Depends on drag on the way up, but yeah, on its own, 8.5 km/s is fast enough

Mathguy64 said:

---

Escape velocity is 11.2 km/sec. Does 8.5km/sec get you into orbit?

---

7.9 km/s can keep you in orbit.

Yeah, watching some interviews they say that muzzle velocity is calculated to leave enough velocity at orbital altitude for direct LEO insertion after giving up drag on the way up.

They'll obviously have a mostly fixed orbital launch inclination because it's hard to swing a 15km barrel but the system could launch fuel for tugs for almost nothing.

Some KSC limitations as to how many starship launches related to the crumbling infrastructure I guess. Nasa needs to figure out how to fund/repair much of the outdated facility imho (I'd take it from the 'planetary science' budget personally, but whatever).

Kennedy Space Center is aging. Built in the '60s, critical infrastructure is beyond its design life, and literally crumbling apart, according to the inspector general.

If it's struggling with 100 launches per year, how will it cope with near 300? → https://t.co/ocg43sPe9Q pic.twitter.com/CV6iwtJs1f

— Ryan Caton (@dpoddolphinpro) June 24, 2026

I think little man with the Zorg haircut is being dramatic. Launch providers leasing launch sites are building their infrastructure to match their vehicles/ platforms.

I made it 30 seconds into his video... oh no not an aging road! Guess we'll never get to the moon now!

The concern would be launch site cadence limitations, nitrogen pipeline etc. For HLS for instance (assuming that goes up from KSC), they need something like 10-14 launches, in pretty rapid sequence to a tanker to fill the HLS for transport.

But to your point yes, I have tried to overlook his appearance as I like NSF but it is very difficult to do. I've never made it all the way thru one of his videos.

I think without FIOA the actual lease agreements and determining exactly who is responsible to repair/maintain or outright build various things I don't know that the discussion can get out of the weeds.

I think we can all say with confidence that if (for example) SpaceX needs it they're going to find a way. I realize when you're leasing real estate from NASA or Space Force that adds a level of complexity, but I can't imagine that for as smart as the NSF crew are they're coming up with anything that SpaceX, Blue Origin, or any other launch contractor doesn't already know.

Some of their videos I do like. Their photography and videography is in a class shared by few others. Their attention to detail and their intuition and deductive capability to break down details within imagry is incredible.

The last time I tried to watch their livestream for Flight 12 launch... They would... Not... SHUT UP! But that's been a pet peeve even with NASA flight control and public (I forget their exact title). Just eavesdrop on the FD loop, then let the rocket do the talking.

Ship 40 on the move to Massey's for a static fire campaign.

Ship 40 has been moved from Mega Bay 2 to the Massey Outpost for static fire testing. pic.twitter.com/gCZILC81Lk

— Avid Space (@LabPadre) June 24, 2026

On Friday, November 13 (oh no!) the California Science Museum will open their launch-ready Space Shuttle Endeavour exhibit. Sounds like they are also adding a bunch of other air and space exhibits as well.

The Kennedy Space Center exhibit of the shuttle and the presentation is so impressive, but this might have it beat.

If Houston does get a shuttle, they will have a high bar to meet or exceed!

https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/06/november-launch-set-for-space-shuttle-endeavours-towering-display/

Agreed on the shuttle exhibit at KSC. Very high bar to beat!

Dammit...I might have to enter Commiefornia for this...

NSF is live for possible Ship 40 static fire. They're guessing 5:15-5:20.

https://www.youtube.com/live/U4YNs-BAR5M?is=6Ulo8KXrzPDDPEe4

I've always wanted Harris County to give the Astrodome to Space Center Houston so they could turn it into a rocket park with the Saturn 5 stacked vertically and the seating decks would allow viewers up close views of the rockets. They could also project rocket launches and space videos on the roof.

Best idea I've ever heard for the the Dome.

RED AG 98 said:

---

Best idea I've ever heard for the the Dome.

---

I still want to fill the bowl with water and make it an indoor underwater scuba park.

