Fourth time's a charm

[major_clanger]

SpaceX are having a fourth attempt to launch the Falcon 1 rocket to orbit; this attempt comes only eight weeks after the last flight so it seem clear that Elon Musk et al think the problem last time was simple to fix. Of course, that doesn't preclude another problem coming up. Launch coverage webcast and blog available.

EDIT: Blimey, it looks like it worked! I was a bit worried around first-stage separation when it looked like there was quite a large attitude divergence but the second stage recovered nicely and (apart from a disconcerting loss of signal for about thirty seconds some 8 minutes in) it was a smooth ride to second-stage cut-off. All that needs to be confirmed now is that the upper stage and dummy payload are in the proper orbit. But it does look good so far.

Comments

[sbisson.livejournal.com]

Excellent!

I've met Elon, and he's not one of the blue sky brigade daveon rightly excoriates. Instead he's hired engineers with track records of putting stuff in orbit already, so it's always just been a matter of how much money he'll throw at the project (and with Tesla taking much of his time, that never was as given as some believed).

Still, congratulations to the only man I know with his own rocket programme, his own Pacific atoll headquarters, and his own team of jumpsuited minions. I'm not sure if he's bought the fluffy white cat yet, but he was seriously considering it a couple of years back.