SpaceX Super Heavy and Starship updates

By DocM
in Science News & Discussion

 Share

Recommended Posts

Grand Master

TrevorLahey

Posted
Posted
On 17/01/2025 at 15:22, FloatingFatMan said:

You DO realise that it's YOUR MONEY that's funding Musk, right?  That 300 million dollar explosion? That was aaaaalllll yours... :rofl:   Take away the government funding and subsidies, and SpaceX hasn't made a single red cent in profit.

 

And guess what? They don't go around blowing (literally) 300 million bucks every time they launch something, unlike Musk, who can't even read a NASA engineering manual... 

Hate blinds you.

  • DocM and Astra.Xtreme
  • Like 2
Grand Master

Astra.Xtreme

Posted
Posted
On 17/01/2025 at 14:22, FloatingFatMan said:

You DO realise that it's YOUR MONEY that's funding Musk, right?  That 300 million dollar explosion? That was aaaaalllll yours... :rofl:   Take away the government funding and subsidies, and SpaceX hasn't made a single red cent in profit.

 

And guess what? They don't go around blowing (literally) 300 million bucks every time they launch something, unlike Musk, who can't even read a NASA engineering manual... 

Um what?  Where did you come up with that nonsense?  SpaceX spending money on R&D doesn't mean I'm paying for it.

Funny you mention NASA.  How much money and how long did it take to design SLS?  And remind me, how many launches have they had so far?

If you're going to whine about tax payer money, at least complain about the one what is actually a government and taxpayer funded entity...

  • TrevorLahey and DocM
  • Like 2
Grand Master

FloatingFatMan

Posted
Posted
On 17/01/2025 at 20:38, Astra.Xtreme said:

Um what?  Where did you come up with that nonsense?  SpaceX spending money on R&D doesn't mean I'm paying for it.

It's government money, dear boy.  And where does government get its money from? Oh yeah. Taxes.

 

On 17/01/2025 at 20:38, Astra.Xtreme said:

Funny you mention NASA.  How much money and how long did it take to design SLS?  And remind me, how many launches have they had so far?

Better the money be spent on sane engineering methods than just YOLOing something out of a 1950's scifi comic and blowing it up almost every time you launch it...

 

On 17/01/2025 at 20:38, Astra.Xtreme said:

If you're going to whine about tax payer money, at least complain about the one what is actually a government and taxpayer funded entity...

I am, that'd be SpaceX, or are you just ignorant about where they get all their funding from?

Grand Master

Astra.Xtreme

Posted
Posted
On 17/01/2025 at 14:41, FloatingFatMan said:

It's government money, dear boy.  And where does government get its money from? Oh yeah. Taxes.

 

Better the money be spent on sane engineering methods than just YOLOing something out of a 1950's scifi comic and blowing it up almost every time you launch it...

 

I am, that'd be SpaceX, or are you just ignorant about where they get all their funding from?

Do I need to repeat myself?  What government money?  Show us proof that the US taxpayers are funding Starship development....
I can do a 5 second Google search and it clearly says otherwise.

A Starship launch doesn't cost $300m either, so clearly you're just pulling ridiculous ideas out of your deranged mind...

  • FloatingFatMan
  • Facepalm 1
Grand Master

TrevorLahey

Posted
Posted
On 17/01/2025 at 15:47, Astra.Xtreme said:

Do I need to repeat myself?  What government money?  Show us proof that the US taxpayers are funding Starship development....
I can do a 5 second Google search and it clearly says otherwise.

A Starship launch doesn't cost $300m either, so clearly you're just pulling ridiculous ideas out of your deranged mind...

I'm on your side, but you could say there is some government money.  $2.89 billion contract for the lunar lander (I also seen another site say the total amount was $4.5 billion).  Bezo's got a 3.4 billion contract from the Government for theirs.  There have been other contracts as well, not specifically for Starship.  I seen one place estimate that Starship development could cost 10 billion.

Both contracts are to build something, and not some welfare type handout like he wants to believe.  Other money also comes from the government for a service like launching people to the ISS.

