back to article SpaceX has a good day: Successful launch and FCC satellite approval

SpaceX successfully launched 10 satellites into space Friday, completing its sixth launch this year. The launch from pad 4E at the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California came on the same day as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved the company's plan to set up its own broadband network in space, making it a …

  1. Gene Cash Silver badge

    "the end of the road for Falcon 9"

    Well, actually it's the end of the road for Falcon 9 Block 4...

    1. Flocke Kroes Silver badge

      Re: Block 4 is not completely dead yet

      There are five block 4s left that could fly again. One new one launching TESS and landing on the 16th, three of the other four have missions planned (first is CRS-12 on the 2nd). Boosters for TESS and CRS-12 are expected to land. I do not know about the others.

      There are two and a bit block 5s. First block 5 launch is no earlier than the 24th. There are no Falcon heavy centre cores, but one is scheduled to launch no earlier than 13th of June.

      SpaceX probably run out of block 4s some time in June.

      We have plenty of time to think of an insane payload for BFR's demo mission. My first thought was a fully fuelled Exploration Upper Stage (crew vehicle for SLS) but SpaceX are not set up to load liquid hydrogen and EUS probably won't be ready.

  2. Gene Cash Silver badge

    CNN clickbait

    > Nose cone 'impacted water at high speed'

    > SpaceX aced its launch, but the $6 million nose cone crashed, Elon Musk says

    So Fox News is the Daily Mail equivalent, but CNN is getting worse. Neither of them have any journalists.

    That's the garbage we have to put up with over here in America. I have to go to El Reg or the BBC to get any actual news.

    1. Chris G

      Re: CNN clickbait

      "I have to go to El Reg or the BBC to get any actual news."

      Out of the two, the BBC is more likely to be biased or wrong, El Reg at the risk of making their hats too small, is generally quite good at reporting.

    2. Kevin McMurtrie Silver badge

      Re: CNN clickbait

      I've been using BBC too. Hell, even Buzzfeed is starting to look good compared to CNN.

      More please: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/03/13/buzzgasm_listicle_about_pliers/

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: CNN clickbait

      Somewhat the same here although BBC is just one on the list. At the very least, I know the bias for the Beeb. Ditto the Grauniad, The Economist, anything out of Asia. Even Sky New, RT and al Jazheera are useful as a bounds check.

      Way back when I wore the uniform, I preferred to have a clue who might be shooting at me and, possibly, why. You can pretty much forget warning of what's going to go up the pole relying on the US media.

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: CNN clickbait

      Canada's CBC Radio 1 is quite good.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: CNN clickbait

        "...CBC Radio 1 is quite good."

        No it isn't.

        They thought the annoying Barbara Frum was a reasonable journalist.

        They'd have Stalin and Hitler debating, and believe that it was thus "balanced".

        Their Science reporting is often horrific, falling for the latest tabloid nonsense.

        They're preoccupied with trivialities, and are innumerate.

    5. anothercynic Silver badge

      Re: CNN clickbait

      Well, CNN let go of the one good aviation journalist they had...

      Idiots.

  3. WonkoTheSane
    Black Helicopters

    There is a question from the tinfoil hat brigade

    "Why was the launch stream curtailed at 2nd stage shutdown by NOAA?"

    1. Alan Sharkey

      Re: There is a question from the tinfoil hat brigade

      Yes, I noticed that too. Very strange

      1. Will Godfrey Silver badge
        Happy

        Re: There is a question from the tinfoil hat brigade

        Prolly an eleventh military item they didn't want to be too obvious.

        One thing that's become clear is that SpaceX seems to be very good at keeping schtum when required. Must be making them some friends.

    2. Sorry that handle is already taken. Silver badge

      Re: There is a question from the tinfoil hat brigade

      That even surprised the NOAA: https://twitter.com/NOAAComms/status/979738481231650817.

    3. Boris the Cockroach Silver badge
      Alien

      Re: There is a question from the tinfoil hat brigade

      Apparently, theres a law about remote sensing that means every rocket with a camera launched from the US needs a permit to transmit pictures once its reached an altitude/speed

      The permit is issued by NOAA, and SpaceX did'nt manage to get one for Good Friday because NOAA were shut for the holiday

      Either that, or the rocket passed too close to that Go'ald mothership we hijacked a couple of years ago......

  4. JeffyPoooh
    Pint

    "within an hour"

    "...its ability to launch and land a rocket within an hour."

    More like within about ten minutes.

    Yes, "within an hour" is technically correct. In the same way that "within a day" would also be technically correct.

  5. Anonymous South African Coward Bronze badge

    More blipping and bleeping pieces o' junk floating in spaaaaaaaace above our heads.... One of these days we will not be able to get decent sunshine due to the space junk blocking the sun....

  6. MrReal

    Funny, the US is still struggling to catch up to what we were told they could do in 1969.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      They still have to catch up with the Shuttle from 1980s...

      1. JeffyPoooh
        Pint

        "...catch up with the Shuttle from 1980s..."

        There's an argument to be made that the Space Shuttle actually set humanity back by about 10 or 15 years.

        I don't quite believe it myself, but the point contains enough obvious grains of truth that I could probably argue it on behalf of those that do fully believe it.

  7. User McUser

    Iridium

    I thought that Iridium went bankrupt and that the US Gov bought their satellites...

    I guess I need to pay more attention!

  8. ma1010
    Go

    So that means...

    SpaceX appears to be scaling back its original plan of an open ISP for everyone in order to focus on areas with poor internet access or slow speeds i.e. target less competitive markets.

    ...they'll start selling broadband access to us here in the U.S.? We could use some competition because $DEITY knows we've got bugger all with the current oligopoly.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Oligopoly

      Oligopolies and Oligarchs are a Russian thing. Those entities just don't exist in our free market economy.

      Under those names.

  9. jonathan keith

    LOHAN

    Perhaps El Reg can ask Elon if he'd have a word with the FAA about LOHAN?

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