SpaceX Launches Falcon 1

ron_ivi writes "SpaceX has successfully launched it's first Falcon 1 rocket from the Kwajalein atoll in the middle of the Pacific Ocean today carrying a satellite for U.S. Air Force Academy that was originally scheduled to fly on the Space Shuttle Atlantis."

Link broken...

[andreMA]

Redirects to http://www.redbolivia.com/ [redbolivia.com] (in Spanish)

Not launched yet!

[Gogo Dodo]

The SpaceX Falcon 1 has not launched as of 4:08 p.m. EST. In fact, it's on hold for an hour. Somebody jumped the gun with the story. You can follow live coverage at SpaceFlight Now [spaceflightnow.com] or Space.com [space.com]

Re:Not launched yet!

[iNetRunner]

So when we get the dupe, it is actually the right one? *This is a pre-dupe? Warmup-dupe? Premature-dupe?*

Scrubbed until December

[Gogo Dodo]

The launch has been scrubbed until December to bring in more helium and liquid oxygen. See Spaceflight Now [spaceflightnow.com] or Space.com [space.com]

Watched a segment about it on TV

[Jeff DeMaagd]

There was a "Science of Star Wars" show that interviewed the founder of SpaceX for a segment. He said the Falcon rocket's name was derived from the Millennium Falcon of Star Wars, I guess he's more than just a fan.

I wish the company luck.

More information...

[TechnoGuyRob]

Can be found at Wikipedia [wikipedia.org].

There's an image [wikimedia.org] of the Falcon 1 launch site. Let's hope this prospect is as promising as SpaceX's last endeavour.

Wow.

[angst_ridden_hipster]

That's pretty durn spectacular.

Someone wanted first-post so badly that they submitted the story before the story happened.

Then the Slashdot "editors" happily posted it, without checking anything at all.

News for nerds? Stuff that may or may not be remotely real?

I guess I'll go back to relying on random made-up rumors for my news, 'cause I ain't gettin' it here.

Re:Wow.

[pediddle]

And now the link is busted. Great job editors!

Wait a second...

[TechnoGuyRob]

This is the second delay, it turns out. It was initially delayed [aero-news.net] by 24 hours, and now it's been delayed again?

Company founder Elon Musk says "in order to facilitate preparations for a missile defense launch, the Army Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC) has bumped the SpaceX Falcon 1 maiden flight from its officially scheduled launch date of 1 p.m. California time (9 p.m. GMT) on November 25. The new launch time is 1 p.m. California time (9 p.m. GMT) on November 26."

Right now it is 1:35PM California

Re:Wait a second...

[brandido]

Actually, this is probably the 20th delay - well not really, but it has had a number of delays. SpaceX was most recently supposed to launch on Oct 31st, and delayed it until now to finish testing a problem discovered during the qualification of one of the engines. Prior to that they were delayed trying to launch out of Vandenburg AFB waiting for a high priority to launch before them - becuase of the high priority and cost of the other launch, the AF wouldn't let them launch for fear of the Falcon launch g

RedBolivia?!

[GeeksHaveFeelings]

...and the link doesn't work!

Compensation?

[Julian Morrison]

I hope the idiots who interrupted their schedule will compensate them for all the LOX they wasted.

Re:Compensation?

[WolfWithoutAClause]

Compared to the cost of the rocket, LOX is dirt cheap anyway; well under 1% of the cost.

Re:Compensation?

[idobi]

1% here, 1% there... pretty soon, the project is 300% over budget...

6PM update.

[NoImNotNineVolt]

As of 6PM EST (GMT-5), they're waiting for a fuel shipment from the main island of Kwajalein, which they're still expecting before the close of the launch window at 8PM EST. Stoners.

Real information, as of 0018 GMT

[FleaPlus]

Is linking to a page about a launch which hasn't happened yet, in a language that most slashdotters can't even read, some kind of sick prank? In any case, as of now (0018 GMT, 4:18 PM PST), the launch has been delayed a couple of times today. The first delay was due to overcast skies (they were afraid of possibly generating a lightning strike with the rocket plumes), and the current delays are due to problems with their liquid oxygen fuel boiling off during the first delay.

Here are some good sources of up-to-the-minute coverage:
* Spaceflight Now's Falcon 1 Mission Status Center [spaceflightnow.com]
* Liveblogging by Out of the Cradle [outofthecradle.net]
* Liveblogging by space reporter Michael Belfiore [michaelbelfiore.com]
* SpaceX's official launch info [spacex.com] (good info, but not updated as often as other sources)

They just got an extension on their launch window, and are still hoping to launch today (5pm PST at last report).

I've been eagerly awaiting this launch for the past couple of years. If it succeeds, it's going to change everything. Although their first rocket is relatively small, they're already working on much larger successors, all at a selling price which is a small fraction of their competitors'. Drastically cutting launch costs, increasing the launch rate, and enhancing space accessibility is crucial to SpaceX founder Elon Musk's [wikipedia.org] long-term goal: helping humanity become a spacefaring civilization.

If it doesn't succeed, well, Musk has stated that he can afford up to three consecutive launch failures before calling it quits.

The following have some more background info on what Elon Musk is trying to achieve with SpaceX:
* Hopes of Start-Up Rocket Company Are Riding on First Launch [latimes.com] (LA Times)
* SpaceX wikipedia article [wikipedia.org]
* Big Plans for SpaceX [thespacereview.com] (The Space Review, discusses plans for human spaceflight and building world's largest rocket engine)
* Shooting the Moon [spacex.com] (Discover Magazine)
*

On-site liveblogging by Elon Musk's brother

[FleaPlus]

An addendum to my earlier comment... it turns out that the brother of the SpaceX CEO is liveblogging from mission control:

http://kwajrockets.blogspot.com/ [blogspot.com]

At the moment, the LOX tanks have been filled, and they're on hold at T-minus 10 minutes while they refill Helium tanks and so forth. His blog has a number of photographs taken on the Pacific island they're launching from.

SCRUB!

[keithmo]

Looks like they'll try again tomorrow at 1:00pm EST. I wish them the best of luck.

Aborted

[jayrtfm]

Here [blogspot.com] is Elion's brother's blog, with news of the launch abort

They just scrubbed again

[xmas2003]

Per SpaceFlightNow [spaceflightnow.com] The next opportunity comes at 1 p.m. EST (1800 GMT) Sunday.

There is a bit of irony/humor in "News for Nerds" reporting it as having "successfully launched" ... while ideally it should not have been posted, I wonder if any subscribers sent a note to the /. Editors when this story was in the Mysterious Future.

Dupe!

[WolfWithoutAClause]

Ok, not yet, but it will be!

:-)