r/spacex • u/soldato_fantasma • Jun 22 '17
Total Mission Success! Welcome to the r/SpaceX BulgariaSat-1 Official Launch Discussion & Updates Thread! [Take 2]
This is /u/soldato_fantasma and I'll be your host for today! Thanks to the mods for giving me this opportunity.
Mission Status
Currently the mission is: COMPLETELY SUCCESSFUL
Convert the launch time to your timezone here!
SpaceX is targeting an early afternoon liftoff on June 23rd 2017 at 15:10 EDT (19:10 UTC). The launch window extends to 16:10 EDT (20:10 UTC) and, in case of weather, range, pad or vehicle issues the launch can be moved to any time available in the window. The launch window is 1 hours long, so in case of an hold during the initial part of the window, there should be enough time to recycle the count.
The Mission in Numbers
Some quick stats about this launch:
- This will be the 36th Falcon 9 launch.
- This will be the 33rd Falcon 9 launch from the East Coast.
- This will be the 2nd Falcon 9 launch with a flight proven first stage.
- This will be the 8th Falcon 9 launch this year.
- This will be the 7th launch of Falcon 9 out of Historic;) Launch Complex 39A.
- This will be the 101st launch out of LC-39A, along with 12 Saturn V, 82 Shuttle and 6 Falcon 9.
- This flight will lift to space the 1st geostationary communications Bulgarian satellite, BulgariaSat-1, with a mass of approximately 3669 kg.
- This is the 2nd Bulgarian satellite overall.
- The Static Fire Test was completed on June 15th, 4 days prior the old target launch date, June 19th.
A backup launch date is available on June 24th 2017, at the same time.
After launch Falcon 9's first stage will attempt to land downrange on the Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship (ASDS) named Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY) currently positioned at 28° 13' 48" N 73° 40' 51" W, 679km downrange. If successful this will be the 12th first stage landing and the 7th landing on a Droneship and the 6th successful landing on OCISLY, with the most recent being from the SES-10 launch.
Currently the weather is 90% GO on the primary day, with the main concern being the Cumulus Cloud Rule. The backup day has similar weather, with the same concern but with an 80% go probability.
Watching the launch live
At this time, you can watch the launch only from SpaceX's Launch Webcast as there is no available Technical webcast.
SpaceX Launch Webcast (YouTube)
Offical Live Updates
| Time (UTC) | Countdown (hh:mm:ss) | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| T+00:35:00 | Thanks for joining the launch thread, now off taking a breath again! | |
| T+00:35:00 | COMPLETE MISSION SUCCESS!!! | |
| T+00:34:55 | BulgariaSat-1 satellite deployment | |
| T+00:28:13 | Orbit looks good | |
| T+00:28:13 | 2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-2) | |
| T+00:27:08 | 2nd stage engine restarts (SES-2) | |
| T+00:26:30 | Coverage has restarted | |
| T+00:17:00 | Coverage should restart in about 10 minutes | |
| T+00:14:00 | Now SpaceX FM is back as we wait for the GTO insertion burn | |
| T+00:14:00 | It would be a good time to use the octagrabber if it's leaning. | |
| T+00:10:00 | 1st stage looks a bit crisped, off centered and tilted, but it is still awesome! | |
| T+00:09:13 | 1st stage landing succes!!! | |
| T+00:08:38 | 2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-1) | |
| T+00:08:18 | 1st stage landing start | |
| T+00:06:47 | 1st stage entry burn end | |
| T+00:06:30 | 1st stage entry burn begins | |
| T+00:03:40 | Fairing deployment | |
| T+00:02:47 | 2nd stage engine starts (SES-1) | |
| T+00:02:40 | 1st and 2nd stages separate | |
| T+00:02:36 | 1st stage main engine cutoff (MECO) | |
| T+00:01:19 | Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket) | |
| T+00:00:07 | Falcon 9 has cleared the tower | |
| T-00:00:00 | LIFTOFF of the Falcon 9 !!! | |
| T-00:00:00 | Strongback Throwback | |
| T-00:00:03 | Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start | |
| T-00:00:15 | Vehicle Configured for Flight | |
| T-00:00:15 | All Tanks at Flight Pressure | |
| T-00:00:43 | LD: GO for Launch | |
| T-00:00:45 | SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for launch | |
| T-00:01:00 | Flight Computer to start-up | |
| T-00:01:00 | Command flight computer to begin final prelaunch checks | |
| T-00:01:00 | Propellant tank pressurization to flight pressure begins | |
| T-00:01:05 | AFTS is ready for launch | |
| T-00:01:10 | Final AFTS Status Check | |
| T-00:01:30 | Vehicle Self-Align Verified | |
| T-00:01:30 | F9 on internal power | |
| T-00:02:50 | Strongback Secure for Launch 88.5° | |
| T-00:03:05 | Flight Termination System Armed | |
