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Commercialization

SpaceX Launch Delayed

By Keith Cowing
NASA Watch
January 16, 2012
Filed under , , ,

Update on Next SpaceX Launch
“In preparation for the upcoming launch, SpaceX continues to conduct extensive testing and analysis. We believe that there are a few areas that will benefit from additional work and will optimize the safety and success of this mission. We are now working with NASA to establish a new target launch date, but note that we will continue to test and review data. We will launch when the vehicle is ready.”

NASA Watch founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space & Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.

21 responses to “SpaceX Launch Delayed”

  1. DocM says:
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    Whatever it takes to get it off the pad properly.

  2. Monroe2020 says:
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    Darn Russians!

  3. John Thomas says:
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    Not mentioned here but was released by SpaceX  around the end of December was that they were not going to carry any secondary payloads on this flight. So all of the studies for these payloads was wasted for this flight. With this announcement, I’m wondering if this latest issue was the real culprit and the secondary payload study thing was just an excuse. The lack of any explanation doesn’t help and just causes speculation such as this.

    Hopefully this is not an extended delay.

  4. no one of consequence says:
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    Note the indefinite launch date.

  5. dogstar29 says:
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    It would be very interesting to know a little more about the actual problem. Otherwise we have only rumor.

  6. Paul451 says:
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    I wonder if they hit the development wall. Little delays and problems that got put off to be solved later while they developed the big stuff, suddenly all came together. Either they solve them and suddenly surge forward again faster than ever, or it’s the beginning of a long decline.

  7. DTARS says:
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    Some details would be nice. I would think it would be in there interest to provide more details.

    • John Gardi says:
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      DTARS:

      Spacex is a private company not a public agency (like NASA) so they get to keep their cards close to their chest. If it’s anything to you, my ferrets tell me that Spacex is just “dotting their ‘I’s and crossing their ‘T’s” on Dragon integration and the delay will be measured in weeks, not months.

      tinker

      • DTARS says:
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        Thanks Tinker

        You know that Spacex is LATE don’t you!!!!

        About 30 YEARS LATE LOLOL
         and this is a very important flight dare I say the dawn of a new age. Thanks for the ferret report Mr. Coyote. You are right it is something to me. I’m glad they are being careful.

        Many thoughts on horizonal flight here.

        How much recoverable lift can you get out of Jets and wings and with a little merlin rocket assist and some creative design. 🙂 Im real glad Spacex is doing that. I see lots of possiblities if you add a merlin or two to a BFJ.

        Detail a 3 oxygen tug SLS  some time that could be put on your thrust frame in 2037 after Elon gets us to Mars about 2030!:)  29 months left

        DTARS

  8. Monroe2020 says:
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    Roscommon is broke.  They need our $$$.  If I were Russian, I would be miffed that the US is pledging money to “Commercial” Companies to pick up where the Shuttle left off.  While NASA pledges forward with a bold replacement to the Shuttle; The SLS/MPCV program.  Creating a huge program aimed at missions BEO.  All the while leaving Roscommon out of this new program.  No hint of international cooperation between to the nations.  The ISS was a huge program and the US needed Russian support for it.  So to man and operate the ISS, NASA will leave the duties to commercial and, are you ready? The Russian space program.  All the while, we move forward, on our own, to missions BEO. 
     
    Roscommon has no money and plans for any new missions in space.  They are handcuffed to the International Space Station and their partners.  Without their Soyuz, Americans have no access to the ISS.  If the Russians can succeed in finding a way to dump the ISS, they then can move forward with a new space plan.  I doubt they would want to get trumped by China becoming the second nation to land a man on the moon. 
     
    In my humble opinion, I believe Roscommon is doing all they can to prevent American Commercial access to the ISS.  Perhaps, we should work together with them and build a SLS and Crew Vehicles together.  We seemingly work will together in space.  Both nations can continue the ISS, and take the next step in the chapter of space.

    • Steve Whitfield says:
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      Monroe,

      I think that the position of the Russian interests in the ISS is probably quite complex, with a lot of factors affecting decisions.  Not being invited to participate in the SLS/MPCV program, however, I see as much simpler — in their zeal to take advantage of the capitalist opportunities, they have branded themselves as ruthless, too ruthless to be comfortable collaborating with again.  The reasoning that Clinton presented for bringing the Russians into the ISS was valid, but economically it played out very differently than expected, and continues to do so.  Far from sharing in the costs of the ISS, the Russian participants have driven the price up, almost from day one.  I can’t imagine that anyone is in a hurry to give them further opportunities to gouge, and they’ve only themselves to blame.

      Steve

  9. Dewey Vanderhoff says:
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    The problem now becomes the arrival schedule at ISS in the coming months.  The space station will look like the Port of Long Beach  docks beginning in March. A European ATV in mid-March ; Soyuz crew and Progress freighter in  April ; Orbital Sciences ambitiously wants to send its Cygnus freighter to ISS in April if the February Antares booser test is successful ; another Soyuz crew in late May ;  Japanese ATV in late June. 

    When can Dragon fly if it misses the February launch slot ?  What becomes the manifest   when juggling five different spacecraft launched from four different countries  in a four month span ? By the way,  the Japanese and Cygnus freighters use the same berth as Dragon. Are the new ISS crews coming aboard on Soyuz fully checked out on Dragon and Cygnus procedures ?

    It’s getting complicated up there and down here.

