Dominique Luchart's Blog, page 727
November 5, 2020
SpaceX launches next-gen GPS satellite for US Space Force, lands rocket, ,
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX successfully launched an advanced GPS satellite for the U.S. Space Force on Thursday (Nov. 5), marking the first launch in nearly two weeks here on the Space Coast.
One of the company’s two-stage Falcon 9 rockets blasted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station here at 6:24 p.m. EST (2324 GMT), carrying the GPS III-SV04 satellite to orbit. Nine minutes later, the rocket’s first stage touched down on the deck of “Of Course I Still Love You,” one of SpaceX’s .
The GPS III-SV04 mission had been set to follow on the heels of a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket, which was scheduled to loft a U.S. spy satellite from Cape Canaveral on Tuesday (Nov. 3). However, the Atlas V launch was delayed twice due to issues with ground systems equipment. ULA is now targeting Friday (Nov. 6) for that liftoff.
Related: The U.S. GPS satellite network explained
[image error]A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the U.S. Space Force’s GPS III-SV04 navigation satellite lifts off from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, on Nov. 5, 2020. (Image credit: SpaceX/YouTube)
It was a crystal clear night here on the Space Coast, and onlookers were able to follow the rocket through the different phases of launch. A nebula-like cloud, typically visible on clear nights, formed around the rocket as the first and second stages separated. The booster’s reentry burn was also visible from a press viewing area.
Tonight’s GPS mission had been waiting to get off the ground since SpaceX was forced to call an abort on Oct. 2. In the final seconds of the countdown that day, the Falcon 9’s computer detected an engine anomaly, and the rocket’s onboard flight termination system shut the engines down. Crews were able to safe the vehicle and, after a thorough investigation, pinpoint the issue.
SpaceX determined that residue from a “masking lacquer,” which is designed to protect sensitive engine parts during anti-corrosion anodizing treatment, was left behind post-treatment. The lacquer ended up blocking 0.06-inch-wide (1.6 millimeters) vent holes for valves in two of the nine Merlin engines on the Falcon 9’s first stage, SpaceX representatives said in a news briefing on Oct. 28.
The same traces of lacquer were detected in engines on two other Falcon 9 first stages — one on the rocket that will launch the Sentinel-6 Earth-observation satellite and one on the booster that will launch Crew-1, SpaceX’s next astronaut mission. SpaceX has swapped out the affected engines. The Crew-1 launch date, scheduled for Nov. 14, was not affected by this swap. However, SpaceX and NASA are postponing the Sentinel-6 mission until after Crew-1, setting a new target date of Nov. 21.
Today’s flight marks the third GPS delivery for SpaceX. Two previous advanced GPS III missions also launched on Falcon 9 rockets, including one this past June. Another of the satellites launched on the final flight of ULA’s Delta IV Medium in August 2019.
The U.S. military plans to launch a total of 10 upgraded GPS satellites, which will replace aging members of its current constellation. SpaceX has secured additional contracts to launch the next two GPS III missions, which are expected to lift off sometime next year.
Built by Lockheed Martin in Colorado, the GPS III-SV04 satellite launched today is the fourth member of an upgraded generation of GPS navigation spacecraft that beam down higher-power signals that are more resilient to jamming and boast additional broadcast frequencies to make the GPS network more compatible with other similar constellations, Lockheed representatives have said.
Related: See the evolution of SpaceX’s rockets in pictures
Falcon’s fury
[image error]A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket touches down on the drone ship “Of Course I Still Love You” after launching the U.S. Space Force’s GPS III-SV04 navigation satellite to orbit, on Nov. 5, 2020. (Image credit: SpaceX/YouTube)
The 227-foot-tall (70 meters) Falcon 9 is SpaceX’s workhorse, and the rocket boasts more than 1.5 million pounds of thrust at liftoff. Today’s mission featured a fresh-off-the-factory-floor Falcon, its exterior stark white for its first trip to space.
SpaceX has been relying heavily on its fleet of veteran rockets, with many Falcon 9 first stages having racked up five or more flights each. The booster that launched today, known by the SpaceX designation B1062, could be the last brand-new one we see launch a GPS satellite, as the U.S. government has given SpaceX the green light to launch future military missions on flight-proven boosters.
That decision followed on the heels of another recent announcement to allow SpaceX to recover the rocket’s first stage during national security missions — something that was previously not allowed. The next two GPS missions, which are already scheduled to fly on SpaceX rockets sometime next year, will now launch atop refurbished rockets.
