The static test fire of the Falcon Heavy, already delayed several times in recent days, has now been delayed due to the U.S. government shutdown:
SpaceX will be unable to test fire its three-core Falcon Heavy rocket at Kennedy Space Center due to the government shutdown, further delaying checkout operations ahead of the rocket's demonstration flight, the 45th Space Wing said Sunday.
"Due to the shutdown removing key members of the civilian workforce, the 45th Space Wing will not be able to support commercial static fires taking place on KSC," the Wing said, further noting that launch operations at KSC and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station are also on hold until the shutdown is resolved.
SpaceX teams have fueled the 230-foot-tall Falcon Heavy rocket at pad 39A at least twice ahead of the static test fire, which is essentially a test before the test – engineers will examine data from the 12-second firing of the rocket's 27 Merlin main engines before giving the all clear to launch on its premiere mission.
General article about Falcon Heavy.
Previously: SpaceX to Attempt Landing Three Falcon Heavy Boosters on Pads
Elon Musk Says Successful Maiden Flight for Falcon Heavy Unlikely
Falcon Heavy Prepares for Debut Flight as Musk Urges Caution on Expectations
SpaceX Successfully Tests Falcon Heavy First Stage Cores
SpaceX's Falcon Heavy Rocket Sets Up at Cape Canaveral Ahead of Launch
Falcon Heavy Readied for Static Fire Test
U.S. Government Shutdown Starting on January 20, 2018
Related Stories
SpaceX is seeking federal approval to construct two additional landing pads so that it can land three Falcon Heavy first stage boosters on the ground nearly simultaneously:
As part of the process to gain federal approval for the simultaneous landing of its Falcon Heavy rocket boosters in Florida, SpaceX has prepared an environmental assessment of the construction of two additional landing pads alongside its existing site. The report considers noise and other effects from landing up to three first stages at the same time. After undergoing a preliminary review by the US Air Force, the document has been released for public comment.
First reported by NASASpaceFlight.com, the document offers some interesting details about the proposed launch and landing of SpaceX's heavy lift rocket, which the company hopes to fly for the first time in the spring or early summer of 2017. After previously demonstrating the ability to land a single Falcon 9 booster, SpaceX also hopes to land the three first-stage boosters that will power the Falcon Heavy for potential re-use.
Improvements in the rockets' landing guidance system will allow the company to repurpose the space used by smaller contingency pads. If the additional landing pads aren't constructed, the company could try landing one or both of the remaining boosters on drone barges instead.
SpaceX's planned return-to-flight of the Falcon 9 has been delayed to Jan 14th due to weather. The company plans to launch 10 satellites for Iridium Communications.
Speaking at the International Space Station Research and Development conference, Elon Musk said that a successful maiden flight for Falcon Heavy was unlikely:
SpaceX CEO and founder Elon Musk has downplayed the chances of a successful inaugural flight for his Falcon Heavy space launch vehicle, admitting there is a "good chance it would not make it to orbit in its first launch."
Development of the booster rocket, which is powered by 27 engines, has proven to be "way harder than the team initially thought," he told the International Space Station Research and Development conference on Wednesday.
Falcon Heavy will be the most powerful rocket booster in the world, capable of delivering a 54 ton payload into orbit.
Musk said that combining three Falcon 9 rockets together had multiplied vibrations throughout the vehicle making it difficult to test without a launch.
The maiden test flight is due to take place toward the end of the year.
As if watching the inaugural launch of the most powerful rocket since the Saturn V were not tempting enough, how many more people will watch in hopes of seeing it go BOOM!?
Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:
Developing rockets is difficult – even when those rockets use existing rocket boosters. Such is the case for SpaceX and the development of the Falcon Heavy. Once operational, Falcon Heavy will be the most powerful rocket in the world. While the path to its inaugural mission has been challenging, Elon Musk is urging caution surrounding expectations of the rocket's first flight, which is expected later this year from LC-39A at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
The long wait is nearly over as SpaceX readies for the final series of upgrades/modifications to LC-39A at the Kennedy Space Center for the upcoming debut of the company's heralded Falcon Heavy rocket.
Designed as a souped up version of the Falcon 9 – which has enjoyed a great deal of fame and attention this year with the first (and now second) reflights of previously-flown core stages as well as lofting the first reused Dragon capsule on the CRS-11 resupply mission to the ISS – Falcon Heavy's initial design seemed simple.
But as Elon Musk stated at the keynote to the ISSR&D (International Space Station Research and Development) conference on Wednesday, "it ended up being way harder to do Falcon Heavy than we thought.
"At first it sounds really easy to just stick two first stages on as strap-on side boosters. But then everything changes."
Mr. Musk admitted, "We were pretty naive about that."
