Tag Archives: hypothetical

SpaceX launches the first Falcon booster 20 times – Space Explored

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Friday evening SpaceX launched a Starlink mission that while not newsworthy anymore, the booster it launched on was. B1062, first launched in 2020, has now reached the big 20 mission milestone.

While it took a bit longer than we expected after the destruction of B1058 on its return to port, SpaceX has hit that 20 mission milestone. Friday evening at 9:40 P.M. from SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, SpaceX launched B1062 with 23 Starlink Gen 2 mini satellites on top.

B1062 first lifted off on November 5, 2020 with GPS III SV04 Sacagawea. Since then it has flown 13 Starlink missions (including the one from last night), eight astronauts, and various other commercial payloads, including Starlinks competitor OneWeb. Bring it to a grand total of 20 flights, once the believed limit of Falcon 9 boosters.

The booster performed like it came right out the SpaceX factory in Hawthorne. B1062, lofted its second stage and Starlink satellites on their intended trajectory before returning for a perfect landing on droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas.

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When SpaceX first began reusing its first stage, many didnt think it was even possible. When it became possible, the hypothetical limits by Elon Musk was close to 10 or 15 launches. That was also at the time believed to be a big ask.

SpaceX is no longer advertising potential limits to how many times they can refly a booster before seeing any failures. There will be limits, and SpaceX intends to find them but dont have an idea as to when theyll show up.

Each booster goes through a rigorous refurbishment process before reflight. However, those process have come down in time it takes to finish, some boosters reflying in a matter of weeks. Its possible teams have already spotted failing points before flight and those booster see longer refurbishments but thats something well probably never hear about.

The knowledge gained with reusing Falcon is important for the companys new rocket, Starship. SpaceX hopes to launch Starship rockets on a near hourly bases, meaning those boosters and ships will quickly replace Falcon boosters in reflight records.

Starship may just be a few more flights away before beginning sending payloads to orbit. This will most likely begin with full size Starlink Gen 2 satellites, likely replacing the mini variations launch on Falcon 9s.

While it might be hard to believe, we could be reaching the conclusion of the Falcon 9s career (were talking years here not months), at least its commercial career. While its unknown how many customers will move from Falcons to Starship, the potential low cost for launch could mean the bulk switch over.

So does that mean well never know the limit of Falcon 9 boosters? Unsure, B1062 will probably fly a few more times this year, maybe its 21, or 25, or 50. Whatever it is, Starship will most likely be higher.

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SpaceX launches the first Falcon booster 20 times - Space Explored

Elon Musk expresses concern over FAA’s focus on DEI – Washington Examiner

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Billionaire Elon Musk has directed his attention to the Federal Aviation Administrations focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion, stating Monday morning that he could not believe this is happening.

Musk, who has spoken out against the DEI movement recently, shared a story on social media that revealed the FAA is seeking to hire people withsevere intellectual disabilities. Among these disabilities defined by the FAA include those involving hearing, sight, partial or complete paralysis, and epilepsy.

Just had a conversation with some smart people could not believe this is happening, Musk wrote on X, his social media platform once known as Twitter.

Musks concerns about the FAAs use of DEI in its hiring comes about a week after a Boeing 737 Max 9, operated byAlaska Airlines, had a piece of it blown off during its takeoff. The government is currently investigating what caused the piece to blow off from the plane.

A social media user responding to Musk suggested how catastrophic DEI could be when hiring people in the medical industry, with the user suggesting people could DIE due to DEI. Musk agreed, responding yes to the hypothetical scenario.

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Musk has made himself a vocal critic of DEI over the past few weeks, stating Monday that discrimination based on anything other than merit is wrong. He also argued last week thatDEI discriminatesagainstpeople based on their race and that DEI itself is both immoral and illegal.

Other billionaires who have recently voiced their opinions against DEI include hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman, Lululemon founder Chip Wilson, and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

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Elon Musk expresses concern over FAA's focus on DEI - Washington Examiner