SpaceX falcon 9 has launched!

[bandit4910]

Well after the fuel line error they have officially launched the Falcon 9. It was launched at Cape Canaveral, I only know this from twitter. Now to see if it actually docks to the ISS.

Video of the launch:

[Agamemnon]

Well after the fuel line error they have officially launched the Falcon 9. It was launched at Cape Canaveral, I only know this from twitter. Now to see if it actually docks berths to the ISS.

ftfy

[Endeavour]

Great launch. I love watching them

[Guest GroundHOG-2010]

I watched it live, along with several of my friends.

[bandit4910]

I watched it live, along with several of my friends.

I didn\'t even know there was a launch. I checked my twitter feed, found a launch pic. Searched on YT found that. When was the launch?

[silent_prtoagonist]

I didn\'t even know there was a launch. I checked my twitter feed, found a launch pic. Searched on YT found that. When was the launch?

00:44 this morning, pacific time. Really exciting, it doesn\'t matter how many I\'ve watched, they always put butterflies in my stomach. Especially when they\'re potentially this significant. (I\'m a big SpaceX fan, in case you hadn\'t noticed )

[scouseyank]

i got the chills when i seen the solar arrays deploy it was just so awsome, almost started to cry, but was at work so that didnt happen hahahaa

[Guest GroundHOG-2010]

I didn\'t even know there was a launch. I checked my twitter feed, found a launch pic. Searched on YT found that. When was the launch?

7.44am UTC

I am subscribed to KurtJMac, who went to the Nasa Social for that, but didn\'t get to see the launch. Its was broudcasted live on both Nasa TV and the Space X website.

[Foamy]

There will be a live stream of the actual docking in about 5 hours. unfortunately i will not be awake to watch it though

[Guest GroundHOG-2010]

Also, it was a combustion chamber\'s pressure being too high, caused by a broken check valve.

[Kryten]

Berthing attempt should be around 3:15 UCT, according to the BBC.

[Jon Tash]

You can see the berthing here.

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html

[Foamy]

Oh awesome, i must have got the time wrong or did they delay it?

[Jon Tash]

They are waiting the right time to do the berthing because they need enough sunlight to do it.

[Agamemnon]

the time slipped few times because they were solving several issues during the flight...

[Jon Tash]

Capture is confirmed!

Woot!

[Foamy]

Great news, I look forward to the first manned test. That this has gone so perfectly despite setbacks shows that SpaceX has huge potential.

[bandit4910]

Great news, I look forward to the first manned test. That this has gone so perfectly despite setbacks shows that SpaceX has huge potential.

Wait... This isn\'t manned 0_o... They have A LOT of cameras in that rocket then...

[Salda007]

Aaaaaaaaaand DOCKED!

(Also, I love the stuffed dragon on top of the flight director\'s desk.)

[Foamy]

Wait... This isn\'t manned 0_o... They have A LOT of cameras in that rocket then...

Yeah this was just the first test of the unmanned ISS resupply capability, it\'s not even filled with important cargo. I think the manned capsule flight test is scheduled for next year but i am not sure. In between then and now i expect them to do a load more resupply missions with more important stuff.

[Kryten]

Yeah this was just the first test of the unmanned ISS resupply capability, it\'s not even filled with important cargo. I think the manned capsule flight test is scheduled for next year but i am not sure.

It\'s not supposed to fly manned until 2016 or 17.

[Foamy]

It\'s not supposed to fly manned until 2016 or 17.

Really? That\'s a little disappointing; with all their progress i thought they had a larger momentum than that.

[Kryten]

Really? That\'s a little disappointing; with all their progress i thought they had a larger momentum than that.

They\'re not remotely done with the abort or life support systems, and their rocket\'s only flown three times; they\'ll want a lot more test flights before they decide it\'s ready for crewed launches.

[Foamy]

They\'re not remotely done with the abort or life support systems, and their rocket\'s only flown three times; they\'ll want a lot more test flights before they decide it\'s ready for crewed launches.

Yeah that\'s true, but the impression i had was that most of the systems were largely done and it was only this repeated testing of increasing complexity that they had left. I guess a couple extra years isn\'t so bad.

[Johno]

Slowly, slowly.

Remember that in the scheme of things, getting a new (state of the art) spacecraft from its first cargo flight to manned flights inside 4 years is actually pretty good going. Yes, Apollo was faster; but that was a spacecraft with the entire space resources of a nation being fed into it. We neither want nor need the USA to shut down all its other space programs to get Dragon carrying people.