JAXA webcast is live! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrUP9faAq3M
Edit: Kotomi Mimura (Tanegashima PR) and Isao Kotani (JAXA engineer) are hosting.
🇯🇵 [JAXA / MHI] H3 ALOS-4 launch thread!
First operational mission H3!
| Scheduled for (UTC) | 2024-07-01 03:06 | | --- | --- | | Scheduled for (local) | 2024-07-01 12:06 (JST) | | Launch site | LA-Y2, Tanegashima Space Center, Japan. | | Launch vehicle | H3-22S | | Launch provider | Mitsubushi Heavy Industries / JAXA | | Mission success criteria | Successful launch and deployment of ALOS-4 into Sun-Synchronous Orbit |
Livestreams
| Stream | Link | | --- | --- | | JAXA webcast (English) | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrUP9faAq3M | | JAXA webcast (Japanese) | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNIkhZxE9vM |
Stats
☑️ 2nd launch from LA-Y2 this year
☑️ 3rd launch out of Japan this year
☑️ 2nd H3 launch this year, 3rd overall
Payload info (NextSpaceflight)
ALOS-4
>The Advanced Land Observing Satellite-4 (ALOS-4) is a satellite to observe the Earth's surface using its onboard phased array type L-band synthetic aperture radar (PALSAR-3). The L-band radar technology has continuously been developed in Japan. With further improved observation performance compared to the predecessor PALSAR-2 aboard the DAICHI-2 (ALOS-2), JAXA and its prime contractor, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, are developing the satellite aiming at achieving both high resolution and a broader observation swath. > >Unlike observations by an optical sensor, radar images can be acquired day and night as it does not require sunlight. Moreover, since radio waves can penetrate clouds, the images can be obtained regardless of weather conditions. The ALOS-4 will leverage these merits for observing and monitoring disaster-hit areas, forests, and sea ice. In addition, it will also challenge new areas such as monitoring infrastructure displacement. > >The ALOS-4 will be equipped with the Automatic Identification System for ships (AIS) receiver, as was DAICHI-2, so that the satellite will also monitor oceans by receiving AIS signals from vessels as well as by acquiring the PALSAR-3 images. The SPace based AIS Experiment (SPAISE3) is a high-performance satellite AIS. Effective countermeasures against radio wave interference regions are taken for the SPAISE3 with multiple antennas and ground-based data processing; therefore, the detection success rate of a ship in the heavy marine traffic areas will be improved compared to DAICHI-2. SPAISE3 development is JAXA's ongoing project in cooperation with NEC Corporation.
Why are we using zip ties as hold-down clamps in the first place?
Even if the rocket had hit the ground as soon as it disappeared from sight we’re talking 2-3 kilometers away.
That seems uncomfortably close, especially given this statement:
The rocket’s onboard computer automatically shut down the engines and the rocket fell 1.5 kilometers southwest.
I assume they mean 1.5 km from the test stand? If the rocket had flown a bit further, or in a different direction, it could have fallen in what looks to be a rather densely populated area.
Wow, that's wild!
Space Pioneer issued its own statement later, stating there was a structural failure at the connection between the rocket body and the test bench.
Sounds like the hold-down clamps failed. Have there been any previous cases in history where static fires unexpectedly turned into non-static fires?
My best guess is that people browsing /all see "Elon Musk" in the title and think "Elon is bad, therefore this post is bad".
Looks great! You could probably even squeeze in a semicolon, square brackets, and curly braces.
Thanks for sharing! That was a wild and tightly-edited ride. Great music too.
I'd seen this before, but was happy to reread it for gems like this:
"You know how when you slap or flap meat it makes a noise? They talk by flapping their meat at each other. They can even sing by squirting air through their meat."
Such a beautiful description of the human voice.
NROL-186 Launch Thread!
Launch info
| Scheduled for (UTC) | 2024-06-29, 03:14 | | --- | --- | | Scheduled for (local) | 2024-09-28, 20:14 (PDT) | | Launch site | SLC-4E, Vandenberg SFB, California | | Payload | NROL-186 | | Booster | 1081-8 | | Landing site | Of Course I Still Love You | | Customer | National Reconnaissance Office | | Mission success criteria | Successful delivery of payload to desired orbit |
Webcasts
| Stream | Link | | --- | --- | | Space Affairs | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_PcPbDGC8U | | Spaceflight Now | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0ofmSePqRM | | NASASpaceflight | | | The Launch Pad | | | SpaceX | https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1806886425604100565 | | The Space Devs | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4GEvLkKScY |
Stats
Sourced from NextSpaceflight and r/SpaceX:
☑️ 22nd launch from SLC-4E this year
☑️ 4 days, 23:27:00 turnaround for this pad
☑️ 31 day booster turnaround
☑️ 66th Falcon 9 launch this year, 352nd overall
☑️ 67th SpaceX mission this year, 367th overall (excluding Starship hops)
☑️ 69th SpaceX launch this year (nice!), 380th overall (including Starship hops)
☑️ 95th landing on OCISLY
☑️ 282nd consecutive successful Falcon 9 launch (excluding Amos-6) (if successful)
☑️ 327th Falcon Family Booster landing, 337th Falcon recovery attempt
Mission and payload info
>Second batch of satellites for a reconnaissance satellite constellation built by SpaceX and Northrop Grumman for the National Reconnaissance Office to provide imaging and other reconnaissance capabilities.