A lot of money also comes from private investors and launch services to other companies.  It's a business and as a tax payer, it's nice to see progress than what we've been used to with the other Government contracts that have been made.  We also don't have to worry or hear the reports similar to SLS being over budget by 6 billion, and 6 years behind schedule.

 

On 17/01/2025 at 15:41, FloatingFatMan said:

Better the money be spent on sane engineering methods than just YOLOing something out of a 1950's scifi comic and blowing it up almost every time you launch it...

Sane engineering like launching a rocket with no re-use like we've done for years?  Sane engineering that takes years to even get a rocket to launch?

You're just making yourself look bad at this point.

Grand Master

FloatingFatMan

Posted
Posted
On 17/01/2025 at 21:17, bguy_1986 said:

Sane engineering like launching a rocket with no re-use like we've done for years?  Sane engineering that takes years to even get a rocket to launch?

Sane engineering doesn't mean it can't be reusable. The shuttle was sane engineering, was way more reusable than SpaceX's rockets, and was designed in the 70's.  The only reason it ended up failing was due to the "lowest bidder wins" mindset, and it was just old.  Also, SpaceX's reusability ain't all that anyway.  Their refurb costs aren't exactly low and nothing like they promised.  They've also missed every single ridiculous deadline they've ever made, by a mile.

  • SecretAgentMan, snowy owl and TrevorLahey
  • Like 2
  • Facepalm 1
Grand Master

snowy owl

Posted
Posted
On 17/01/2025 at 15:17, Astra.Xtreme said:

Believe it or not, this is what they want to happen.  With rapid R&D, you want it to blow up occasionally and return the data. 

Before performing such maneuvers, SpaceX should know the air traffic route so as not to cause threats in the air with their ###### exploding rockets!

 

  • TrevorLahey
  • Facepalm 1
Grand Master

TrevorLahey

Posted
Posted
On 17/01/2025 at 16:34, FloatingFatMan said:

Sane engineering doesn't mean it can't be reusable. The shuttle was sane engineering, was way more reusable than SpaceX's rockets, and was designed in the 70's.  The only reason it ended up failing was due to the "lowest bidder wins" mindset, and it was just old.  Also, SpaceX's reusability ain't all that anyway.  Their refurb costs aren't exactly low and nothing like they promised.  They've also missed every single ridiculous deadline they've ever made, by a mile.

The shuttle costed a fortune and was not way more reusable. lol. It isn’t possible for it to have the same turn around a falcon 9 has. 

Grand Master

TrevorLahey

Posted
Posted (edited)
On 17/01/2025 at 20:39, snowy owl said:

What do you imagine that I don't know that there was an exclusion zone for the flight area of this rocket, the fact is that the debris still disturbed air traffic, since several fell further outside the exclusion zone.

I’m done arguing with people that are so blinded by hate. If anything you said was true (I’ve seen no official reports), the FAA will take care of it. Nobody’s minds are going to be changed over this.  SpaceX will continue flying and will get it straightened out as they did with Falcon 9. 

Grand Master

snowy owl

Posted
Posted (edited)

So here are some more details:

On Friday January 17, the day after this 7th test flight, which was seen as a new victory for Elon Musk's American company, the American aviation regulator (FAA) stuck its nose into the explosion affair, ordering SpaceX to open an investigation. And by grounding the private space industry leader for the duration of these investigations.

 SpaceX is well aware that some debris could be found in Puerto Rico and the British Virgin Islands.

Aircraft diverted and low-Earth orbit threatened

At the same time, in the air, the US Federal Aviation Administration was sounding the alarm, diverting numerous aircraft off course to separate them from the miles of debris strewn across the sky. Without much doubt, some of the debris would reach altitudes accessible to airliners, or even reach the Earth's surface without having fully vanished in time. A great risk, but one that could have taken on an entirely different scale if the ship's explosion had taken place at a higher altitude, and the debris had taken several days or weeks to return to Earth.

By leaving the Earth's gravitational pull, the debris could have ended up in a space known as low orbit, where the slightest threat could trigger a chain reaction of multiple collisions between each gravitating body. A situation underlined by the significant increase in the number of satellites in the sky. The saturation of the levels between 160 and 1000 kilometers in altitude is a growing concern, and SpaceX, with its Starlink constellation, has something to do with it: the overwhelming majority of the stars in orbit today have been produced by the company.