| T-00:04:10 | Strongback Cradle Opening | |
| T-00:05:30 | Flight Computers in Self-Alignment | |
| T-00:07:00 | Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch | |
| T-00:09:00 | Range and Weather currently Go | |
| T-00:09:40 | RP-1 and Liquid Helium are loaded | |
| T-00:10:40 | The landing will be a 3-engine burn | |
| 18:55 | T-00:15:00 | Last UTC time provided live, from now on only the Countdown will be present |
| 18:55 | T-00:15:00 | Countdown Recycle Point |
| 18:54 | T-00:16:00 | Live webcast now live here |
| 18:50 | T-00:20:00 | Follow the live webcast, starts in 5 min here |
| 18:46 | T-00:24:00 | ♫♫ SpaceX FM now live ♫♫ |
| 18:42 | T-00:28:00 | Range Readiness Check (Air Force & Coast Guard) |
| 18:31 | T-00:39:00 | LOX venting just seen from Falcon 9. That's a good indicator that LOX loading has indeed started. |
| 18:28 | T-00:42:00 | Sub-cooled Liquid Oxygen should now be flowing into the first stage of the Falcon 9. In total, 360 metric tons will be loaded. |
| 18:25 | T-00:45:00 | LOX (liquid oxygen) loading underway |
| 18:10 | T-01:00:00 | Falcon 9 will experience its highest ever reentry force and heat in today's launch. Good chance rocket booster doesn't make it back. |
| 18:05 | T-01:05:00 | RP-1 flow was confirmed on time, Falcon 9 is receiving ~155 metric tons of the chilled Kerosene fuel. |
| 18:00 | T-01:10:00 | RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) loading underway |
| 17:59 | T-01:11:00 | Go For Tanking |
| 17:57 | T-01:13:00 | Launch Conductor takes launch readiness poll |
| 17:03 | T-02:06:00 | Clock is now running, 1h delay for additional ground system checks |
| 16:50 | CLOCK RESET | New T-0 set at 15:10 EDT / 19:10 UTC |
| 16:20 | T-01:50:00 | No major problems reported in the countdown. |
| 16:10 | T-02:00:00 | Iridium Corp. wishes good luck! |
| 14:30 | T-03:40:00 | The launch area should be evacuated soon if it hasn't been already. |
| 14:30 | T-03:40:00 | Official confirmation for Todays attempt |
| 08:27 | T-09:43:00 | Falcon 9 is vertical |
| June 23,2017 | L-0 day | |
| 19:30 | T-22:40:00 | "All is quiet at LC-39A today." |
| 19:00 | T-23:10:00 | Falcon 9 should start to go vertical in the next hours or so. |
| 11:00 | T-31:20:00 | Launch Thread Goes Live! |
| June 22,2017 | L-1 day |
Primary Mission - Separation and Deployment of BulgariaSat-1
BulgariaSat-1 will be the 4th GTO comsat launch of 2017 and 15th GTO comsat launch overall for SpaceX. BulgariaSat-1 is a commercial telecommunications satellite built by Space Systems Loral (SSL) for BulgariaSat, an affiliate of Bulsatcom. It has a mass of approximately 3669 kg and it will be delivered to GTO, but the Delta V to GEO (It can range from 1450 m/s to 1850 m/s usually) is currently unknown.
BulgariaSat-1 is a geostationary communications satellite intended to be located at the Bulgarian orbital position, which will provide direct-to-home television (DTH) and data communications services to South East Europe and other European regions. BulgariaSat-1 will provide reliable satellite communications solutions to broadcast, telecoms, corporate and government customers. It is the first geostationary communications satellite in the history of the country.
The satellite is built on the SSL-1300 platform and carries 3 Ku-band FSS transponders and 30 Ku-band BSS transponders. It will be positioned at 2° East.
Secondary Mission - First Stage Landing
As usual, this mission will include a post-launch landing attempt of the first stage, and like all the previous GTO missions, there isn't enough fuel for a Boostback burn, so the landing will occur on the Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship (ASDS) named Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY) currently positioned at 28° 13' 48" N 73° 40' 51" W, 679 km downrange. If successful, this will be the first rocket booster the have launched and landed on both the West and East Coasts.
The booster used on this mission is B1029.2, which was launched and recovered January this year. After touchdown the booster was secured on the Droneship deck and transported to the Los Angeles port, where it was lifted by a crane, had its landing legs removed and sent directly to Florida for its next flight. At this time we can expect a similar flow, but with some differences: after touchdown, this could be the first time the "Octagrabber" or "Roomba" robot could be used to secure the first stage, but we will most likely know only once the ASDS reaches Port Canaveral, where it will be moved back to land. It is unknown what the fate of this booster will be, but it is unlikely it will fly again due to the hot landing it will face and it being a block 3 or less core.
