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Copenhagen Suborbitals open-source private spacerocket will launch in an hour

240 points| mixmax | 15 years ago |raketvenner.dk | reply

57 comments

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[+] noonespecial|15 years ago|reply
Every fact you learn about these guys is more audacious and awesome than the last. Not just a rocket, one carrying a life size dummy. Not land, sea on a floating platform they made themselves. Boat? Nope. Giant hand-made submarine. It's the kind of mad, mad, science I dreamed of as a kid.

The story seems like it should end with "they don't always drink beer, but when they do..."

[+] blhack|15 years ago|reply
Agreed. These people are absolutely an inspiration and should be on every television station there is; hopefully kids will idolize them.
[+] mixmax|15 years ago|reply
Please donate, or become a member of the support organization (it,s 20 dollars a month) if you think this is a cool project.

this is a private noncommercial opensource project, and the whole thing is built on donations and people working in their freetime.

[+] NickPollard|15 years ago|reply
Liftoff!

First attempt the auto-sequence didn't start properly, but on a retry they've achieved liftoff. The screams from the mission control feed gave me goosebumps.

[+] fbnt|15 years ago|reply
Yes, that was exciting. Parachutes seems to have failed though the payload looks fine. Anyway, great achievement, congratulations!
[+] trampsymphony|15 years ago|reply
There is something universally awesome about watching people be rewarded for their dedication and audacity. A huge congrats to the ones behind this! (despite a mixed result)
[+] trafficlight|15 years ago|reply
Any idea how high it went?
[+] mixmax|15 years ago|reply
There has been successful liftoff and supersonic flight at 16.36 local time.

Congratulations to copenhagen suborbitals.

[+] arethuza|15 years ago|reply
Thanks for submitting this - it was awesome!
[+] arethuza|15 years ago|reply
Found this video of one of the Copenhagen Suborbitals guys giving a talk at TEDxCopenhagen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ua9oGxNNGd0

[+] bane|15 years ago|reply
I love the notion of "I'd rather work with a guy who says 'I don't know anything about it, but let's figure it out'".

That message is amazing, and I've found that has been a huge differentiator between people who are stellar performers vs. people who are mediocre or poor.

[+] shii|15 years ago|reply
Thanks, great find. A lot of really inspiring advice on ignoring conventional wisdom, getting around gatekeepers, and being persistent in one's target.
[+] mdaniel|15 years ago|reply
Thank you for that.

About 6 minutes in, one can see the scale of the rocket as someone is welding on a fin. The launch videos linked above do not properly convey the scale, and I was surprised at how big it actually was.

[+] bane|15 years ago|reply
Inspiring, they've actually done something, on a shoestring, basically hobbyists, that most national governments haven't been able to achieve.
[+] jodrellblank|15 years ago|reply
I don't think governments haven't been able to achieve it, they haven't wanted to.

If a hobbyist group built a skyscraper in two months on a shoestring budget and it collapsed after a year, it would be a success.

If a national government funded a skyscraper, spent two months on it, and it collapsed after a year, they'd be a laughing stock.

For a volunteer/hobbyist/amateur/donation group, this is enormously progressive and successful; for a national space agency, it wouldn't be.

[+] tdoggette|15 years ago|reply
They're messing with the payload now, which appears to contain a dummy. Is this the platform they're going to send a man to space with?
[+] sschueller|15 years ago|reply
And there appears to be a point-n-shoot camera mounted to its head.
[+] yxhuvud|15 years ago|reply
A different stream at http://sputnik.tv2.dk/live/?top#event-820
[+] kreneskyp|15 years ago|reply
For those of us without silverlight: mms://itv02.digizuite.dk/tv2b

VLC can play it but the server is getting hammered right now. Received 503 the first few tries but then it loaded.

[+] tdoggette|15 years ago|reply
The one in the submitted link is the control room, this one is currently footage from the platform. Launch time keeps getting pushed back-- If you're not watching, you haven't missed it yet.

EDIT 10:28 Eastern They're resuming the countdown in 6 minutes and they are go for launch.

[+] sschueller|15 years ago|reply
What's with the floating platform? The footage looks like it's from a Bond movie.
[+] Sukotto|15 years ago|reply
I just missed it. Is there a replay posted someplace? The linked page is just to the live stream.

aside: why don't any of the "live" video companies offer complete rewind/replay? Why can't I go to the page linked in the OP and watch the whole thing, even though it is no longer "live"?

[+] sorbus|15 years ago|reply
One of the comments says that it's on youtube. There are a few there, but I'm not sure if one is official - none of them really look like it.

That does seem like a feature that would make a lot of sense for live videos to have. Could be that there are patents preventing them, or something like that, because it would make live videos far more valuable.

[+] kevinherron|15 years ago|reply
What is the open source part of this? The sketch books on the website? Or is there some software somewhere as well?
[+] unknown|15 years ago|reply

[deleted]

[+] mixmax|15 years ago|reply
This is one of the problems with a sealaunch. Its really hard to get internet connection, much less a broadband connection when youre 30 kilometers from the nearest land.
[+] chrisjsmith|15 years ago|reply
Thanks for the reminder - super-duper appreciated :)
[+] chrisjsmith|15 years ago|reply
That was AWESOME. There is no other word!
[+] chrisjsmith|15 years ago|reply
Replying to my own comment... even the day after this is still just as awesome :)