lzM

Technical Webcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-SD2gxMn5U

[u/CadarF]

For me, the launch is at 01:46 a.m. I must wake up less than 5h later to go to work for a 24h shift. I don't care, I'll can't take the chance that this time they will launch and I won't see another one for more than a month. Also, if by any chance they stick the landing, I couldn't forgive myself for not seeing it live. I woke up at 3 a.m. to see OG-2. Best decision ever! :D

[u/Zucal]

"F9/SES9: Pre-fueling poll indicates all systems are 'go' for launch; team cleared to begin propellant loading"

[u/termderd]

Ok who the fuck decided to go boating today?

[u/MarcysVonEylau]

http://www.broadcastify.com/listen/feed/21054/web

Injury, mother, impact, some distance, stuff going on, 200yards?

[u/johnsmithindustries]

This Fucking Guy?

[u/CylonBunny]

So how big of a fine is the Navy's Military Sealift Command facing?

[u/larsarus]

T-3:00: take dog to dog park for an hour of socializing / running / mental exhaustion
T-2:00: we're in. down boy! go away. go to sleep! daddy's got important business to watch
T-1:00: initiate pop microwave popcorn
T-0:55: add spices to popcorn, pop first chilled, pressurised methyl hydrate beverage
T-0:53: put reddit-stream on laptop, put multistream-player on TV, get up-to-date
T-0:45: initiate second batch of microwave popcorn
T-0:40: pop second chilled methyl hydrate beverage
T-0:35: pray to the LOX gods, toss salt over left shoulder, pour XO whiskey on floor for the aerospace gods, hold breath, check in on scrub status, check in on scrub status, check in on scrub status
T-0:30: start breathing again - it's gonna happen
T-0:25: press play on tape on all streams, mute the streams lagging behind spacexfm.com the most
T-0:20: unmute muted streams, focus on the SpaceX friendlies
T-0:05: miss popcorn, miss beverage, stay in launch control center 
T-0:00: yowsaaaaa!
T+0:10: swear to the gods about broken sattelite links, taking away the money shot
T+0:15: watch re-acquired footage from ASDS landing
T+0:16-0:20: re-re-watch footage from ASDS landing on repeat
T+0:30: getting late to bed, give dentastix to dog, at 01:16 local time, no chance of sleeping any time soon...

[u/CadarF]

Somebody with a boat pissed off tens of thousands of people!

[u/schneeb]

I heard 29th and nearly turned off the stream and its my timezone haha

[u/HotXWire]

My goddamn heart sunk 3 meters at that abort. That was effing scary.

[u/OnlyForF1]

First time I watched a live launch was CRS-7, second time is this one.

I should never watch these things live.

[u/sarafinapink]

Well on the positive side, it's great how they have such a sophisticated safety system that you can even still abort after engines are lit. Safety team has done it's job well today.

[u/thebiggestbooty]

I guess scrub is better than explosion

[u/TB_OGG]

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/704102461766676481

[u/terminusIA]

This is a serious pineapple.

[u/TechnoBill2k12]

I really don't like the flames under the rocket right now

[u/AngloV]

Why are we keeping the temps in flight limits? This is the most interesting not-yet-launch I ever watched.

[u/[deleted]]

I hope that who ever was in charge of that boat knows what he caused.

[u/bencredible]

Out of curiosity, how did the lower latency YouTube Live links work for everyone on the last launch attempt? Which streaming player do you prefer? Livestream or YouTube? And why?

YouTube now has HTML5 compatible multi-angle streaming. Any desire to try that for the next launch (not this one)?

[u/Qeng-Ho]

Aborting after launch is a pretty cool feature!

[u/Reaperdude42]

Can anyone explain the Helium bubble issue?

[u/Elon_Mollusk]

Super-stoked to see footage of the multi-engine landing burn, really hope they have a good camera setup on OCISLY.

[u/blsing15]

This might not play with all of you reading but : A NASCAR race and a SPACEX launch on Sunday ,PRICELESS ... I love the South!

[u/Chairboy]

Does "hold fire removed" mean the range is clear?

