It would be "Internet Basic" which is basically Facebook plus any site Mark deems worthy.
Where's the profit in that?
Musk: I don't always test my rockets in production, but when I do, I do it with client payloads on board.
Watching the video looks like some sort of implosion on the upper stage at one of the eblicals attachment points right before the fireball engulfs the ship.
Hopefully they have some super slow mo of the explosion.
9/1 Never Forget.
Sucks for SpaceX though. Technical people like us realize that shit happens, but most people don't and will lose confidence in them. Originally they were saying it was just the 1st stage but looks like it was the whole rocket and the payload. I guess internet.org is going to have to wait, because they have to make a new satellite.
Aparantly this was not covered by insurance either. Something about it not being an actual launch. I guess the insurance covers if something happens during launch but not the steps leading to it.
that's their only cape canaveral launch pad right? damage is probably much worse than orbital's antares explosion just after launch
It is hard to tell at this time.
However with Orbital, their was a argument about who would pay to fix the damage since the state actually owned the pad and launch facilities not Orbital. The state wound up paying to fix the pad not Orbital. With LC40 their is no question of who owns the pad and facilities, SpaceX.
Orbital also had solid fuel, that was all those burning embers that looked like fireworks during the explosion. It is more difficult to clean-up a mess from solid fuel because it all hazardous waste. The F9 just uses RP1 and LOX which should make the clean-up easier.
that's their only cape canaveral launch pad right? damage is probably much worse than orbital's antares explosion just after launch
Aparantly this was not covered by insurance either. Something about it not being an actual launch. I guess the insurance covers if something happens during launch but not the steps leading to it.
Yeah I thought the explosion originated on the ground but video definitely makes it look like it originated above. But maybe the initial fuel (like hydrogen or something) burned transparently and lit up a pipe leading to the upper part of the stage. Just a wild guess though. Could also easily have happened between camera frames.
I'd really like to know how willing companies are to have SpaceX do this test, I feel like this is something SpaceX could be really pressuring companies to do to save launch time.
I know shit happens, but given I'm a test engineer for a major US satellite I think I might be a bit biased and emotional. Seeing the satellite falling down was sickening and I hate that this happened during a test and I don't like that SpaceX does this test in the first place.
Word from the customers in the past is that they prefer it to be on there. They're the ones who pushed SpaceX to alter policy and integrate prior to the static fire. They like that it gives their satellite a good shaking and they get to go through the motions of testing their satellite under launch conditions without it actually scrubbing a launch if something isn't right.
That is going to hurt the reputation a bit, at any rate.
I wonder if their insurance premiums are going to increase
Most people building satellites have tested them on a vibe stand extensivly for that purpose way before they would be installed on a launch vehicle.
You can test all day, but until your package is atop a tower of power, you don't know for sure. Feedback from the customers is that this is what they want. They also get to test the system integration under flight conditions as well.
Where's the profit in that?
I'd really like to know how willing companies are to have SpaceX do this test, I feel like this is something SpaceX could be really pressuring companies to do to save launch time.
I know shit happens, but given I'm a test engineer for a major US satellite I think I might be a bit biased and emotional. Seeing the satellite falling down was sickening and I hate that this happened during a test and I don't like that SpaceX does this test in the first place.
Cleanup will be a huge issue because of the hypergolic propellant on the satellite. Damage to the pad looks very expensive too.
I have plenty of things I have assisted in manufacturing in orbit and a few other places, an explanation is not really necessary
Test Cells used to be one of my biggest things at work.
It was a Facebook satellite. Their idea of "Free Internet" is really more like "Free Facebook and a handful of other sites Facebook approves of".
Facebook tried something similar called "Free Basics" in India, and their government kicked it out of the country on anti-competitive grounds.