Quetzal
New member
The SpaceX launch last night was postponed to tonight due to weather and temperature problems. With that said, now is a great time to look at the supporting cast for the SpaceX launches!
Just Read the Instructions and Of Course I Still Love You!
These two ladies are the autonomous spaceport drone ships that are critical to recovering the first stage (the big rocket that launches the payload).
The technology behind these ships is pretty cool. Given how big the ocean is I find it remarkable that they can be positioned with three meters of their target. Not only that, they have to catch a moving target from space (and you thought playing left field was bad)!
Tonight, Of Course I Still Love You gets the nod from SpaceX to attempt to catch a Falcon 9 rocket after deploying the SES-9 communications satellite. Unfortunately, given the nature of the launch and the trajectory, SpaceX is not anticipating a successful recovery. But, I am hopeful and happy they are giving it a try. Speaking of tries, so far SpaceX is 0 for 3 when it comes to landing attempts at sea:
Getting close!
If this is something that interests you, here is a link to the live broadcast that will take begin ~20 minutes before launch. The launch is currently scheduled for tonight at 6:46:17 PM EST. Cya then!
Just Read the Instructions and Of Course I Still Love You!
These two ladies are the autonomous spaceport drone ships that are critical to recovering the first stage (the big rocket that launches the payload).
-Source
The technology behind these ships is pretty cool. Given how big the ocean is I find it remarkable that they can be positioned with three meters of their target. Not only that, they have to catch a moving target from space (and you thought playing left field was bad)!
Tonight, Of Course I Still Love You gets the nod from SpaceX to attempt to catch a Falcon 9 rocket after deploying the SES-9 communications satellite. Unfortunately, given the nature of the launch and the trajectory, SpaceX is not anticipating a successful recovery. But, I am hopeful and happy they are giving it a try. Speaking of tries, so far SpaceX is 0 for 3 when it comes to landing attempts at sea:
Getting close!
If this is something that interests you, here is a link to the live broadcast that will take begin ~20 minutes before launch. The launch is currently scheduled for tonight at 6:46:17 PM EST. Cya then!
