Recent content by Bipo

It's simply, Tesla design is perfect from the beginning:

ASOG instead of OCISLY, since the latter is docked in the west coast Too long since the last FH launch, I can't wait to see those 27 Merlin roaring! :D

Just saying because I've read something about a hard storm a couple of days before the launch, while the rocket was in place. Anyway a lightning creates such a big EM pulse that it can damage many electronics even far away from the actual impact point.

It might be due to a lightning strike such as on Apollo 12?

Back to this topic, do you think the new Administration will finally cancel this project and move towards commercial launch systems only or, on the other hand, they will keep funding this bottomless pit called SLS?

AFAIK, Jim will become candidate for the House or the Senate in the following election. That's why he is positioning himself like that. Many former NASA members are or have been in politics, from former Senator Glenn to Senator Kelly.

Precisely, those are prototypes of this 2nd phase in Starlink service, that will require different satellites from the current ones in orbit.

Current satellites are used as mirrors in the sky, without communications between them. That means Starlink will only be able to offer connection of you have a ground station nearby (under the same horizon viewed from the satellite). Phase 2 of Starlink will have those laser beams between the...

Looks like Elon has a hard breathing... Covid+?

Take a look at the other side of the Atlantic, it seems a bit more populated ;)

Is was (and is) a win-win for both ULA and BO. In this case BO gets a large number of orders to split the fixed costs (ULA does not recover the engines, that's 2 new units per rocket). On the other hand, ULA gets a great methane engine developed with a blank check by Bezos'. The timeline and...

Thanks! Then they will move to 5° offset between planes. Nice. I see that they're also thinking about 70° planes as well as SSO. Nice to know how many on those, but since the orbits are so much close on those latitudes, the number of satellites needed to grant service should be much lower.

Do we know in which plane will the next batch be launched? Will those new satellites still shift into three different planes? Maybe since the full 360° are already covered (in 20° slices) the follow on batches will fill up those planes or even start to complete the polar part of the...

Cybertruck indeed, but for synergies with SpaceX stainless steel foundry IMHO

Since Soyuz has only one parachute and its pre-landing brake relies on rockets... I guess the answer is no. Interesting reflexion btw