SpaceX says it has determined the cause of a launch pad explosion that destroyed a satellite in September and is ready to start launches again as early as Sunday (Monday AEST)

In a statement this week, SpaceX said it had traced the problem to a pressure vessel in the second-stage liquid oxygen tank. It said it will change the way it fuels for now, and in the future will redesign its pressure vessels.

Cheers.

look buddy, you can't explode every other mission and expect to stay in business. all that freeze dried food... wasted!

I hope Musk, succeeds.

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Earlier today, the FAA also finally approved the investigation's findings and the license for the next launch.

The SpaceX rocket returned with a successful mission after its last blast off ended with an explosion on the launch pad.

http://news.sky.com/video/spacex-launch-and-return-to-sea-platform-10729319


edited to add video
YES!

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I'm thinking of going to watch the launch whenever they finally send up their heavy rocket or Mars rocket. But I wonder if it's risky to be nearby during the first ever launch.

Lynn, thanx for the video link

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A SpaceX Falcon rocket has launched from Kennedy Space Center for the ISS, carrying a Dragon capsule and 2 tons of supplies.
Tullio
First stage landed safely at Cape Canaveral Landing zone. A TV press conference by NASA and SpaceX personnel is scheduled at 11.30 EST.

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Dragon is grappled and will install in a couple of hours. Progress shall arrive tomorrow. The 6 astronauts will have a lot of things to carry inside. Luckily. it is a weightless environment, in gravity they could not do it.
Tullio

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I understand now how they are able to boost a payload to orbital velocity and then return the first stage back to earth and land it. Small payloads that don't require much more than half the rocket's capability therefore leaving enough fuel for a controlled landing. Two tonnes is a pretty small load.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

That's about the same as the Russian Progress MS-03 which does about 2.5 tonnes a go.

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Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

Progress66 has docked to the ISS. Now they have to unload its cargo and fill Progress with junk to burn in the atmosphere, while Dragon should land by parachute with its load, I don't know whether on land or on water.
Tullio

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A few hours ago, Elon Musk just Tweeted that SpaceX will make an announcement tomorrow at 1pm Pacific US time, so about 18 hours from now. I wonder what it will be. Just a Tweet with very short notice, maybe it won't be a huge event.

Elon Musk is managing SpaceX and the Tesla electric cars industry. How can a single man manage two such enterprises is beyond my capacity to understand. He recently said we must become cyborgs. Is he a cyborg?
Tullio

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From his interviews, I think he said during the busiest times, he works about 100 hours per week, sleeps in his office for several hours a night and rarely goes home. It can't be good for his health, I hope he's around for a very long time to keep pushing his vision along. He did say it's not as bad when it's less busy.

Musk plans to send two tourists around the Moon in 2018. This has been done by Apollo 8, but the "tourists" were NASA astronauts, that is military jet pilots, as demonstrated by Apollo 13. What if something goes wrong?

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From his interviews, I think he said during the busiest times, he works about 100 hours per week, sleeps in his office for several hours a night and rarely goes home. It can't be good for his health, I hope he's around for a very long time to keep pushing his vision along. He did say it's not as bad when it's less busy.

A lot would depend on the type of office that he has, mine has a queen sized bed, shower, toilet, beer fridge and cooking area attached to it.

If a person is happy at work, sleeps and eats well I can't see that being a problem. ;-)

Cheers.

The SpaceX Falcon9 rocket has sent to orbit Echostar 23, a heavy communication satellite. The launch was from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Tullio

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SpaceX just a few hours ago launched and landed a used 1st stage, while deploying a commercial satellite. A historic event for aerospace industry, but on the surface in terms of video and images, it looks just like any of their recent launches.

According to the SpaceX website they plan to send two paying customers on a trip around the moon and back by the end of 2018.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.