OnlyForNow said:

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Polluting *******s.

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Well, the EPA did claim that water vapor (like the stuff released by plants) was a pollutant.

OnlyForNow said:

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Looking at the moon…. All I can think of thank the lord we have an atmosphere.

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I thought it was interesting how one of the astrounauts on Artemis drew the analogy between earth and their space capsule. He said something to the effect of - the earth is a space capsule for all of humanity, traveling through the vast reaches of space. I had never really thought of our planet like that before. It sure makes you feel small, and blessed to be living on such a hospitable home compared to the rest of the known universe.

UPDATE: The SpaceForce has released tracking data for post-SES-2 time, it does appear that ignition occurred; however, it only completed about half of the intended orbit correction.

This does increase the on-orbit estimation time. Something closer to a few months. Perhaps…

— Dillon Shropshire (@Dillonshrop06) April 20, 2026

In time for 250th July 4 fireworks show?

🚨BREAKING: JRTI (Falcon 9 landing barge) is retiring from Falcon 9 operations to support Starship in an unknown capacity: "This will be the last mission for Just Read the Instructions, which has supported 155 landings to date, since it first joined the fleet in 2015. The… pic.twitter.com/iwVufvKo3E

— Avid Space (@LabPadre) April 21, 2026

Will be hauling starships to Florida/KSC.

Bluebird 7 re-entered yesterday, not sure about the NG upper stage though.

We're still in a situation where we don't know whether the GS2 stage is in orbit, Space Force have given orbital elements for only one object at this time.
Whether they were able to deorbit the upper stage or not tells us a lot about the state of the spacecraft after the second,…

— Scott Manley (@DJSnM) April 20, 2026

SpaceX wins again

Blue Origin New Glenn is likely grounded for 4 months to investigate the upper stage failure on the weekend. ULA Vulcan is grounded because of two Grumman solid rocket booster failures. The satellite launchers Amazon, Space Force and AST Space Mobile have to rely on SpaceX Falcon…

— nextbigfuture (@nextbigfuture) April 21, 2026

The satellite launchers Amazon, Space Force and AST Space Mobile have to rely on SpaceX Falcon 9.


Amazon LEO needs 10-15 Falcon 9 launches per year from SpaceX. AST Spacemobile needs 10-20 launches per year from SpaceX. US defense space force is moving 70 backlogged launches not launched. by ULA to SpaceX. ULA launched 4 times total in 2-3 years. About $3-4 billion per year in launches need to go to spaceX. SpaceX already has 150-160 launches committed. 130 to Starlink and 20-30 for NASA and others. Can SpaceX surge an added 30 launches in the final half of the year?

Amazon LEO- 24 month extension to get 1618 satellites for half of plan. What is actually launching in 2026 (confirmed as of April 21):April 27/28: Two launches this week
ULA Atlas V (LA-06) 29 satellites (SLC-41, Cape Canaveral).
Arianespace Ariane 64 (LE-02) 32 satellites (Kourou, French Guiana). Lucky get one per month of Atlas 5 or Ariane. they need about 30 Falcon 9 launches
Rest of 2026 outlook cannot realistically see Amazon ramping to 4 launches per month. They have the remaining Atlas V rockets.
Ariane 6 (18 total contracted. pace is ~1 every 12 months initially).
Increasing Falcon 9 usage (2427 per flight. Amazon is adding more missions to bridge gaps).

Amazon has launched about 240 of the 3200 planned Amazon LEO satellites, compete against the 10,300 satellites Starlink has in orbit and adding 3000 satellites this year. They are buying Globalstar for 11.7 billiion for DTC (direct to cellphone) spectrum. Starlink already has 650 DTC satellites and those are already in orbit and servicing millions of T-mobile and other global customers. ULA Vulcan rockets using Blue Origin BE4 engines cannot fly for now. Failed solid rocket boosters. Blue Origin second stage failed to AST Spacemobile satellite into right orbit. FAA mishap probe grounds new glenn. Analysts and space community consensus point to a similar or longer delay (24+ months) because this is an upper-stage engine issue. Next launch is NASA payload. Could be no commercial launch til late in 2026 or early 2027.

