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[cameron]

Update: Primary mission success. First stage didn't make it.

Elon Musk ‏@elonmusk
Ascent phase & satellites look good, but booster rocket had a RUD on droneship

RUD = Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly

Elon Musk ‏@elonmusk
Looks like thrust was low on 1 of 3 landing engines. High g landings v sensitive to all engines operating at max.

Elon Musk ‏@elonmusk
Upgrades underway to enable rocket to compensate for a thrust shortfall on one of the three landing engines. Probably get there end of year.

SpaceX ‏@SpaceX
.@Eutelsat_SA satellite has been deployed into a nominal orbit

SpaceX ‏@SpaceX
ABS satellite has been deployed into a nominal orbit

---------------------

This would be the 26th Falcon 9 launch. The 6th launch this year. The second dual satellite mission to geostationary transfer orbit.

Launch Window Opens: 10:29 am ET. Wednesday, June 15.
Launch Site: Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida

Webcast: http://www.spacex.com/webcast
Youtube Full Hosted Webcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLNmtUEvI5A
Youtube Technical Webcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckjP8stlzxI
Press Kit: http://admin.spacex.com/sites/spacex/files/spacex_eutelsat_abs_press_kit.pdf

Mission Overview:

For this mission, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will deliver two commercial communications satellites to Geostationary Transfer Orbits (GTO). The two satellites, EUTELSAT 117 West B and ABS-2A, are operated respectively by Eutelsat and ABS – two companies that provide global communications services to a variety of users.

SpaceX is targeting launch from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida on June 15. The approximately 45-minute launch window opens on June 15 at 10:29am ET, 2:29pm UTC. EUTELSAT 117 West B will be deployed approximately 30 minutes after liftoff, and ABS-2A will be deployed 5 minutes later.

Following stage separation, the first stage of Falcon 9 will attempt an experimental landing on the “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship. As with other GTO missions, the first-stage will be subject to extreme velocities and re-entry heating, making a successful landing difficult.

Payload:

The payload for this mission is two communications satellites, both built by Boeing Satellite Systems. They each have 48 transponders and 4 dedicated Ku-band transmitters.

EUTELSAT 117 West B will be the second new-generation electric satellite in Eutelsat Americas’ fleet and will strengthen the video capacities and offer key services to Latin America clients in the field of telecommunications and government services.

ABS-2A will be the second of the pair of the innovative all-electric propulsion satellites. ABS-2A will serve Africa, MENA, Russia, South Asia and South East Asia regions with video and key communications services at 75°E.

The previous four recovered Falcon 9 first stages in a hangar at Launch Complex 39A:

Elon Musk ‏@elonmusk
Fourth rocket arrives in the hangar. Aiming for first reflight in Sept/Oct.

SpaceX ‏@SpaceX
Fantastic four

https://www.flickr.com/photos/spacex/

Previous launches:
25. THAICOM-8. ASDS Landing Successful.
24. JCSAT-14. ASDS Landing Successful.
23. CRS-8. ASDS Landing Successful.
22. SES-9. ASDS Landing Failure.
21. Jason-3. ASDS Landing Failure.
20. Orbcomm-OG2. RTLS Landing Successful.

 

[Abstruse Moose]

Love these events. Hopefully another successful landing and more progress for SpaceX.

 

[cameron]

4 in a row would be nice.

~2 hours to go.

 

[DBT85]

Gonna need a bigger garage soon.

 

[East Lake]

Inspirational Elon quote.

For France’s Le Gall, Europe’s contemptuous inability to take Musk seriously dates back years. He remembers a conference in Vietnam about a decade ago where the billionaire “showed up in torn jeans and with a plastic bag. He told us -- the chiefs of the three biggest rocket launchers worldwide -- I am here and you are dead. One of us replied: you talk, we launch. Had we known...”

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...nce-pooh-poohed-is-wake-up-call-for-europeans

 

[Neo C.]

Best wishes. Make space exploration affordable again!

 

[Blablurn]

Inspirational Elon quote.



http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...nce-pooh-poohed-is-wake-up-call-for-europeans

Damn

 

[Nathan_Drake]

Love some Human Achievement. Love astronomy and space. I am so happy privatized space ventures are progressing. Good Luck!

 

[Alexlf]

Inspirational Elon quote.



http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...nce-pooh-poohed-is-wake-up-call-for-europeans

This is what I like to hear, pressure on others in the aerospace industry will only lead to good things.