-- submitted from IRC
SpaceX has successfully tested all three of its Falcon Heavy first stage cores ahead of a planned maiden launch in November:
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is hoping to launch his company's Falcon Heavy rocket for the first time in November, and with just a couple of months to go, the company announced that it has completed testing on all three of the rocket's first stage cores.
In the tweet, the company says that three first stage cores have completed their testing, and showed off a video of a static test of one of the cores. The company conducted its first static test of the Falcon Heavy's main core in May.
[For more about the Falcon Heavy, see SpaceX and Wikipedia. --Ed.]
SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket sets up at Cape Canaveral ahead of launch
SpaceX won't hit its 2017 target for a test flight of its new, huge Falcon Heavy rocket – but the massive launch craft is now in place at Cape Canaveral in Florida, where it will undergo testing including a full static test fire, as well as final assembly, before attempting its inaugural launch early next year.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk shared images of the Falcon Heavy set up in a Cape Canaveral facility, nearly complete minus some remaining elements like the fairing and payload that will top the rocket.
Here's hoping for a successful test flight of Falcon Heavy.
The largest current rocket in the world, made by SpaceX, nears its first launch. The Falcon Heavy rocket has just been erected on a Cape Canaveral launch pad.
Spectators near the historic launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center on December 28 were able to spot the vertical raising of SpaceX’s highly anticipated Falcon Heavy rocket. The rocket is being prepared for additional testing before its maiden launch, which will likely take place at some point in January.
The 70 meter (229 ft) tall rocket is composed of two refurbished Falcon 9 boosters and a newly designed central core stage. The rocket’s first stage is made up of a total of 27 engines that will be able to carry up to 63,800 kg (140,600 lbs) of cargo into low Earth orbit. The Falcon Heavy is set to be the single most powerful rocket ever built, producing the most thrust of any launch vehicle since the space shuttle.
[...] The maiden launch will feature a dummy payload, since Musk has previously stated that he believes there is a “good chance” of the launch going awry. Even so, the payload very well may contain something that will be entirely new to spaceflight: a Tesla Roadster. Musk has posted photos that seem to show the vehicle prepped for launch, though the jury is still out as to whether he is serious.
There's still a fair amount of testing that needs to be done before the Falcon Heavy will be considered ready for launch. In particular, SpaceX needs to successfully demonstrate fueling and conduct a static fire test.
After 10 PM EST on Friday, The U.S. Senate rejected a deal that would fund the U.S. government for another month:
Only five Democrats voted to advance the bill — Sens. Joe Manchin (W.Va.), Joe Donnelly (Ind.), Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.) and Claire McCaskill (Mo.), who are all up for reelection this year in states carried by President Trump in 2016 election, and newly-elected Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.).
Republicans were also not united, as Sens. Rand Paul (Ky.), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Mike Lee (Utah) and Jeff Flake (Ariz.) also voted against advancing the legislation. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who is battling brain cancer, was absent.
The procedural vote remained open late Friday, though it needed 60 votes to pass and was well short of that number with 48 senators voting against it.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer continued to negotiate after the vote opened (archive), but no deal has been reached yet. As of midnight (5 minutes before this story went live), the government shutdown was in effect.
At Wikipedia: Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Government shutdowns in the United States.
- What's the Government Shutdown 'About'?
- D.C. Stays Open This Time Around — Even If Federal Government Shuts Down
- Senate Lacks Votes to Advance GOP Spending Bill: Shutdown Update
- The CHIP Debacle Shows Democrats Need to Put the Government on Autopilot
- 'We Have to Stand Our Ground.' Activists Push Democrats to Fight for DACA Recipients in Shutdown
- Shutdown? It Could Be Forgotten in a Trumpian Flash
- Analysis: Emboldened Democrats take a risk on a shutdown
Engadget is reporting that the Flacon Heavy demo flight has been scheduled:
It looks as though it's finally happening. SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket may have a launch date, according to Chris G. of NASASpaceflight.com. The rocket will launch no earlier than February 6th, with a window of 1:30 PM ET to 4:30 PM ET. There's a backup window on February 7th, just in case. We've reached out to SpaceX for confirmation.
Update 1/27: Elon Musk has confirmed that SpaceX is "aiming for" a February 6th launch.
Aiming for first flight of Falcon Heavy on Feb 6 from Apollo launchpad 39A at Cape Kennedy. Easy viewing from the public causeway.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 27, 2018
Spaceflight Now has these launch details:
Launch window: 1830-2130 GMT (1:30-4:30 p.m. EST)
Launch site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will launch on its first demonstration flight. The heavy-lift rocket is formed of three Falcon 9 rocket cores strapped together with 27 Merlin 1D engines firing at liftoff. The first Falcon Heavy rocket will attempt to place a Tesla Roadster on an Earth escape trajectory into a heliocentric orbit.
