This could be a momentous week for them. It looks like the number of flights this year will be 18. But a pad that can do a launch a week can do fifty flights a year, all by itself.
[Update a while later]
It’s also a big week for Rocket Lab, and Blue Origin. While I’m sure they’d like to get into business as soon as possible, I can’t help but think there’s a little extra pressure for Blue to fly the new New Shepard ahead of the suborbital conference next week in Colorado. They’re clearly now the leader in that market.
[Update a few minutes later]
Rocket Lab has scrubbed, and Doug Messier (who could use some financial support) has that and other stories, including a solution to the mystery of who Space Adventures was going to fly around the moon.
[Noon PST update]
Blue has scrubbed for the day as well, no word why yet.
I would like to contribute to parabolic arc but Doug degenerates into leftist blather all too often. Pity.
Yep, including insulting me during Twitter conversations. Let him get funding from people on his side of the fence. I’ll continue to support people on my side (Zimmerman) or people who don’t generally take sides (Livingston).
Regarding tomorrow’s SpaceX / CRS-13 launch, NSF reporter Chris Gebhardt made a series of informative tweets which are collected here: https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=42775.msg1757982#msg1757982
Summarizing, the “90 percent chance of go conditions” mentioned in the Ars Technica article Rand linked includes surface winds but excludes upper level winds which are evaluated separately, and tomorrow is expected to be quite windy — likely not enough to scrub for surface winds, but possibly for upper level winds and wind shear concerns.
Launch delayed until Wednesday. From SpaceX twitter:
Now targeting Dec. 13 for launch of CRS-13 from SLC-40 to allow for additional time for pre-launch ground systems checks.
Rumors are that the launch is being delayed until Friday, 15 December, but nothing official yet. That will be the last day they can launch and then dock (two days later) before the high solar beta angle cutout. Their next available launch opportunity would be on Christmas. (According to Kirk Shireman, ISS Program Manager, at yesterday’s pre-launch press conference.)
SpaceX: Taking additional time for the team to conduct full inspections and cleanings due to detection of particles in 2nd stage fuel system. Now targeting CRS-13 launch from SLC-40 on Dec. 15. Next launch opportunity would be no earlier than late December.
https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/940736321097572352
“While I’m sure they’d like to get into business as soon as possible, I can’t help but think there’s a little extra pressure for Blue to fly the new New Shepard ahead of the suborbital conference next week in Colorado. They’re clearly now the leader in that market.”
Blue Origin has yet to launch a paying customer. Is anybody actually flying customers? If they are, then they are the market leader, If no one is, then the market does not yet exist.
It is an historical irony that the orbital market developed before the suborbital. If things keep on the present track, the first commercial manned orbital flights may take place before a suborbital company launches any commercial payload whatsoever.