Rocket Report: Blue Origin’s stunning success; vive le Baguette One!
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- Start date
This Week’s Additional Launches
There are seven launches this week, beyond the next three. These are another Electron test of hypersonic technology, a Long March 8A with an unknown payload, and five Falcon 9s carrying assorted payloads. Two of those, Transporter 15 and Starlink 11-30, are going off from the same pad at Vandenberg in just under twelve hours. That has got to be some kind of record for turning around a pad.
Nov 16 | 12:45 UTC: Electron | HASTE (Van) | Rocket Lab LC-2, Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia
Nov 17 | 05:21 UTC: Falcon 9 | Sentinal-6B | SLC-4E, Vandenberg SFB, California
Nov 18 | 23:29 UTC: Falcon 9 | Starlink 6-94 | SLC-40, Cape Canaveral SFS, Florida
Npv 19 | 13:00 UTC: Long March 8A | Unknown Payload | Commercial LC-1, Wenchang Space Launch Site, China
Nov 19 | 18:18 UTC: Falcon 9 | Transporter 15 | SLC-4E, Vandenberg SFB, California
Nov 20 | 06:01 UTC: Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 11-30 | SLC-4E, Vandenberg SFB, California
Nov 20 | 19:05 UTC: Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 6-78 | LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida
There are seven launches this week, beyond the next three. These are another Electron test of hypersonic technology, a Long March 8A with an unknown payload, and five Falcon 9s carrying assorted payloads. Two of those, Transporter 15 and Starlink 11-30, are going off from the same pad at Vandenberg in just under twelve hours. That has got to be some kind of record for turning around a pad.
Nov 16 | 12:45 UTC: Electron | HASTE (Van) | Rocket Lab LC-2, Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia
Nov 17 | 05:21 UTC: Falcon 9 | Sentinal-6B | SLC-4E, Vandenberg SFB, California
Nov 18 | 23:29 UTC: Falcon 9 | Starlink 6-94 | SLC-40, Cape Canaveral SFS, Florida
Npv 19 | 13:00 UTC: Long March 8A | Unknown Payload | Commercial LC-1, Wenchang Space Launch Site, China
Nov 19 | 18:18 UTC: Falcon 9 | Transporter 15 | SLC-4E, Vandenberg SFB, California
Nov 20 | 06:01 UTC: Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 11-30 | SLC-4E, Vandenberg SFB, California
Nov 20 | 19:05 UTC: Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 6-78 | LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida
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Baguette One is the most inspired name for a rocket launch I've ever heard. If they don't paint it with bread cut stripes they will be missing a spectacular, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be the first company to truly...
...raise the dough.
...raise the dough.
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Look carefully at the next three launches. Starlink 6-85 and 6-89 are scheduled to launch simultaneously out of the Cape this evening. I read that and thought surely it was a typo but I checked a couple of other sources and they say the same thing. That ought to be spectacular.
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Missing something about BO's successful launch. With the exception of the title and image caption at the top, there's nothing about it. Indeed the text in the BO section is clearly written prior to launch, so a small update would seem in order.
However, I suspect there's a larger article dedicated to the topic on the way, and it obviously makes sense to focus the effort there.
However, I suspect there's a larger article dedicated to the topic on the way, and it obviously makes sense to focus the effort there.
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Agree 110% with fyo. Such a stunning and (let’s face it) unexpected success by Blue yesterday deserves a priority feature article, and I’m a bit disappointed to still see nothing about it on Ars.
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I'm really looking forward to the uninterupted footage from the official drone that was hanging around near Jacklyn. Please Blue Origin! Release it and don't hide it for engineering only!
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FWIW, NextSpaceflight.com shows them as the same booster and landing site, B1071 and OCISLY, which is physically impossible -- the droneship can't sail back to land, unload, and redeploy in 11 hours. (Can it? I don't know how far downrange it's stationed.) But NSF simply repeats what is currently posted by SpaceX.
Most Transporter missions are RTLS to LZ-4 (-6 and -8 launched from Florida; -14 used OCISLY), which would resolve the apparent contention. If they do intend to recycle B1071 in less than a day, staying on-site would make it possible, and the second mission being Starlink would mitigate the risk. (Reuse is usually 20-40 days, and there's no obvious business pressure to develop a competency in bonkers-rapid turnaround of F9.)
