F9: Iridium Next #4 (Dec 22) (rocket light show dashcam video)

[Dr Mordrid]

10 Iridium Next commsats

Date: December 22, 2017
Time: 1726 PST, 2026 EST, 0126 GMT
Launch pad: Vandenberg SLC-4E

No recovery, but they're going to play with t on the way down so grid fins are likely. No landing legs.

Why no recovery? Too many landed Block 3 cores in storage with the beastly F9 Block 5 around the corner. Block 4 was transitional and only a few cores.

Many changes in Block 5, but that's another post (cue Tim Allen: "MORE POWAHHH!!)

[Dr Mordrid]

Perfect mission.

[Dr Mordrid]

Mission video

[Dr Mordrid]

The light show starts at about 01:50. Apparently half of LA-LA Land thought it was UFOs, including singer Demi Lovato.

@ddlovato
Im calling b*******t on SpaceXs excuse. That ****'s a UFO and theres been others that have been seen that are just like it!!
https://twitter.com/ddlovato/status/944408972496216064

[Dr Mordrid]

News chopper pilot caught great footage

[paulw]

Some great footage there..

[Dr Mordrid]

There are now reports of major sightings in Tucson, Arizona. That's about 650 mi (1046 km).

The lights in the upper stage's plume are the first stage and fairings, the circular features and patterns being caused by their thruster plumes interacting with the upper stage plume while rotating. The lower stage also performed a "boostback" burn using 3 of its Merlin enginess to clear the fairing recovery zone.

The pump-jet powered high speed ship Mr Steven was dispatched with custom recovery hardware to catch the fairing halves, coming down on GPS guided parafoils, before water impact.

Elon Musk ✔ @elonmusk
I think last night might have been the biggest Rorschach test ever
5:43 PM - Dec 23, 2017

Mr Steven

Before mods
480_Profile_Port_03-482x315.jpg

After fairing recovery mods
get.jpeg

[Dr Mordrid]

Language & car wreck warnings