That announcement is a first for national-security payloads and could result in savings of nearly $53 million for American taxpayers across the two flights, Space Force officials said.
What’s in a name?
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[image error](Image credit: SpaceX/YouTube)
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The military has given nicknames to each of the upgraded GPS satellites, naming them after famous explorers. The satellite that launched tonight was given the moniker “Sacagawea” after the Shoshone guide who helped Lewis and Clark on their expedition through the American West in the early 1800s.
Previous satellites have been named “Vespucci” and “Magellan” in honor of explorers Amerigo Vespucci and Ferdinand Magellan. The satellite that launched in June was originally dubbed Columbus, but it recently received a new nickname: “Henson,” in honor of black explorer Matthew Henson, who was part of the first expedition to the North Pole more than a century ago.
All of the monikers are unofficial nicknames given to the satellites prior to launch as a way of honoring explorers of the past and continuing a spaceflight tradition of naming spacecraft.
The next few missions already have names selected for the respective satellites. The fifth satellite, GPS III-SV05, will be called Neil Armstrong. Space Force officials say other satellites to come will be named after Amelia Earhart, Sally Ride and Katherine Johnson.
Flight milestones
Today’s mission marks the 97th Falcon 9 rocket to fly and the 20th mission of 2020 for SpaceX. It also marks the 64th successful booster recovery. SpaceX’s drone ship, “Of Course I Still Love You,” was positioned out in the Atlantic Ocean, awaiting its recovery attempt.
The company’s other drone ship, “Just Read the Instructions,” is hanging out in Port Canaveral for now, awaiting its next mission. The massive ship, which now has 11 rocket catches under its belt, transferred to the East Coast earlier this year, after receiving some sweet upgrades.
Today’s launch also was the first since August to feature a brand new SpaceX booster. The engine issue temporarily grounded SpaceX’s new boosters, allowing the company to focus on veteran rockets and its own Starlink internet constellation. In the month of October, SpaceX launched a record 180 Starlink satellites, bringing the total number launched to nearly 900.
B1062 was the star of the show today, and it will also likely be the first Falcon 9 booster to carry two different GPS satellites to orbit; it’s scheduled to launch the next one, sometime next year. This will mark the first time that a previously flown Falcon 9 will hoist one of these advanced global positioning satellites.
With the last Starlink mission, which launched on Oct. 24, SpaceX hit a major milestone: 100 successful Falcon launches. This total encompasses the entire Falcon family, including the pioneering (and long discontinued) Falcon 1 and the currently operational Falcon Heavy. SpaceX tweeted out a video recently to commemorate the milestone.
Fairing recovery
One of SpaceX’s two fairing catchers, GO Ms. Chief, is waiting in the recovery zone this evening. The two boats are outfitted with massive nets to catch the falling pieces of the rocket’s payload fairing, or nose cone, after they are deployed during flight. (SpaceX fairings come back to Earth in two halves.)
GO Ms. Chief departed Port Canaveral on Wednesday (Nov. 4) ahead of today’s launch. The vessel traveled solo this time as its counterpart, GO Ms. Tree, remained in Port in Florida. (The boat was damaged on a previous mission and could presumably still be undergoing repairs.)
During a prelaunch broadcast, SpaceX engineer Jessica Anderson announced that the company would not be attempting a catch, but instead would scoop up the fairing pieces after they land in the ocean. The boats have the capability of catching falling fairings in their nets, or scooping them out of the water after they splash down. Those efforts should occur approximately 45 minutes after liftoff.
With the help of Ms. Tree and Ms. Chief, SpaceX has been successful in its attempts to reuse more of the rocket, even reusing several fairings on multiple missions.
Up next for SpaceX is Crew-1, its first contracted crewed mission to the International Space Station for NASA. A different Falcon 9 rocket will ferry four astronauts to the station for a six-month stay. That flight is set to blast off from Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 14 at 7:29 p.m. EST (0029 GMT on Nov. 15).
Follow Amy Thompson on Twitter @astrogingersnap. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook .
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Facebook and TikTok block hashtags used to spread election conspiracy theories, Jacob Kastrenakes
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Facebook and TikTok have blocked hashtags that were being used to spread misinformation and conspiracy theories about the presidential election. The hashtags generally revolved around unfounded claims that Democrats are trying to manipulate the election to defeat President Trump.
