This is Van Life! While waiting in the luxury of a 2023 Winnebago Travato, we enjoyed the recordbreaking 58th mission to launch this year from the Space Coast in Florida! Last year, a total of 57 rockets launched, and after this 58th launch in late October, we know that record will be "blown away" with a few more months left of the year. If that's not good enough, this was also a record-setting heaviest ever payload a Falcon 9 rocket has hoisted into orbit at 40,600 pounds (23 mini Starlink satellites).

What you are looking at is the launch 'streak' from the engine burn of the rocket launch from SpaceX Starlink Satellite Group 6-24 launching from Launch Complex-40 at 10:17 pm on October 21, 2023. It is a long-exposure photo, executed after several weeks of planning for trajectory of the rocket and specific placement of the van to get the arc streak just right as it roars out to orbit over the van in this image. The arc shape is due to the curve of the Earth as the rocket must follow Earth's orbit in order to deploy it's payload into orbit. Once in low earth orbit, a chain of satellites will be deployed to join the vast array of Starlink satellites being deployed by SpaceX for the Starlink system.

The van is a 2023 Winnebago Travato 59K; posh leather interior complete with swivel bucket seats, queen size RV bed (splits into two single beds), kitchen area with sink, stove, microwave and fridge, wet-bath with toilet and shower, and lots of storage. It also has a retractable awning, but we had no need for that on this crisp evening. This classy ride sits on a Ram chassis with a V6 engine. Driving it was a dream! I couldn't even tell I was in an RV. It was quiet and smooth the whole 2.5 hour ride down to Titusville. We averaged 18mpg for gas, which is far better than what our monster Class C used to give us. But, what I was most pleased with was the ease of maneuverabliity on this rig, especially since I had such a specific spot and angle in mind to create this specific shot. I could tell you more about this unit, but honestly, I don't yet know a whole lot about Class B RVs even though I work at (bookkeeping) a dealership, so I'm going to point you to speaking with our competent sales staff if you need more information. Shameless plug for Sunshine State RV here, Florida's #1 Class B dealership.

More about the launch for the space nerds:

Mission Details

• Type: Communications
• Launch Cost: $52,000,000
• Location: LC-40 CCSFS
• Orbit: Low Earth Orbit

The Falcon 9 first stage B1080 landed on ASDS ASOG after its 4th flight.
A Shortfall of Gravitas – ASOG
The fourth ASDS barge, A Shortfall of Gravitas (ASOG) is currently used to recover Falcon 9 and Heavy boosters in the Altantic Ocean.
Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship – ASDS

Van Life with Winnebago TravatoThis is Van Life! While waiting in the luxury of a 2023 Winnebago Travato, we enjoyed the recordbreaking 58th mission to launch this year from the Space Coast in Florida!