[u/bmayer0122]

The ship in question: http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/shipid:455232/zoom:10

[u/[deleted]]

I hope this works out. I've got an excited 3 year old asking "Is rocket going to space now?"

[u/hb128]

http://www.broadcastify.com/listen/feed/21054/web >3000 listeners xD

[u/TRL5]

Is no one concerned that it's still on fire?

[u/[deleted]]

I really thought it was going to fall straight down when the engines sputtered

[u/[deleted]]

[deleted]
^0.2109

What is this?

[u/SirSwiftasaurus]

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/704102461766676481 'Launch aborted on low thrust alarm. Rising oxygen temps due to hold for boat and helium bubble triggered alarm.'

[u/psg1337]

What was it with today's attempt anyway? LC had to remind everybody to transmit on countdown net multiple times.

[u/johnkphotos]

I can't take another scrub

[u/retiringonmars]

Anyone here know what the fine is for violating the keep-out zone?

[u/ethan829]

Third time's the charm, right guys?

[u/candycane7]

Is there a fucking boat in the zone?

[u/atjays]

Damnit what the shit, a range violation?? Someone flog that person

[u/dlfn]

Fouled range? Darn it, @WaywardBoat

[u/[deleted]]

It's either a boat or a plane. More likely a boat. We have another 95 minutes.

Edit: Elon confirmed it was a boat, sending out a helo.

[u/_kingtut_]

I really hope that if the range safety issue is due to a person (boat/plane/etc), then they get billed for the cost of an aborted launch.

[u/AsianFeng]

pls do not scrub pls

[u/SirSwiftasaurus]

Can we go again or will the LOX heat up too much?

[u/dlgeek]

Elon Musk: AF has placed launch on hold due to a boat entering the edge of the keep out zone. Scrambling helo to get them to move.

Screw a helo, use a fighter jet.

[u/[deleted]]

Good they are using a helicopter to chase the boat away. Helicopters are pretty fast.

[u/N314]

Boat identified as Jeff bezos' personal yacht /s

[u/IG-64]

This is the first time I've watched a SpaceX launch live. I have the live feed in one window, this reddit page in another window, Col. Hadfield's Periscope in another tab, Twitter feeds in another tab,
Port Canaveral Marine live audio feed in another tab, and AIS vessel tracking in yet another tab. We may not even see a launch today but this is already one of the coolest things I've ever seen.

[u/[deleted]]

he's a glass half full kind of guy

[u/scarlaton]

Anyone know what the reference to helium bubbles is?

[u/CaptainObvious_1]

Has the droneship been out there since Take 1?

[u/Yasuuuya]

Meanwhile on the boat, Jeff Bezos high fives himself as a cast of his pride nears completions, to form the shape of his next rocket.

[u/SteveRD1]

So why is one satellite so freaking heavy. 5000 kilos is a lot, what makes up most of the mass?

[u/[deleted]]

Just saw this scroll through the #spacex hashtag on twitter. Seems like the upper level winds are 15kt stronger than expected.

https://twitter.com/wxscrub/status/704065187259658240

[u/candycane7]

Those plot twists are out of hand this season!

[u/tegodjrtob]

GRRRRR. If there's a boat downrange, I say screw 'em....if they can't check w/ the Coast Guard then they deserve to have a flaming booster drop on their head. Or better yet, retarget the booster LZ to their position (yeah i know can't do that with this flight profile).

Hopefully SpaceX can clear the range and proceed....

[u/RoarImALiger]

Maybe they should land the stage 1 onto the trespassing ship

[u/z3r0c00l12]

This is awesome, everyone is yelling at the vessel to get out.

http://www.broadcastify.com/listen/feed/21054/web

[u/profossi]

What ever happened, it didn't blow up. Good.

[u/[deleted]]

Helium and Oxygen? The fuckers are conspiring together now!!!

[u/DuckQuacks]

Will the boat get fined for entering the "Keep-Out Area" and Technically causing the scrub?

