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2023-11-10 Science & Technology

X-37B to fly again, with some wrinkles this time

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Posted by M. Murcek 2023-11-10 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11136 views ] Top

#1 Or they are shooting for a non-standard orbit.

Kinda exciting if they are going to reactivate some of the geo-dinos, or explore the Lagrange clusters.

Posted by Skidmark 2023-11-10 01:01|| 2023-11-10 01:01|| Front Page Top

#2 More technical details

Posted by M. Murcek 2023-11-10 07:10|| 2023-11-10 07:10|| Front Page Top

#3 elon musk. booster recovery and re-use. what an achievement! yea afro-america/canada.

Posted by irish rage boy 2023-11-10 09:10|| 2023-11-10 09:10|| Front Page Top

#4 It could just be a scheduling thing. Pad 39A is used for the Falcon Heavy. If a Falcon Heavy launch was near the time they want to launch this rocket there might not be enough time to reconfigure the rocket support frame to a normal F9 mode.
There are FH and F9 frame modifications that take about 30 days to do.
The other F9 pad itself at the military side of the cape is being modified so it can do crewed launches too. Currently only 39A (the heavy pad) can launch crew. They are trying to make both FL pads able to do crew.
Another pad is up for permission to be built (CA and SpaceForce) at California's Vandenburg AFB to be able to launch a Falcon Heavy. This would get around constantly modifying the launch support. Vandenburg does NOT launch any crew.

Posted by 3dc 2023-11-10 19:34|| 2023-11-10 19:34|| Front Page Top

#5 Oh and Vandy currently only launches F9.

Posted by 3dc 2023-11-10 19:36|| 2023-11-10 19:36|| Front Page Top

#6 Maybe part of why Clark Construction is working there? Or is it just housing?

Posted by Frank G 2023-11-10 19:45|| 2023-11-10 19:45|| Front Page Top

#7 A lot going on at the Cape and outside it. Blue Origin has just installed the largest crane at Port Canaveral to unload recovered New Glenn boosters from the ocean going landing barge. Previously "abandoned in place" facilities at the Cape are being demolished to make way for new facilities.

Posted by M. Murcek 2023-11-10 20:04|| 2023-11-10 20:04|| Front Page Top

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