Re: SpaceX Falcon Ready to Go - Again.


Tom Cuddihy wrote:
> Ed Kyle wrote:
> > Ed Kyle wrote:
> > > Press conference planned for 11/18/05 will announce
> > > launch date and time.
> > >
> > > "http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=18326";
> > >
> > > - Ed Kyle
> >
> > Nothing official from SpaceX yet, but semiofficial range
> > schedules show Falcon 1 planning for no earlier than
> > December 19. The launch can't go until after a ballistic
> > missile test. It will not be able to go December 22 or
> > later, due to the holidays.
> >
> > BTW, there has been a lot of talk about how wonderful
> > a place Kwaj is for launching rockets. The truth is that
> > there are so many occupied islands in the region to the
> > east that launch azimuths are suprisingly limited.
> > Azimuths from 55 degrees to 110 degrees present
> > downrange problems, for example.
> >
> > - Ed Kyle
>
> How much of a problem is that really though? If a 1 mi^2 island 100
> miles to the northwest is downrange, the chances that any kind of
> launch would actually hit there are miniscule.

The problem is that it isn't one island, it is "approximately"
1,225 islands comprising 29 atolls. Unfortunately for SpaceX,
Kwajalein is on the western side of the Republic of the Marshall
Islands, which places most of the "approximately" 1,225 islands,
and 60,000 islanders, on the downrange side, space launch wise.

See, for example: "http://www.rmiembassyus.org/General%20Info.htm";

- Ed Kyle

.

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