Falcon 9 launch puts Dragon in orbit
The competition heats up: SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket has successfully put its fifth Dragon cargo freighter into orbit, with a docking at ISS scheduled for Tuesday.
Spaceflight Now’s status update above also noted that this is the 13th launch of a Falcon 9 rocket since 2010. All these flights have successfully put their primary payloads into orbit as promised, an amazing track record for a new rocket built by a new company only in existence for less than a decade.
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The competition heats up: SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket has successfully put its fifth Dragon cargo freighter into orbit, with a docking at ISS scheduled for Tuesday.
Spaceflight Now’s status update above also noted that this is the 13th launch of a Falcon 9 rocket since 2010. All these flights have successfully put their primary payloads into orbit as promised, an amazing track record for a new rocket built by a new company only in existence for less than a decade.
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
Bravo. Looking forward to hearing the results of the booster landing test on this go around.
There was no first stage soft splashdown this time. I noted this fact last week. They didn’t explain why, but I suspect it was because of the Falcon 9R failure last month, combined with their effort to launch this rocket in a short turn-around.
I think one of the posts in the webcast said booster reentry attempt with low probability of success.
http://www.spacex.com/webcast/
I can see them testing the landing equipment they do have on board. Why waste the materials effort and time when you could get a few bits of extra information out of what you have?
I just can’t see a recoverable/reusable rocket coming from this landing.
The first stage flown on this launch did not have landing legs. They were very clear about that. As they were very close-mouthed about the whole thing it is possible they still attempted a soft splashdown anyway, but I got a very different impression.
Nonetheless, if they did try it, all to the best. I will gladly look forward to more cool videos and good engineering data.
On this CRS-4 mission both the first and second stage were re-fired to sample as much test data as possible for re-usability. Landing legs were not attached but soft landing was attempted.
I had a bet with somebody about this. I’m sure I’ve earned my soda by now.