Comeback Kids

Watching the Falcon I launch makes me very proud of the SpaceX team. The two aborts that were so disappointing to watch were at least a validation of the robustness that was built into the rocket when it was redesigned over the past year.

At this point I've lost video feed and I'm anxiously awaiting word on what the mission's status is. I noticed the less-than-nominal staging event and I noticed the second stage engine gyrating a bit too wildly for my tastes before the video cut out.

Before the launch, my prediction was that stage 1 would work as planned, but there would be a problem between stage separation and orbital insertion. I don't take any pride in the fact that my educated guess is probably the case today. Then again, I promised my coworkers that I'd buy them beers if SpaceX actually achieved orbit.

Regardless of whether this Falcon I shot successfully achieved orbit, the SpaceX team should be proud of how far they've come, and confident that the next launch will be a success.