Who’s watching the launch tonight?

It’s live

Today’s launch on SpaceX’s YouTube channel gave some of the best footage yet. Stage one reentry and landing uninterrupted on the onboard camera - stunning.

This one’s even better. Visible transonic transition, huge contrail and flawless landing footage from the booster and the drone ship (I think it was Just Read The Instructions this time). Either the cameras are getting better or the special effects team have upped their game…

DavyH said:

This one’s even better. Visible transonic transition, huge contrail and flawless landing footage from the booster and the drone ship (I think it was Just Read The Instructions this time). Either the cameras are getting better or the special effects team have upped their game…

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Just another day at the office

Adephi said:

Just another day at the office

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Right enough. They’ve got so good at this that it’s become routine.

DavyH said:

This one’s even better. Visible transonic transition, huge contrail and flawless landing footage from the booster and the drone ship (I think it was Just Read The Instructions this time). Either the cameras are getting better or the special effects team have upped their game…

Click to expand...

Indeed this was an awesome watch. The second stage altitude gain was also amazing.

Regards

Scott Manley on YouTube did a good roundup on the two flights and why the Virgin Galactic flight is still a space flight despite only aiming for 80 km altitude. Lots of interesting stuff about the Blue Origin flight as well.

Adephi said:

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I wonder whom is going to clean up the oil spills those Land Rovers left on the runway.

Regards

Branson needs to have a word with Musk about borrowing some cameras.

Suborbital is not enormously exciting, but it’s privately funded…again! Blue Origin in 9 days to complete the trifecta.

At least not everything this year has been crappy.

Skip to 1:38 if you want to skip the pre-flight formalities.

Adephi said:

Skip to 1:38 if you want to skip the pre-flight formalities.

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Damn, to spend all that dough to only travel upwards manny manny feet but not a single kilometre. Such a shame, better luck next time whatsisname...

And why use golf commentators to block out the lady that seemed to know what she was talking about?

Do appreciate the post though.

Regards

Raindance said:

Damn, to spend all that dough to only travel upwards manny manny feet but not a single kilometre. Such a shame, better luck next time whatsisname...

And why use golf commentators to block out the lady that seemed to know what she was talking about?

Do appreciate the post though.

Regards

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I think it's more of genital measuring contest at this stage (hence the rocket shape). Jeff got the big news station to cover it live where as Richard Branson was more of an online thing.

But at least there is some inovation going on. Thats always a good thing. Twice now in the last 2 weeks people went to space with minimal training. And Blue Origin didn't even have onboard pilots.

We gotta give it to Branson. His spaceship looked more futuristic and landed like an airplane. Can’t Compare it to Besos’ huge suppository and capsule landing with parachutes… but he did it.

The size of the windows on New Shephard though…

A very different sounding motor on the booster. Great landings by both craft. Nice.

Liftoff at around 17 minutes, first time I’ve seen what appears to be their new IR camera - it’s great. Pretty good landing footage as well.

Early this morning, SpaceX nailed their 200th Falcon 9 (includes Falcon Heavy since central and side boosters are identical) booster landing.

Wow.

Hi Ho Hi Ho it's off to Mars we go

From dawn to dusk and a bust of Musk
Hi Ho Hi Ho

Ages since I thought about this song...