  10. John Gardi says:
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    Folks:

    Just a thought. Dragon is not the only vehicle that can bring down cargo back to Earth from the ISS. What’s to stop the Russians from using a Soyuz capsule instead of Progress to bring cargo up to the station? It could then be used to bring cargo down. Anything except standard ISS science racks, that is.

    tinker

    • Doug Booker says:
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      Seems like it would be very costly.  Remember the Soyuz capsule had to be enhanced to be able to carry larger US and European astronauts.  I wonder what they download capacity is.  Seeing the 3 cosmonauts cramped together I would guess it would be 1000 pounds or less.  Guessing 200lbs per cosmo and maybe 400 extra on the high end. 

      Also, the Progress allows for automated or manual remote docking.  I think the Soyuz allows for automated or manual in vehicle docking.  Don’t ever remember hearing about manual remote docking capability. 

      If not and you start changing stuff, you add cost and risk.

      • John Gardi says:
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        Doug:

        You are exactly right. Dragon could carry a lot more down cargo including anything sent up in a Multi Purpose Logistics Module. Cargo Dragon could (and probably will) bring up ISS racks too. Also, in all the years supplying MIR the Russians never used a Soyuz for unmanned down cargo. I was simply thinking outside the box with that idea.

        I wonder if Spacex will charge an extra fee for down cargo? That might get the Russians thinking outside the box too ;).

        tinker

  11. Doug Booker says:
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    I’d much rather see a delay rather than a debacle like the Russians had with Phobos/Grunt.

  12. DTARS says:
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    A few fun thoughts about horizonal launch just another part of Spacexs plans to change rockets

    Noofcsq Tinker Steve
    Keith After rereading the Stratolaunch thread my imagination just starts to go wild 🙂
    My first thought was what could this BFJ do if it had faster jet engines than a Boeing 747 then laughed and said who needs faster engines if you have Merlins on board lol
    What if this big jet could go faster and higher?? What are the limits(speed and altitude) of horizontal air launch or horizontal air frame with rocket assist?
    I’m thinking next generation here, but what if you added a Merlin engine or 2 or 3 to this air frame.
    Can’t you combine a spaceship one and spaceship two?
    What is the benefit if you could double or triple the speed and or the altitude of this BFJ before you air launch simply by firing a Merlin engine a few seconds or a minute or two.
    Doesn’t that just assist your jets by increasing the pressure in front of your jet engines?
    And not interested in safety just what is possible because all people aboard could be safely inside your dragon capsule protected by the LAS
    Sure seems like an easy way to recover a few Merlins to me lol (don’t let them off the plane lol)
    DTARS
    I keep seeing this jet and falcon 5 leaving a runway not bothering to head south because it can fire its’ on board Merlins and nearly replace a falcon 9 booster.
     
    BF sub orbital rocket Plane
    Wouldn’t it be possible to have a single engine grasshopper strapped on and let it boost the whole Stratolaunch air frame to sub orbital space?  Why not take hundreds of people up??? Can’t you shut off air flow to the jets while you are a rocket plane?
    After the grasshopper does it boosting, drop it and let it land by itself so you have a safer runway landing.
    Couldn’t Rutan design tail air breaks for a twin tailed plane too?
     
    Turning a BFJ into a BFR
    When I think about putting a Merlin or two in each of the fusaloges of this air frame the more it starts looking like a falcon heavy with wings and jets to lighten and fly back of the strap-ons.
    What if your design goal was to fly a vehicle from a runway with the payload to orbit of a falcon heavy. Is it possible?
    How big a runway would you need? How many Boeing engines and Merlins would you need? Skip flying to the equator just air drop launch your dragon/falcon #? over the BF runway and land.
     
    BFJ/R replacing falcon 9 recoverable booster
    Combine Stratolaunch and Spacex booster return ideas
    Couldn’t a jet air frame like this be designed to use jets and merlins to boost it to speed and altitude near that of a falcon 9 booster and use Dracos to flip and roll the plane/booster and use merlins plus Rutans tail air breaks to slow it down till it could do a jet controlled run way landing, allowing for the air drop of a single stage to orbit of a falcon upper stage plus dragon?
    Sure looks like a lot of possibilities here to me? : )
     
    Should the Skylon engine get developed would it be better to only fly it part way to orbit and boost the rest of the payload on a recoverable upper stage? Wouldn’t that give you bigger payloads.
     
    Stratolaunch air frame using merlins and ram jets to air launch single stage to orbit.
    Is something like this possible?
    Stratolaunch jet lifts off runway
    At max altitude and speed of Jet engines
    Merlins are fired to increase speed and altitude till ram jet speed is reached. Airframe dipd to altitude were ram jets are happy.
     
    Better not sit on your hands to long NASA, deciding whether or not SLS is a good idea(30 months?), It’s not! Falcon heavies and BFJ/Rs will soon be flying overhead LOL.
    Got my cracker jacks for next dragon flight. I told Clem to look for that Draco to flip that booster should NASA allow it. Lol

    Just Spacex thoughts some one may find fun!

  13. Anonymous says:
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    I’m sure it’s just a coincidence, but SpaceX’s announcement came within a day of the news that data security at the ISS had been breached by a virus that apparently came up with the last ATV. 
    Now, who or what could have a motive to do that? It’s a short list.
    Were I SpaceX, a company preoccupied with the security of its intellectual property, a growing player in international competition, and utterly dependent on reliable performance, I would be doing all I could to prevent infection by a worm or virus during any mission to the ISS. If SpaceX is spending the delay time on digital security issues, it would be time well spent. Sometimes a little paranoia is a positive thing.