Falcon1
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BitGravity lands HD-quality streaming deal with SpaceX
Who says HD must be confined to this stratosphere? BitGravity, a provider of next-generation content delivery networks for interactive broadcasting, is jumping for joy after being selected by SpaceX to provide "live streaming video for flights of the Falcon 1 and the Falcon 9 launch vehicles, as well as from each of SpaceX's initial demonstration flights, for the NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program." Late last month, BitGravity was responsible for providing live HD-quality footage of the Falcon 1 rocket on its flight into Earth's orbit, and apparently, knocking a home run on the first at bat does good things for your company.
SpaceX's Falcon 1 makes orbit after four attempts
It's been a long road plagued with disappointments and major mishaps, but SpaceX (and founder Elon Musk) has finally made history -- on Sunday the company's Falcon 1 rocket reached orbit. After three attempts to bring the dream to life, the space exploration company succeeded in putting the first privately-developed rocket into space. The liftoff was seen live during a webcast, and the company's site was continuously updated with news, including a message written at 16:26PDT reading:T+0:08:21 Falcon 1 reached orbital velocity, 5200 m/sNominal Second stage cut off (SECO) - Falcon 1 has made history as the first privately developed liquid fueled launch vehicle to achieve earth orbit!!!!!!Needless to say, after the trials and tribulations SpaceX has gone through (including the loss of Star Trek star James Doohan's ashes), this must be welcome relief... as well as the birth of a potentially lucrative new enterprise. Er, no pun intended.[Via Slashdot; Thanks, Kenneth]
SpaceX's Elon Musk figures out Falcon 1 mishap, hopes for flight 4 next month
Wipe those tears away, budding astronaut. SpaceX's latest failure wasn't completely in vain. According to head honcho Elon Musk, the problem came just after a "picture perfect first stage flight" when a longer than expected thrust decay transient of the new Merlin 1C regeneratively cooled engine became "just enough to overcome the stage separation pusher impulse." You honestly may need to be a rocket scientist to digest all of that, but here's something even the layman can understand: Musk wants flight 4 in the air as early as next month. We're told that the long gap between flights 2 and 3 was simply due to all that engine engineering, but technologically speaking, nothing will change for the next attempt. Godspeed, Falcon 1 (v4).[Thanks, Kenneth]
SpaceX's rocket destroys Scotty's space-bound ashes in a demonstration of tremendous irony
Finely riding that razored edge between tragedy and comedy, the New York Times reports that not only did the SpaceX Falcon 1 rocket lose its three satellites and fail to reach orbit during a recent launch, but it also destroyed the remains of actor James Doohan, best known as the original Star Trek's Chief Engineer "Scotty." The actor's ashes -- as well as those of over 200 others -- were being carried into orbit by the rocket when complications with the ship's stage separation led to the (assumed) destruction of the craft. This recent mishap puts a sad period on the end of the sentence that already included an earlier loss and eventual recovery of the remains.[Via Slashdot]
SpaceX's Falcon 1 rocket fails to reach orbit... again
Aw man, and we had such high hopes that the third time really would be a charm. SpaceX's third attempt to launch a payload rocket into outer space failed this weekend, with launch control confirming an "anomaly" just five minutes after liftoff. Elon Musk, SpaceX chairman and CEO, did admit that it was "obviously a big disappointment not to reach orbit on this Flight 3 of the Falcon 1," but he has assured the world that his firm won't be wasting any time feeling sorry for itself. The Falcon 1 was carrying a minuscule satellite dubbed Trailblazer for the Pentagon's Operationally Responsive Space Office, though we've no idea how costly the loss was. Thankfully, we can all look forward to SpaceX trying again sometime in the future, but unless the tables turn in a hurry, we'd say the odds are still stacked against it.[Via Wired]
