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SpaceX's Starship launching to orbit for first time ever today

304 points · 367 comments · geox

  1. fakwandi_priv · · focus · HN ↗
    I’m a bit saddened this thread has so little activity, 55 comments as of posting, here even though there are half a million people watching the spacex stream. Just watching the launch, the amount of technology and people involved is incredible.

    Prompting claude 5.5 has more appeal it seems.

    1. trentnix · · focus · HN ↗
      I'm watching in awe and not worrying about the malcontents that can't leave their politics at the door and celebrate genuine achievement.
      1. TkTech · · focus · HN ↗
        This is ballistics weapons technology, being progressed by a country that can't stop missile striking people, who has recently declared its intent to heavily weaponize space, whose leader has recently "claimed the moon", who is actively declaring its desire to annex its own allies, done by a corporation whose profits will be almost exclusively concentrated in a very small group of the already-wealthy in a country with horrific wealth disparity.

        The V-2 was also a technological achievement. Doesn't mean the UK was cheering it on.

        1. rafram · · focus · HN ↗
          Starship wouldn't be a very effective missile IMO.
          1. chasd00 · · focus · HN ↗
            > Starship wouldn't be a very effective missile IMO.

            that's putting it mildly, a war where ICBMs are used would be over before they could get the road closed to roll Starship and a booster to the pad...

            1. fragmede · · focus · HN ↗
              Though, for point of reference, the biggest Soviet ICBM, the SS-18, could lift about a 9 ton payload for a 20 megaton nuclear explosive warhead. The minutemen iii's have 1 ton payload. Starship has shown today that I can do, call it a 60 ton payload.

              That's a whole lotta MIRV capacity.

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