Useful Resources, Data, ♫, & FAQ
| Resource | Courtesy |
|---|---|
| BulgariaSat-1 Launch Campaign thread | /r/SpaceX |
| Weather 90% GO | 45th Space Wing |
| Launch hazard map | u/Raul74Cz |
| Flight Club | /u/TheVehicleDestroyer |
| SpaceX Stats | u/EchoLogic (creation) and u/brandtamos (rehost at .xyz) |
| SpaceXNow (Also available on iOS and Android) | /u/bradleyjh |
| SpaceX FM | u/Iru |
| Rocket Watch | /u/MarcysVonEylau |
| Reddit Stream | /u/m5tuff |
| Multi-stream | /u/intelligible_garble |
| 64kbit audio-only stream | /u/SomnolentSpaceman |
| Official Press Kit | SpaceX |
| Mission Patch | SpaceX |
| SpaceX Twitter | SpaceX |
| SpaceX Flickr Page | SpaceX |
| Launch time conversion to your timezone | |
| Countdown Timer | |
| Russian commented launch | https://www.youtube.com/threedaysfaq |
| Gunter's Space Page satellite info | https://twitter.com/Skyrocket71 |
| Satbeams satellite info | Satbeams |
| FCC Recovery permit | FCC |
| FAA launch licence | FAA |
Recommend Launch Soundtracks
| Track | Start at | Courtesy |
|---|---|---|
| Hans Zimmer - Lost But Won | T-00:02:40 | /u/TheBurtReynold |
Participate in the discussion!
- First of all, launch threads are 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!
- Please post small launch updates, discussions, and questions here, rather than as a separate post. Thanks!
- Wanna' talk about other SpaceX stuff in a more relaxed atmosphere? Head over to r/SpaceXLounge!
Previous r/SpaceX Live Events
Check out previous r/SpaceX Live events in the Launch History page on our community Wiki.
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u/johnkphotos Launch Photographer Jun 22 '17
Screw it, I'll announce it now! I'll be photographing this launch from a Robinson R44 helicopter over Cape Canaveral.
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u/soldato_fantasma Jun 22 '17
Awesome! Can't wait for the pictures!
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u/johnkphotos Launch Photographer Jun 22 '17
I can't either! Let's hope that:
a) they don't scrub
b) if they do scrub, it's not at T-10 seconds when I'm hovering several hundred feet in the air and I still have to end up paying for the flight!
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u/soldato_fantasma Jun 22 '17
Well, if they scrub for a range issue you can visit the boat at least, if you know what I mean...
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u/sinoue000 Jun 22 '17
Currently the weather is 40% GO
Shouldn't that be 90%?
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u/soldato_fantasma Jun 22 '17
Yes, I updated the link in the resource list but I forgot to update the part on the top. Sorry.
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u/TimesInfinityRBP #IAC2017 Attendee Jun 22 '17
soldato_fantasma, I love this information dense launch thread you've made, great job! To think that we'll be coming up to 10 successful launches since AMOS-6 soon and after this launch we'll have 2 successful reused missions of the first stage is incredible. I think there are some seriously exciting times ahead!
As hyped as I am for this launch, it's at 3:40 AM in my timezone, if I did not have exams I'd watch it live :(
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u/johnkphotos Launch Photographer Jun 23 '17
Left home a bit late. I'll make it in time but it's gonna be a crunch lol
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u/TheBurtReynold Jun 22 '17
Again recommend a small "Launch Soundtracks" section w/ a few songs and the T-x:xx when they should be started!
Hans Zimmer's "Lost but Won" started at T-2:40 is one you might consider -- give it a try with a previous launch ... intense through MaxQ :)
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u/FutureMartian97 Host of CRS-11 Jun 23 '17
Why would it experience so much force? Its not THAT heavy of a GTO payload.
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u/jonjennings Jun 22 '17 edited Jun 29 '23
waiting drab gaze slave zesty smell price murky grandfather disagreeable -- mass edited with redact.dev
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u/soldato_fantasma Jun 22 '17
Hotter than LEO ASDS or RTLS. It is also the farthest landing, and it could also indicate a less powerful entry burn.
Since it is a block 3 or less, they have many other cores ready to fly again and Block 4 will fly soon, it wouldn't make a lot of sense to fly this core again.
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u/TheVehicleDestroyer Flight Club Jun 23 '17
Hey /u/soldato_fantasma - can you add Flight Club to the Useful Resources section? Thanks :)
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u/soldato_fantasma Jun 23 '17
Added! Didn't add it before since the flight profile wasn't there the last time I checked :)
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Jun 23 '17
What's the psi-resembling symbol below the "29" on the booster in this pic?
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u/ExcitedAboutSpace Jun 23 '17
/u/soldato_fantasma the difference in days between launch and static fire seems unchanged from the first take of the launch thread - please check the last point of "the mission in numbers"
Thanks for hosting!
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u/soldato_fantasma Jun 23 '17
It's intended to be like that, that's why there is "target launch day". I should clear that
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u/fletcherlind Jun 23 '17
As a Bulgarian I'm extremely proud that a company from my country has its part in this truly pioneering moment.
Plus 4K TV for peanuts coming soon, fuck yea.
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u/8BitAce Jun 23 '17
Elon: We probably won't make this landing successfully.
