YazataJan 15, 2023 12:09 AM (This post was last modified: Jan 15, 2023 12:24 AM by Yazata.)
Here's a surprisingly entertaining video shot by five Hungarian space-nerds who fly from Budapest to the US to visit Cape Canaveral and Starbase. This video is the first of five, documenting their visit. It's in Hungarian, with English subtitles. The next four, which aren't out yet, record their ground level visits to sights like the Cape Canaveral Visitor's Center, their flight to Texas and their visit to Starbase.
In this one they fly from Europe, endure all the indignities of air travel, and wind up in Orlando. They can't get over how big American cars are and how hot Florida is. They visit Port Canaveral and see a Falcon booster. Then they hire a couple of helicopters for an air tour of Kennedy Space Center. They film Blue Origin's factory, repeating all the "Jeff who?" jokes (which have apparently made their way to Hungary) and complaining that while it's a nice factory, it needs to actually produce something. Then they fly over Roberts Road, the VAB, the shuttle landing strip and many of the rest of the Cape Canaveral sights (CCSFS and directly over the pads is restricted airspace).
Here's their YouTube channel. They have lots of Hungarian language space videos, almost 20,000 subscribers and are apparently quite popular among Hungarian space-nerds.
More big horizontal tanks have been loaded onto a barge at the Cape Canaveral turning basin, along with some big pipe things that are believed to be part of a launch-pad water-deluge system. It's expected (but not actually known) that all this stuff will find its way to Starbase.
YazataFeb 20, 2023 08:55 PM (This post was last modified: Feb 20, 2023 10:53 PM by Yazata.)
Recent aerial photo of Roberts Road by nasaspaceflight.com's Julia Bergeron from a helicopter.
The new Starship factory building appears to be nearly complete, but there's nothing but foundation work where the vertical assembly bays will be. (The two large cranes mark the locations.) To the left are nearly all the segments for a second Cape Canaveral Starship tower. Still no signs of piles for its base being driven yet or what the plans really are for it.
YazataNov 8, 2023 07:50 AM (This post was last modified: Nov 8, 2023 08:11 AM by Yazata.)
Starship development at Roberts Road at Kennedy Space Center has been on hold the last few months, as all effort is focused on Starbase and on the first few Starship test flights. It's pretty clear that SpaceX is still testing their launch pad infrastructure in Texas, and doesn't want to commit to building at KSC until everything is finalized and proven to work.
But that doesn't mean that they are idle at KSC. SpaceX is maintaining a blistering Falcon 9 launch cadence at Cape Canaveral. They are launching Falcon 9's every three days on average (almost all of them used boosters) from three pads: two at Cape Canaveral which see most of the action, one at Vandenberg used less frequently for polar orbits. And they plan to accelerate their cadence to every two days in 2024. So HangerX, the Falcon 9 servicing building, is buzzing.
The secret of the new mystery tower mentioned in the post above has been revealed. SpaceX has been upgrading their second launch pad at SLC 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to support human spaceflights! To that end they have built a new crew access tower.
SpaceX photo of their new crew launch facilities at SLC 40 at CCSFS. The crew access arm was just installed a few days ago:
YazataDec 19, 2023 03:45 AM (This post was last modified: Dec 19, 2023 03:56 AM by Yazata.)
Just because....
Edit by Greyrocker from LabPadre's GatorCam live stream footage taken at Port Canaveral. The camera watches the SpaceX docks across the way but catches tug boats, cruise ships and all sorts of port action.
On this particular day... well, watch the 2 minute video for yourself. It's impossible to watch this and not smile.
PURPOSE OF THE PROPOSED ACTION
The purpose of the Action is to advance U.S. space capabilities and provide launch and landing infrastructure in furtherance of U.S. policy to ensure capabilities necessary to launch and insert DAF payloads into space (10 U.S.C. Section 2273, “Policy regarding assured access to space: national security payloads”).
NEED FOR THE PROPOSED ACTION
The need for the Action is to ensure DAF Assured Access to Space without compromising current launch capabilities and fulfill (in part) the U.S. Congress’s grant of authority to the Secretary of Defense, pursuant to 10 U.S.C. Section 2276(a), “Commercial space launch cooperation,” that the Secretary of Defense is permitted to take action to:
Maximize the use of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) space transportation infrastructure by the private sector in the U.S.
Maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of the space transportation infrastructure of the DOD.
Reduce the cost of services provided by the DOD related to space transportation infrastructure at launch support facilities and space recovery support facilities.
Encourage commercial space activities by enabling investment by covered entities in the space transportation infrastructure of the DOD.
Foster cooperation between the DOD and covered entities.
PROPOSED ALTERNATIVES
Proposed Action: Space Launch Complex (SLC)-37 at CCSFS
SpaceX would modify, reuse, or demolish the existing SLC-37 infrastructure to support Starship-Super Heavy launch and landing operations.
Alternative 1: SLC-50 at CCSFS
SpaceX would construct infrastructure to support Starship-Super Heavy launch and landing operations on a site that is currently undeveloped. SLC-50 would become a new SLC between SLC-40 and SLC-37.
No Action Alternative
SpaceX would not enter into a real property agreement with USSF, would not develop a launch and landing site in support of Starship-Super Heavy launches, and would not apply for an FAA vehicle operator license for Starship-Super Heavy launches from CCSFS.
AGENCIES INVOLVED AND THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES
The DAF is the lead federal agency as the proposed action would occur on U.S. Space Force property and require real property transfer.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) are all cooperating agencies that will assist the lead federal agency (the DAF) in preparing the EIS. Cooperating agencies have jurisdiction by law or special expertise in potential environmental impacts from the proposed action.
Jan 15, 2023 12:09 AM
(This post was last modified: Jan 15, 2023 12:24 AM by Yazata.)
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