One legacy of Carl Sagan may take flight next week

[smp]

From Ars Technica:

"As early as next Monday night, a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will launch a cluster of 24 satellites for the US Air Force. Known as the Space Test Program-2 mission, the rocket will deposit its payloads into three different orbits. Perhaps the most intriguing satellite will be dropped off at the second stop—a circular orbit 720km above the Earth's surface. This is the Planetary Society's LightSail 2 spacecraft."

https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/06 ... olar-sail/

smp

[GCoyote]

You beat me to this story by less than an hour.

[The Happy Parrot]

I’m rooting for the solar sail to work as expected. It is such an elegant concept.

[smp]

Here's a launch update from Ars Technica:

"2:50am ET Tuesday Update: SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket launched at 2:30am ET on Tuesday morning, sending its payload of 24 satellites into space. Less than three minutes after the launch, the rocket's two side-mounted boosters separated from the first stage's center core and subsequently returned to make a safe landing near Kennedy Space Center in Florida."

https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/06 ... unch-ever/

Two-out-of-three-ain't-bad?

amp

[smp]

Another update from Ars Technica:

"On Tuesday afternoon—a little more than 12 hours after the launch of a Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida—the US Air Force's Space & Missile Systems Center declared that all had gone well with the complicated mission. "All satellites are on orbit and have made contact," the Air Force unit tweeted."
...
"This was a momentous launch for NASA, NOAA, and the DOD," said Col. Dennis Bythewood, program executive officer for Space Development. "The SpaceX Falcon Heavy allows the Air Force to begin using previously flown rocket technology to further reduce the cost of launch. This mission demonstrated SMC's continuing commitment to leverage the most innovative technologies to deliver cost-effective space capabilities."

https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/06 ... vy-rocket/

smp