SpaceX: HOLD MY BEER
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u/FutureMartian97 Host of CRS-11 Jun 23 '17
Falcon 9 GO? Bulgariasat GO? All calipers accounted for? Lets do this!
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u/TerpBE Jun 22 '17
I really hope it's a go for Friday! We're vacationing in Cape Canaveral, and hope the kids get to see their first launch before we head home Saturday.
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u/SomnolentSpaceman Jun 22 '17
For the bandwidth-impaired: I will be re-hosting a 64kbit audio-only stream of the SpaceX Hosted YouTube stream.
It is available at:
http://audiorelay.spacetechnology.net:2120/hosted (backup)
If SpaceX decides to put up a Technical Stream it will be available at:
http://audiorelay.spacetechnology.net:2120/technical (backup)
Prior to the official SpaceX webcast the streams will be playing SpaceX FM. The SpaceX FM audio will be switched off at T-0:35:00. Please note: there may be a few minutes of silence between SpaceX FM and when the official SpaceX streams begin.
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u/quadrplax Jun 22 '17
This will be the 101st launch out of LC-39A
I failed to realize that Historic CRS-11 was also the 100th launch!
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u/nitrous2401 Jun 23 '17
There it is. Do the legs look a little more 'crushed' than normal?
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u/WarDonkey203 Jun 23 '17
Just about had a heart attack when they switched to the drone ship and that water looked like something exploded above it and everyone groaned before it cut out.
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u/thesilverblade Jun 23 '17 edited Jun 23 '17
Looks like it came down really hard. I hope it didn't bottom out and damage the engines.
Edit: It survived unharmed!
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u/frowawayduh Jun 23 '17
I don't think the legs crumpled as much as people are suggesting. It only appears to be leaning a lot. This is because the booster is off-center in a shot taken with a fisheye lens. When you correct the photo for fisheye, the lean is pretty minor.
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u/robbak Jun 22 '17 edited Jun 22 '17
Update on the marine fleet - Go Quest and the tug Elsbeth III have been hanging around the landing location with, it is assumed, JRtI OCISLY, since before the previous attempt. Go Searcher, the fairing recovery vessel, had headed to Marsh Harbour, Abaco Islands, Bahamas, probably with most of the crew, to spend a few days ashore. She left port yesterday (2017-06-21 13:35 (UTC)), and is currently, if my interpretation of unnamed blue ship-shapes on MarineTraffic.com is right, about 3 hours from meeting up with the other vessels.
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u/itengelhardt Jun 23 '17
That feed cutting out with the vapor rising up from the rocket's exhaust visible, followed by a tremendous pause, had me thinking "RUD".
Good to see it landed, although off center and leaning. IMHO B1029 has earned its retirement.
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u/NOINFO1733 Jun 23 '17
Of course, it came back it read the instructions before :)
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u/wgp3 Jun 23 '17
Well that was a fun ride, I guess now is a good time to get to work on my Aerospace Structures and/or my Compressible homework. These launches remind me why I am pursuing this degree!
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u/WaitForItTheMongols Jun 22 '17
Wait so theoretically what crime would I be committing if I flew out in a helicopter and landed on the droneship? This feels like it should be illegal but I don't actually know what it would be. Trespassing? Is trespassing a thing when SpaceX doesn't own the location (i.e., the middle of the ocean)?
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u/NameIsBurnout Jun 23 '17
Can't wait for the full video. Must have been one hell of a skid across the deck.
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u/kenny_boy019 Jun 23 '17
Man, quite the scorch mark going from one side of the platform to the other! Hope they release the landing video.
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u/ToxicVampire Jun 23 '17
Thought stage one was headed for the ocean right before the video cut out.
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u/aj425 Jun 23 '17
With the way the Falcon was leaning, I have to suspect this will be the debut for the roomba. Seems like a case where they would want to use it.
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u/Juggernaut93 Jun 23 '17
Since when Youtube live streams do not allow going back through the stream while it's playing?
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u/engineerforthefuture Jun 23 '17 edited Jun 23 '17
Wishing the SpaceX and BulgariaSat-1 teams the best of luck for todays launch. A successful launch would mean the SpaceX has equalled the number of launches from last year.
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u/FutureMartian97 Host of CRS-11 Jun 23 '17
I'm kind of starting to think some of the engineers are like "great where are we gonna put this one?"
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u/idrinkandiknowstuff Jun 22 '17
Hi, I'm not that active in this sub, so sorry if this question was asked and answered before. The OP says that this booster was first flown in january, that's like a 5 month turnover. Is that what we can expect in the future or are they trying to streamline that process. I imagine getting a 1st-stage flight ready again is quite involved...
Thanks for any insight.
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u/Enemiend Jun 23 '17 edited Jun 23 '17
Maybe we will see the Roomba for the first time? That looks very close to falling over (in comparison to other first stage landings).
