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.
This is the SpaceX Starlink Group 6-24 launching from SLC-40 at 10:17 pm on October 21, 2023.
The van is a 2023 Winnebago Travato 59K; posh leather interior complete with swivel bucket seats, quen size RV beg (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