There are some oddities in the official listing as currently shown: In particular, Transporter-15 and Starlink Group 11-30 have identical paragraphs (SpaceX identifies boosters not by name but by pedigree) and the summary tabulation shows 11-30 with a timezone of ET instead of PT. If it is a flub, the root cause may be the repeated delays to Transporter-15 (originally 11/11) or simply copy-paste. Anybody know where the official launch licenses are filed?
One of those sources is SpaceX itself. When I posted it to last week's Rocket Report I surmised it was a placeholder related to the FAA's daytime moratorium, but @Wickwick pointed out that, if SpaceX can manage it, a simultaneous launch constitutes half the intrusion on air and sea traffic. The two pads launch in different directions -- KSC's LC-39A (at 28.61°N) to the northeast and CCSFS's SLC-40 (at 28.56°N) to the southeast, as shown by NSF's maps of prior launches.
EDIT: Separated "maybe Transporter is actually RTLS" and "maybe the official listing is flawed" paras for clarity.
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The newsletter is sent on Thursday. Don't know the exact time, but it was probably written before the launch. There is likely to be an article today. Ars doesn't does "breaking news", so they probably don't see a reason to release the article about BO launch last night.
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The New Glenn launch yesterday was spectacular. A big frosty booster, with crystal clear plume - definite Starship vibes in the first 2 minutes of flight. Some absolutely inspired tracking shots from the ground, in particular the one that captured the reentry burn.
The production of the webcast left a lot to be desired - overly chatty hosts talking over the mission control callouts, very poor connections with the onboard cameras. Their second stage downward looking camera definitely needs a wider field of view. Hopefully the quality improves as they get more reps.
The production of the webcast left a lot to be desired - overly chatty hosts talking over the mission control callouts, very poor connections with the onboard cameras. Their second stage downward looking camera definitely needs a wider field of view. Hopefully the quality improves as they get more reps.
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I watched the spectacular New Glenn launch from my yard about 35 miles away. I was surprised by how much bigger than a Falcon 9 it looked even at that distance and with the naked eye. It seemed louder too, but that may have been due to weather conditions.
I too was amazed how successful the mission was. Kudos to Blue Origin.
But does anyone besides me think it’s odd (and somehow slightly annoying) that Blue Origin has copied the Northrop Grumman Cygnus mission naming convention? Cygnus’s last launch was named mission NG-23, while yesterday’s New Glenn was NG-2. Come on BO, show some originality!
I too was amazed how successful the mission was. Kudos to Blue Origin.
But does anyone besides me think it’s odd (and somehow slightly annoying) that Blue Origin has copied the Northrop Grumman Cygnus mission naming convention? Cygnus’s last launch was named mission NG-23, while yesterday’s New Glenn was NG-2. Come on BO, show some originality!
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SpaceX have published https://www.spacex.com/launches/sl-6-85 with details of a Starlink launch from Florida, currently scheduled for about 10pm local time on the 14th.
SpaceX have also published https://www.spacex.com/launches/sl-6-89 with details of a Starlink launch from Florida, currently scheduled for about 10pm local time on the 14th.
The booster being flown is B1078 which last flew on September 12th.
SpaceX have also published https://www.spacex.com/launches/sl-6-89 with details of a Starlink launch from Florida, currently scheduled for about 10pm local time on the 14th.
The booster being flown is B1092 which last flew on September 18th.
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It's been clear and low humidity around here. I can certainly hear 95 and the Turnpike road traffic the last few days when usually I cannot. So I'd guess the sound from the rocket is carrying a bit further. Which is not to say that it's not also louder!
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I suspect that they want to launch Transport-15 in this slot. But it's outside the currently allowed FAA window. So I suspect that if they can't do the transport launch, they'll just launch some Starlinks instead with that booster.
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I can't believe SpaceX isn't making a big deal about simultaneous launches if, in fact, that's the intention.
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They've got a four hour window. I suspect they'll let one of them slip later. I doubt that the FAA would agree to let them try out something completely unprecedented given current issues.
Evne though I really, really, really want to see this happen. Spoilsports.
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Maybe waiting to brag until they pull it off. With 2 at the same time there's twice the chance of a non weather scrub.
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Ask and ye shall receive.
Until
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AFAIK, SpaceX aren't using Starlink for their onboard F9 footage, and those have been crystal clear and pretty damn solid since day one.
