Will SpaceX launch the Falcon 9 this week?

Hmmm... the rates are reasonable enough:
Mission Type Price
LEO (s/c<80% capacity to the customer orbit) $45.8M
LEO (s/c>80% capacity to the customer orbit) $51.5M
GTO (s/c<3,000 kg) $45.8M
GTO (s/c up to 4,680 kg) $51.5M
​
Maybe we can chip in for a POA "fly over" (as opposed to fly-in).

-Rich
 
TangoWhiskey said:
... or come up with some reason to scrub the launch?

http://www.spacex.com/falcon9.php

They're on the pad at Canaveral.
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You know, as much as I want to see the thing launch, I'd rather them take time, if they find something wrong with it, than launch it with a faulty system and have the whole thing fail, when they knew about it. If this thing goes anything like Falcon 1, I'd imagine this thing might be worth driving down to the Cape to watch.

However, I really want to see it work, because I'd like to see the Falcon 9 Heavy someday. I can't imagine launching something with 27 engines on the main stage.
 
KSCessnaDriver said:
You know, as much as I want to see the thing launch, I'd rather them take time, if they find something wrong with it, than launch it with a faulty system and have the whole thing fail, when they knew about it. If this thing goes anything like Falcon 1, I'd imagine this thing might be worth driving down to the Cape to watch.

However, I really want to see it work, because I'd like to see the Falcon 9 Heavy someday. I can't imagine launching something with 27 engines on the main stage.
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I hear you. Falcon 1's record of successes with the first few launches, was, well, wasn't.
 
silver-eagle said:
Falcon 9 is currently holding for "range clearance". Live webcast.
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Looks like they first had a FTS problem (aka abort system, to destroy the rocket). Now they're working a boat in the safety area, but the countdown clock is under T-15 and rolling so here we go.
 
Countdown is back on 12 minutes and counting...
 
Wow, I'm impressed, that they got all the way through the 1st stage, and continues into the 2nd stage without any obvious failures. Looks good, in orbit apparently. NASA & SpaceX really needed this thing to work, and it apparently did.
 
Wow cool launch. The exhaust plume from those 9 engines was kinda interesting. Glad to see that everything worked for them.
 
vontresc said:
Wow cool launch. The exhaust plume from those 9 engines was kinda interesting. Glad to see that everything worked for them.
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Just wait until they get the Falcon 9 Heavy going (if they ever do). 27 of those engines, rather than just 9.
 
WooHooo!!!

I was looking for the plume but it was too cloudy.

I'm really happy for them as they were a client. I wrote and our engineer certified their Part 112 SPCC Plan. We got to walk around the pad while we measured out the completed secondary containment structure. I love to see my clients succeed.
 
The highlight reel is on the spacex website.

Remember when ANY launch was a full day event? The teacher would roll the TV into the classroom and you'd sit and watch it until the end of day came. Stuff like that have been replaced with "Divorce Court" and Oprah and The View, not to mention, all those "in service" days the teachers have now.
 
silver-eagle said:
The highlight reel is on the spacex website.

Remember when ANY launch was a full day event? The teacher would roll the TV into the classroom and you'd sit and watch it until the end of day came. Stuff like that have been replaced with "Divorce Court" and Oprah and The View, not to mention, all those "in service" days the teachers have now.
Click to expand...

I wonder if the rotation at the orbit insertion at the end of that highlight reel was intentional?
 
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