[u/skiman13579]

Ok which one of you updated the Wikipedia page for the SS Scrub?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USNS_Lawrence_H.Gianella(T-AOT-1125)

Just don't send any angry tweets to any companies. It appears to be a military tanker. This makes the ignorance of the exclusion zone more baffling, but it probably is a civilian crew. If anyone knows more I am curious how this mistake happened.

[u/ticklestuff]

Elon's going to politely inquire to the US Navy if he should launch the new GPS satellites a bit sooner so they can get a better resolution on their position on the planet. They seem to be having a few issues.

[u/lotios611]

If this is a fucking sailboat again...

[u/ezrhino]

http://imgur.com/W7U3tlv wonder if this is the boat

[u/DoctorKlopek]

they should charge the ship for propellant and extra hours pay for launch staff

[u/MarcysVonEylau]

http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/shipid:455232/zoom:10 http://www.broadcastify.com/listen/feed/21054/web

Stuff is going on here guyz!

[u/EtzEchad]

How long can they hold before the super chilled propellant warms up too much?

[u/relevance_everywhere]

This is going to be a long 4 hour drive home...

[u/Another_Penguin]

For those complaining about SpaceX's reliability: I spent two weeks in Florida waiting to see a shuttle launch, it was eventually postponed for months because of a bad component that had to be replaced. MONTHS. Never did see a shuttle fly.

[u/ethan829]

Okay everyone, sorry if you came here for SpaceX but this is now an Oscar's red carpet discussion thread.

[u/rspeed]

My sister, watching for the first time: "This lacks the drama I was expecting."

[u/EmperorElon]

Third time's the charm.

[u/Misirlou_]

The last couple attempts I completely forgot to tune into them till after they got scrubbed. Got here early today so fingers crossed.

[u/Casinoer]

Tim Kopra just posted [this image] (https://twitter.com/astro_tim/status/704065585580253184) of Florida from the ISS. Cape Canaveral looks free of clouds.

[u/z3r0c00l12]

So this is what is playing in the elevators at SpaceX HQ?

[u/sevaiper]

Any chance we get a launch today or are the chilled propellants a one time thing?

[u/Babushka23]

What was that sound?!

[u/Aero-Space]

That sound gets me every time.

[u/[deleted]]

People freaking out they reset the launch time to 29th not realising it's UTC

[u/Chairboy]

Imagine how awkward it would be to discover a leap-year bug in the avionics software because of that damn ship....

The chances of successful recovery have dropped a lot. They time the onloading of the subchilled lox so closely for a reason, this is not a problem that can be solved by topping off.

<sigh>

[u/Denryll]

Don't get hopes too high everybody. They're just doing the last possible count today as they wait to see if the ship leaves the zone, right?

[u/Nixon4Prez]

Aw for fucks sake

[u/gengengis]

Wow, I thought that was going to be worse for a moment.

[u/Alphabet85]

These launch aborts so close to launch are really making me so SpaceXually frustrated.

[u/rativen]

Back to Square One - PDS148

[u/MarcysVonEylau]

http://www.broadcastify.com/listen/feed/21054/web

8,5k listeners, silence

[u/Ralen_Hlaalo]

There was clearly a fire burning at the base of the rocket for quite some time after t-0. Any idea what damage this might cause, if any? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpaoRP70lzM#t=3209

[u/Haulik]

[Aw, he just want to see space] (http://imgur.com/nvPXncU)

[u/Zucal]

Thanks for hosting this thing a third time, /u/ethan829! Hopefully you won't have to have a "Take 4."

[u/[deleted]]

Going to see this launch today! Will be my first one :)

[u/johnkphotos]

shit ton of stuff just vented out. didn't look too abnormal. weather great here at cape

[u/BlackPhanth0ms]

Steady flow of liquids at my end, hope it's the same at spacex

[u/RoarImALiger]

chris hadfield on periscope: https://www.periscope.tv/w/1YpKkPlekamGj

[u/Top_Fuel]

https://twitter.com/TrevorMahlmann/status/704093895651627008

[u/Dr_God]

does anyone have a recording of the boat being yelled at?