On Facebook, the blocked hashtags include #stopthesteal, which has been broadly used to make unsubstantiated claims of election fraud by Democrats, and #sharpiegate, which incorrectly alleges that the use of Sharpie markers caused Trump votes to go uncounted in Arizona. TikTok blocked #sharpiegate, #stopthesteal, and the more general term #riggedelection. Both sets of blocked hashtags were spotted by TechCrunch.
Social media companies have been trying to quickly…
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Watch live: SpaceX to launch advanced GPS satellite for US Space Force, ,
Update for 6:45 pm ET: SpaceX has successfully launched the GPS III SV04 satellite for the U.S. Space Force. Satellite deployment is expected 1 hour and 29 minutes after liftoff. That’s about 8 p.m. EST (0100 GMT).
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the advanced GPS III SV04 navigation satellite into orbit for the U.S. Space Force today, Nov. 5, and you can watch it live here. Liftoff is at 6:24 pm EST (2324 GMT).
The Falcon 9 rocket will launch from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, with a SpaceX webcast scheduled to begin about 15 minutes before liftoff. You can watch it live above or directly from SpaceX’s website here and on YouTube.
Today’s launch has been delayed since September when an earlier attempt resulted in a last-minute abort. SpaceX has since identified an issue related to the Falcon 9’s engines and replaced the affected engines for this booster.
Following launch, SpaceX will attempt to recover the first stage of the Falcon 9 with a droneship landing in the Atlantic Ocean.
Related: The U.S. GPS satellite network explained
SpaceX is targeting Thursday, November 5 for a Falcon 9 launch of the United States Space Force’s GPS III Space Vehicle 04 from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The 15-minute launch window opens at 6:24 p.m. EST, 23:24 UTC, and a backup opportunity is available on Friday, November 6 with a 15-minute backup window opening at 6:20 p.m. EST, 23:20 UTC.
Following stage separation, SpaceX will land Falcon 9’s first stage on the “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. The spacecraft will deploy approximately 1 hour and 29 minutes after liftoff.
In September 2020, the United States Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) announced an agreement with SpaceX to launch previously flown first stage boosters on future National Security Space Launch (NSSL) missions.
You can watch the launch webcast here, starting about 15 minutes before liftoff.
Delayed: ULA Atlas V carrying NROL-101 spy satellite
Update for 5:50 p.m. ET on Nov. 4 : Today’s planned NROL-101 launch has been scrubbed due to a problem with a ground-system valve. The next launch attempt could come on Friday (Nov. 6) , ULA officials said.
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket will launch the NROL-101 spy satellite from Florida today (Nov. 4) and you can watch it live here. Liftoff is at 5:54 p.m. EST (2254 GMT).
The Atlas V rocket, equipped with new Northrop Grumman Gem 63 solid rocket boosters, will launch the classified NROl-101 payload from Space Launch Complex 41 of the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. ULA’s webcast will begin about 20 minutes before liftoff. You can watch it directly from ULA here.
Today’s launch was originally scheduled for Nov. 3, but ULA postponed the flight by 24 hours to replace an upper payload environmental control system vent.
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., (Oct. 30, 2020) – A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket is in final preparations to launch the NROL-101 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). The launch is on track for Nov. 3 from Space Launch Complex-41 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Launch is planned for 5:58 p.m. EST. The live launch broadcast begins at 5:38 p.m. EST on Nov. 3 at www.ulalaunch.com.
“ULA is proud to play a pivotal role in support of our mission partners and national security by keeping our country safe one launch at a time,” said Gary Wentz, ULA vice president of Government and Commercial Programs. “We thank our mission partners for their continued trust and teamwork. The NROL-101 mission will be ULA’s 29th mission launched for the National Reconnaissance Office and the 17th NRO mission launched on an Atlas V.”
The mission will launch on an Atlas V 531, a rocket that delivers unique capacity and the performance required for a range of mission types. The 531 configuration launched the first three Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellites for the United States Space Force and will loft a pair of C-band satellites for SES in 2022.