  • +primortal and SecretAgentMan
  • Like 2
Grand Master

snowy owl

Posted
Posted (edited)
On 17/01/2025 at 20:54, bguy_1986 said:

If anything you said was true (I’ve seen no official reports), the FAA will take care of it.

The FAA is taking care of it: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/17/faa-grounds-spacex-starship-reports-property-damage-in-caribbean.html

Quote

Notably, the FAA says it activated a “Debris Response Area” to warn aircraft of debris falling “outside of the identified closed aircraft hazard areas.”

Quote

The regulator noted in a statement that, while there have been “no reports of public injury,” it has received “reports of public property damage on Turks and Caicos” islands in the Caribbean.

SpaceX must complete the investigation and put in place any required corrective actions before the FAA issues the company with a new license to launch Starship again.

Happy now?

Edited by snowy owl
Grand Master

adrynalyne

Posted
Posted
On 18/01/2025 at 14:28, snowy owl said:

The FAA is taking care of it: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/17/faa-grounds-spacex-starship-reports-property-damage-in-caribbean.html

Happy now?

Just don’t call him sunshine. 

  • snowy owl, SecretAgentMan and FloatingFatMan
  • Haha 3
Grand Master

FloatingFatMan

Posted
Posted
On 18/01/2025 at 21:28, snowy owl said:

The FAA is taking care of it: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/17/faa-grounds-spacex-starship-reports-property-damage-in-caribbean.html

Happy now?

Several people, including the well known SpaceX supporter and streamer Scott Manley, are making the argument that the main problem was the triggering of the flight termination system which likely destroyed the vehicle when it malfunctioned. They argue that if it had deorbited in one piece it would have been far less dangerous and caused less damage. 

 

Something to consider.

  • snowy owl, anthdci and +primortal
  • Like 3
Grand Master

snowy owl

Posted
Posted

We must admit, it's impressive what they've achieved so far. We'll have to wait and see the results of the investigation into this accident to find out the real cause.

 

On 19/01/2025 at 09:36, FloatingFatMan said:

They argue that if it had deorbited in one piece it would have been far less dangerous and caused less damage.

I also share this view. And most probably the debris would have fallen in the areas delimited by the FAA, whether or not the rocket had exploded. Thus avoiding all the commotion that followed the explosion.

The investigation will tell us, at least I do hope so?

  • anthdci and +primortal
  • Like 2
Grand Master

DocM

Posted
  • Author
Posted
On 17/01/2025 at 15:22, FloatingFatMan said:

You DO realise that it's YOUR MONEY that's funding Musk, right?  That 300 million dollar explosion? That was aaaaalllll yours... :rofl:   Take away the government funding and subsidies, and SpaceX hasn't made a single red cent in profit.

And that's a total crock. The vast majority of the money spent on developing Starship comes from the $billion$ they are raking in from Starlink, which is already several $billion per year.

So far the NASA contract is $2,9 billion, and that is being spread out over several years in milestone payments. Each milestone SpaceX meets, they get a small payment. The contract will not be completed until they have landed on the moon twice, once with a crew. 

 

On 17/01/2025 at 15:22, FloatingFatMan said:

And guess what? They don't go around blowing (literally) 300 million bucks every time they launch something,

Starship launch does not cost $300 million. Not even close, and they are well on the way to having reusable boosters which is 2/3 of the cost.

 

On 17/01/2025 at 15:22, FloatingFatMan said:

unlike Musk, who can't even read a NASA engineering manual... 

He's enough of an engineer to be elected by his peers into the National Academy of Engineering. He's also in the Royal Academy. How about you?

  • TrevorLahey, SteveL and SecretAgentMan
  • Like 2
  • Facepalm 1
Grand Master

DocM

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)
On 18/01/2025 at 06:22, snowy owl said:

So here are some more details:

On Friday January 17, the day after this 7th test flight, which was seen as a new victory for Elon Musk's American company, the American aviation regulator (FAA) stuck its nose into the explosion affair, ordering SpaceX to open an investigation. And by grounding the private space industry leader for the duration of these investigations.

