Another routine launch for them (yawn) right? But this one is their return to flight with an upgraded rocket after the summer's loss of a cargo mission to the space station. (Weak uncertified struts holding a high pressure helium bottle failed inside the stage 2 LOx tank, should be an easy fix)
BUT MUCH MORE IMPORTANTLY, this may be the historic first recovery of a rocket stage intact after lofting a useful payload. Refurbishment of the fuel tank and expensive Merlin engines will eventually drive down the cost of these puppies by a factor of 10, from $60-100M to $5-10M (price variability depends if you're a commercial customer with insurance and less certification or a government agency without insurance and more certification). Other launch vehicle companies are already looking at reuseability - ULA Vulcan for example and Blue Origin's New Shepard.
Launch window begins at 8:33 pm EST, so log in here about 15 minutes earlier to get a solid video stream and any last-second excitement. The window is only 1 minute long so if it doesn't go right away then it's likely postponed until later in the week:
http://www.spacex.com/webcast
Best place for updates on the first stage landing is Elon Musk's twitter: https://twitter.com/elonmusk
From the SpaceX website:
SpaceX is currently aiming for a Monday, December 21st launch of the Falcon 9 rocket, carrying 11 satellites for ORBCOMM. The launch is part of ORBCOMM's second and final OG2 Mission and will lift off from SpaceX's launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. This mission also marks the first time SpaceX will attempt to land the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket on land. The landing of the first stage is a secondary test objective.
The launch webcast is targeted to begin at approximately 8:10pm ET with liftoff at approximately 8:33pm ET. The launch webcast can be viewed at spacex.com/webcast. For updates, visit http://www.spacex.com and http://www.orbcomm.com.
BUT MUCH MORE IMPORTANTLY, this may be the historic first recovery of a rocket stage intact after lofting a useful payload. Refurbishment of the fuel tank and expensive Merlin engines will eventually drive down the cost of these puppies by a factor of 10, from $60-100M to $5-10M (price variability depends if you're a commercial customer with insurance and less certification or a government agency without insurance and more certification). Other launch vehicle companies are already looking at reuseability - ULA Vulcan for example and Blue Origin's New Shepard.
Launch window begins at 8:33 pm EST, so log in here about 15 minutes earlier to get a solid video stream and any last-second excitement. The window is only 1 minute long so if it doesn't go right away then it's likely postponed until later in the week:
http://www.spacex.com/webcast
Best place for updates on the first stage landing is Elon Musk's twitter: https://twitter.com/elonmusk
From the SpaceX website:
SpaceX is currently aiming for a Monday, December 21st launch of the Falcon 9 rocket, carrying 11 satellites for ORBCOMM. The launch is part of ORBCOMM's second and final OG2 Mission and will lift off from SpaceX's launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. This mission also marks the first time SpaceX will attempt to land the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket on land. The landing of the first stage is a secondary test objective.
The launch webcast is targeted to begin at approximately 8:10pm ET with liftoff at approximately 8:33pm ET. The launch webcast can be viewed at spacex.com/webcast. For updates, visit http://www.spacex.com and http://www.orbcomm.com.
![[Image: CWyy1DyU4AEfUad.png]](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CWyy1DyU4AEfUad.png)
![[Image: lol.gif]](https://rooshvforum.network/images/smilies/new/lol.gif)