Amazon new direct to satellite service is mostly after they get 3000 internet service satellites up. halfway maybe in 2028. Don't see many until 2030 without massive SpaceX launch reliance

SpaceX will have the capacity, but bezos must swallow pride and order primarily spacex. And get satellite production sped up.

With that launch cadence, SpaceX needs to get that IPO going

I assume they'll take JRTI in for refitting to haul Starships and Super Heavys from Starbase to Florida until the Roberts Road Gigabay is complete. Then they'll haul components from the Starbase Starfactory to Florida for assembly in that Gigabay until that Starfactory comes online.

Especially given the struggles elsewhere in the industry, I wonder what the impact to Falcon 9 cadence will be?

If the longitude/lattitude works, I wish they would build another launch tower and start flying Falcon 9s from Boca Chica. Seems like it would allow them to expand their launch cadence to meet the bigger demand.

It would be great to have more opportunities to go watch launches and landings.

Ag87H2O said:

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If the longitude/lattitude works, I wish they would build another launch tower and start flying Falcon 9s from Boca Chica. Seems like it would allow them to expand their launch cadence to meet the bigger demand.

It would be great to have more opportunities to go watch launches and landings.

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When Elon gets back on track for building the self-sustaining Mars city, I'm looking forward to seeing approximately 10 starship launches per day from Starbase (or however many they launch from Starbase per day, maybe 3-5, since it will probably be divided to KSC as well)

Nevermind on the Falcon 9 cadence, I guess.

With 39A becoming a primarily Falcon Heavy and Starship pad, we don’t actually need two operational droneships on the east coast to maintain our Falcon manifest. Think of pads/drone ships like airplane runways where you need a landing runway for each takeoff runway (ideally they… https://t.co/UjhKIrdgit

— Kiko Dontchev (@TurkeyBeaver) April 21, 2026

Not words you usually hear from the feds:

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is in final preparations for an early September launch, eight months AHEAD of schedule and UNDER budget.

This milestone is the result of more than a decade of dedication and millions of hours of work by NASA and our industry partners. Their… pic.twitter.com/dmNglbc93h

— NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman (@NASAAdmin) April 21, 2026

I should hope the Grace Space scope is under budget. Its just a repurposed Keyhole. It was already bought and paid for.

Wow, Cursor has given SpaceX the right to acquire Cursor later this year for $60 billion or "pay $10 billion for our work together."

"The combination of Cursor’s leading product and distribution to expert software engineers with SpaceX’s million H100 equivalent Colossus training… https://t.co/ffk2oX0Nrm pic.twitter.com/ux4NhUdhLq

— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) April 21, 2026

will25u said:

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Wow, Cursor has given SpaceX the right to acquire Cursor later this year for $60 billion or "pay $10 billion for our work together."

"The combination of Cursor’s leading product and distribution to expert software engineers with SpaceX’s million H100 equivalent Colossus training… https://t.co/ffk2oX0Nrm pic.twitter.com/ux4NhUdhLq

— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) April 21, 2026

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This sounds like a revolving credit scheme by two related parties that have a monetary interest in increasing their valuation for an upcoming IPO

or else explain it to me like I'm 5

Maybe better suited for the Business board....
But as they roll AI, into their IPO I have to ask is there enough cash on the sidelines to fulfil the demand for the IPO? This will add a significant amount of AI stock supply on the table and the demand, while it is certainly there for SpaceX, how much of the capital will have to come from elsewhere in the market?

I think a very small portion of SpaceX will go onto the market. The IPO, regardless of how much of the company it is, will be incredibly oversubscribed.

Yes. From what I am seeing it is largely about letting some employees cash out some stock options. Could be wrong I guess.

What is a Roman telescope, and why are they naming it after an obnoxious TV lawyer?

Pretty sure employee and early investor cash outs are common in all IPO.

Possibly converting all of a first and potentially other early private investment round shares to X # of public share and they get their pay.

Edit... typos

How does this happen?

