This morning's 6:30 AM EDT launch of the Bandwagon-5 Ride Sharing mission was scrubbed due to weather well before the published launch time. I had set my alarm for 6:00 AM EDT so that I could feed the master (Tyla the cat) and be able to check the status without getting too close to the launch time. I turned this computer on so it could get connected while I fed her. The first time I could look at the screen for the launch was pretty much 6:15 and the coverage wasn't on, just a "click here to be notified" notice that had a time listed from tomorrow morning, 6:30 AM on 10/20.
Getting up at 6:00 AM to watch the launch was pretty much because I missed the "space jellyfish" last launch, and I want to be outside for this one. That and the fact that views should be far better than last week because the general direction of this one is SE instead of NE. Once I found the launch was scrubbed and I knew Tyla wouldn't pester me for breakfast within an hour, I went back to bed and slept 'till 8:30. While having the launch scrubbed is less than ideal, I wouldn't object much if the same thing happened tomorrow. The alarm is already set. I'm not outside at 6:30 in the morning much, so I don't know how bad the mosquitoes will be this year.
There are some interesting aspects of this launch. You may recall reading that SpaceX introduced a reentry vehicle called Starfall back on June 19. I tried several times to find info on the status of that test flight, but never found anything. Until now. The Starfall reentry vehicle will fly again tomorrow. SpaceX didn’t state what, if any, payloads will be onboard this Starfall mission so we don't know if it's considered operational or still in development.
The Federal Aviation Administration noted in an environmental assessment of Starfall that the vehicle is about 0.75 meters (2.5 feet) tall, 3.1 meters (10.2 feet) in diameter, and has a mass of about 2,100 kilograms (4,600 pounds). The FAA said a single Starfall capsule has the ability to support up to 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds) of payload mass.
Starfall isn't the only reentry vehicle on this Bandwagon mission.
Varda Space Industries, which focuses on pharmaceutical research missions, is launching its W-Series 7 spacecraft, which is about three times smaller than Starfall.
Varda is a pharmaceutical company and they're exploring whether they can improve the physical characteristics of the drugs by doing some stages of manufacturing in zero G.
“In microgravity, molecules can crystallize differently than they do on Earth, potentially producing crystal forms with improved properties, including better solubility,” Varda wrote on its website prior to launch. “If successful, the experiment could help turn powerful protein-degrading molecules into more practical and effective cancer treatments.”
Many of the 32 payloads onboard SpaceX’s Bandwagon-5 rideshare mission are pictured prior to full encapsulation inside a Falcon 9 payload fairing. Image: SpaceX
So let's all hope this mission goes as planned at 6:30 tomorrow morning.
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