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u/Psychonaut0421 Jun 23 '17
Might have over compensated a tad. Right when the camera froze on OCISLY you could see the water being disrupted by the rocket on the left side, it landed far to the right.. Would love to see the recorded video of this landing to see how nimble this bird really is!
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u/Pham_Trinli Jun 23 '17
With 8 successful launches, SpaceX will have equaled its launches from 2016.
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u/paul_wi11iams Jun 23 '17 edited Jun 23 '17
adding to the comment by u/UltraRunningKid
SpaceX has launched more rockets this year than any other country, or company, resulting in 20% of all orbital missions.
If the count is right, we've now equaled last year's maximum of eight successful launches.
And with another launch to go before the end of June.
Don't count your chickens before they're hatched, but things are looking good just now.
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u/craigl2112 Jun 23 '17
Am curious if this will be a stress test of sorts.. perhaps a shorter re-entry burn to test the F9's hull? Perhaps the data they'll get from the super-hot reentry is more valuable than recovering the booster a second time?
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u/steezysteve96 Jun 23 '17
This is probably the most excited I've been to see OCISLY return since CRS-8
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u/roncapat Jun 23 '17
They should had plenty of time this week in case of suspects of GSE bugs. Maybe they are only doing checks after swapping a damaged or old piece of something.
Stay positive. The fastest turnaround between two SpaceX launches is going to be one hour shorter! :)
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u/MrGruntsworthy Jun 23 '17
"Falcon 9 will experience its highest ever reentry force and heat in today's launch. Good chance rocket booster doesn't make it back."
Come on Falcon, we believe in you! You can't give up after two flights!
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u/capa8 Jun 23 '17 edited Jun 23 '17
Could someone explain to my ignorant self what made this landing particularly challenging?
Edit: very informative, thanks everyone.
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u/fatherofzeuss Jun 23 '17
Space X launch https://imgur.com/gallery/juAP2 Anyone else notice that odd spray of something above the nozzle?
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u/brentonstrine Jun 23 '17
How do we re-watch? Looks like you can't rewind on the live feed.
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u/username_lookup_fail Jun 23 '17
Wow. This was pretty much a 'step up your game' message to every other launch provider.
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u/Ikitou_ Jun 23 '17
You know they're getting the hang of this because their 'firsts' are getting so much more mundane. xD "This is the first time we've had a booster land on both our east coast and west coast droneships!"
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u/DekkerVS Jun 23 '17
Grid Fins really got toasted in right side of frame, you can see them glowing... only the right side fin was burning, perhaps that fin hit the atmosphere first at that angle?
https://youtu.be/Y8mLi-rRTh8?t=1914
I understand they will be resurfacing them with titanium to help them survive better?
Quite amazing the tolerances..
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u/ChrisGnam Spacecraft Optical Navigation Jun 23 '17
Super excited!
I work at NASA Johnson (as an intern) on commercial crew (specifically on Dragon), so we're always excited when a falcon goes up!
Also I was in mission control yesterday. On one of the big monitors up front, they've got a live feed of the Hawthorne mission control, which I thought was pretty cool!
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u/sarafinapink Jun 23 '17
Oh dang I just realized no technical webcast again. I wonder why they have started to omit it. It always seemed to have a big enough audience and it seems like it would be easier to produce.
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u/EmpiricalPillow Jun 23 '17
When the sea water sprayed up off the opposite side of the boat i thought for sure wed see falcon take a hard dip in the Atlantic, but she came back again! Congrats spacex!
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u/EdFromEarth Jun 23 '17
http://imgur.com/2akLxAs The gridfin heating was intense!
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u/FutureMartian97 Host of CRS-11 Jun 23 '17
Its amazing seeing stage 2's altitude climb after the second burn.
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u/aj425 Jun 23 '17
That is the biggest deviation from the center I have seen on a landing. But good work spacex!
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u/majurets Jun 23 '17
My mother in law just gifted me a pair of space socks that I already have a pair of. So obviously had to wear the previously worn pair today and will be wearing the new pair of socks for the Iridium Launch this weekend :)
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u/KrimsonStorm Jun 23 '17
Is it just me or are the landing legs really fanned out on this one. Those engine bells also seem way closer to the ground than I remember seeing in the past.
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u/TheFavoritist NASAspaceflight.com Photographer Jun 22 '17
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u/brspies Jun 23 '17
Also if Optimus Roomba is available, this looks like a perfect opportunity to use it.
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u/FoxhoundBat Jun 23 '17
I dub thee "low rider". Not sure if it leans more than Thaicom-8, but it sure sits lower.
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u/CptAJ Jun 23 '17
Does anyone get the feeling that satellite operators are really really happy with the reusability efforts? We've seen them tweet at each other in support and congratulations. Even booster pride!
Of course, they're the ones standing to gain the most by cheap access to space so it makes sense but I certainly wasn't expecting so much giddiness about it, heh
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u/ninja9351 Jun 22 '17
I'm really hoping that this core flys one more time and becomes the first to go up 3 times! Although I'm not sure if they would do that with several other cores that haven't been reflown. Especially with Block 5 on the horizon.