 

[Lach]

I am so happy privatized space ventures are progressing!

I'm pretty sceptical of space ventures being in private hands. But apparently it's the only way for Space Travel Technology and Space Exploration going forward, so I'm all for it! Go SpaceX!

 

[East Lake]

cameron where you find those pictures in the op?

 

[Jezbollah]

Another F9 launch, another Cameron OT!

Nice launch window for Europeans today. We get to see it actually in a civilized time!

Here's hoping for a 5-cores-in-the-garage instagram pic from Elon *touches wood*

 

[hamauzu kaito]

30 mins to go!

 

[cameron]

Webcast is live.

cameron where you find those pictures in the op?

Satellite pics are from SpaceFlight Now. Falcon 9 pics are from the main SpaceX website and their instagram account.

 

[East Lake]

Thx.

Did I hear them say they're growing crops on their property in Texas?

 

[Lonestar]

3 minutes

 

[luoapp]

No video feed from the 1st stage?

 

[Lonestar]

No One Knows!

 

[Daggoth]

That's a hit

 

[nasax]

What happened?! I just saw fire err... smoke too.

 

[kami_sama]

What's happened?

 

[dorn.]

Well that was interesting

 

[hamauzu kaito]

That's a hit

how do you know? it seemed like it landed but was on fire.

 

[ultratruman]

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE LANDING STAGE?

 

[Lonestar]

alot of smoke, some fire, camera ded, no one knows if it landed 100%

 

[Daggoth]

how do you know? it seemed like it landed but was on fire.

Troll assumption on my part + fire image + ongoing reaction. At least it hit the ship in some capacity!

 

[Lunar FC]

Looked unsuccessful idk.

 

[East Lake]

I thought I saw a standing rocket in the smoke briefly but it could have been my imagination.

 

[zeshakag]

I thought I saw a standing rocket in the smoke briefly but it could have been my imagination.

Me too, I thought the fire was just that stabilization burn that always happens after landing.

 

[BattleMonkey]

yea it looked like the rocket landed, but there was lot of fire and smoke, but that is also likely normal

 

[Orbis Tabula]

I believe. C'mon rocket!

 

[NH Apache]

Looked unsuccessful idk.

I disagree. The rocket was standing. Shit was on fire, but standing.

 

[Mindlog]

Clearly the effects accidentally destroyed the set where this whole charade is orchestrated.

 

[Alexlf]

RIP camera I guess? Really hope it landed.

 

[dorn.]

It did 100% land, you can go back in the stream and see it standing on the ship. Question is in what condition and why there was so much smoke.

 

[Lunar FC]

I disagree. The rocket was standing. Shit was on fire, but standing.

I just woke up so idk what I saw.

 

[ultratruman]

Primary mission going well. #Eutelsat #SpaceX Intent focus on this. Landing is secondary #Falcon9

https://twitter.com/Restrantek/status/743092385408638977

 

[Jezbollah]

 

[Aruarian Reflection]

Landing screencaps. Hmmm...

https://imgur.com/a/YkaLv

 

[NH Apache]

I just woke up so idk what I saw.

Haha, I'm sipping my coffee right now listening to these jams on the stream. I wonder if this is Musk's own composition or if there is an electronic music division of SpaceX.

Which would be awesome.

 

[Alexlf]

Must have been damn toasty to knock out the camera like that. Still, I can't imagine the thing would burn great considering the amount of heat shielding on it.

 

[ultratruman]

Landing screencaps. Hmmm...

https://imgur.com/a/YkaLv

there's definitely more fire than usual.

 

[kami_sama]

there's definitely more fire than usual.

We'll see if i affects the rocket or not. I hope we get another successful landing.

 

[pdog128]

Haven't really kept up with SpaceX like I should have, but they said this was a 2 stage landing instead of the usual 3 stage. It was coming in on a flatter trajectory.

Could that have affected it?

 

[Jezbollah]

 

[NH Apache]

damn lost it.

 

[cameron]

Pooh.

 

[Daggoth]

Dammit.

Guessing they'll know in a few days if it was a bad landing or if it was already on fire before touchdown.

 

[hamauzu kaito]

Well that's a wrap. Can't wait to hear the official line on what went wrong. At least they got some data for next time.

 

[Alexlf]

I wonder if the rocket fell over on the camera, or maybe whatever was transmitting the data.