Only Spacex\X's Starship is under investigation, their Falcon rockets continue to launch.

The FAA investigation is standard procedure, and SpaceX will do the investigation and file a report. This will probably be a fast one because Starship has thousands of sensors and cameras monitoring every aspect of the flight. They knew what caused it within an hour of the launch. They have even discussed what the fix will be.

FAA can accept the report or reject it, and they rarely reject SpaceX reports. They believe theirs more than they do Boeing's. 

Meanwhile, the vehicles for Flight 8 are in flown for a likely launch in February or March.

New Glenn may not fly again until mid-2025

Edited by DocM
Grand Master

snowy owl

Posted
Posted
On 21/01/2025 at 02:26, DocM said:

Only Spacex\X's Starship is under investigation, their Falcon rockets continue to launch.

I think that according to the reference I quoted it was very clearly “Starship” that was grounded, it's all in the title, isn't it? And not the “Falcon9”.

On 21/01/2025 at 02:26, DocM said:

FAA can accept the report or reject it, and they rarely reject SpaceX reports.

However, Musk does not agree that the next test should be postponed until he receives the report on his investigation and the FAA's conclusions. That's where I have a problem with this case.

Ref.: https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/spacex-starship-explosion-1.7434001

On 21/01/2025 at 02:26, DocM said:

They believe theirs more than they do Boeing's. 

I understand why, and it's one of the reasons why last year I avoided any flight involving a Boeing aircraft, preferring to travel on board an Airbus instead.

 

On 21/01/2025 at 02:26, DocM said:

Falcon rockets continue to launch.

According to this website (https://everydayastronaut.com/falcon-9-block-5-starlink-group-11-8/), the next Falcon9 launch is scheduled for January 21.

Grand Master

DocM

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)
On 21/01/2025 at 07:23, snowy owl said:

.However, Musk does not agree that the next test should be postponed until he receives the report on his investigation and the FAA's conclusions. That's where I have a problem with this case.

FAA doesn't. After their last long delay NASA got involved because this is part of  NASAs Artemis project. FAA had also been criticized for extended delays not only by the rest of the industry but by Congress, which holds their leash.

As a result, Congress is considering removing FAA from the launch management business and giving it back to the Dept. of  Commerce. 

Since, FAA has been more...cooperative.

 

On 21/01/2025 at 07:23, snowy owl said:

Ref.: https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/spacex-starship-explosion-1.7434001

Pfftttt... Mostly outdated info and poor assumptions. Typical Mass media.

The degree fall was within the preassigned debris area, and ahead of the flight all aircraft were given a zone to keep out of. Big deals to FAA and SpaceX met their obligations.

Flight 8 marches on

 

  • TrevorLahey and Matthew S.
  • Like 1
  • Facepalm 1
Grand Master

snowy owl

Posted
Posted (edited)
On 22/01/2025 at 01:23, DocM said:

The degree fall was within the preassigned debris area

So the Turks and Caicos Islands were included in the preassigned area, inhabited areas, while Musk claimed that all the debris had fallen into the Atlantic, show a little more seriousness!

One lady testifies that she alone picked up 8 lb of debris (see link below).

https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/spacex-starship-explosion-debris-lands-on-tropical-island-229691461579

On 22/01/2025 at 01:23, DocM said:

and ahead of the flight all aircraft were given a zone to keep out of.

This is perfectly normal since it's part of every rocket launch 🤪!

On 22/01/2025 at 01:23, DocM said:

Pfftttt... Mostly outdated info and poor assumptions. Typical Mass media.

I have consulted several media of different sizes, and they are unanimous on the results, and falling debris area from this explosion.

But of course, stay in front of your TV and watch Fox News! Which is nothing but disinformation!

Even if the launches are interrupted for the duration of the investigation, there's nothing to stop them being ready for the next launch 🤷🏻‍♂️!

 

Edited by snowy owl
Grand Master

TrevorLahey

Posted
Posted
On 22/01/2025 at 07:33, snowy owl said:

One lady testifies that she alone picked up 8 lb of debris (see link below).

https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/spacex-starship-explosion-debris-lands-on-tropical-island-229691461579

I only skimmed that video, because I don't care to argue with somebody who is just here to troll.  But what I seen was there was debris washing up on beaches.  This doesn't sound like as big of a deal that you're trying to make it.  It seems kind of obvious to me that you would have that.

