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Comment Pad destroyed (Score 2) 20

Pic: https://x.com/asherbphotos/sta...

Word is a second booster at the site in the horizontal integration facility was also destroyed.

Impacts go beyond the rocket and pad. This was development for lunar landers to be launched this year, Leo internet satellites to be launched in the coming days, Blue Moon lunar landers for the Artemis lunar program, and on and on. An engine may have been the cause of the mishap and that casts shade on the Vulcan Centaur that also uses the same engine.

Comment Re: Gold bars you say? (Score 1) 101

The US government has a few people who do some things that require large quantities of gold bars of blind provenance, indicators of affluence and no accountability. They go to places that don't take US government checks or credit cards. When you have an administrative turnover at war with everything predecessor, some of these people get cashed out.

Submission + - Blue Origin rocket New Glenn 4 explodes during static fire (orlandosentinel.com)

symbolset writes: Many sources. Including Orlando Sentinel.

All personnel accounted for. The rocket, planned to launch Project Leo internet satellites for Amazon in the coming days is lost. The detonation was significant, likely destroying the launch pad and ground support equipment nearby. Speculation is it could be a year or more before Blue Origin can attempt another launch as this is their only launch facility. Another New Glenn booster was on a hangar nearby that appears damaged. No status on that booster yet.

Just days ago NASA announced the selection of New Glenn for launch of two rapid development rovers later this year.

Comment Re:don't get your panties in a wad (Score 4, Informative) 42

JPL has been run by CalTech for 90 years because it's the CalTech rocketry club founded in 1936. Its services are some of the most productive investments of the US federal government.

You're looking at this as basic MIC M&A. If they wanted to cut the budget or be more efficient they could just rewrite the contract as they always do at renewal. This is a theft of expertise.

Comment A beast of a rocket (Score 1) 46

124.4 meters (408.1 feet) tall, 9 meters wide, 5,500 metric tons at launch with a TWR of 1.6. Should leap off the pad and hit max Q in 45 seconds. These engines are grossly overpowered for the launch mass, which implies another stretch. And they're a work of art.

I have to go see one of these launches one day.

And they're not done. Raptor 4 is in the works. They really are going to Mars. The long dry spell of "boldly go" is coming to an end.

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