SpaceX Falcon 9 historic landing thread (1st landing attempt & most recent missions)

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And, when I looked it up, the text said that the hopper is tied/bolted to the ground so even when the engines fire, it's not going anywhere.
 
Another fuel load/unload yesterday...maybe today will be the day? They have the notam filed for mon-wed.
 
Patience, Grasshopper.

Or Spacehopper.

Whoever you are...

When you can snatch the pebble from my hand, it will be time for you to leave.
 
Falcon Heavy static test this afternoon. Go to 1:14:30 in the video if it does not begin there already, or USE THIS LINK: https://tinyurl.com/y3nf7j95


Space X Falcon Heavy has been rescheduled to Tuesday April 9th 2019.
Launch windows opens at 6:36 PM EDT.


Article about the static firing, FH itself, and the Arabsat satellite:
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2019/04/spacex-arabsat-6a-falcon-heavy-static-fire/


Video of StarHopper static test (it did not "hop").



Photo by BocaChicaGal:
uKL3LtZ.jpg
 
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I don't see anything on spaceflightnow that says where the boosters will be landing. Does anyone know if we'll see two return to launch site again and the main land on a barge? Three barges? Three dropped into the ocean? One landed on barge and the other two dropped? Some other combination?
 
I don't see anything on spaceflightnow that says where the boosters will be landing. Does anyone know if we'll see two return to launch site again and the main land on a barge? Three barges? Three dropped into the ocean? One landed on barge and the other two dropped? Some other combination?

From this website: https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=43418.0

2019-04-10 1835/-4 H NNN* LSL Arabsat 6A GTO ~6k C-39A (H2)

The LSL in the line about the Falcon Heavy means Land Sea Land

The first Falcon Heavy was supposed to be the same but the sea booster (drone ship) ran out of fuel and crashed into the ocean.
 
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In this picture it looks like the engines are covered in soot. Do they test each engine on a test stand before they are mounted to the boosters?

This entire configuration has already been hot-fired on the pad.

 
Yes, they are fired on a test stand, before they get to the Cape and the last static test. And I believe these are ‘flight proven’ too boot.
 
Yes I know that but the picture I am referring to is in the SpaceX assembly hangar before it has been taken to the pad.

I'm not sure which photo this is. It looks just like the one that I just saw after the hotfire. That assembled configuration was taken to the pad, hot-fired, and returned to the hanger. So is this photo the "before" or the "after"? I'm not sure.
 
I'm not sure which photo this is. It looks just like the one that I just saw after the hotfire. That assembled configuration was taken to the pad, hot-fired, and returned to the hanger. So is this photo the "before" or the "after"? I'm not sure.

Oh I didn’t know they take the rocket back to the hangar after the static fire.
 
I don't see anything on spaceflightnow that says where the boosters will be landing. Does anyone know if we'll see two return to launch site again and the main land on a barge? Three barges? Three dropped into the ocean? One landed on barge and the other two dropped? Some other combination?

According to Scott Manley’s video today () the boosters will return to the Cape as they did on the test flight and the core will be recovered downrange - the furthest ever - on the drone ship. He also speculates that the Tuesday launch will slip to Wednesday because of weather.
 
Is it me or does it look like they've added a whole lot of additional thermal shielding down at the base of the boosters?

(Improving turnaround time by doing this, presumably...)
 
Block 5 Falcon-9's do have improved heat shielding. They claim they can re-use them 10 times before refurbishing.

DELAY - Falcon Heavy launch has been delayed to Wednesday April 10th.
Window opens at 6:36 PM, EDT
 
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This has to be before the hot fire. But after each was fired at McGregor. I can not imagine they took it off the vertical erector after the full stack hot fire.
 
They're watching upper level winds. Also they got the rocket vertical late and have pushed the window to 8:00pm - 8:32pm.
 
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