Grand Master

snowy owl

Posted
Posted
On 22/01/2025 at 08:05, bguy_1986 said:

But what I seen was there was debris washing up on beaches.

What about the other testimonials?

And that there is an investigation to confirm or not that debris may have damaged property?

These are the facts, if you don't like them, there's nothing I can do about it 🤷‍♂️?

Grand Master

TrevorLahey

Posted
Posted
On 22/01/2025 at 08:29, snowy owl said:

What about the other testimonials?

And that there is an investigation to confirm or not that debris may have damaged property?

These are the facts, if you don't like them, there's nothing I can do about it 🤷‍♂️?

Then I'm sure it will show up in a FAA report or SpaceX's report. 

What did they do when the shuttle exploded across the states?  They attempted to fix it and continued on, which is what they will do with Starship whether debris landed where it was supposed to or wasn't supposed to.

 

What are you hoping to see happen?  For the Government shut Musk/SpaceX down?

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Posts

    • Hi my name is Olivia and I am from Australia

      By Jim K · Posted

      ...but you're Johnny, from Australia?    
    • Glow 26.9

      By Copernic · Posted

      Glow 26.9 by Razvan Serea Glow provides detailed reporting on every hardware component in your computer, saving you valuable time typically spent searching for CPU, motherboard, RAM, graphics card, and other stats. With Glow, all the information is conveniently presented in one clean interface, allowing you to easily access and review the comprehensive hardware details of your system. Glow provides detailed information on various system aspects, including OS, motherboard, processor, memory, graphics card, storage, network, battery, drivers, and services. The well-organized format ensures easy access to the required information. You can export all the gathered data to a plain text file, facilitating sharing with others for troubleshooting purposes. No installation needed. Just decompress the archive, launch the executable, and access computer-related information. Glow runs on Windows 11 and Windows 10 64-bit versions. Glow 26.9 changelog: New Features The processor hardware detection engine has been significantly enhanced beyond traditional Intel and AMD architectures. Native support is now available for modern platforms such as Apple Silicon (M-Series) and the newly introduced NVIDIA Spark. In addition, all ARM-based processors can now be accurately distinguished between ARM32 and ARM64 architectures, providing precise hardware reporting. This marks a major milestone for Glow's hardware detection capabilities. The RAM manufacturer identification algorithm has been expanded. JEDEC vendor codes for popular brands such as Patriot, PNY, Team Group, GeIL, Lexar (Longsys), and Asgard/Gloway have been integrated into the database. This significantly reduces the likelihood of incorrect or "Unknown Manufacturer" results and improves overall hardware detection accuracy. New Public IP Address and Internet Service Provider (ISP) features have been added to the Network section. To ensure reliability, this information is retrieved from the trusted service ipwho.is. When Hiding Mode is enabled, no requests are sent and these features remain hidden, as they may expose sensitive information. The search engine used in the Installed Drivers, Installed Services, and Installed Applications sections has been enhanced. You can now perform more flexible and accurate searches using initials, partial matches, and loosely arranged character sequences. The TS Preloader loading bar has been rebuilt using our modern TS Custom Controls graphics library, developed entirely in-house. As a result of this infrastructure upgrade, the loading bar now features smooth rendering and rounded corners that align with the visual style of Windows 11. [TS Updater] A new validation algorithm has been added to check whether the target application is currently running before the update process begins. Bug Fixes Resolved a condition that could prevent TS Preloader from shutting down safely during rare application crash scenarios. Fixed a text alignment issue in the Network section affecting the display of DNS addresses. Alignment is now rendered correctly. [TS Updater] Fixed an issue that could prevent the updated application's executable "*.exe" file from being located after the update process. [TS Updater] Fixed a bug that could leave outdated "*.sha256" files in the application directory after an update. [TS Updater] Fixed a rare issue that could cause subfolders to be moved into the root directory after an update. [TS Updater] Fixed an issue during the first launch that could cause flickering and a temporary white window appearance due to Windows Defender interactions. Changes A small improvement has been made to the internet connectivity detection algorithm. Connectivity checks are now performed in the background with minimal impact on the user interface thread. The keyboard shortcuts in the top menu have been reorganized and simplified to provide a consistent experience across all Türkaysoft applications and to avoid potential conflicts with standard Windows shortcuts. The TS Preloader splash image has been updated with a Türkiye-themed stadium design to celebrate Türkiye's qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup—its first appearance in 24 years. Congratulations, Türkiye! The TS Custom Controls module has been updated to version 26.6, delivering improved stability and a more polished visual appearance. [TS Updater] The application icon has been redesigned to provide a more modern and refined look. Note: Always unzip the program before using it. Otherwise you may get an error. Download: Glow 26.9 | 1.8 MB (Open Source) Links: Glow Homepage | Screenshot | Github Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • DWARF mini review: the world's smallest smart telescope for night and day sky captures