Starlink 10-3 launch bulletin (B1062-22 flight leader!)
B1062 will be the first booster to fly for the 22nd time!
Starlink Group 10-3 launch out of SLC-40 in Florida currently scheduled for 2024-06-27 11:14 UTC, or 2024-06-27 07:14 local time (EDT). Booster 1062-22 to land on Just Read the Instructions.
Webcasts:
- Space Affairs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pAgcF7_Ztc
- Spaceflight Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zzKS29RV3s
- NASASpaceflight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yuo74C_0aJ4
- The Launch Pad:
- SpaceX: https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1806283638637789332
- The Space Devs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amUJ5pIfoaw
Solving Seven - Numberphile
I've been dabbling in mental divisibility rules over the past few months, but hadn't previously come across these diagrams to track the remainder. Neat trick, and kind of artistic too.
[Falcon Heavy] GOES-U Launch Discussion and Updates Thread!
Welcome to the GOES-U Launch Discussion and Updates Thread! First Falcon Heavy launch of the year!
| Scheduled for (UTC) | 2024-06-25 21:26 | | --- | --- | | Scheduled for (local) | 2024-06-25 17:26 (EDT) | | Launch site | LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida. | | Launch vehicle | Falcon Heavy | | Center | 1087-1 (expended) | | Booster | 1072-1 (RTLS, LZ1) | | Booster | 1086-1 (RTLS, LZ2) | | Customer | NASA / NOAA | | Payload | GOES-U | | Mission success criteria | Successful deployment of payload into Geostationary Transfer Orbit |
Livestreams
| Stream | Link | | --- | --- | | NASA | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4HH_fL7QVk | | Space Affairs | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSRo1H73O9g | | Spaceflight Now | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SBxb5-S8HM | | NASASpaceflight | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kMlfbo1lts | | The Launch Pad | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTDhfuRxo7U | | Everyday Astronaut | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=227WGGFeDoc | | SpaceX | | | The Space Devs | |
Stats
Sourced from NextSpaceflight and r/SpaceX:
☑️ 1st Falcon Heavy launch this year, 10th overall
☑️ 13th launch from LC-39A this year
☑️ 32 days, 18:31:00 turnaround for this pad
☑️ 65th SpaceX launch this year, 365th overall (excluding Starship tests)
☑️ 67th SpaceX launch this year, 378th overall (including Starship tests)
☑️ 280th consecutive successful Falcon 9 / FH launch (excluding Amos-6) (if successful)
☑️ 325th & 326th Falcon Family Booster landings, 334th and 335th Falcon recovery attempt
Payload info: GOES-U
NextSpaceflight:
>GOES-U will provide advanced imagery and atmospheric measurements of Earth’s weather, oceans, and environment, as well as real-time mapping of total lightning activity and improved monitoring of solar activity and space weather.
Resources and articles:
Please post small launch updates, discussions, and questions here! Also feel free to leave feedback or suggestions for the mod team. We’re still a relatively small sub, so feedback from the community is very valuable!"
[SciShow] Why City Birds Love Cigarettes
TL;DW: Some songbirds incorporate cigarette butts into their nests as pest control.
Where do particles come from? - Sixty Symbols
I must admit that the details of how the fields are coupled went over my head, but I found the rest of the video quite accessible. Professor Copeland is a joy to listen to, and Brady asks great questions as usual.
I also learned that "inflation" and "the big bang" are not synonymous, and inflation occurred first.
[NurdRage] Make sulfuric acid from oxalic acid with the sun
Not very practical, but the chemistry is interesting. Producing a strong acid from a weak acid by using precipitation as the driving force is something I don't see very often.
Starlink 9-2 launch bulletin
Starlink Group 9-2 launch out of SLC-4E in California currently scheduled for 2024-06-24 03:47 UTC, or 2024-06-23 20:47 local time (PDT). Booster 1075-11 to land on Of Course I Still Love You.
Webcasts:
- Space Affairs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td_ab0AE1Y0
- Spaceflight Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUM-SiRNL_E
- NASASpaceflight:
- The Launch Pad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dI4Yms9-RY
- SpaceX: https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1805083577467670779
- The Space Devs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATm5n30lX74
Starlink 10-2 launch bulletin (take 2)
Starlink Group 10-2 launch out of SLC-40 in Florida currently scheduled for 2024-06-23 17:15 UTC, or 2024-06-23 13:15 local time (EDT). Booster 1078-11 to land on A Shortfall of Gravitas.
This mission was previously slated to fly on booster 1073-16, but the launch attempt on June 14th was aborted at T-0 due to a hardware issue upon engine startup.