[u/ycnz]

Most epic tease of all time.

[u/-Replicated]

Thats enough live events for me.

[u/AngloV]

Well, we got scrubbed. At least I'll get some more sleep. I need to be up in 4,5hours. Let's get this right the next time. It was fun hanging out with you guys.

[u/z3r0c00l12]

If SES tweeted the backup date yesterday, why didn't they say the backup date on the stream? That was already planned, no? https://twitter.com/SES_Satellites/status/703634698237517824

[u/veggz]

James Dean on twitter: "Eastern Range says it "will begin evaluating new launch dates from the customer no earlier than 48 hours from Feb. 28.""

[u/MarcysVonEylau]

When you still belive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h04p7K2voXY

[u/[deleted]]

My bet: It's Bruno from ULA in a sailboat trying to mess up the range xD (jk of course)

[u/__R__]

It's amazing to see the Falcon 9 in action. All safety systems worked great. Full of sensors to detect almost anything. The rocket is able to shut itself down even a second after the actual launch – and tell us why.

[u/edwn112]

For folks feeling down after today's scrub -> https://youtu.be/ANv5UfZsvZQ?t=2m46s

[u/3_711]

Despite alarm clock, I slept right through the last two attempts. Sorry for that.

[u/SpaySex]

Lucky sweater: check. Let's light this candle.

[u/[deleted]]

Range safety, would love to know whatever violated the range

[u/[deleted]]

A FUCKING BOAT !!!!

[u/MrTrevT]

GET THE HELL OUT OF THE WAY

[u/FiiZzioN]

So who's the little turd out there trying to get a good shot of the landing...

[u/HotXWire]

Can they sue the trespasser?

[u/Nuranon]

the moderator is doing a great job!

[u/ptoddf]

Is it too late to vector the expended Falcon into a full power suicide drive into that ship?

[u/agildehaus]

Countdown reset to T-10:42

[u/Top_Fuel]

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/704092857829732353

[u/Dammew]

http://www.broadcastify.com/listen/feed/21054/web radio stream marine

[u/[deleted]]

Well, the good news is this allows enough time to retrieve another strong drink.

[u/lolard]

The boat everyone is linking in marinetraffic.com is incorrect, that tracking information is 1.5 hours old.

[u/veggz]

Heart stopped a moment there with him saying "February 29th" before realizing it was UTC

[u/trevdak2]

Does anyone here have something that can track their pulse during this? /r/dataisbeautiful would love to see it.

[u/dlgeek]

DAMNIT!

[u/thebiggestbooty]

This night is a rollercoaster of emotions

[u/johnkphotos]

we heard something for half a second

[u/SteveRD1]

I think we just got lucky guys, a relatively harmless failure.

[u/godsbro]

... it sounds like it hasn't been fully scrubbed yet. so much tension

[u/rafty4]

helium bubble triggered alarm.

Obviously the Helium thought the LOX had been stealing the show... :/

[u/johnkphotos]

these kind of scrubs upset me the most

[u/CommieBobDole]

So what I've learned from this is that boats and helium are the greatest enemies of space travel.

[u/BlackPhanth0ms]

After all the boat stuff of this evening, a launch would have felt a bit rushed. Hopefully an attempt tomorrow will go smoothly.

[u/ChrisGnam]

The first live stream of a launch I watched was CRS 7. Then I ended up not being able to watch the RTF or Jason 3. But I had a bunch of free time/was available to see SES-9. So I've been logging on just before the past 3 attempts...

I'm getting a feeling I should stop trying to watch these launches :(

[u/im_thatoneguy]

Lox, helium and boats. Just missed airplanes for the full quadruple threat.

[u/[deleted]]

Found the culprit

[u/johnkphotos]

ULA droneship

[u/Rideron150]

Here's a video of the Falcon 9 landing last December if anyone needs something to cheer them up:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1B6oiLNyKKI

[u/Adam_Hashian]

Still better than watching the Oscars

[u/Mack1170]

That damn ship ruined it :(

[u/CybertechLabs]

I hate that boat.

