SpaceX Falcon 9 first launch attempt June 4 (tomorrow)

[sojourner]

SpaceX is going for it's first attempt tomorrow. Launch window opens at 11am and closes at 3pm eastern time. A live webcast of the launch will be available here:
http://www.spacex.com/webcast.php

Here's hoping they beat the odds and get to orbit on the first try!

 

[STR]

I like that they actually list their prices. Only $10M for a Falcon 1 launch, Falcon 9 starts at $45 million. I can briefly imagine I'm e-shopping for my space trip to the moon, or something like that.

Then I realize the rocket won't go to the moon, I don't have $45 million and they don't accept paypal or Google Checkout even if I did.

 

[JustAFriend]

Hope they spend more money on the rocket than their servers.

Site appears to be nuked....

 

[T'Girl]

Okay, so what happen, beyond it didn't launch ... I got that.

 

[Lindley]

Sounds like the rocket's own fail-safes detected something wrong and prevented the launch.

 

[RevDMV]

Made it to orbit on the second attempt, wtg

 

[sojourner]

WOO HOO! Beautiful launch!!!

 

[Hyperspace05]

Woohoo!

The entire 9 minute flight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhoX5XcqnfA

A neat view from the top of the KSC vehicle assembly building: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGuRfyZ11eA

Here are some beautiful launch pictures: http://spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/001/launch/
Here are three great shots: (from link above):

 

[Mr. Adventure]

I like that they actually list their prices. Only $10M for a Falcon 1 launch, Falcon 9 starts at $45 million. I can briefly imagine I'm e-shopping for my space trip to the moon, or something like that.

Then I realize the rocket won't go to the moon, I don't have $45 million and they don't accept paypal or Google Checkout even if I did.

I'm sure they'd take PayPal. At least now we know where those fees go.

 

[Tom Hendricks]

I watched the launch today and I felt like a kid when I watched the Shuttle take off for the first time. I was yelling "go, go, go" at the computer monitor.

 

[Noname Given]

You know, it's gret that a private contractor has managed to develop working space hardware, but sorry, as someone born in 1963; and who was often allowed to ditch school to watch the moon landings live; and who thought that by this time, we WOULD have returned to the moon and continued meaningful development in spaceflight tech; it's hard to get excited about a private contractor getting BACK to the point the U.S. space program was in 1961 (two years before I was born).

I mean, I think it IS a good thing in the long run, it just should have been done WAY sooner.

 

[sojourner]

^That's NASA's fault. Not SpaceX. The thing that makes the Falcon 9 launch great is that SpaceX managed to achieve more for a hell of alot less money than NASA and the Constellation program in a shorter amount of time.

 

[T'Girl]

Favorite part was at the four minute mark after it staged, the exposed black nozzle turns orange.

 

[Training]

I kind of gave up on SpaceX after the countless numbers of Falcon 1 failures. But now I'm glad to see they have learnt from their earlier mistakes and no exploding rockets occured. Shame about the first stage.


Still though. Commercial space companies have a MASSIVE hill to climb. As noname said what they are doing at the moment is exactly what ESA,RSA and NASA have done decades ago. Only difference is that these agencies didn't get any help from anybody and they don't have the advantages that these companies have.

Looks just like a Condom.

 

[sojourner]

3 failures are countless?

 

[Jetfire]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Dragon

I can't wait for this.

Good to see someone other than a government run space agency in the business of space exploration and travel.

 

[FPAlpha]

^That's NASA's fault. Not SpaceX. The thing that makes the Falcon 9 launch great is that SpaceX managed to achieve more for a hell of alot less money than NASA and the Constellation program in a shorter amount of time.

Doesn't surprise me a bit.

I have countless examples how private companies can do the same project a government agency does for a lot less, in less time and sometimes even better just because they have to.

Government agencies are just not that efficient because they don't have the same kind of pressure to be profitable as soon as possible unlike the private sector. They are also not that tightly controlled financially as a private company and frankly i'm a bit surprised that such a company didn't emerge sooner.

Companies and other organizations needing some satellites in orbit will be surely checking out this (and other) companies in the future.

 

[MANT!]

I beg to differ..
Governments often do basic research much better than private industry..blazing trails and basic exploration is often best done by governments..(and student aid BTW)..

Now after the trail is blazed..Private industry is often the best choice for getting max value from the basic research that the government did..


The Apollo program exemplifies government exploration and research...

the Space Shuttle debacle is a prime example of the issues a government agency gets into when exploiting new research...A vehicle designed by Congress first and engineers second...

We should've kept on launching explorations of the moon and Apollo derived hardware such as Skylab...(there were 2 Skylabs built..but only 1 launched) and let out resupply of later stations to private industry..allowing NASA to focus on probable Mars missions..


But hindsight is 20/20...

Congrats to SpaceX...


http://www.spacex.com/multimedia/videos.php?id=37&cat=recent