      By Steven P. · Posted

      DWARF mini review: the world's smallest smart telescope for night and day sky captures by Steven Parker DWARFLAB reached out to me asking if I was interested in checking out the DWARF mini, which is a portable astronomy telescope designed for amateur astronomers. Why do I say it's for amateurs? Well, for starters, it's not what you'd call "high end"; it's more of a professional-grade starting point for amateurs serious about capturing what's up there in our night and day skies. A typical amateur astronomer is most likely thousands of dollars deep into the hobby, and I will make no claims that this DWARF mini (at a fraction of the cost) could replace it all, okay? Well, if you read on, it will be clearer what I am trying to convey. Disclosure: DWARFLAB provided a free sample without any editorial input or review pre-approval. I have always been interested in looking up and observing the night sky. I see satellites crossing the sky above my garden most nights, and I am always looking at the moon. Yeah, I have a 200MP camera on my phone, but at 200X zoom, AI takes over and makes the pretty moon pictures that I snap, the DWARF mini does not, you get an actual true picture of what you can barely see with the naked eye. Before we start, let's share the highlights of the DWARF mini in bite-sized format: Pocket-Sized & Ultra-Lightweight Weighing just 1.85 lbs (840g), the DWARF mini easily fits into a backpack or large pocket. Its all-in-one, compact design makes it the ultimate grab-and-go digital telescope for hiking, camping, or traveling to dark-sky locations. Intuitive App Control & Built-in Sky Atlas Go from unboxing to your first shot in just 3 minutes! The DWARFLAB App provides a seamless experience with an interactive star map. Simply select your target and start exploring without the steep learning curve of traditional setups. Auto GOTO & 360° Pivot Freedom Enjoy pinpoint automated tracking with full 360° rotation. Powered by a high-sensitivity Sony IMX662 sensor (1/2.8-inch, 2.9μm pixels), it captures amazing, low-noise astro details, bringing faint nebulas and star clusters to life with stunning clarity. Pro-Level EQ Mode & Long Exposure Unlock advanced deep-space imaging with Equatorial (EQ) Mode. Supporting impressive single-frame exposures up to 90 seconds and featuring built-in light pollution filters, it easily cuts through city glow to reveal intricate celestial structures. Smart Cloud Processing & All-Ages Fun Effortlessly enhance your raw data with integrated cloud processing for professional-grade results. Perfect for beginners, kids, and adults, this telescope makes exploring and sharing the wonders of the universe an exciting, family-friendly adventure. The packaging is a pretty minimal affair with the outer box opening like a flap to reveal the plastic mould of the DWARF mini sitting in it. Below, the Sun filter, charging cable, cleaning cloth, and documentation can be found. DWARFLAB also provided a Mini Hydraulic Tripod ($89.99), and I highly recommend getting it if you plan on purchasing the DWARF mini, as it fully supports the motorized tracking feature of the telescope; plus, at 840g, the weight of the telescope, you will need a tripod that supports more than the weight of a smartphone anyway. What's in the box DWARF Mini Smart Telescope × 1 Sun Filter x 1 Type-C to Type-C Cord x 1 Cleaning Cloth x 1 User Guide With that out of the way, here are the full specs: DWARF mini Dimensions (DWH): 60.70 mm x 100.38 × 183.61 (2.39" x 3.95" x 7.23") Weight: 840g (1.85lbs) Aperture diameter: 30 mm (telephoto), 3.4 mm (wide angle) Image Sensor: SONY IMX662 1/2.8" (Telephoto) OmniVision OS02K10 1/2.8" (Wide-angle) Focal length: 150 mm (telephoto), 6.7 mm (wide-angle) Equivalent focal length: 1016 mm (telephoto), 45 mm (wide-angle) Shutter Speed: Tele - 1/10000-90s, Wide - 1/10000-30s Maximum