The NROL-101 mission will be the first ULA launch flying the new Northrop Grumman Graphite Epoxy Motors (GEM) 63 solid rocket boosters that burn solid propellant and augment the lifting capacity of rocket’s first stage. The GEM 63s measure 63 in. (1.6 meters) in diameter and 66 ft. (20.11 meters) in length. They will be ignited at the launch pad and burn for 94 seconds, each consuming 97,500 pounds (44,225.2 kg) of propellant to produce 371,550 pounds (1.6 mega-Newtons) of max thrust to augment the 860,200 pounds (3.83 mega-Newtons) of thrust produced by the RD-180 main engine to power the Atlas V rocket skyward. At liftoff, the combined thrust will be nearly 1.8 million pounds or 8 million mega-Newtons.
The Atlas V 531 configuration includes a 17 ft. (5 meter) payload fairing and stands 206 ft. (63 meters) tall. The Atlas booster for this mission is powered by the RD AMROSS RD-180 engine. Aerojet Rocketdyne provided the RL10C-1 engine for the Centaur upper stage.
This will be the 86th launch of the Atlas V rocket and the 71st Atlas V to launch from Space Launch Complex-41 in Florida. To date ULA has launched 140 times with 100 percent mission success.
With more than a century of combined heritage, ULA is the nation’s most experienced and reliable launch service provider. ULA has successfully delivered 140 missions to orbit that aid meteorologists in tracking severe weather, unlock the mysteries of our solar system, provide critical capabilities for troops in the field, deliver cutting-edge commercial services and enable GPS navigation. For more information on ULA, visit the ULA website at www.ulalaunch.com, or call the ULA Launch Hotline at 1-877-ULA-4321 (852-4321).
Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/ulalaunch, twitter.com/ulalaunch and instagram.com/ulalaunch.
DELAYED: ULA Delta IV Heavy launching NROL-44 spy satellite
Update for Sept. 30, 11:59 p.m. EDT: Tonight’s launch attempt was scrubbed after the rocket’s Terminal Countdown Sequencer Rack detected an issue. A new launch target has not been announced.
A United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket will launch a classified spy satellite for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office Wednesday night (Sept. 30).
The mission, titled NROL-44, will lift off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, at 11:54 p.m. EDT (0354 GMT on Oct. 1). Watch it live in the window above, courtesy of ULA.
Rocket: Delta IV Heavy
Mission: NROL-44 Launch
Date: Sun., Sept. 27, 2020
Launch Time: 12:10 a.m. EDT
Launch Location: Space Launch Complex-37, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
Mission Information: A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV Heavy rocket will launch the NROL-44 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). Liftoff will occur from Space Launch Complex-37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.
Launch Notes: This will be 141st mission for United Launch Alliance and our 29th for the NRO. It is the 385th Delta launch since 1960, the 12th Delta IV Heavy and the 8th Heavy for the NRO.
Launch Updates: To keep up to speed with updates to the launch countdown, dial the ULA launch hotline at 1-877-852-4321 or join the conversation at www.facebook.com/ulalaunch, twitter.com/ulalaunch and instagram.com/ulalaunch; hashtags #DeltaIVHeavy #NROL44
Find out what the astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station are up to by tuning in to the “ISS Live” broadcast. Hear conversations between the crew and mission controllers on Earth and watch them work inside the U.S. segment of the orbiting laboratory. When the crew is off duty, you can enjoy live views of Earth from Space. You can watch and listen in the window below, courtesy of NASA.
“Live video from the International Space Station includes internal views when the crew is on-duty and Earth views at other times. The video is accompanied by audio of conversations between the crew and Mission Control. This video is only available when the space station is in contact with the ground. During ‘loss of signal’ periods, viewers will see a blue screen.
“Since the station orbits the Earth once every 90 minutes, it experiences a sunrise or a sunset about every 45 minutes. When the station is in darkness, external camera video may appear black, but can sometimes provide spectacular views of lightning or city lights below.”
Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
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Sizing up the iPhone 12 mini and 12 Pro Max, Chaim Gartenberg
The iPhone 12 mini (left) and iPhone 12 Max Pro (right).
Apple’s iPhone 12 and 12 Pro are the “default” size iPhones this year. But Apple also has two more new devices: the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max. One is Apple’s smallest iPhone in years — and the other is its biggest iPhone ever.
Here’s a first look:
From left to right: the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max.
iPhone 12 mini
If you’ve seen the iPhone 12 already, it’s basically that, but smaller. Same processor, same cameras, same design, same everything. But instead of a 6.1-inch screen, the iPhone mini has a 5.4-inch display.
