SpaceX Falcon 1 Demoflight 2 - Launched - 95 percent good

SpaceX Falcon 1 Demoflight 2 - Launched - 95 percent good - failed to
reach full orbital velocity

SpaceX has posted an update to yesterdays launch (update copied here).

- LRK -
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http://www.spacex.com/
http://www.spacex.com/updates.php#demoflight_2_launch_update_12
<http://www.spacex.com/updates.php>
DEMOFLIGHT 2 UPDATE

*Posted March 20, 2007*

The second test launch of Falcon 1 took place today at 6:10 pm
California time.  The launch was not perfect, but certainly pretty
good.  Given that the primary objectives were demonstrating responsive
launch and gathering test data in advance of our first operational
satellite launch later this year, the outcome was great.  Operationally
responsive (i.e. fast) launch has become an increasingly important
national security objective, so demonstrating rapid loading of
propellants and launch in less than an hour, as well as a rapid recycle
following the first engine ignition are major accomplishments.

We retired almost all of the significant development risk items, in
particular:

- 1st stage ascent past max dynamic pressure

- avionics operation in vacuum and under radiation

- stage separation

- 2nd stage ignition

- fairing separation

- 2nd stage nozzle/chamber at steady state temp in vacuum

Falcon flew far beyond the "edge" of space, typically thought of as
around 60 miles.  Our altitude was approximately 200 miles, which
is just 50 miles below the International Space Station.  The second
stage didn't achieve full orbital velocity, due to a roll excitation
late in the burn, but that should be a comparatively easy fix once we
examine the flight data.  Since it is impossible to ground test the
second stage under the same conditions it would see in spaceflight, this
anomaly was also something that would have been very hard to determine
without a test launch.

All in all, this test has flight proven 95+ percent of the Falcon 1
systems, which bodes really well for our upcoming flights of Falcon 1
and Falcon 9, which uses similar hardware.  We do not expect any
significant delay in the upcoming flights at this point.  The Dept of
Defense satellite launch is currently scheduled for late Summer and the
Malaysian satellite for the Fall.

I'd like to thank DARPA and the Air Force for buying the two test
flights and helping us work through a number of challenges over the past
year.  I'd also like to express my appreciation for the efforts of the 
Kwajalein Army Range (Reagan Test Site) and we look forward to many more
launches in the future.

Finally, thank you to everyone at SpaceX for working so hard to make
this a great test.  This is a big leap forward for commercial spaceflight!

--Elon--

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You can watch the video from the link on SpaceX homepage.
http://www.spacex.com/

Which should take you to their Video Gallery.
http://www.spacex.com/video_gallery.php
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Another take on this launch and others is at Florida Today where you can read
about a Delta 4 being disassembled so that pad damage due to cracks.
http://www.floridatoday.com/floridatoday/blogs/spaceteam/


Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update

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THE DAY IN SPACE
_________________

In today's space news from SpaceRef:

-- Falcon 1 Launched Into Space

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewnews.nl.html?id=1202
<http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewnews.nl.html?id=1202>

-- SpaceX Post-flight Comments Regarding Second Falcon 1 Launch

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.nl.html?pid=23667
<http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.nl.html?pid=23667>

"Falcon flew far beyond the "edge" of space, typically thought of as around 60 miles.  Our
altitude was approximately 200 miles, which is just 50 miles below the International
Space Station.  The second stage didn't achieve full orbital velocity, due to a roll excitation late
in the burn, but that should be a comparatively easy fix once we examine the flight data.  Since it is
impossible to ground test the second stage under the same conditions it would see in
spaceflight, this anomaly was also something that would have been very hard to determine without a test
launch."

Snip
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WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

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