SpaceX Falcon 9 FT launch - SES 9 - SLC-40

[bxr140]

I'm having a ridiculously difficult time pulling up the appropriate bathymetric map; regardless, the continental shelf off and to the south of Cape Canaveral is so ridiculously shallow that a seafloor-anchored Texas Tower would be a piece of cake.

Not completely the right thing, but: http://www.charts.noaa.gov/OnLineViewer/411.shtml It even shows the GEO and Space Station mission paths.

I don't know the extent of the SpaceX barges' stability capabilities/requirements, but the Sea Launch Odyssey submerges quite a bit (and otherwise just floats) for launch. I'm sure SpaceX considered the idea and either discarded it for good reason, or implemented some other form of ballasting. Either way, gut feel is that [in]stability of the barge is not why they haven't had a successful landing. I think they're smarter than to have that be the problem.

(1) a landed rocket then would need to be offloaded onto a barge to get back to Cape Canaveral;

While not completely comparable, that's exactly what Sea Launch did at port. They also could couple the LP and the Commander with a causeway underway at sea, unless weather was REALLY bad. The technology is there for SpaceX to transfer a spent stage at sea.

...perhaps there is enough flexibility in creating re-entry trajectory that a single site for Cape Canaveral can be found, and for Vandenberg, one stable base north and one south also could be determined.

VAFB really only launches to the south. That's where the American polar orbits (mostly sun synchronous) originate. On very rare occasion they launch to the west, but never to the north. CCAFS/KSC launches to the east--southeast-ish for GTO/GEO missions (and most if not all Earth escape missions) and northeast ish for most other missions.

 

[VolkerP]

Did they scuttle the Costa Concordia already?

Yeah. The Costa Concordia is kaput. SpaceX is a science company, filled with scientists. The last thing they'd want is a ship with a history of bad luck and bad mojo. :biggrin:

The Costa Concordia is being dismantled in the port of Genua (Genova), Italy. Image at GPS 44.396195, 8.929718

 

[AudubonB]

VAFB really only launches to the south. That's where the American polar orbits (mostly sun synchronous) originate. On very rare occasion they launch to the west, but ====>never to the north<======.

Uh, yeah...I was anticipating those underground, tunneling, revers-o launches......

 

[GoTslaGo]

Thanks VolkerP for the pics!