Previously:
SpaceX Conducts Successful Static Fire Test of Falcon Heavy
SpaceX Falcon Heavy Testing Delayed by Government Shutdown
Falcon Heavy Readied for Static Fire Test
SpaceX's Falcon Heavy Rocket Sets Up at Cape Canaveral Ahead of Launch
SpaceX Successfully Tests Falcon Heavy First Stage Cores
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Snotnose on Tuesday January 23 2018, @03:35AM (3 children)
Shutting down the government hurts everyone except for the assholes who do it, namely Congress. By my optics the Dems lost out big here, they were willing to deny 6 million CHIPs kids coverage in order to get 600k illegal aliens a green card. I know it's more complicated than this, and I am far from a Trump supporter, but it looks to me like Schumer et all lost big on this one.
What would I do?
1) No more continuing resolutions. If Congress can't come up with a budget then last year's budget takes effect with a 5% cut across the board on all spending. They pass a budget the next day? Tough shit, last year's budget with the 5% cut has another 364 days to run.
2) Congresscritters in office when the government shuts down lose all government privileges. No gym. No pay. No security. No access to their office (it's closed). No private drivers. No cafeteria. No per diem (and they never get any ofthat back).
3) If the government shuts down the top 3 leaders of both parties in congress (12 total: 3 R and D from the senate, 3 R and D from the house) go to prison for the duration. Strip search, mug shot, striped shirts, general population, the whole 9 yards.
I'm not even gonna go into why trying to fix immigration with a goddam budget bill is beyond stupid.
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 23 2018, @07:11AM (1 child)
You get what you vote for America. The more polarized you vote, the more polarized and gridlocked your government becomes until eventually you end up with a fascist government after Reichstag Fire started by the "democrats". And your President, the so-called "Great Dealmaker" is anything but.
Votes Matter.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 23 2018, @10:01PM
You know, I wouldn't have believed that the D team would be the one to start a Reichstag Fire a few years ago. I mean, I hardly ever vote D or R, but fuck, has it become obvious how they work together.
But just on the horizon, the misogynerd narrative, #MeToo, OMG Russia, and net neutrality are about to collide. See how the D team lays the groundwork. The R team will go to war, because it's what the R team is used for. The D team will give some faux anti-war crap here and there, but they'll be in full support of the enactment of martial law and final destruction of the idea of inherent human rights. After all, they're paving the road to hell by playing good cop on net neutrality to the R team's bad cop, while they put the tools in place for total internet censorship with the misogynerd narrative and #MeToo and OMG Russia! oh yeah and OMG encryption.
There is one thing I really wonder about. All those congresscritters who had to take a bullet for #MeToo. Collateral damage? Inner party politics?
This species disgusts me.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 23 2018, @10:40PM
Congress has to pass a budget to give to the President to sign. The one appropriation they always pass without a hint of partisan bluster is the Legislative Branch appropriation. That one always passes and is signed before the beginning of the fiscal year. What that means is that when there is a government shutdown because there isn't a funding bill, that doesn't affect them because they got their money. I think the simplest change that should be made (to do it right would require a Constitutional Amendment, but the House/Senate leadership should make it a rule if they had any sense of honor) is that the Legislative appropriation should be the last appropriation passed. Since everyone, including the President and the Supreme Court judges, can't get paid until Congress appropriates the money (Article 1, Section 8), Congress shouldn't get paid until everyone else does.
The downside to this is that a good deal of them in the Senate would be ok with this because they are more or less wealthy. There are a fair number of people in the House who would be hurting going without a paycheck for long periods of time, though.
(Score: 2) by Snotnose on Tuesday January 23 2018, @03:44AM (1 child)
People and companies can sue individual corrupt clownfucking assmonkeys for damages, and said CCAs have to defend themselves with their own money. Even better, pay damages from their own cash. Not their re-election campaign, but the money they personally use to put caviar on the table.
Oh, gee, you planned to see $monument on $date, but the government was shut down? Sue for airfare, hotel costs, food, etc. Oh, you planned to fire off $bigAssRocket? Sue for engineering time, airfare, hotel, food, LOX storage, and whatever the hell else you can come up with.
Yeah, it will never happen. I feel like I'm a man with a fork in a world full of soup.
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 3, Funny) by takyon on Tuesday January 23 2018, @03:58AM
Camera pans out, then zooms out to show Planet Earth. Then:
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday January 23 2018, @04:31AM
No affiliation, just recommended for people who care:
The New Frontier | Netflix
https://www.netflix.com/title/80156517 [netflix.com]
After decades in decline, space exploration appears to be on the cusp of revitalization. This series forecasts new possibilities on the horizon.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 23 2018, @01:19PM (1 child)
Elon probably has a clause in his contracts to cover his costs if there is a government shutdown.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday January 23 2018, @01:40PM
Copied from every government contract ever written since the first government shutdown.
🌻🌻 [google.com]