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They did start using starlink for droneship footage when it came online, and the sat links became pretty unstable initially when the landing happened. It took them a while to make the links stable through the whole landing.
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I’ve seen “simultaneous” F9 launch listings out of the Cape numerous times in the past. It’s never actually happened, and I’ve always assumed these were placeholder entries. Generally at least one of the launches (often both) didn’t even end up on that date. (I haven’t looked to see if the same happens out of Vandy since those wouldn’t be visible to me.)
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I see all the NASA social media accounts have started posting again. I wonder if this means we'll start getting some other updates, like about Starliner, and who's on Crew-12, and when will it launch.
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Spectacular launch (and landing!) for New Glenn!
But here's what I don't get about this launch; what is the advantage of going into a loitering orbit for a year versus just waiting until the planets are in the traditional launch alignment?
Is it cheaper than waiting? I don't really see how.
Is it just a matter of the...unsettled...nature of things at NASA these days? Like maybe the mission gets cancelled if they wait?
It sounds like the satellites will just be hanging around waiting, not doing anything mission-related for the next year.
It's absolutely an innovative solution, but I'm wondering if there's any actual benefit.
Seems like the orbiters arrive at Mars about the same time either way.
What am I missing?
But here's what I don't get about this launch; what is the advantage of going into a loitering orbit for a year versus just waiting until the planets are in the traditional launch alignment?
Is it cheaper than waiting? I don't really see how.
Is it just a matter of the...unsettled...nature of things at NASA these days? Like maybe the mission gets cancelled if they wait?
It sounds like the satellites will just be hanging around waiting, not doing anything mission-related for the next year.
It's absolutely an innovative solution, but I'm wondering if there's any actual benefit.
Seems like the orbiters arrive at Mars about the same time either way.
What am I missing?
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The mission is far less likely to be cancelled if it's being stored in space vs. being stored in a climate-controlled warehouse.
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That was my impression (hoping I was wrong).
I guess I'm just sad that we've been reduced to this...damn pathetic, if you ask me.
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Bill Swallow
Ars Centurion
As I understand it, the payloads won't be doing anything directly related to their primary mission (Mars) during the wait, but they will be taking observations, gathering data, and being as useful as Mission Control can make them, based on their instrumentation and the imagination of the folks on the ground. Possibly space weather observations?
That, along with lessening the risk of an outright cancellation, made sending them now look like a better plan. Guess they didn't want to risk the same fate as that completed lunar rover that was ready to go, got canceled, and then was only saved by a near miracle.
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This launch was incredible. I will admit I checked out to see if they are hiring. Hey Arstechnica professionals: https://www.blueorigin.com/careers has some jobs available. The commute would be too long for me, but maybe someone around here can be a part of that.
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Then you missed all of the pixelated video's from the barge landings.
And yes, they have had some transmission issues in the beginning until Starlink actually was a concern, so I'm pretty sure that F9 uses Starlink as well as other means for telemetry.
And what @Dtiffster said.
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Blue Origin gave NASA a discount to launch on yesterday's test flight of New Glenn. A year from now, after NG is presumably in fully operational service, BO might want to charge full fare.
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NASA got to launch on New Glenn for $20M because it was the second launch of the rocket. If they wait until a more optimal launch window, it wouldn't be New Glenn's second launch, and thus they wouldn't get a price that low.
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That’s from the camera on the barge looking up. I’m talking about the cameras on the first and second stages. First stage coverage used to get sketchy near landing, but that was more due to it getting near the horizon.
But from launch to landing burn, and from SES-1 to SECO, the video quality from the F9 stages has always been top notch.
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The ESCAPADE spacecraft weren't designed to be dependent on the fortune of grabbing an early flight of a new rocket. They were designed to operate from a GTO rideshare, it just so happened that when they were bid BO won. Now obviously a dedicated ride is better than a rideshare, if they had been forced to switch back to GTO after NG slipped past their launch window it's likely they'd be waiting longer and spending a fair amount of time in space maneuvering from their transfer orbit to be ready for TMI at their window. But they probably could have found a pretty cheap ride. As Wickwick says though, they could have been canceled while waiting around for said ride.
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Bill Swallow
Ars Centurion
I miss the early days, when we used to get F9 camera views from inside the farking fuel tanks! How cool was that?
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