But thanks to the iPhone X-style bezel-less design, the 12 mini is actually a physically smaller phone compared to the bezeled, 4.7-inch design that Apple has used on…
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YouTube’s lax misinformation rules are letting election lies spread, Julia Alexander
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
For people who stumbled their way onto One American News Network (OANN)’s YouTube channel over the last few days, it might be easy to think President Trump won the 2020 election.
Videos titled “Trump won. Dems try to pull a fast one” and “Trump Won. MSM hopes you don’t believe your eyes,” started appearing on OANN’s YouTube channel on November 4th — one day after people cast their votes in the federal election. The videos are full of lies predicated on people’s fears that would trigger moderation on another network, including:
“It appears that Trump won by such a large margin, now they’re actually pumping out illegal ballots into the battleground states to actually beat him.”
“They think that they can add 100,000 votes that no one gets…
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Good hardware features don’t require advanced technology, just clever designers, Dieter Bohn
Image: Sony
Hello again, friends. The Processor newsletter is back after a not-so-brief hiatus caused by the absolutely frenetic pace of hardware reviews this fall and a special run of Vergecast podcast episodes about those reviews. I’m really proud of those podcasts and if you haven’t caught them, I think it’s worth going back to give them a listen.
The big consumer tech news this week is Apple’s announcement that it will hold a ‘One More Thing’ event for November 10th. The going assumption — which I share — is that Apple will unveil the promised first Arm-based Apple silicon-powered Mac, mostly likely a laptop. In this very newsletter I’ve opined a few times on why this transition could be tricky and how Microsoft’s rougher ride in a similar…
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WhatsApp launches new disappearing messages option, Tom Warren
WhatsApp is introducing a new disappearing messages option this month. The feature will allow WhatsApp users to enable disappearing messages on chat conversations between friends, to automatically delete messages after seven days. Anyone can enable the option in individual chats, and group admins will be able to enable disappearing messages in group chats.
“We’re starting with 7 days because we think it offers peace of mind that conversations aren’t permanent, while remaining practical so you don’t forget what you were chatting about,” says a WhatsApp spokesperson. “The shopping list or store address you received a few days ago will be there while you need it, and then disappear after you don’t.”
Photos and videos will also be deleted…
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November 4, 2020
The Nintendo Switch still keeps selling well, Sam Byford
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Nintendo shipped 6.86 million Switch consoles between July and September, increasing its numbers by more than 40 percent year-on-year and reaching 68.3 million units sold since its launch in 2017. That’s impressive growth for the company, since this quarter last year was a strong one — it saw the launch of the cheaper Switch Lite variant, boosting Nintendo’s shipments by more than 50 percent on 2018.
The Switch figure is also an improvement on the previous quarter, when Nintendo shipped 5.68 million systems. Animal Crossing: New Horizons was a major sales driver then with more than 10 million copies moved, and continued to sell well this past quarter with more than three and a half million units. It’s now sold 26.04 million copies…
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Amazon’s Fire tablet sale takes up to $70 off select models, Taylor Lyles
Amazon’s Fire HD 8 Plus.
Amazon is hosting a mini-sale right now on most of its Fire tablets with up to $70 in potential savings available through November 8th. The tablets discounted here are all ad-supported, which means they will display sponsored screensavers on the tablet’s lock screen.
The sale includes the Fire HD 8 line, with the base model down to $55 on Amazon, knocking $35 off its normal retail price. If you want the option to have wireless charging and a little more RAM, the Fire HD 8 Plus is also $35 off, marking it down to its lowest price ever of $75.
If you are looking for a slightly bigger screen, the Fire HD 10 is $80 right now. Usually, this storage configuration of the Fire HD 10 costs $150, making this a big price cut. We previously saw…
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DJI’s palm-sized Mini 2 drone flies further and shoots 4K for $449, Sean Hollister
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Last year’s DJI Mavic Mini might have been the smallest and lightest full-featured drone on the market, but it was also a little compromised out of the gate. Today, the DJI Mini 2 — don’t call it a Mavic — is addressing some of its limitations.
While the new $449 drone might look identical to the original, even weighing the same 249 grams (which means you don’t need to register it with the FAA), it now comes with DJI’s OcuSync 2 wireless connectivity for up to 2.5 times the wireless range and more stable connectivity. The original was unusual among DJI’s drones for relying on relatively shaky Wi-Fi, which was definitely a dealbreaker for me.
It uses the same controller as the new Mavic Air 2, though of course you won’t get that drone’s…
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