Follow the SpaceX rocket launch

Our live coverage has ended. Check out the posts below to see how the launch unfolded.

SpaceX launched another rocket today.

Here’s what went right: Liftoff occurred just after 10 a.m. ET from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, and the primary mission went off without a hitch. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket delivered a group of 10 satellites into orbit for communications firm Iridium.

Here’s what didn’t: SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said on Twitter that as the $6 million fairing, or nose cone, fell back toward Earth, the parafoils that were supposed to slow its descent became tangled.

So the “fairing impacted water at high speed,” Musk said. That likely destroyed it.

SpaceX had hoped to land the nose cone into a giant seaborne net.

SpaceX’s Elon Musk says the fairing, or nose cone, “impacted water at high speed.”

He didn’t call the experiment a failure, but that doesn’t necessarily sound like a success.

He said the team would be doing “helo drop tests in next few weeks to solve.”

We’re still waiting on word of what happened to the fairing, also called a nose cone. SpaceX is trying to catch half of the fairing with a giant net attached to a boat.

But landing the fairing will be difficult.

“It’s arguably as challenging or more challenging that landing the [first-stage rocket boosters],” Glenn Lightsey, a professor of aerospace engineering at Georgia Tech, told CNN.

SpaceX did not attempt to land the booster after Friday’s launch. The booster had flown once before on an October 2017 mission, and SpaceX will reportedly discard some of its older boosters as it gears up to debut an upgraded version of the Falcon 9, called Block 5.

Learn more about today launch in the video below:

A curious thing happened not long after the SpaceX rocket launched into space – the stream cut.

A SpaceX anchor said that people who wanted updates would have to turn to Twitter as “NOAA restrictions” required they cease the broadcast.

That’s not normal – SpaceX normally streams far more of the launches, and the mysterious reasoning had many space fans and reporters trying to figure out what NOAA restrictions were in place.

Now, NOAA tweeted that it was “looking into questions” on the interruption, and would update everyone once it knows more.

We’re basically staring at SpaceX and Elon Musk’s Twitter accounts awaiting word of what happened to the fairing. Did it land on the ship? Did it splash into the sea? We’ll let you know as soon as we hear the news.

Conrad Gonzales, a chef and restaurant owner in Lompoc, California, gets to watch every launch from his balcony. “The first 15 seconds you can hear nothing, but then the vibration and sound comes,” he said.

“It’s amazing and never gets old.”

Elon Musk tweets an update on the fateful rendezvous between the rocket’s fairing and Mr. Steven, SpaceX’s trusty ship.

“Mr Steven is 5 mins away from being under the falling fairing (don’t have live video),” Musk said.

Elon Musk just tweeted that the boat — named Mr. Steven — will now attempt to catch half of the fairing with a giant net.

We expected this, but SpaceX hadn’t confirmed it: Tracking site MarineTraffic shows the ship left the Port of Los Angeles yesterday. It’s was heading for a location denoted as “Iridium 5,” a nod to the name of Friday’s mission.

And now we wait.

Mr. Steven made its public debut during a Feb. 22 launch. That recovery attempt wasn’t totally successful. Musk said the fairing landed in the water “a few hundred meters” away from Mr. Steven.

This is a key step in the launch.

As we mentioned earlier, the fairing rests on the very top part of the rocket, and it acts as a shield for satellites during launch. Once the rocket is in space, the fairing splits into two and falls away. Typically, it’s left to plummet back to Earth where the ocean becomes its graveyard.

But not today (fingers crossed).

The SpaceX rocket successfully launched just before 10:15 a.m. ET – right on schedule.

All systems look to be go.

Mr. Steven, the boat attempting to catch half of the fairing with a giant net, made its public debut last month.

Musk said before a Feb. 22 launch that both halves of the Falcon 9 fairing were outfitted with on-board guidance systems and tiny thrusters, which helped guide them back through the Earth’s thick atmosphere. Then they deployed parafoils, a type of parachute, which helped slow the fairing halves down as they hurtled back toward Earth.

That recovery attempt wasn’t totally successful. Musk said the fairing landed in the water “a few hundred meters” away from Mr. Steven.

SpaceX has not publicly confirmed that it will attempt to land a fairing half on Mr. Steven’s net again, but tracking site MarineTraffic shows the ship left the Port of Los Angeles on Thursday. It’s heading for a location denoted as “Iridium 5,” a nod to the name of Friday’s mission. Specific coordinates were not available.

So will it work this time? The odds of Mr. Steven, owned by Louisiana-based company SeaTran, successfully capturing the fairing on Friday probably aren’t good.

At least twice, SpaceX has guided fairing halves to soft landings in the ocean, according to Musk’s social media pages.

But there’s a problem.

“Once it gets into the water, it’s quite damaging to the electronics and components inside the fairing,” said Glenn Lightsey, a professor of aerospace engineering at Georgia Tech. “Most likely if it gets into the water, it’s not usable.”

Enter, Mr. Steven.

For Friday’s launch a ship, named Mr. Steven, will head out to sea and attempt to catch half of the fairing with a giant net.

Note: SpaceX has not publicly confirmed that it will attempt to land a fairing half on Mr. Steven’s net again, but tracking site MarineTraffic shows the ship left the Port of Los Angeles yesterday. It’s heading for a location denoted as “Iridium 5,” a nod to the name of Friday’s mission.

The fairing, also called the nose cone, rests on the very top part of the rocket, and it acts as a shield for satellites during launch. Once the rocket is in space, the fairing splits into two and falls away. Typically, it’s left to plummet back to Earth where the ocean becomes its graveyard.

But SpaceX wants to change that, mostly because the fairing on its Falcon 9 costs $6 million.

Here’s what the fairing looks like:

You’ve heard of SpaceX landing and reusing rockets. But safely recapturing the $6 million nose cone that sits at the tip of the rocket? Yes, that could happen too.

Elon Musk’s rocket company is due for another launch Friday at 7:13 am PT from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. SpaceX will set off one of its Falcon 9 rockets to deliver a group of satellites for communications firm Iridium (IRDM).

Shortly after launch, SpaceX is probably going to make another experimental attempt to guide the rocket’s nose cone, also called a payload fairing, onto a passenger ship outfitted with a giant net.