Two more launches in past 24 hours, by Israel and SpaceX
Both Israel and SpaceX completed new launches during the evening hours yesterday. First, Israel placed an Ofek radar surveillance satellite into orbit, its small solid-fueld Shavit-2 rocket lifting off from an undisclosed location within the country, likely its Palmachim Airbase on the Mediterranean coast south of Tel Aviv. The launch occurred about the same time as SpaceX’s Starlink launch from Vandenberg, already reported last night.
This was Israel’s first launch in 2025, and the first since 2023. Since 2008 the country has launched seven military surveillance satellites, one about every two to four years or so.
Several hours later, in the wee hours of the morning, SpaceX completed another launch, placing 28 Starlink satellites into orbit, its Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from Cape Canaveral in Florida. The first stage completed its fourteenth flight, landing on a drone ship in the Atlantic.
The leaders in the 2025 launch race:
112 SpaceX
48 China
12 Rocket Lab
11 Russia
SpaceX now leads the rest of the world in successful launches, 112 to 85.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Both Israel and SpaceX completed new launches during the evening hours yesterday. First, Israel placed an Ofek radar surveillance satellite into orbit, its small solid-fueld Shavit-2 rocket lifting off from an undisclosed location within the country, likely its Palmachim Airbase on the Mediterranean coast south of Tel Aviv. The launch occurred about the same time as SpaceX’s Starlink launch from Vandenberg, already reported last night.
This was Israel’s first launch in 2025, and the first since 2023. Since 2008 the country has launched seven military surveillance satellites, one about every two to four years or so.
Several hours later, in the wee hours of the morning, SpaceX completed another launch, placing 28 Starlink satellites into orbit, its Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from Cape Canaveral in Florida. The first stage completed its fourteenth flight, landing on a drone ship in the Atlantic.
The leaders in the 2025 launch race:
112 SpaceX
48 China
12 Rocket Lab
11 Russia
SpaceX now leads the rest of the world in successful launches, 112 to 85.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Whoops, 112 to 85.
What an accomplishment, it seems I’ve been waiting my entire life for this moment that’s making history… No longer relying on science fiction for that thrill.
Another Elon musk breakthrough that I’m not hearing in the news. If it’s real, this technology will change everything again. Batteries that get better with more use and will outlast the life of the car. Quicker charge rate, lighter, and plentiful… The aluminum ion battery. (if I lived off the grid, my car could power my home for a week with only a couple hours generator charge time to replenish it)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYB2N-AnpR8
Lots of news in the area of health with Robert Kennedy making waves… he post explanations for what he does if you look him up, don’t believe what the media is telling you. The era of pharmaceutical control of the regulation of health for their own profit is over. (“I am the science” is given way to proven and reproducible science)
The result of an autism study to be released soon. Any bets on what his findings are? (One in 40 children have autism? When my children were young it was one in 140)
Here’s a 10 minute synopsis of a guy who’s keeping track of all things Covid and MRNA related issues. (The results of studies are coming in from across the world and he’s doing his best to collect them all for publishing) much of the data I had no idea it was so bad.
He starts his list at the 43 minute mark.
https://lindelltv.com/huge-trump-questions-operation-warpspeed/
I’m enjoying the new race for more power for all the new data centers and artificial intelligence. (it’s refreshing to see as compared to the Obama administration shutting down coal fired power plants across the country)
When they built the new GOV. spy Data Center just 10 miles from my house in Utah, they also built a natural gas power station on the shores of Utah lake to provide it in the surrounding community with the power it needs. (and power for Google, Facebook, and other data centers nearby that utilize the government system! In their public private partnership)
Now we are told a “bigger data center” is going to be built in (middle of nowhere) Central Utah not far from a huge power station that provides electricity for Southern California and Disneyland. (expansion will be necessary)
https://www.ksl.com/article/51355852/worlds-largest-data-center-campus-could-be-coming-to-central-utah
With the Israelis having that many successful launches, I’m surprised they don’t do commercial payloads.
@Max Isreal is possibly the only country in the world that launches to the West. So they have to fight the rotation of the Earth. (If they launched to the East, would look like a ballistic missle launch, but nowadays, who cares if it looks like a missle launch?)
So they lose hard on payload compared to every other launcher and Shavit has a small payload to start with.