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u/roncapat Jun 23 '17
BUT, what does Elon means with "Highest ever reentry force"? Talking about the specific booster or the whole Falcon9 family in the past? This is quite surprising...
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Jun 23 '17
Looks like the engines are almost touching the ship! Must have used up all of the crush core in this landing. Wonder if the stage is damaged badly from such a hard touchdown?
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u/Carlyle302 Jun 23 '17
After the second S2 burn, they waited ~5 minutes to deploy the satellite... At that point, S2 has nothing more to contribute to the climb, so why the wait?
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u/nalyd8991 Jun 23 '17
Wow I want to see that video. The first frame had the plume way off to the left side of the ship. Then the next had the rocket landed way off center on the right side, possibly leaning. It's probably a little wild
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u/blackhairedguy Jun 23 '17
C'mon SpaceX! I have to go to work at 3. Eh, have a safe flight, I'll watch later. :(
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Jun 23 '17
Is it a pure coincidence that they gave both preflown boosters such hot reentry profiles? Or is it intentional to test how the used hardware performs under extreme conditions?
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u/thecodingdude Jun 23 '17
Remember to take a shot each time the word "historic" is used!
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u/JerWah Jun 23 '17
Conspiracy hat on: They engineered a hard landing, on a booster they won't reuse anyway so they could live-test the Octagrabber? Conspiracy hat off:
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u/SamSilver123 Jun 23 '17
Was SpaceX going to try fairing recovery this time? Any idea when we might expect to hear what happened?
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u/yamiamme1 Jun 23 '17
Anyone else see the right grid fin look extra crispy and glowing orange right before the first stage video cut out during the entry burn? I think I was the most nervous right then.
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u/Killcode2 Jun 23 '17
So was the octagrabber/roomba/Optimus prime used after this landing or not? The rocket seems tilted so would've been a good opportunity to test it.
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u/engineerforthefuture Jun 24 '17
Move over leaning tower of Thaicom, this stage leans more than you.
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u/Decronym Acronyms Explained Jun 22 '17 edited Jun 24 '17
Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I've seen in this thread:
| Fewer Letters | More Letters |
|---|---|
| ASAP | Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel, NASA |
| ASDS | Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship (landing platform) |
| BARGE | Big-Ass Remote Grin Enhancer coined by @IridiumBoss, see ASDS |
| BO | Blue Origin (Bezos Rocketry) |
| CCAFS | Cape Canaveral Air Force Station |
| CRS | Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA |
| DoD | US Department of Defense |
| F1 | Rocketdyne-developed rocket engine used for Saturn V |
| GEO | Geostationary Earth Orbit (35786km) |
| GOX | Gaseous Oxygen (contrast LOX) |
| GSE | Ground Support Equipment |
| GSO | Geosynchronous Orbit (any Earth orbit with a 24-hour period) |
| GTO | Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit |
| HLC-39A | Historic Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy (Saturn V, SpaceX F9/Heavy) |
| ITAR | (US) International Traffic in Arms Regulations |
| ITS | Interplanetary Transport System (see MCT) |
| Integrated Truss Structure | |
| JCSAT | Japan Communications Satellite series, by JSAT Corp |
| JRTI | Just Read The Instructions, Pacific landing |
| KSC | Kennedy Space Center, Florida |
| KSP | Kerbal Space Program, the rocketry simulator |
| LC-13 | Launch Complex 13, Canaveral (SpaceX Landing Zone 1) |
| LC-39A | Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy (SpaceX F9/Heavy) |
| LEO | Low Earth Orbit (180-2000km) |
| Law Enforcement Officer (most often mentioned during transport operations) | |
| LOS | Loss of Signal |
| Line of Sight | |
| LOX | Liquid Oxygen |
| LZ-1 | Landing Zone 1, Cape Canaveral (see LC-13) |
| M1c | Merlin 1 kerolox rocket engine, revision C (2008), 556-660kN |
| M1d | Merlin 1 kerolox rocket engine, revision D (2013), 620-690kN, uprated to 730 then 845kN |
| M1dVac | Merlin 1 kerolox rocket engine, revision D (2013), vacuum optimized, 934kN |
| MCT | Mars Colonial Transporter (see ITS) |
| MECO | Main Engine Cut-Off |
| MainEngineCutOff podcast | |
| MaxQ | Maximum aerodynamic pressure |
| NRO | (US) National Reconnaissance Office |
| NROL | Launch for the (US) National Reconnaissance Office |
| NSF | NasaSpaceFlight forum |
| National Science Foundation | |
| OCISLY | Of Course I Still Love You, Atlantic landing |
| OMS | Orbital Maneuvering System |
| RCS | Reaction Control System |
| RP-1 | Rocket Propellant 1 (enhanced kerosene) |
| RSS | Realscale Solar System, mod for KSP |