Horseshoe Bay in Marble Falls...this pilot gonna lose their wings?

edit: never mind. the aircraft is owned by the family that owns the resort.
edit2: looks to not be real. nobody confirmed yet.

Meanwhile at Horseshoe Bay Resort Jet Center in Texas, this Boeing 777-200 pilot is giving a soon-to-be-delivered Qatar Airways aircraft an extremely low pass! pic.twitter.com/Y8ENAcks4t

— Turbine Traveller (@Turbinetraveler) June 25, 2026

It's real. Pre delivery flight of mammoth conversion in customer colors. Outrageous. Yes pilot will face charges and will not fly again.

nortex97 said:

---

It's real. Pre delivery flight of mammoth conversion in customer colors. Outrageous. Yes pilot will face charges and will not fly again.

---

So glad we didn't have cellphones or social media in 1991 or 1992 when I did a touch-n-go in a subdivision.

Quite a sight to see the progress this team has made since May 28. Wreckage recovery from start to finish was completed in 9 days, and all debris has been cleared from Launch Complex 36. Huge shoutout to the team who have been working 7x24. We have started reconstruction and… pic.twitter.com/2plAi8fb22

— Dave Limp (@davill) June 25, 2026

Huge shoutout to the team who have been working 7x24. We have started reconstruction and still plan to fly again this year. Will have more details on the new conop soon.

I couldn't believe that was real. Flight Aware shows N705DN at 15:17 ping, runway heading 180, 181 knts…. 1,025 feet. Guessing that's about airport altitude? Can AI fake ads-b data? lol. I'm sure that's a costly stunt for someone - but seeing as they had a aerial camera platform. I'm guessing they figured it was worth the risk.

That 777 on that low pass with what appeared to be a clean configuration (no or minimal) flaps and damn near clipped a wing when that right side dipped.

Yeah that was within about a coin flip of dragging that wingtip and then cartwheeling down the runway etc. (near the resort etc) Completely reckless.

Watched this more than a few times. This is entirely luck that he didn’t strike the wingtip. If he had, the 777 would likely cartwheeled and that would’ve been the end of that. Save this s*** for flight sim. pic.twitter.com/i2kAwpvsYA

— Jon Ostrower (@jonostrower) June 25, 2026

Looks like a helicopter was filming it so they clearly had it pretty well planned. Up until the part they almost crashed anyway

I did lots of stupid sheet in planes when I was a teenager but the few times I was doing maneuvers low enough to actually drag a wing, I had a spotter with their hands lightly on the controls watching just the wing tip. We thought we were being smart but we were really just increasing our liability by having a passenger.

That flyby is insane.

double aught said:

---

That flyby is insane.

---

I'm as impressed as anyone with a good low fly-by, but that was full out idiotic. That dude is lucky he didn't end up a charred spot on the runway, and all those people filming dead right there with him.

Hope that was his last flight.

What if it's actually a red bull ad

Ag87H2O said:

---

double aught said:

---

That flyby is insane.

---

I'm as impressed as anyone with a good low fly-by, but that was full out idiotic. That dude is lucky he didn't end up a charred spot on the runway, and all those people filming dead right there with him.

Hope that was his last flight.

---

I agree with you.

KDZB elevation is 1093' per ForeFlight data. Can't confirm as I haven't flown in there……that would be CFIT with the data you found, which we saw almost happened anyway, so maybe altimeter setting error. But I have flown into Sunrise Beach just up the lake and that elevation is 854'. So, yeah…..close.

Ship 40 single engine static fire!

The mystery of the port in this nose cone deepens....

What is this?

Starfactory mystery nose cone update.

6/23/26 pic.twitter.com/9ZsOIsiwKa

— Starship Gazer (@StarshipGazer) June 24, 2026

Tanker variant of the Starship? Or testing manway locations

tk for tu juan said:

---

Tanker variant of the Starship? Or testing manway locations

---

Hydrogen port for topping off Mk1 Lander launched by Falcon Heavy?

J/k

View port