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SatelliteObservation.net
Personal blog · satelliteobservation.netsciencehardware
SatelliteObservation.net is a personal blog at satelliteobservation.net about science and hardware. Since 2018, 6 different Hacker News readers have linked it 9 times, most often “French CNES' director of launchers on reusable rockets and SpaceX”. It is still writing: the last post was on 2025-07-01, and you can follow it by feed.
Too few sampled comments (6) to say how often HN recommends it.?
Why HN links it
Linked for a 2018 interview with the CNES Director of Launchers on reusable rockets, SpaceX's Falcon 9 approach and the Callisto/Grasshopper prototype. Mostly cited as a source in SpaceX and ESA threads.
Summarised by Claude from a sample of 6 HN comments that link here. Each comment is marked recommending, critical or neutral (citing without judging); how this works.
On this site, you will find in-depth content about Earth observation satellites and other related topics. Here are the latest posts: For easier navigation, all the articles are split into the following categories: For day-to-day news, I also have a twitter account here that you can follow. Opinions
Most-linked posts?
- French CNES' director of launchers on reusable rockets and SpaceX3 people · 5 mentions · first linked 2018-06-05
What Hacker News says?
In Europe, ESA has been pretty open about trying to copy and play catch-up to SpaceX: > Q: Callisto looks very much like Grasshopper, the SpaceX Falcon 9 first stage reuse prototype. > A: Callisto is Grasshopper. The Chinese are also building a similar prototype, I have no problem saying we didn’t invent anything. https://satelliteobservation.net/2018/06/02/cnes-director-of...
Comment linking /2018/06/02/cnes-director-of-launchers-talks-reusable-rockets/
on “Starship Flight 5: Launch and booster catch [video]”Submitted Detecting Hypersonics (2018) as a story · 1 points
HN discussionNot a problem, though, give it another 5-10 years and it will be extremely clear what SpaceX has achieved. For example, here's the CNES (French space agency) Director of Launchers discussing SpaceX's achievements, and his desire to design Ariane NEXT to be similar to Falcon 9: https://satelliteobservation.net/2018/06/02/cnes-director-of... > For Falcon 9 for instance, they use a toss-back trajectory. An engine is re…
Comment linking /2018/06/02/cnes-director-of-launchers-talks-reusable-rockets/
on “Tesla is laying off ‘about 9%’ of its workforce as it ‘restructures’ the company”Submitted French CNES' director of launchers on reusable rockets and SpaceX as a story · 1 points
HN discussionOverall I agree with your SpaceX comments, but I don't think the Delta Clipper demonstrated supersonic retropropulsion, which was never done before and is cited by the CNES director of launches as being a key technology. https://satelliteobservation.net/2018/06/02/cnes-director-of... > An engine is relit while going against the aerodynamic flow, which is actually quite complicated to achieve. We worked on that with…
Comment linking /2018/06/02/cnes-director-of-launchers-talks-reusable-rockets/
on “Tesla Faces Accelerating Rate of Model 3 Refunds”Submitted Contested Space: Threats as a story · 1 points
HN discussionPeople have done a lot with less than 1m. http://www.satobs.org/telescope.html https://satelliteobservation.net/2017/04/20/observing-satell...
Comment linking /2017/04/20/observing-satellites/
on “FBI Mysteriously Closes New Mexico Observatory”If you'd like to read some more progressive thinking by a European, here's an interview with the CNES (French space agency) Director of Launchers: https://satelliteobservation.net/2018/06/02/cnes-director-of... In which he talks about about a realistic path to a reusable rocket that could compete with Falcon 9. But it wouldn't launch until 2028-2030.
Comment linking /2018/06/02/cnes-director-of-launchers-talks-reusable-rockets/
on “As the SpaceX steamroller surges, European rocket industry vows to resist”This engine is going into their reusable demonstrator Callisto. Callisto is a copy* of SpaceX's Grasshopper that flew... 11 years ago * https://satelliteobservation.net/2018/06/02/cnes-director-of... > Callisto is Grasshopper. The Chinese are also building a similar prototype, I have no problem saying we didn’t invent anything.
Comment linking /2018/06/02/cnes-director-of-launchers-talks-reusable-rockets
on “Full ignition for ESA’s reusable rocket engine”