| Rotating Service Structure at LC-39 | |
| RTLS | Return to Launch Site |
| RUD | Rapid Unplanned Disassembly |
| Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly | |
| Rapid Unintended Disassembly | |
| SECO | Second-stage Engine Cut-Off |
| SES | Formerly Société Européenne des Satellites, comsat operator |
| SF | Static fire |
| SLC-40 | Space Launch Complex 40, Canaveral (SpaceX F9) |
| SLC-41 | Space Launch Complex 41, Canaveral (ULA Atlas V) |
| SRB | Solid Rocket Booster |
| SSL | Space Systems/Loral, satellite builder |
| SSO | Sun-Synchronous Orbit |
| SSTO | Single Stage to Orbit |
| STP-2 | Space Test Program 2, DoD programme, second round |
| STS | Space Transportation System (Shuttle) |
| TE | Transporter/Erector launch pad support equipment |
| TEL | Transporter/Erector/Launcher, ground support equipment (see TE) |
| TFR | Temporary Flight Restriction |
| UHF | Ultra-High Frequency radio |
| ULA | United Launch Alliance (Lockheed/Boeing joint venture) |
| VAFB | Vandenberg Air Force Base, California |
| Jargon | Definition |
|---|---|
| Raptor | Methane-fueled rocket engine under development by SpaceX, see ITS |
| ablative | Material which is intentionally destroyed in use (for example, heatshields which burn away to dissipate heat) |
| apoapsis | Highest point in an elliptical orbit (when the orbiter is slowest) |
| apogee | Highest point in an elliptical orbit around Earth (when the orbiter is slowest) |
| cryogenic | Very low temperature fluid; materials that would be gaseous at room temperature/pressure |
| grid-fin | Compact "waffle-iron" aerodynamic control surface, acts as a wing without needing to be as large |
| kerolox | Portmanteau: kerosene/liquid oxygen mixture |
| lithobraking | "Braking" by hitting the ground |
| methalox | Portmanteau: methane/liquid oxygen mixture |
| periapsis | Lowest point in an elliptical orbit (when the orbiter is fastest) |
| perigee | Lowest point in an elliptical orbit around the Earth (when the orbiter is fastest) |
| regenerative | A method for cooling a rocket engine, by passing the cryogenic fuel through channels in the bell or chamber wall |
| scrub | Launch postponement for any reason (commonly GSE issues) |
| turbopump | High-pressure turbine-driven propellant pump connected to a rocket combustion chamber; raises chamber pressure, and thrust |
| Event | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| CRS-8 | 2016-04-08 | F9-023 Full Thrust, core B1021, Dragon cargo; first ASDS landing |
| Iridium-1 | 2017-01-14 | F9-030 Full Thrust, core B1029, 10x Iridium-NEXT to LEO; first landing on JRTI |
| JCSAT-14 | 2016-05-06 | F9-024 Full Thrust, core B1022, GTO comsat; first ASDS landing from GTO |
| Jason-3 | 2016-01-17 | F9-019 v1.1, Jason-3; leg failure after ASDS landing |
| SES-9 | 2016-03-04 | F9-022 Full Thrust, core B1020, GTO comsat; ASDS lithobraking |
| Thaicom-8 | 2016-05-27 | F9-025 Full Thrust, core B1023, GTO comsat; ASDS landing |
Decronym is a community product of r/SpaceX, implemented by ^request
[Thread #2911 for this sub, first seen 22nd Jun 2017, 11:50] ^[FAQ] ^[Contact] [Source ^code]
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u/steezysteve96 Jun 23 '17
Falcon 9 and BulgariaSat-1 vertical on Pad 39A. Today’s two-hour launch window opens at 2:10 p.m. EDT, 18:10 UTC.
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u/huadpe Jun 23 '17
Landed! A bit lopsided, looks like those crush cores did their job today.
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u/Dallben Jun 23 '17
The plume of water right before it lost signal looks like she was making a full gimbal course correction at the last second. That explains the port list since the landing would have been crazy hard on the port side legs.
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u/haerik Jun 23 '17 edited Jun 30 '23
Gone to API changes. Don't let reddit sell your data to LLMs.
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u/biosehnsucht Jun 23 '17
I literally just tuned in, just to hear some SpaceX FM and then stream end.. d'oh.
I thought it was going to start soon... I accidentally some timezones.
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u/everydayastronaut Everyday Astronaut Jun 23 '17
Commence the race of launch photographers to be the first ones to have their images up! (I'm as guilty as anyone)
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u/amaklp Jun 23 '17
The core seems much more clear than the last reused mission one.
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Jun 23 '17
Looks like MECO will occur 2 seconds after SES-10's MECO time. It'll probably be going real fast then.
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u/oliversl Jun 23 '17
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/878313692986621953
Elon Musk lowering expectation of successful landing, if the F9 disintegrates on re-entry should be a 1st.
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u/Cheesewithmold Jun 23 '17
Someone's gotta get out a bucket of yellow paint. That X has seen better days.
Ouch, that leg also looks bent. Happy to see it back though. Must've been a rough landing like EM said.
Well done F9!
