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blu · Dec 19, 2015

ORBCOMM said:
December 19, 2015
We are excited to report SpaceX completed their static fire test of Falcon 9 this evening. We are now targeting ORBCOMM’s OG2 Mission 2 launch for no earlier than Sunday, December 20 at 8:29 PM ET from launch pad SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Countdown to launch: http://www.orbcomm.com/en/networks/satellite/orbcomm-og2

Business Insider article

E-Cat · Dec 19, 2015

Fucking finally!

Aside from the attempted land landing at Cape Canaveral, this time is made doubly exciting by the launch itself.

Lest we forget, this is what happened the last time:

https://media.giphy.com/media/YaI2bwPK9Xg8o/giphy.gif

KimiNewt · Dec 20, 2015

Maybe a mod could add something like "Space Return To Flight + First Landing on the ground!" to get people in here.

It occurs in 3am here, and I've got a calculus exam at 8:30am tomorrow, but as an aerospace engineering major I'm mentally and morally obligated to wake up for it. Let's just hope I can relax afterwards and get back to sleep.

duderon · Dec 20, 2015

To see this thing launch successfully and then land on their first flight back would be monumental.

Concept17 · Dec 20, 2015

Excited to see things go well for them.

Insane Metal · Dec 20, 2015

Wow, it's been long huh. Good luck, I hope it works this time!

ScepticMatt · Dec 20, 2015

Hopefully successful this time. Makes me nervous.
Rocket launches still have a high rate of failures or delays.

Elfforkusu · Dec 20, 2015

This is pretty great. Good luck fellas

jotun? · Dec 20, 2015

Launch + landing trajectory infographic

blu · Dec 20, 2015

Landing complex 1.. Man, we're standing at the threshold of a new era, aren't we?

hobblygobbly · Dec 20, 2015

Set my alarm to wake me up at around 2 AM or so.

Kilrogg · Dec 20, 2015

I know nothing about this, and I'm not sure I understand what it's about or why it's important.

Can anyone explain this to me like I'm 5?

KHarvey16 · Dec 20, 2015

Kilrogg said:
I know nothing about this, and I'm not sure I understand what it's about or why it's important.

Can anyone explain this to me like I'm 5?

Today, rockets shoot something into space and then crash back to the earth and can't be re-used. SpaceX is making a rocket that brings something into space and then lands softly afterwards, allowing much of it to be reused. This brings the cost of putting things into space down a lot.

blu · Dec 20, 2015

Kilrogg said:
I know nothing about this, and I'm not sure I understand what it's about or why it's important.

Can anyone explain this to me like I'm 5?

It's about putting things in orbit, and not throwing out the vehicle after each trip. It's about rocket (partial) reusability. Since rockets are currently the cheapest way to put things in orbit, making those vehicles largely (i.e. 1st stage and its engine) reusable would be a serious breakthrough in space accessibility. The space shuttle was originally planned to do that, but it never reached that point (i.e. to be cheaper than rockets).

cameron · Dec 20, 2015

Kilrogg said:
I know nothing about this, and I'm not sure I understand what it's about or why it's important.

Can anyone explain this to me like I'm 5?

The last commercial launch for SpaceX failed. This is a "return to flight" launch after a six-month hiatus from spaceflight. Dan27 posted some detailed info in the other thread:

Dan27 said:
Evening all. Just a bumpage for our next attempt.

Return To Flight is set for tomorrow! Orbcomm OG2 is due to launch from Cape Canaveral on an instantaneous launch window tomorrow at 20:29 EST.

There are a number of firsts that SpaceX aim to achieve this time.

- It's the first launch since July's loss of CRS-7
- It's the first launch of the Falcon 1.2 (aka Falcon Full Thrust)
- It's the first first stage landing attempt at night
- It's the first first stage landing attempt on land
- It's the first first stage landing attempt at Cape Canaveral Landing Complex 1

What is Falcon 9 1.2?

It's a redesigned first and second stage version of Falcon 9. The rocket propellant tanks have been redesigned and have added 1.2m of height to the vehicle. "Why?" you may ask? Well, our brainy friends are going to supercool the daylights out of the fuel. The Liquid Oxygen (LOX) will be supercooled to -340f (-206.7c, 66.5k), the Rocket Propellent (RP-1) will be cooled to 20c. The net result is that they can put more fuel into the newly designed tanks, resulting in a 30% increase of thrust. This means that boost-back (and reusability in general) can be used in a wider range of missions. The Falcon 9 1.2 will also have a new second stage engine called the Merlin Vacuum 1D that will improve performance and improved attitude control.

Crispy75 · Dec 20, 2015

Kilrogg said:
I know nothing about this, and I'm not sure I understand what it's about or why it's important.

Can anyone explain this to me like I'm 5?

