SpaceX F9 : SES-10 with reuse of CRS-8 Booster SN/1021 : 2017-03-30 : UPDATES

• #320 by ChrisGebhardt on 30 Mar, 2017 23:45
• Elon: Represent culmination of 15 years of work.
• #321 by ChrisGebhardt on 30 Mar, 2017 23:45
• Elon: Stage 1 reps 75% of cost of flight.  Reusing cost reduction potential is over a factor of 100.
• #322 by ChrisGebhardt on 30 Mar, 2017 23:46
• Elon: This means humanity can become a spacefaring civilization.  So... yeah!
• #323 by ChrisGebhardt on 30 Mar, 2017 23:47
• Martin: AOS of sat.  Just were we want to be.  Everything was perfect.  To be part of historic new day for spaceflight is tremendous.
• #324 by ChrisGebhardt on 30 Mar, 2017 23:47
• Elon: Thank you to SES. This isn't the first time you've taken a chance with us.
• #325 by ChrisGebhardt on 30 Mar, 2017 23:48
• Martin: You've got to decouple the engineering from the emotion.  Engineering team at SpaceX is second to none.
• #326 by llanitedave on 30 Mar, 2017 23:49
• The goal post movers and naysayers really have their work cut out for them now.  Big congratulations to Elon, SpaceX, SES, NSF, and all the Believers.  Finally and truely, a change we can believe in!
• #327 by ChrisGebhardt on 30 Mar, 2017 23:50
• Marcia Dunn: Will you refly this booster?  Next flight of reuse booster.
  
  Musk:  Several reflights scheduled for later this year. Might fly as many as 6 reflights this year. FH two side boosters are being reflown. That will be interesting mission on FH... hopefully in good direction.  This core will have historic value.  Seeing if Cape might like to have it as something to remember the moment.  Present it as gift to cape
• #328 by ChrisGebhardt on 30 Mar, 2017 23:51
• Bill Harwood: What message does this mission give to competitors.
  
  Musk: I think hopefully this will inform the decisions of other space orgs.  Thought it was impossible.  We've shown it works.  To be competitive, it will be necessary for others to do the same.  Aircraft reusability analogy.
• #329 by ChrisGebhardt on 30 Mar, 2017 23:53
• Irene Klotz: Do you have other costumers that weren't as brave as SES that are now signed up?  What is life-limiting factor?
  
  Musk: NASA has been supportive.  Commercial, SES has been most supportive.  Next thing is how to achieve rapid reuse without major hardware changeouts.  Aspirations of zero hardware changes and 24hrs reflight.
• #330 by ChrisGebhardt on 30 Mar, 2017 23:54
• ELon: Oh you look at it.  We'll have a day.
• #331 by ChrisGebhardt on 30 Mar, 2017 23:55
• WaPo question: What do you think of others working toward reusability?
  
  Musk: What's that saying about flattery?  Honestly, it's all good and everyone should do it.  It's the wise move.
• #332 by ChrisGebhardt on 30 Mar, 2017 23:56
• BREAKING news:  Payload fairing LANDED SUCCESSFULLY.  Fairing has thruster systems and steerable parachute.  Was just shown pic of intact fairing floating in ocean.
• #333 by ChrisGebhardt on 30 Mar, 2017 23:58
• Musk:  Upper stage reuse is next.
• #334 by ChrisGebhardt on 31 Mar, 2017 00:00
• WaPo: How does this fit in to plans to get to Mars.  Refly boosters with people on board?
  
  Musk:  This is critical part of Mars plan. Goal of Mars plan is not a single mission but to establish a self-sustaining city on Mars.
• #335 by ChrisGebhardt on 31 Mar, 2017 00:02
• Steven Clarke: Do you have customers signed up for reused rocket flights? Where is FH?
  
  Musk: Yes.  Excluded FH, there are three or four more this year signed up on contingency basis.  Think we'll see more customers in future.  FH sounded easy; actually no, crazy hard.  Required redesign of center core.  Done with testing.  Cores are in final prep.  Finished in 2-3 months.  LAte summer launch.
• #336 by ChrisGebhardt on 31 Mar, 2017 00:04
• James Dean: How confident were you going in to count?  Flight rate to make reuse pay off?
  
  Musk: Celebration is in order.  Economics start being sensible next year.  Confidence?  I had about two boxes of xanax.  I was oddly calmer than I should have been.
• #337 by ChrisGebhardt on 31 Mar, 2017 00:08
• Question about facility at cape for and robot from Lauren.
  
  Refurb facility at cape.  Most refurb done at launch site.  It's like a forest of rocket boosters. If most of our 20 remaining flights this year land, we're gonna need a big hanger.
  
  The robot on barge... in order to secure rocket remotely, we can't put people on barge when rocket's sliding around.  Droids are to remotely secure legs of rocket even in high seas.
  
  When will we see it in action?  A: Next few months.
• #338 by ChrisGebhardt on 31 Mar, 2017 00:09
• Musk: We have one landing in stormy seas where only thing the kept rocket from falling overboard as it slid around barge was lip on barge.
• #339 by ChrisGebhardt on 31 Mar, 2017 00:10
• Musk: Hope to provide update to ITS/BFR soon.  Come up with number of design refinements. Update on ITS on website in next month or so.
  
  First ITS will be uncrewed.