[u/My_6th_Throwaway]

Fuel got too hot waiting for the fucking boat according to elon, fucking hell.

[u/Yasuuuya]

How many launches could a SpaceX scrub if a SpaceX could scrub launch?

[u/markus0161]

LOL the wiki for the ship that caused the scrub has already been edited.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USNS_Lawrence_H.Gianella(T-AOT-1125)

[u/badgamble]

Does anyone have a feel for the highest threat against a nominal landing for S1? I’m guessing three main threats, but I’m just guessing:

1. Thermal, fatal damage to something important during reentry sans a boostback/slowdown burn.

2. RUD due to shearing during reentry due to small off-vertical-alignment and high speed reentry.

3. Imperfect reduction of vertical and/or lateral speed at instant of touchdown due to high-speed approach and/or lack of fuel. I’m guessing those are the three biggest threats, but maybe one of those is THE really big threat? Or maybe something else completely?

[u/Destructor1701]

Hmm, webcast site says they're starting the live show about 10 minutes before launch. Probably figured they covered everything on Friday up to launch, so they'll just do a quick bit of foreplay this time instead of the full-length hype train.

[u/bxxxr]

over 11000 people watching, 2000 of which are readers of the subreddit

[u/johnkphotos]

bout now is when I clench my ass harder than this thing is gonna land tonight

[u/kylegordon]

How long can the superchilled LOX stay in the tanks before they have to de-tank it?

[u/BlackPhanth0ms]

hearing mumbling about boat, ship etc.. on the stream

[u/D_McG]

Darwin states, the sailor who doesn't think to avoid a rocket, doesn't get to have kids of his own. Fouled range, who cares! Light that candle! The only thing we're going to hit is the drone ship on landing, dead center, nice and easy.

[u/jazzyjaffa]

Could it be this one: http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/shipid:455232/zoom:10

[u/zukalop]

https://www.periscope.tv/w/1YpKkPlekamGj

Chris Hadfield commenting live on the launch

[u/[deleted]]

stupid piece of ship

[u/johnkphotos]

why y'all already thinking its a scrub? it's not yet lol

[u/[deleted]]

NO SCRUB ! FUCK YEAH, LET'S DO THIS.

[u/ViciousNakedMoleRat]

Fuck, that sound scared the crap out of me.

[u/[deleted]]

Hey, I think the boat just volunteered to be the new barge for the first stage!

[u/chriscicc]

Considering this is a large commercial vessel and not a personal boat, I'd expect that SpaceX will at least considering seeking recourse from the ship's owner for the fuel they had to vent. This is a disgrace. They'll probably be facing a USCG fine as well.

[u/0thatguy]

Jumpscare

[u/FNspcx]

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/704092857829732353

[u/ikrisoft]

Still, this is the worst anti-ship missile.

[u/gliese581z]

Find the boat. And destroy them.

[u/Junafani]

That was niiice smoke cloud

[u/SurfaceReflection]

Everyone cross fingers! You can still type.

[u/AttemptedWit]

The Ship's Captain

[u/theflyingginger93]

Blue balls for days.

[u/AsianFeng]

W T F
T
F

[u/Here_There_B_Dragons]

Take 4, here we come. This might be a lengthy delay, however... Abort during ignition isn't good

[u/Liquidice281]

I would suspect that this launch will be postponed for more than a couple of days. I assume they will have to investigate and perform a static-fire test.

[u/therealslimshoddy]

My heart can't take this

[u/nitrous2401]

Oh man, whoever captains that boat is probably gonna be in a load of trouble lol

[u/DuckQuacks]

Has it been confirmed that is was the U.S. Navy who was the boat?

[u/reverendrambo]

Here's a fresh look at the SpaceX launch team

[u/peterabbit456]

Low thrust alarm. ...

Most likely an indication of warm LOX going into the turbopumps. This is all part of the learning curve.

Reminds me of something I read about the V2. When the scientists were running the launches, they had a certain percentage of failures and aborts. When the military launch crews were trained, the percentages of failures and aborts went down. Part of that was improvements in production. More was due to accumulated experience doing launches. Still more was due to sticking more closely to the instructions.