Spaceships are made of three bits

The spacecraft, which is the important bit that you want to put into space
The second stage, which does most of the work getting the spacecraft up to orbital speed and
The first stage, which does most of the work getting the second stage and the spacecraft up out of the atmosphere.

Traditionally, the first and second stages fall back to earth and sink to the bottom of the ocean, so you have to build new ones every time.
What SpaceX are rying to do is return the first stage back where it came from, landing on its engines.
Then they can check it over, refuel it and fly it again. Nobody has every done this. Nobody else has ever tried.

If it works, it will make getting into space much cheaper.

Par Score · Dec 20, 2015

KimiNewt said:
Maybe a mod could add something like "Space Return To Flight + First Landing on the ground!" to get people in here.

It occurs in 3am here, and I've got a calculus exam at 8:30am tomorrow, but as an aerospace engineering major I'm mentally and morally obligated to wake up for it. Let's just hope I can relax afterwards and get back to sleep.

Yeah, this is a pretty garbage title for such an important event.

chaosblade · Dec 20, 2015

I'm looking forward to the day a first stage gets used for a second mission. Such a cool thing to think about.

mmazurkiewicz · Dec 20, 2015

so what time is this thing crashing in eastern time?

oh, 8:30. great.

Bsigg12 · Dec 20, 2015

mmazurkiewicz said:
so what time is this thing crashing in eastern time?

It says in the OP...

Heretic · Dec 20, 2015

Can't wait!

E-Cat · Dec 20, 2015

Kilrogg said:
I know nothing about this, and I'm not sure I understand what it's about or why it's important.

Can anyone explain this to me like I'm 5?

We need to back up our species' hard drive by colonizing Mars. But we can't send a million people there cost-effectively without having the rocket back--instead of, you know, it blowing up.

Blizzard · Dec 20, 2015

How long is the flight supposed to take until the landing attempt? Maybe I missed it, but I didn't find it on the site / OP / infographic thus far.

E-Cat · Dec 20, 2015

Blizzard said:
How long is the flight supposed to take until the landing attempt? Maybe I missed it, but I didn't find it on the site / OP / infographic thus far.

http://www.orbcomm.com/en/networks/satellite/orbcomm-og2

Blizzard · Dec 20, 2015

E-Cat said:
http://www.orbcomm.com/en/networks/satellite/orbcomm-og2

That's the site I was reading, but I can't find it.

Where is the flight duration mentioned?

blu · Dec 20, 2015

Blizzard said:
That's the site I was reading, but I can't find it. Where is the flight duration mentioned?

Flight duration is about 20 minutes, launch to payload deployment. The 1st stage landing attempt should happen a few minutes after launch.

edit: it's all in the infographic a few posts above.

Blizzard · Dec 20, 2015

blu said:
Flight duration is about 20 minutes, launch to payload deployment. The 1st stage landing attempt should happen a few minutes after launch.

edit: it's all in the infographic a few posts above.

The "SOFT LANDING AT LC-1" label is the one I missed, so 9-11 minutes after launch. Thanks.

cameron · Dec 20, 2015

December 20, 2015 (4:00 pm ET)
We have an update regarding tonights target launch for ORBCOMMs OG2 Mission 2. Upon further review of the static fire data, SpaceX has determined that an additional day prior to launch will allow for more analysis and time to further chill the liquid oxygen in preparation for launch. Please note that we will now be targeting launch for tomorrow, Monday, December 21 at 8:34 pm ET.

http://blog.orbcomm.com/orbcomm-og2-mission-2-launch-update/

Elon Musk @elonmus
Just reviewed mission params w SpaceX team. Monte Carlo runs show tmrw night has a 10% higher chance of a good landing. Punting 24 hrs.

Kilrogg · Dec 20, 2015

Just wanted to thank you guys for explaining things to me. Now I get it. Hope it makes it in one piece!

Mindlog · Dec 20, 2015

Just saw the delay. Good to know.

KimiNewt · Dec 21, 2015

Fortunately a friend texted me about the delay around midnight while I was in bed and I could turn off the alarm. Tomorrow is an all-night SpaceX party!

I'm not kidding when I say I think this is the most exciting launch that happened in my lifetime (launch-wise, disregarding the payload's importance).

dabig2 · Dec 21, 2015

KimiNewt said:
Fortunately a friend texted me about the delay around midnight while I was in bed and I could turn off the alarm. Tomorrow is an all-night SpaceX party!

I'm not kidding when I say I think this is the most exciting launch that happened in my lifetime (launch-wise, disregarding the payload's importance).

If you're under the age of 40, it's easily the most exciting and most momentous launch in your lifetime. Like, whatever is the reverse of "spinning in your grave" is right now happening to Wernher Von Braun and the many others who helped bring us to this time.

Crossing fingers and knocking on wood tomorrow!

Deleted member 80556 · Dec 22, 2015

Here's hoping for the launch today!

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