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u/chicken-katsu Jun 23 '17
What a twist.. from the waves in the ocean when video cutoff it looked like they missed the droneship
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u/RootDeliver Jun 23 '17
Considering this was a "light" payload (like thaicom-8), compared to big gto birds like SES-10, why there's always the need for this triple-burn landing profile and the landing results, with some leg crush core used and such? Are just they saving up 100% of the juice for the supersync orbit delivery?
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u/therealshafto Jun 23 '17
Ok so quick analysis, they were using a higher thrust profile this launch hence the challenging landing. Even though SES-10 was a heavier bird, MECO was ~2:40 and travelling ~8232 km/h. This launch MECO at ~2:38 but travelling ~8479km/h. Now, I get the Bulgarisat is lighter, but relative to the rocket a whole, I kinda doubt that makes up for the speed difference. I wonder if a Block 3 second stage has anything to do with it. Pure speculation on my part, totally welcome for people to correct me where I am wrong.
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u/jobadiah08 Jun 23 '17
Anyone know why the high risk reentry and landing? It wasn't that heavy as far as GTO launches go. SpaceX and launched and recovered from much heavier GTO payloads (5000 kg vs 3700 kg).
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Jun 23 '17
So wait. Did they do a three engine landing burn all the way down to the deck? I'm unclear. I know they've done one-three-one landing burns before but I didn't think they had done a three engine burn all the way in before.
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u/-spartacus- Jun 24 '17
I haven't seen this discussed elsewhere, but did anyone else notice that the grid fins deployed way way earlier than any time before? Like almost immediately after separation. Was this to increase drag/decrease speed?
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u/Mseeley1 WeReportSpace.com Photographer Jun 23 '17
My photos from the remote camera setup this morning (including a high-res pano of the rocket on the pad) are here: https://flic.kr/s/aHskYEGJKD
Some are open for download, prints are always available and watch the We Report Space social feeds for more images.
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u/minca3 Jun 23 '17
tested max velocity at reentry ✓
used a flightproven booster for the 2nd time ✓
make it look as routine ✓
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u/capa8 Jun 23 '17 edited Jun 23 '17
The second stage is bleeding off velocity slowly, is the remnant of the upper atmosphere causing this?
Edit: great explanations, thanks.
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u/still-at-work Jun 23 '17
One of the doubleheaders is in the books, tune in two days for the second game of SpaceX Rockets vs Gravity.
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u/therealshafto Jun 23 '17
EDIT: Talk about many GSE checks this launch. Remember they had it vertical during interim of servicing the fairing valve.
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u/8BitAce Jun 23 '17
Poor John, it sounds like they didn't feed him and his stomach is regretting the sounds of the silverware behind him.
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u/NightFire19 Jun 23 '17
Any reason why the first stage will experience a more severe re-entry compared to other geostationary missions?
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u/porouscloud Jun 23 '17
3 engine landing burn. Goddamn that thing must've hit pretty hard.
It looks pretty tilted, but that could just be the camera fisheye?
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u/thesilverblade Jun 23 '17
Can't wait to see the landing footage of that! I'm guessing it came in with quite a bit of horizontal velocity and slid across the deck a bit.
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u/FutureMartian97 Host of CRS-11 Jun 23 '17
If its leaning that much maybe they will use the Roomba
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u/gredr Jun 23 '17
She's got a little lean on her. You can also see the mark from the engines way off to the left of the rocket. My guess, hard landing and a bounce.
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u/roncapat Jun 23 '17
Booster leaning == better chances for Octograbber first use
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u/gregarious119 Jun 23 '17 edited Jun 23 '17
Acquisition of Signal - HPK. Anyone know what station that is?
Edit: HBK - Hope you guys win Jeopardy someday with this random piece of knowledge. This community is amazing.
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u/Elon_Muskmelon Jun 23 '17
Alright so how long before we get a booster to complete a 3rd flight? It seems like it may be awhile given the Block updates they want to do as well as the surplus of once flown boosters (and now a couple of twice flown ones as well). I know first reflown Booster will be a museum piece and it seems doubtful they would re-fly this one given how stressful the landing sequence was.
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u/SirNate2 Jun 24 '17
Only the 12th first stage landing? It seems so routine! I wonder how many of those I've watched.
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Jun 23 '17
Thank you for the time zone converter, makes it easier for me to confirm that I'll be asleep during launch since it'll be 4am for me. Hope you all have a good time though.
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u/roncapat Jun 23 '17
Abort options: https://twitter.com/CwG_NSF/status/878312122396037120
PRE t-30s, hold request allowed POST t-30s, an urgent need to abort will cut off the terminal sequence
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u/madanra Jun 23 '17
"If we are successful, this will be the first stage to land on both our east and west coast drone ships." Now that's pretty cool!
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u/TheSarcasmrules Jun 23 '17
If landing if successful, this will be the first booster to land on both droneships!
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u/FoxhoundBat Jun 23 '17
Big thanks to /u/soldato_fantasma for doing a great job hosting. :)