Quote:

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What we know:

The New Glenn rocket lifted off on Sunday without major issues, and its first-stage booster successfully landed on a drone ship, marking a technical achievement for Blue Origin. However, the payload a communications satellite built by AST SpaceMobile was placed into the wrong orbit, making it unusable.
The satellite, known as BlueBird 7, was intended to support direct-to-cellphone broadband service. Instead, it was deployed into a much lower orbit than planned, leaving it without enough propulsion to reach operational altitude. The satellite is expected to reenter Earth's atmosphere and be destroyed.
The lost payload represents a financial setback worth hundreds of millions of dollars and sent the company's stock (NASDAQ: ASTS) lower on Monday. AST SpaceMobile is competing with firms including SpaceX and Amazon in the satellite communications market.

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Wrong orbit?
LINK

Here are Isaacman's remarks on HAL and I-HAB in full:
"I appreciate the contributions, and look forward to working with them on how we could potentially repurpose hardware to surface applications. I’ll tell you, at the Gateway program -- outside of the PPE hardware that we’re…

— Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) April 22, 2026

t the Gateway program -- outside of the PPE hardware that we're going use for the nuclear power and propulsion demonstration -- the only two habitable volumes that were delivered both were corroded. And that's unfortunate because it would have delayed, probably beyond 2030, the application of Gateway."

PJYoung said:

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Here are Isaacman's remarks on HAL and I-HAB in full:
"I appreciate the contributions, and look forward to working with them on how we could potentially repurpose hardware to surface applications. I’ll tell you, at the Gateway program -- outside of the PPE hardware that we’re…

— Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) April 22, 2026

t the Gateway program -- outside of the PPE hardware that we're going use for the nuclear power and propulsion demonstration -- the only two habitable volumes that were delivered both were corroded. And that's unfortunate because it would have delayed, probably beyond 2030, the application of Gateway."

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If it were me, I'd decline the contractors invoice.... I'd also want to place them on an unapproved vendor list.
But I'm not government...

Kenneth_2003 said:

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PJYoung said:

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Here are Isaacman's remarks on HAL and I-HAB in full:
"I appreciate the contributions, and look forward to working with them on how we could potentially repurpose hardware to surface applications. I’ll tell you, at the Gateway program -- outside of the PPE hardware that we’re…

— Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) April 22, 2026

t the Gateway program -- outside of the PPE hardware that we're going use for the nuclear power and propulsion demonstration -- the only two habitable volumes that were delivered both were corroded. And that's unfortunate because it would have delayed, probably beyond 2030, the application of Gateway."

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If it were me, I'd decline the contractors invoice.... I'd also want to place them on an unapproved vendor list.
But I'm not government...

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That would likely piss off Senator Big Bucks whose state they are from, so we can't do that. I have no idea who that would be and what state, but it seems every big NASA contractor has a godfather in the Senate who makes sure they stay fed.

aggiehawg said:

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How does this happen?

Quote:

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What we know:

The New Glenn rocket lifted off on Sunday without major issues, and its first-stage booster successfully landed on a drone ship, marking a technical achievement for Blue Origin. However, the payload a communications satellite built by AST SpaceMobile was placed into the wrong orbit, making it unusable.
The satellite, known as BlueBird 7, was intended to support direct-to-cellphone broadband service. Instead, it was deployed into a much lower orbit than planned, leaving it without enough propulsion to reach operational altitude. The satellite is expected to reenter Earth's atmosphere and be destroyed.
The lost payload represents a financial setback worth hundreds of millions of dollars and sent the company's stock (NASDAQ: ASTS) lower on Monday. AST SpaceMobile is competing with firms including SpaceX and Amazon in the satellite communications market.

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Wrong orbit?
LINK

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"Wrong orbit" is kinda sugarcoating the issue. It's not like they took the wrong turn or punched in the wrong coordinates. The engine cut out too early and it didn't get enough velocity/altitude to be in an operational orbit.

Google AI search (take it with a grain of salt)
HALO
Prime: Northrop Grumman
Sub: Thales Alenia Space

I-HAB
Prime: Thales Alenia Space
Contributors: JAXA

When this kind of thing happens, will there ever be a day where SpaceX or some company could launch a rocket quickly enough to save it and bring it back to earth?

Quote:

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"Wrong orbit" is kinda sugarcoating the issue. It's not like they took the wrong turn or punched in the wrong coordinates. The engine cut out too early and it didn't get enough velocity/altitude to be in an operational orbit.

