SpaceX is putting one up tonight at 11:30PM. I'm on the coast in far southern NC. Hoping we can get a glimpse of something. Anyone ever seen a launch from NC coast?

From U.S News:

"Falcon Heavy will additionally carry the cremated remains of more than 100 people. A company called Celestis has arranged for the rocket to participate in one of its "memorial spaceflights," in which customers pay for ashes to be sent into orbit around the Earth, where they will stay until they re-enter the atmosphere and vaporize."

A very complex launch and delivery tonight. 24 satellites on board.

"The 24 payloads are going to three different orbits, so the Falcon Heavy has to reignite its engine up to four times in space to get everything to its final destination. Altogether, it will take three and a half hours from launch until the last satellite is deployed."

https://www.theverge.com/2019/...-force-certification

24 satellites going into only 3 orbits? Won't they possibly collide?

flashguy

quote:

Originally posted by flashguy:
24 satellites going into only 3 orbits? Won't they possibly collide?

flashguy

I'll be able to see it from the front yard....

Let's hope third time's the charm for successfully returning a center core back to Florida.

quote:

Originally posted by r0gue:
SpaceX is putting one up tonight at 11:30PM. I'm on the coast in far southern NC. Hoping we can get a glimpse of something. Anyone ever seen a launch from NC coast?

many years ago (10+) I witnessed a strange sight, looking at first like a meteor, then a bright Explosion of light and a small glowing trail of light continuing on the trajectory of the original.

it was later the next day that we learned it was a space launch, and second stage separation that we saw.

cannot remember the launch site, but the trajectory was NE as seen from Oriental NC.

lymll

john

Wanted to go to this launch but work interfered.

Will be watching remotely for sure!

They moved it back to 2:30am EDT. Guess I won't get to watch after all.

quote:

Originally posted by Georgeair:

quote:

Originally posted by flashguy:
24 satellites going into only 3 orbits? Won't they possibly collide?

flashguy

Yes, I was serious. "Only 3 orbits" means that several will be injected into the same orbit, with perhaps very minor differences in velocity. Unless something is done to alter the direction of those satellites, it could be possible for two or more to eventually run into each other.

flashguy

T-10 seconds

That center core seemed to try, but then tilted away before landing - maybe one of the 3 engines ran out of juice.

Regardless, they are in space, conducting multiple satellite deployments, and the 2 side boosters landed.

Success on the boosters and another fail on the center section. Other than that, a very good launch so far. Quite spectacular in the night sky here.

quote:

Originally posted by flashguy:
Unless something is done to alter the direction of those satellites, it could be possible for two or more to eventually run into each other.

Shit, call SpaceX - maybe they haven't thought of it!

It was beautiful.
And you could see the return burns of the side boosters, their first slowdown burn, and the landing burns lit up the sky.
The twin sonic booms arrived long time later. Just awesome.

Too bad center booster missed the barge.

quote:

Originally posted by flashguy:
Yes, I was serious. "Only 3 orbits" means that several will be injected into the same orbit, with perhaps very minor differences in velocity. Unless something is done to alter the direction of those satellites, it could be possible for two or more to eventually run into each other.

flashguy

Given the gradual increase in altitude as the flight progresses, the payloads are deployed at varying altitudes, and direction, and placed into pre-planned, specific orbits.

You don't actually think that this mission was haphazardly fired into space on a whim and the trajectory simply a guess, do you?

quote:

You don't actually think that this mission was haphazardly fired into space on a whim and the trajectory simply a guess, do you?

Well, yeah. Some guy wakes up, checks the weather on his smartphone and thinks "It'll be fine." The payload module gets up there, the doors open, someone says "Release the satellites!" and fwashoom, fwashoom, fwashoom, fwashoom, fwashoom, fwashoom, fwashoom, fwashoom a battery of large spud guns launches 8 satellites into orbit. This gets repeated two more times.

I suppose they could use giant slinghots rather than spud guns. Whatever, I'm certain they are not using trebuchets as them don't work well in space.

I watched the launch on the NASA channel and it was pretty spectacular...

They lost the main rocket on the touch down.

Living on the west coast has it's advantages sometimes

they lost the center but I do believe they captured for the first time one of the two pieces of the aero-shell fairing