1. Welcome! Please take a few seconds to create your free account to post threads, make some friends, remove a few ads while surfing and much more. ClutchFans has been bringing fans together to talk Houston Sports since 1996. Join us!

SpaceX gets federal clearance for South Texas launch site

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout' started by KingCheetah, Jun 18, 2014.

Tags:
Page 1 of 2
  1. KingCheetah

    KingCheetah Atomic Playboy

    Joined:
    Jun 3, 2002
    Messages:
    60,269
    Likes Received:
    54,744
    SpaceX gets federal clearance for South Texas launch site

    SpaceX has received a green light from the Federal Aviation Administration to construct a spaceport in South Texas.

    The Environmental Impact Statement (see .pdf of documents), issued by the FAA’s Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation George Nield, concludes with:

    The undersigned finds that the Proposed Action is consistent with existing national environmental policies and objectives as set forth in Section 101(a) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969.

    The proposed 56.5-acre launch site at Boca Chica beach would launch up to 12 rockets a year, including two Falcon 9 Heavy rockets, which could begin flying in 2015. These launches would be for commercial (i.e. satellites) as well as possibly NASA purposes.

    full article
     
    #1 KingCheetah, Jun 18, 2014
  2. robbie380

    robbie380 ლ(▀̿Ĺ̯▀̿ ̿ლ)
    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Aug 16, 2002
    Messages:
    24,098
    Likes Received:
    11,399
    Nice work Texas. Now get the gigafactory here and let Tesla sell cars direct to consumers.
     
    #2 robbie380, Jun 18, 2014
  3. Roc Paint

    Roc Paint Member

    Joined:
    Aug 12, 2001
    Messages:
    22,329
    Likes Received:
    12,444
    Kings X should christened its first launch. ;)
     
    #3 Roc Paint, Jun 18, 2014
  4. KingCheetah

    KingCheetah Atomic Playboy

    Joined:
    Jun 3, 2002
    Messages:
    60,269
    Likes Received:
    54,744
    I'll make the drive down to Padre to watch a Falcon take off -- those things are impressive.

    [​IMG]

    Watching a Falcon X Heavy take off would be beyond cool.
     
    #4 KingCheetah, Jun 18, 2014
  5. Deckard

    Deckard Blade Runner
    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Mar 28, 2002
    Messages:
    58,498
    Likes Received:
    42,804
    What a great idea. It always bummed me out a little that I never made it to Florida to see an Apollo mission blast off, or one of the shuttles. Seeing this happen would be groovy indeed!
     
    #5 Deckard, Jun 18, 2014
    Last edited: Jun 18, 2014
  6. Invisible Fan

    Invisible Fan Member

    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2001
    Messages:
    45,954
    Likes Received:
    28,065
    Elon Musk is a badass
     
    #6 Invisible Fan, Jun 18, 2014
  7. B-Bob

    B-Bob "94-year-old self-described dreamer"

    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2002
    Messages:
    36,530
    Likes Received:
    38,164
    Clutchfans road trip.
     
    #7 B-Bob, Jun 18, 2014
  8. VooDooPope

    VooDooPope Love > Hate

    Joined:
    Oct 11, 1999
    Messages:
    9,252
    Likes Received:
    4,766
    ARE YOU READY FOR A ROCKETS LIFTOFF!!!
     
    #8 VooDooPope, Jun 18, 2014
  9. KingCheetah

    KingCheetah Atomic Playboy

    Joined:
    Jun 3, 2002
    Messages:
    60,269
    Likes Received:
    54,744
    A mission to mars launched from Texas..?
    _____

    Elon Musk Promises SpaceX Will Stay the Course for Mars

    ...

    For now, he says the company is focused on creating technology that with enable large groups of people to travel to Mars.

    "I'm hopeful that the first people could be taken to Mars in 10 to 12 years, I think it's certainly possible for that to occur," he said. "But the thing that matters long term is to have a self-sustaining city on Mars, to make life multiplanetary."

