Business, Media Criticism, Space, Technology and Society

SpaceX Launch Attempt

10 Comments

They had to scrub the Orbcomm delivery mission yesterday due to a pressurization issue in the second stage (unclear if it was a vehicle or GSE umbilical problem). They’re making another attempt today, and fueling, but they’re not webcasting. No explanation why, but the disappointment on Twitter is palpable.

[Update a while later]

Another scrub, with no details.

[Update a few minutes later]

Hearing now they got weathered out by lightning 18 minutes before T-0.

10 thoughts on “SpaceX Launch Attempt”

  1. I don’t do Twitter, but I’m disappointed too. Still, it’s SpaceX’s and Orbcomm’s launch, Neither is under any obligation to provide coverage of, or even access to, their launch. I just hope Elon hasn’t decided, for whatever reason, to adopt a Bezosian public relations approach going forward.

    1. No-one is obliged to call their Congressman on SpaceX’s behalf either, [i]but they do.[/i]

      If SpaceX wants to spit in the eye of their fans, they can say goodbye to the unconditional support they’ve been receiving.

  2. It is SpaceX’s and Orbcomm’s launch and they can do as they please, but the man just burned a lot of good will by not providing some explanation , even if it on the fluffy side.

  3. I stopped bothering to watch the launches after the first Falcon 9 was successfully launched.

    I may watch a Falcon 9R or Heavy launch if it happens.

    Still it would be nice if SpaceX could up the tempo of successful launches in order to put some idle comments I see on occasion to rest.

  4. We don’t yet know (that I’m aware of) if the webcast cancellation was just for this launch, or for this and future launches. If it’s the latter, it’s a profoundly stupid move at a time when they need public support (the upcoming downselect, the block buy lawsuit, etc).

    I can see the ULA attack adds now: SpaceX not ready for prime time!

    I also saw a comment said to be from a SpaceX official, saying that they were doing this because the launches had become “routine”. If this is accurate, that’s a display of a tin ear and a half; they are nowhere near routine yet, and even if they were, so what? Has it escaped SpaceX’s notice that ULA still ‘casts its launches, and does so for a reason?

    2. It’s more than a tin ear, it’s a obvious lie. On Friday they weren’t routine yet, but on Saturday they were? Hopefully a SpaceX official didn’t really say something so clearly ridiculous.
      Seems more likely that they just didn’t want to have a broadcast when they were pretty sure they weren’t going to be able to launch.

  5. We’ve all gotten used to the paradigm of publicly-funded NASA launches broadcast by the MSM. At least I grew up with it.

    It’s true that a private company is under no obligation to cover their launches live. After all, airlines don’t televise their takeoffs and landings.

    But in soccer terms, this was an “own goal” by SpaceX. They pissed off the space buffs big time.

  6. SpaceX says they’re planning to webcast today’s attempt. Pity that the weather isn’t looking good.

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