Launch News SpaceX Falcon 9 Return to Flight with 11 Orbcomm-2 satellites, December 21/22, 2015

[Cairan]

Heh. So, Blue Origin will still be the first to demonstrate reusability, then.

Technically, that would be NASA with the SRBs and the Orbiter, no?

When SpaceX also brings back the 2nd stage, that will settle it for good!

 

[MaverickSawyer]

Technically, that would be NASA with the SRBs and the Orbiter, no?

:rofl: Oh, that's a good one.

Seriously, though... Blue is, from what I've heard, planning on simply touching up the paint job, stacking the capsule on the booster, and launching it again with no overhaul or maintenance other than topping off fluid levels... Just like a car (minus the paint part, of course).

 

[Kyle]

Technically, that would be NASA with the SRBs and the Orbiter, no?

When SpaceX also brings back the 2nd stage, that will settle it for good!

Well, they proved reusability, just in a way that wasn't very cost efficient.

 

[Pablo49]

1. It ain't over before the fat lady sings.
2. If you celebrate too soon, you look like a real jerk.
3. If you do it wrong, people will spend more time discussing your aloha shirt than the spaceflight history you just did with your coworkers.
4. Nothing looks cooler than a steely-eyed missile man unbuttoning his shirt after landing to expose the "Worst first landing ever!" shirt below.
5. Your customers don't want to see Appaloosa teenagers handling their multi-billion dollar investment. Regardless how "modern" and "cool" your customer are themselves, no orchestrated enthusiasm will ever be a replacement for professionalism.
6. The good old German football rule: Who celebrates hard can also work hard.

Clearly I watched a different stream, or I live in a world of reason. Unsure which.

 

[Rantzgreenday]

What really??

I've watched these forums for a year + and have been quiet (I'm a layman). Kudos to Jeff at Amazon for his rocket poking up 65 miles and landing. But, it's not nearly the same magnitude of what Elon did here.
Blue Origin : Launch a satellite(s) into orbit and then land a stage (or stages) of your rocket, then I'll be impressed.
Sorry, Mavericksawer, got me peeved?? miffed? trolled? pissed? a little..

Merry.. (and the best) Christmas ever.
- Rantz

 

[Cairan]

Video of the landing!

---------- Post added at 12:27 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:03 AM ----------

Well, they proved reusability, just in a way that wasn't very cost efficient.

That was kind of my point :tiphat:

 

[PhantomCruiser]

Can't wait to see something like this during daytime hours.

Is there a side-by-side comparison drawing of the Blue Origin next to an F9 first stage? Someone elsewhere thought that the Blue guys rocket wasn't much taller than the F9 landing legs. If I weren't here at work I'd go picture hunting.

I imagine there's a long line of NDI techs getting ready to tear into this thing.

 

[Hlynkacg]

Haters are going to hate, call us when Blue Origin is putting payloads in orbit

 

[Frilock]

Space X

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Can't wait to see something like this during daytime hours.

Is there a side-by-side comparison drawing of the Blue Origin next to an F9 first stage? Someone elsewhere thought that the Blue guys rocket wasn't much taller than the F9 landing legs. If I weren't here at work I'd go picture hunting.

I imagine there's a long line of NDI techs getting ready to tear into this thing.

 

[Thunder Chicken]

Taken apart for testing, then?

It looks a bit scorched. I wonder if some of that is from the second stage's jet wash.

No, that's from the 1st stage retro-propulsion. Kinda nice to see rockets coming back scorched and dirty instead of dumping pristine shiny ones in the ocean. I hope they don't waste a lot of refurb effort on paint - looks good scorched IMO.

 

[Sky Captain]

Hell Yeah!!! They did it!!!

Will have few beers for this

 

[fred18]

I'm no particular fan of Space X (not that I don't like them, just not a particular supporter), but I can not imagine or dream anything better than sitting in a control room, at a console, doing my job, following my mission, in a company with so many young people and with a stadium-like support behind me... that was really something!

Congrats to space x!

 

[Unstung]

That's the second most exciting launch I've seen, after SpaceX's first mission to the ISS. Coincidentally I've missed seeing both launches live. I can't wait until SpaceX starts launching astronauts.

 

[Ripley]

Congrats to SpaceX for the historic achievement!!

 

[BrianJ]

:thumbup:

 

[ADSWNJ]

Congratulations to SpaceX on a picture-perfect RTF. Watching that landing with my son was the coolest thing I have seen since Shuttle days. I assume we will get some great shots in a couple of hours when dawn breaks over the landing pad.

Best wishes to the Blue Origin flight program too. I don't get the pro-SpaceX = anti-BO mindset. More commercial space is good for everyone, especially if the competition drives more innovation and discovery.

Happy Winter Solstice day: clearly some good pagan spirits flying with that Falcon!

 

[Urwumpe]

Best wishes to the Blue Origin flight program too. I don't get the pro-SpaceX = anti-BO mindset. More commercial space is good for everyone, especially if the competition drives more innovation and discovery.

And there is more than one way to do it. Which is very important for the future.

 

[Lmoy]

I'd been looking forward to seeing this landing for quite a while. Seeing that scorched booster sitting on the landing pad is amazing. 2015 has definitely been an awesome year for spaceflight and this is the perfect way to finish it off, in my opinion.

By the way, has Musk put a timeframe on when they'll start working on a reusable upper stage?

 

[Ripley]

Looking at that awesome picture of the "X in the sky", where you can see both the lift off and the landing trails, I was wondering how far apart are those 2 spots. It didn't went vertical, did it? They look quite close to each other.