Webcasts:
- Space Affairs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUcEVCyyTmM
- Spaceflight Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uk_WDWzNfYs
- NASASpaceflight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2e_uLmpJ9w
- The Launch Pad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MakaYccoegw
- SpaceX: https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1804924764836012362
- The Space Devs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9USPbx1MpI
Rocket Lab "No Time Toulouse" Launch Thread!
No Time Toulouse
| Scheduled for (UTC) | 2024-06-20 18:13 | | --- | --- | | Scheduled for (NZST) | 2024-06-21 06:13 | | Launch site | Rocket Lab LC-1B, Māhia Peninsula, New Zealand | | Booster recovery | No | | Launch vehicle | Electron + Curie | | Customers | Kinéis | | Payloads | Kinéis 1-5 | | Mission success criteria | Successful deployment of spacecraft into Low Earth Orbit |
Livestreams
| Stream | Link | | --- | --- | | Rocket Lab (official) | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYpQkHw9s1I | Everyday Astronaut | | Space Affairs | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjEdn_6evjs | The Launch Pad |
Stats
- This will be the 8th launch for Rocket Lab this year.
- This will be the 🎉 50th 🎉 overall launch for Rocket Lab.
Payload info:
>First batch of five satellites for the French Kinéis IoT constellation designed to operate with 25 nanosatellites of 30 kg each. The constellation will enable Kinéis, a company backed by private and public investors including the French government’s space agency CNES (Centre National d'Études Spatiales) and CLS (Collecte Localisation Satellites) an international space-based solutions provider, to improve its global IoT connectivity.
Previous mission (PREFIRE And Ice) | Next mission ()
Please post small launch updates, discussions, and questions here! Also feel free to leave feedback or suggestions for the mod team. We’re a relatively new community, so feedback is very valuable!
Japanese radar imaging company Synspective has signed a contract for 10 Electron launches from Rocket Lab, the largest contract in Rocket Lab's history.
What if you drained the oceans?
Link to original static webpage version: https://what-if.xkcd.com/53/
Starlink 9-1 launch bulletin
Starlink Group 9-1 launch out of SLC-4E in California currently scheduled for 2024-06-19 03:40 UTC, or 2024-06-18 20:40 local time (PDT). Booster 1082-5 to land on Of Course I Still Love You.
Webcasts:
- Space Affairs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUtwTIckmtE
- Spaceflight Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReVBXv0NWp8
- NASASpaceflight:
- The Launch Pad:
- SpaceX: https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1803269912305246275
- The Space Devs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DhoGaC5CyY
It's time for Grey and Myke to talk about the devices they've chosen to use in their lives. From the computers they use to the offices where they use them, as well as the devices they choose for entertainment, travel, smart home, and fitness.
I assume that the bot is still broken, but Cortex continues.
> It's time for Grey and Myke to talk about the devices they've chosen to use in their lives. From the computers they use to the offices where they use them, as well as the devices they choose for entertainment, travel, smart home, and fitness.
ASTRA 1P/SES-24 Launch Thread
Mission and payload info
>ASTRA 1P/SES-24, a classic wide-beam satellite, will support SES’s prime TV neighbourhood and enable content owners, private and public broadcasters across Germany, France and Spain to continue broadcasting satellite TV channels in the highest-picture quality in the most cost-efficient manner. It will be based on the full electric and powerful Spacebus NEO platform developed by Thales Alenia Space and already flight proven in orbit.
Launch info
| Scheduled for (UTC) | 2024-06-20, 21:35 | | --- | --- | | Scheduled for (local) | 2024-09-20, 17:35 (EDT) | | Launch site | SLC-40, Cape Canaveral SFS, Florida | | Payload | Astra 1P/SES-24 | | Booster | 1080-9 | | Landing site | Just Read the Instructions | | Customer | SES | | Mission success criteria | Successful delivery of payload to geostationary transfer orbit |
Webcasts
| Stream | Link | | --- | --- | | Space Affairs | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0GbUpBRyZg (scrub) | | Spaceflight Now | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VrpR4VpPxU (scrub) | | NASASpaceflight | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFkLX2-zHFA (scrub) | | The Launch Pad | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ya8S35BJ02c (scrub) | | SpaceX | https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1803900982696308743 (scrub) | | The Space Devs | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBOGzEwsxyo |
Stats
Sourced from NextSpaceflight and r/SpaceX:
☑️ 30th launch from SLC-40 this year
☑️ 12 days, 19:39:00 turnaround for this pad
☑️ 84th landing on JRTI
☑️ 62nd Falcon 9 launch this year, 63rd SpaceX launch this year
☑️ 271st consecutive successful Falcon 9 launch (excluding Amos-6) (if successful)
☑️ 321st Falcon Family Booster landing, 331st Falcon recovery attempt
☑️ 362nd SpaceX mission overall (excluding Starship hops)
☑️ 375th SpaceX launch all time (including Starship hops)
Concluding a rare week that was void of any launches and riddled with scrubs, the spaceflight industry looks to return to the planned course of action with four launches from all over the world. This week, the 50th launch of Electron is expected to take flight, and SpaceX and CASC continue to domina...
