SpaceX | Space Exploration Technologies Corporation

[l3x]

Priviti lansarea live aici:

http://spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/003/status.html

Punem si badge-ul misiunii



TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2012
0754 GMT (3:54 a.m. EDT)
DRAGON SEPARATION!


TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2012
0754 GMT (3:54 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 9 minutes, 27 seconds. Second stage engine cutoff.


TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2012
0752 GMT (3:52 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 8 minutes. One minute until the second stage Merlin engine is supposed to shut down as the vehicle reaches orbit. The rocket is aiming for an orbit with a low point of 192 miles, a high point of 211 miles, and an inclination of 51.6 degrees.


TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2012
0752 GMT (3:52 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 7 minutes, 30 seconds. Falcon 9 is now traveling 1,000 kilometers northeast of Cape Canaveral at an altitude of 300 kilometers. All systems normal.


TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2012
0750 GMT (3:50 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 6 minutes. No problems with the launch so far. The second stage is stable and a rocketcam is returning live video from the rocket.


TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2012
0750 GMT (3:50 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 5 minutes, 30 seconds. Altitude is 220 kilometers, velocity is 3.4 kilometers per second, and downrange distance is 470 kilometers.


TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2012
0749 GMT (3:49 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 5 minutes. Everything reported to be going well with this second stage engine firing. The Merlin vacuum engine uses an ultra-thin niobium nozzle extension for greater efficiency in the upper atmosphere.

The rocket's flight path is taking it northeast parallel to the U.S. East Coast.


TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2012
0748 GMT (3:48 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 4 minutes. The Dragon's nose cone has been jettisoned, and SpaceX reports the Merlin vacuum engine is firing well.


TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2012
0747 GMT (3:47 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 3 minutes, 15 seconds. The Falcon 9 first stage engines have cut off, the stages have separated, and the rocket's second stage Merlin vacuum engine has ignited for its nearly six-minute firing to reach orbital velocity.


TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2012
0746 GMT (3:46 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 2 minutes. Now soaring at an altitude of more than 20 miles, the Falcon 9 rocket's first stage will shut down and jettison in about one minute. Two engines will be turned off first, followed a few moments later by the remaining seven engines.


TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2012
0746 GMT (3:46 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 1 minute, 30 seconds. The Falcon 9 has surpassed Mach 1 as it soars into the upper atmosphere, trailing an orange flame high above Cape Canaveral.


TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2012
0745 GMT (3:45 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 1 minute. The Falcon 9 rocket is approaching the speed of sound and the phase of maximum aerodynamic pressure.


TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2012
0744 GMT (3:44 a.m. EDT)
LIFTOFF! The Falcon 9 rocket is soaring into space, sending Dragon on an historic commercial voyage to the International Space Station. The vehicle has cleared the tower.


TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2012
0743 GMT (3:43 a.m. EDT)
T-minus 60 seconds and counting. In the final minute of the countdown, the flight computer will command checks of the first stage Merlin engine steering system and the Falcon 9 propellant tanks will be pressurized for flight. Thousands of gallons of water will also be dumped onto the launch pad deck to suppress the sound and acoustics of liftoff.

The command to start the ignition sequence for the first stage will be issued at T-minus 3 seconds, triggering the Merlin engines' TEA-TEB ignitor source moments before the powerplants actually ramp up to full power.


TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2012
0742 GMT (3:42 a.m. EDT)
T-minus 2 minutes and counting. The SpaceX launch director and the Air Force Eastern Range have given their final approvals for liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket at 3:44:38 a.m. EDT (0744:38 GMT).


TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2012
0741 GMT (3:41 a.m. EDT)
T-minus 3 minutes and counting. The rocket's destruct system is on internal power and being armed, the ground TEA-TEB first ignition system is ready for launch, and liquid oxygen topping is being terminated.


TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2012
0740 GMT (3:40 a.m. EDT)
T-minus 4 minutes, 30 seconds. Both stages of the Falcon 9 rocket are now running on internal power.


TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2012
0739 GMT (3:39 a.m. EDT)
T-minus 5 minutes and counting. The Falcon 9 computer is aligned for flight. The automated sequence is now terminating loading of gaseous nitrogen into the second stage attitude control system.


TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2012
0738 GMT (3:38 a.m. EDT)
T-minus 6 minutes and counting. The Falcon 9 computer and navigation system is configuring for flight and all nine Merlin engine pumps on the first stage are chilled in for ignition. The first stage fuel bleed sequence has started.

TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2012
0736 GMT (3:36 a.m. EDT)
T-minus 8 minutes and counting. The Dragon spacecraft is being placed on internal power.

TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2012
0735 GMT (3:35 a.m. EDT)
T-minus 9 minutes and counting. Prevalves leading to the Falcon 9's Merlin first stage engines are opening, permitting super-cold liquid oxygen to flow into the engines to condition them for ignition.

TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2012
0731 GMT (3:31 a.m. EDT)
T-minus 12 minutes. The launch team has verified all consoles are go for liftoff at 3:44:38 a.m. EDT (0744:38 GMT).

TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2012
0729 GMT (3:29 a.m. EDT)
T-minus 15 minutes and counting. The final poll of the SpaceX launch team will begin in two minutes.

TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2012
0724 GMT (3:24 a.m. EDT)
T-minus 20 minutes and counting.

TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2012
0714 GMT (3:14 a.m. EDT)
With a half-hour left in this morning's countdown, all systems are currently in good shape for liftoff.