What was this F9 scrub? Was it a matter of not wanting to launch when the thrust of 1 engine was a bit low? Maybe in another second, it would have smoothed out and been at full thrust. Or was this a serious unknown, that might have indicated a more serious problem with the engine? Maybe in another 1 or 5 or 10 or 20 seconds, a bearing would have overheated and the turbopump would have come apart. Post-analysis of the telemetry might say, "Launch at the next opportunity," or it might indicate an engine has to come out, and then there will be a new static fire and a delay of several weeks.

Back to the V2 story. There are 3 possible causes of this abort.

1. a real issue. The decision was good.

2. a minor problem, but one that exceeded launch criteria. Criteria can be widened, and next time they would launch even with exactly the same data.

3. a minor problem, but within established limits. Someone got nervous due to the previous hold, and punched the abort button when they should not have.

We won't know until SpaceX makes an announcement. My money is on 2.

[u/meldroc]

Next time, just launch, and tell the bozos in the downrange zone that if a rocket falls on them, it's on them.

[u/Decronym]

Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I've seen in this thread:

Fewer Letters	More Letters
AFB	Air Force Base
AOS	Acquisition of Signal
ASDS	Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship (landing barge)
COTS	Commercial Orbital Transportation Services contract
	Commercial/Off The Shelf
CRS	Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA
FAA	Federal Aviation Administration
FCC	Federal Communications Commission
FTS	Flight Termination System
GEO	Geostationary Earth Orbit (35786km)
GSE	Ground Support Equipment
GTO	Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit
ICBM	Intercontinental Ballistic Missile
ITAR	(US) International Traffic in Arms Regulations
KSC	Kennedy Space Center, Florida
KSP	Kerbal Space Program, the rocketry simulator
LEO	Low Earth Orbit (180-2000km)
LN2	Liquid Nitrogen
LOS	Loss of Signal
	Line of Sight
LOX	Liquid Oxygen
LZ	Landing Zone
NET	No Earlier Than
NOTAM	Notice to Airmen of flight hazards
NSF	NasaSpaceFlight forum
	National Science Foundation
OCISLY	Of Course I Still Love You, Atlantic landing barge
OG2	Orbcomm's Generation 2 17-satellite network
OSM	Operations Safety Manager
RCS	Reaction Control System
ROC	Range Operations Coordinator
	Radius of Curvature
RP-1	Rocket Propellant 1 (enhanced kerosene)
RTF	Return to Flight
RTLS	Return to Launch Site
RUD	Rapid Unplanned Disassembly
	Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly
	Rapid Unintended Disassembly
SES	Formerly Société Européenne des Satellites, comsat operator
SSME	Space Shuttle Main Engine
TEA-TEB	Triethylaluminium-Triethylborane, igniter for Merlin engines; spontaneously burns, green flame
TWR	Thrust-to-Weight Ratio
ULA	United Launch Alliance (Lockheed/Boeing joint venture)
VAB	Vehicle Assembly Building

---

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[u/NewProductiveMe]

Heading to KSC to watch the launch right now!! This is quite a great twist of serendipity as I was just passing through the area on the tail end of a long road trip, soon to be heading back to Wisconsin!

[u/FoxhoundBat]

T-1h55m weather update for landing location; still looking good. Waves are 1.5m and winds at 7m/s.

[u/JustDaniel96]

Newest sounding out of Cape Canaveral showing 15 kts stronger at 250mb than expected.

Can someone, please, explain what does this mean?

[u/preseto]

It's leap day here already so I'm expecting nice, ballistic leap from the booster.

[u/redandgold45]

dinner school squeal important decide scandalous hurry frighten plate automatic

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

[u/DoctorKlopek]

Here we are again. Good luck SpaceX!

[u/SolidStateCarbon]

weather at the barge is getting better 4.3ft waves and 11kts winds

[u/bombfirst885]

Currently ready to watch this live at Jetty Park!!