Category: Space

the big front yard – watching a night launch in central florida

whbeebe

Yesterday evening marked another SpaceX launch from the east coast of Florida. A Falcon 9 launched SES-9, a geosynchronous satellite to owned and managed by SES (Société Européenne des Satellites). Because it was right at sundown, there were interesting lighting effects, especially the launch trail. I spent too much time watching the flight before I remembered I had a camera with me. Or perhaps that’s the way I should approach it. The older I get, the less intent I am to photograph everything interesting I come across.

Towards the end of the observable part of the launch the vehicle arced over and began it’s orbital insertion downrange. You can see two small points of light in the second photo where the first stage and second stage (the brighter point) have separated. I managed to grab this photo, then just stood there watching the points continue on downrange until they just faded out due to distance.

One of the benefits of living where I do is the bit of vicarious living I experience when I watch a launch, especially a SpaceX launch. This certainly isn’t the first I’ve observed first hand since moving into this house back in 1985. I might not be closer to Canaveral, but I’m close enough to see the launch contrails and the engines burning in the night sky. I think I like night launches the best of all.

spacex second landing attempt

whbeebe

I’ve been sitting here following the launch of NASA’s Jason-3 satellite from Vandenberg AFB via Twitter and streaming feeds. The launch itself was successful, but based on my Twitter feed it looks like the first stage had a hard landing on the SpaceX barge. It appears one of the landing legs broke and the first stage isn’t upright on the barge. Trying to return that first stage booster back to land is hard enough, but trying to return the first stage to a barge in the middle of the ocean has to be an absolute nightmare.

If SpaceX can’t solve the sea landing, then they may have to restrict these attempts to where they can come back to dry land like their successfully landing here in Florida. At least SpaceX is trying. Everybody else want’s to talk about how tough it is without even attempting to solve the problems.

The primary mission, to launch Jason-3, has succeeded. The secondary mission, to land the first stage on the drone ship, has failed. So close on the secondary mission, and yet still so far.

My SpaceX feed has essentially dried up. Nothing left to read on Twitter except the usual social trash on a Sunday afternoon. I think I need to trim back again.

Here’s a blog post on what’s happened so far: Falcon 9 Launches Jason-3 Satellite, Landing Attempt Fails

Update 18 January

If you get a chance check out the SpaceNews link above. There’s a short clip showing how the first stage touched down on the barge, then tipped over when one of its landing legs failed. As Elon Musk would later tweet, “Well, at least the pieces were bigger this time!” After looking at the video clip I can’t believe how close they came this time to successfully pulling it off. It was so close it even made me hurt a little to watch it just tip over. My belief in their eventual success at sea-based landings is now a lot stronger.