    He acknowledged that the company's plans were too long-term to attract many hedge fund managers, which makes it hard for SpaceX to go public anytime soon.

    "We need to get where things a steady and predictable," Musk said. "Maybe we're close to developing the Mars vehicle, or ideally we've flown it a few times, then I think going public would make more sense."

    SpaceX, which was just named No. 1 on CNBC's second annual CNBC Disruptor 50 list, recently unveiled the Dragon V2, a spacecraft that it hopes will carry NASA astronauts to the International Space Station as soon as 2016.

    That announcement came about two weeks after Russia said it would bar the U.S. from using Russian-made rocket engines to launch military satellites.

    Since the end of the U.S. space shuttle program, Russian Soyuz spacecraft have been the only way astronauts can get to the space station.

    link
     
    #9 KingCheetah, Jun 18, 2014
  10. ima_drummer2k

    ima_drummer2k Member

    Joined:
    Oct 18, 2002
    Messages:
    36,990
    Likes Received:
    10,658
    My understanding is that this new spaceport will be a part of EarthQuest Adventures.
     
    #10 ima_drummer2k, Jun 18, 2014
    2 people like this.
  11. Bandwagoner

    Bandwagoner Member

    Joined:
    Jan 26, 2006
    Messages:
    27,174
    Likes Received:
    3,805
    [​IMG]
     
    #11 Bandwagoner, Jun 18, 2014
  12. Two Sandwiches

    Two Sandwiches Member

    Joined:
    Feb 6, 2002
    Messages:
    23,385
    Likes Received:
    15,494
    We're already launching Rockets at the Toyota Center.


    /badjoke
     
    #12 Two Sandwiches, Jun 18, 2014
  13. B-Bob

    B-Bob "94-year-old self-described dreamer"

    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2002
    Messages:
    36,530
    Likes Received:
    38,164
    [​IMG]
     
    #13 B-Bob, Jun 18, 2014
    1 person likes this.
  14. KingCheetah

    KingCheetah Atomic Playboy

    Joined:
    Jun 3, 2002
    Messages:
    60,269
    Likes Received:
    54,744
    [​IMG]
     
    #14 KingCheetah, Jun 19, 2014
  15. JuanValdez

    JuanValdez Member

    Joined:
    Feb 14, 1999
    Messages:
    35,503
    Likes Received:
    16,002
    Anyone want to volunteer to be a Mars pioneer? http://www.mars-one.com/
     
    #15 JuanValdez, Jun 19, 2014
  16. KingCheetah

    KingCheetah Atomic Playboy

    Joined:
    Jun 3, 2002
    Messages:
    60,269
    Likes Received:
    54,744
    <iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/DgLBIdVg3EM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

    New footage of their latest test in McGregor, TX.
     
    #16 KingCheetah, Jun 20, 2014
  17. shastarocket

    shastarocket Member

    Joined:
    Jul 18, 2006
    Messages:
    13,773
    Likes Received:
    1,084
    Really cool, I would be down for a road trip
     
    #17 shastarocket, Jun 20, 2014
  18. Ziggy

    Ziggy QUEEN ANON

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 1999
    Messages:
    37,390
    Likes Received:
    13,826
    Should I be buying land out there or waste of money? Open up a Starbucks next to that mofo?
     
    #18 Ziggy, Jun 20, 2014
  19. Uprising

    Uprising Member

    Joined:
    Dec 29, 2000
    Messages:
    43,647
    Likes Received:
    7,313
    That video is awesome. Those cows looked pretty damn spooked lol.
     
    #19 Uprising, Jun 20, 2014
  20. Commodore

    Commodore Member

    Joined:
    Dec 15, 2007
    Messages:
    34,574
    Likes Received:
    18,525
    how much is the taxpayer on the hook for this venture?
     
    #20 Commodore, Jun 20, 2014
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)
Page 1 of 2

Share This Page