#Space #SpaceCoast #CCSFS

Amateur smartphone still photos of the #SpaceX #Starlink launch as seen from north Merritt Island.

#Space #SpaceCoast #CCSFS

Coming up on T-5 minutes until tonight's #SpaceX #Starlink launch. It's the 18th launch for this historic Falcon 9 booster. It's the first to launch crew for #NASA.

Watch live on the Spaceflight Now YouTube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lq5DbACBmXo

#Space #SpaceCoast #CCSFS

#SpaceX is still targeting 8:37 PM EDT for tonight's #Starlink launch.

The company no longer streams its launches anywhere, except for Zombie Twitter, so if you want to watch go to the Spaceflight Now YouTube channel at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lq5DbACBmXo

#Space #SpaceCoast #CCSFS

#SpaceX has another popup #Starlink launch for this evening, targeting 6:30 PM EDT from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral.

Space Coasters can step outside to watch a sunset launch.

EDIT 2:45 PM EDT -- SpaceX is now targeting 8:37 PM EDT for this launch.

#Space #SpaceCoast

Amateur smartphone still photos of tonight's #SpaceX #Starlink launch as seen from north Merritt Island.

#Space #SpaceCoast

Amateur smartphone video of the #SpaceX #Starlink launch as seen from north Merritt Island.

https://www.facebook.com/100000747763996/videos/3529706723912363/

#Space #SpaceCoast

#SpaceX will try again to launch their #Starlink satellites from #CCSFS Launch Complex 40. They're still targeting 7:20 PM EDT.

Since Elon only streams their launches now on Zombie Twitter, you can watch the NASASpaceflight.com livestream on YouTube starting at 6:40 PM EDT.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2fu6lUCI2c

In case you need a refresher on how the top thingie separates from the bottom thingie ...

#Space #SpaceX

#Space #SpaceCoast

Well, this is the view you and I would have had with my smartphone if the #SpaceX #Starlink mission had launched. They scrubbed due to a problem with the stage separation system (i.e. the top part wouldn't separate from the bottom part). They say they'll try again tomorrow at 7:20 PM EDT.

Too bad, the trajectory would have gone right over the Moon on the horizon.

#Space #SpaceCoast

#SpaceX is targeting 8:17 PM EDT for tonight's #Starlink launch from #CCSFS LC-40. If you don't want to watch Elon's feed on Zombie Twitter, NASASpaceflight.com has a live feed from the #KSC press site you can watch for free on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KjzJM_lcxs

#Space #SpaceCoast

Just found out we have another popup #SpaceX #Starlink tomorrow (Sunday) targeting 7:45 PM EDT. If you're in east-central #Florida, it should be spectacular.

#Space #SpaceCoast

From #FloridaToday: Last night's #SpaceX launch from #CCSFS breaks the Cape record for most orbital launches in one year.

https://www.floridatoday.com/story/tech/science/space/2023/10/21/a-major-success-spacex-falcon-9-launch-is-record-58th-from-cape-canaveral-florida-in-one-year/71238567007/

#Space #SpaceCoast

Crummy amateur smartphone photos of tonight's #SpaceX #Starlink launch as seen from north Merritt Island.

In the third photo, my guess is the planet is Venus or Mars. Astronomy isn't my thing.

#Space #SpaceCoast

Amateur smartphone video of tonight's #SpaceX #Starlink launch as seen from north Merritt Island.

https://www.facebook.com/wordsmithfl/videos/319784167341277/

#Space If you're on the #SpaceCoast of #Florida, we have a popup #SpaceX #Starlink launch targeting 10:17 PM EDT from Launch Complex 40.

#Space #SpaceCoast

Back at #KSCVC ... The newest building is Gateway, which opened in 2022. It was our first "NewSpace" exhibit. The star of the show is the flight-flown and reused #SpaceX Falcon 9.

Lots of companies have artifacts on display, as well as #NASA for Project #Artemis.

#Space #SpaceCoast #KSC

Smartphone photos of the bottom and top of the #SpaceX #Starship tower, cropped and enhanced using Photoshop.

#Space #SpaceCoast #KSC

A closer look at the new #SpaceX #Starship launch and landing tower at Pad 39A.

Elon envisions a tower nicknamed Mechazilla that would use grappling arms to capture a landing Starship. (See the illustration on the right.) Presumably the photo on the left is the base for Starship.

I don't know what the tank is for.

#Space #SpaceCoast

A closer look at the old LH2 tank converted to liquid CH4 ... #SpaceX, #BlueOrigin, and #ULA Vulcan are all going to methane because they want to achieve rapid reusability.

Most rockets today burn RP-1, a highly refined kerosene. It leaves a carbon residue, so engines have to be cleaned before they can be used again.

Methane burns much more cleanly, so they hope for a faster turnaround time.

#Space #SpaceCoast #NASA #KSC

The back side of #SpaceX Pad 39A as seen from Phillips Parkway. (Most people call it the Cape Road.)

The new #Starship tower is to the left.

The liquid methane tank started life as the Apollo and Shuttle liquid hydrogen tank. Starship will use methane.

The crew access tower on the pad was originally the top half of an Apollo mobile platform. It was sawed off and transplanted for Shuttle. SpaceX modified it and added cladding for crew Dragon flights.