The International Space Station will be about 249 miles above Earth over the North Atlantic east of St. John's, Newfoundland.

TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2012
0707 GMT (3:07 a.m. EDT)
T-minus 37 minutes. All downrange tracking stations report they are ready to support today's launch, and winds aloft are acceptable for liftoff.

TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2012
0704 GMT (3:04 a.m. EDT)
T-minus 40 minute and counting. The Falcon 9 launch team is placing the vehicle in final setup.

TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2012
0653 GMT (2:53 a.m. EDT)
The International Space Station flight control team just issued their "go" for launch.

[Ionut]

Super! Dau in direct si pe Digi24.

[l3x]

from twitter:

elonmusk Falcon flew perfectly!! Dragon in orbit, comm locked and solar arrays active!! Feels like a giant weight just came off my back

[Ionut]

Awesome stuff. E primul zbor in spatiu (cu adevarat in spatiu, pe orbita) al unei companii private, da?

[l3x]

Tot ei au mai facut 2 orbite prin 2010 intr-un alt demo.

Totusi e primul zbor spre ISS si primul pe orbita care dureaza mai mult de cateva zeci de minute

[l3x]

Watch Dragon live from ISS:
http://spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/003/status.html

[l3x]

[Ionut]

Au ajuuuns!
Asa se face docking-ul?! Cu un brat? Sau e alta manevra?

[l3x]

Dockingul se face acum (bratul ala il duce la port). Poza e de la 'captura'.

Depinde de la capsula la capsula, din cate stiu (dar nu sunt sigur) Soyuz vine direct la port. Oricum nu are o importanta f. mare...

[l3x]

Sursa: Spaceflightnow.com
Photos: ESA/NASA

[l3x]

SpaceX signs first commercial customer for Falcon Heavy

SpaceX announced the first commercial contract for the Falcon Heavy rocket Tuesday, unveiling a deal with Intelsat, the world's largest communications satellite operator.

The company's statement did not say when or where the launch will occur, but one industry source said Intelsat is eyeing 2017 or 2018 for the mission.

Intelsat has not identified a satellite for the launch, and Alex Horwitz, an Intelsat spokesperson, said the company has not decided whether the flight would launch a single or multiple payloads.

The contract's monetary value was also not disclosed, but SpaceX has said the Falcon Heavy would sell for between $80 million and $125 million per flight, about one-third the price of a less powerful United Launch Alliance Delta 4 Heavy rocket.

"SpaceX is very proud to have the confidence of Intelsat, a leader in the satellite communication services industry," said Elon Musk, SpaceX's CEO and chief designer. "The Falcon Heavy has more than twice the power of the next largest rocket in the world. With this new vehicle, SpaceX launch systems now cover the entire spectrum of the launch needs for commercial, civil and national security customers."

The Falcon Heavy is designed to haul the largest U.S. government and commercial satellites into orbit, and it could dispatch up to 30,000 pounds of payload on a trajectory to Mars.

Thierry Guillemin, Intelsat's chief technical officer, said Falcon Heavy would need to complete multiple test launches before Intelsat assigns one of its satellites for a flight.

"Intelsat has exacting technical standards and requirements for proven flight heritage for our satellite launches," Guillemin said. "We will work closely with SpaceX as the Falcon Heavy completes rigorous flight tests prior to our future launch requirements."

Powered off the ground by 27 engines, the 227-foot-tall rocket can lift up to 117,000 pounds into low Earth orbit. It is composed of three core stages and a single-engine upper stage based on the Falcon 9 rocket.

SpaceX is finishing development of the huge Falcon Heavy before shipping the first rocket to Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., for liftoff on a test flight in mid-2013.

SpaceX is paying for the demonstration flight in 2013 with internal funding.

"Access to space is essential for commercial operators and we want to support a new entrant with reliable products able to launch large spacecraft into [geosynchronous transfer orbit]," Horwitz said in a statement. "We believe SpaceX should be supported in their effort to develop reliable and powerful launch vehicles."

SpaceX spokesperson Kirstin Brost Grantham said the Intelsat mission's launch site has not been determined. The Vandenberg facility under construction for next year's test flight is positioned for launches into polar orbit, while Intelsat and other communications satellite operators deploy spacecraft into orbit over the equator.

SpaceX is considering a former shuttle launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center for future Falcon Heavy missions. The huge booster could also lift off from SpaceX's existing Cape Canaveral pad or a potential private launch site in Florida, Texas, Hawaii, or Puerto Rico.

sursa: http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1205/29falconheavy/

[l3x]

This is kick-ass action, not SpaceF..Port America

http://www.youtube.com/v/93w8lGddIt8


http://www.youtube.com/v/Vz93QuWpe9Q

[l3x]

Falcon 9 rocket launches first commercial telecom payload

A kerosene-fueled Falcon 9 launch vehicle owned and operated by SpaceX climbed away from Florida's Space Coast on Tuesday, steering into orbit more than 50,000 miles above Earth with a television broadcasting satellite in a successful flight signaling the changing landscape of the commercial launch industry.
The success is a key turning point in SpaceX's 11-year history, proving the company is capable of tackling more challenging launch missions, such as deploying communications satellites, military payloads and interplanetary probes.

Falcon 9 rocket launches first commercial telecom payload

http://www.youtube.com/v/cXEJLhAh-Kg

[Ionut]

Beat this, NASA!

https://www.youtube.com/v/0UjWqQPWmsY

[l3x]

Ma bucur mult pentru ca ai inceput sa urmaresti si stirile despre SpaceX