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Aaah, got it. Thanks!

txags92 said:

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Kenneth_2003 said:

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PJYoung said:

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Here are Isaacman's remarks on HAL and I-HAB in full:
"I appreciate the contributions, and look forward to working with them on how we could potentially repurpose hardware to surface applications. I’ll tell you, at the Gateway program -- outside of the PPE hardware that we’re…

— Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) April 22, 2026

t the Gateway program -- outside of the PPE hardware that we're going use for the nuclear power and propulsion demonstration -- the only two habitable volumes that were delivered both were corroded. And that's unfortunate because it would have delayed, probably beyond 2030, the application of Gateway."

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If it were me, I'd decline the contractors invoice.... I'd also want to place them on an unapproved vendor list.
But I'm not government...

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That would likely piss off Senator Big Bucks whose state they are from, so we can't do that. I have no idea who that would be and what state, but it seems every big NASA contractor has a godfather in the Senate who makes sure they stay fed.

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Declining the contractor's invoice would be the effect, not the cause. The contractor in Senator Big Bucks state f'd up

Decay said:

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aggiehawg said:

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How does this happen?

Quote:

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What we know:

The New Glenn rocket lifted off on Sunday without major issues, and its first-stage booster successfully landed on a drone ship, marking a technical achievement for Blue Origin. However, the payload a communications satellite built by AST SpaceMobile was placed into the wrong orbit, making it unusable.
The satellite, known as BlueBird 7, was intended to support direct-to-cellphone broadband service. Instead, it was deployed into a much lower orbit than planned, leaving it without enough propulsion to reach operational altitude. The satellite is expected to reenter Earth's atmosphere and be destroyed.
The lost payload represents a financial setback worth hundreds of millions of dollars and sent the company's stock (NASDAQ: ASTS) lower on Monday. AST SpaceMobile is competing with firms including SpaceX and Amazon in the satellite communications market.

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Wrong orbit?
LINK

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"Wrong orbit" is kinda sugarcoating the issue. It's not like they took the wrong turn or punched in the wrong coordinates. The engine cut out too early and it didn't get enough velocity/altitude to be in an operational orbit.

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Decay said:

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aggiehawg said:

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How does this happen?

Quote:

---

What we know:

The New Glenn rocket lifted off on Sunday without major issues, and its first-stage booster successfully landed on a drone ship, marking a technical achievement for Blue Origin. However, the payload a communications satellite built by AST SpaceMobile was placed into the wrong orbit, making it unusable.
The satellite, known as BlueBird 7, was intended to support direct-to-cellphone broadband service. Instead, it was deployed into a much lower orbit than planned, leaving it without enough propulsion to reach operational altitude. The satellite is expected to reenter Earth's atmosphere and be destroyed.
The lost payload represents a financial setback worth hundreds of millions of dollars and sent the company's stock (NASDAQ: ASTS) lower on Monday. AST SpaceMobile is competing with firms including SpaceX and Amazon in the satellite communications market.

---

Wrong orbit?
LINK

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"Wrong orbit" is kinda sugarcoating the issue. It's not like they took the wrong turn or punched in the wrong coordinates. The engine cut out too early and it didn't get enough velocity/altitude to be in an operational orbit.

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rynning said:

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When this kind of thing happens, will there ever be a day where SpaceX or some company could launch a rocket quickly enough to save it and bring it back to earth?

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You're way more likely to be able to boost it to the intended orbit than return it. I don't even think anything we have, even including the shuttle, was ever designed to land with that kind of payload? I could be mistaken on that part. But realistically you don't return satellites ever. They burn up in orbit and the debris goes in the ocean.

Decay said:

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rynning said:

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When this kind of thing happens, will there ever be a day where SpaceX or some company could launch a rocket quickly enough to save it and bring it back to earth?

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You're way more likely to be able to boost it to the intended orbit than return it. I don't even think anything we have, even including the shuttle, was ever designed to land with that kind of payload? I could be mistaken on that part. But realistically you don't return satellites ever. They burn up in orbit and the debris goes in the ocean.

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Shuttle brought at least one payload back.

Scott Manley recently did a video about an experiment that stayed in orbit longer than intended due to Columbia, but it was designed to be returned.

They landed at Edwards because they were going to be carrying A LOT of energy due to the extra mass and just wanted the lake bed

Pretty cool.