Space X update 4:53 pm EDT: Preliminary indications from NASA’s recovery ship Freedom Star is that a debris field has been encountered in the area where the first stage was expected to be. Observation airfcraft confirmed the debris field. No parachutes were observed during descent. Apparently the Falcon 9 first stage hit the water rather hard. Initial impact location is 32 deg 07’N, 069 deg 15’W.
Space X update 4:40 pm EDT: Orbital info: Nominal shutdown and orbit was almost exactly 250km. Telemetry showed essentially a bullseye: ~0.2% on perigee and ~1% on apogee.