exposure time: 90s (telephoto & wide-angle), Both in EQ mode Rotation range: Lens: 225°, Base: 360° Effective Pixels: 2.07M Maximum Resolution: 1920 × 1080 (Telephoto & Wide-angle) Built-in filters: Astro, Dark, Duo-Band (Telephoto), Astro (Wide-angle) Output: JPG, FITS, TIFF, MP4 Shooting Mode: Photos, Videos, Astronomy, Burst Shooting, Time-lapse Photography Storage: 64 GB Battery: Built-in 7000 mAh, supports external USB charging Charging Port: Type-C NPU: 1 TOPS Features: WiFi, NFC NFC One-Touch Connection Astronomy Post-Processing/Appointment Shooting/Astronomy Mosaic Wi-Fi Transmission Range: 15m (open environment) Color: Black Compatibility: iOS & Android smartphones/tablets Warranty: 2-years (24-months) MSRP: $399 Design Charge port On/off button Lens On the DWARF mini itself, it is a pretty minimal affair. On one side, there is a Type-C USB port to charge the non-removable 7000 mAh battery, and on the other side, a large button to power on or off the telescope. The button is flanked by an LED that is green when connected via the DWARFLAB app, or lights up red when being powered off. Below the button, there are four LEDs that indicate battery power. The DWARF mini does not have any sharp edges as all sides are rounded off; it has a good heft to it, but the weight of it feels quite balanced in the hand, so it isn't top or bottom-heavy. On the front there is the DWARFLAB logo which is quite small and there are no other markings on it. The tripod offers full 360° rotation of the motorized base, which allows for tracking for the time-lapse mode, but also for the 90-second captures of nearer objects in the sky, such as the Sun or the moon. Usage To get started, simply power on the DWARF mini and open the DWARFLAB app, tap on Connect, and it will scan for the DWARF mini over the Wi-Fi network. The device supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi, as well as Bluetooth for discovery, so connection issues were minimal in my experience with it. As previously noted in the specs, the DWARF mini will stay connected with a phone or tablet up to 15 meters in an open environment, such as a backyard. Lighting status Powering on: The green circular light will rotate and breathe in turn Powering off: The red circular light is gradually extinguished Connecting: Green light strip rotating Connected: Green light strip solid/always on 4 lights 1= 0-25%, 2= 25-50%, 3= 50-75%, 4= 75-100% battery power To view the full lighting status, such as tracking mode and connection failure, you can check the user guide on the official DWARFLAB page. DWARFLAB app Above, you can see the steps undertaken to connect the DWARFLAB app to my Galaxy S26 Ultra. Weirdly, I got an alert that a firmware update failed to get uploaded to the DWARF mini the first time, but upon retrying, it worked. Then place the DWARF mini outside, make sure your smartphone or tablet is connected to it, and then head back inside, because you can manage it from the comfort of your home. Simply enter the Atlas tab in the app and search for what you want to capture, and then tap on the camera icon; the DWARF mini will then attempt to track the object and give you a live view right on your connected device. Results I've had the DWARF mini since April, but even though my garden is south-facing, I had a lot of trouble trying to capture a good image of the moon. In the end, it was possible after I took it with me on a trip to my parents in Southend, UK, at the end of May. Here is a capture of the moon, resulting from 20 stacked images over a 90-second exposure. What you are seeing here is not AI-assisted. A good example of what I mean is the latest flagships with their 200MP cameras claiming to capture things like closeups of the moon, and while they are not as good as the above example on the DWARF mini, the resulting image on smartphones is actually AI-assisted above 30X zoom. Here is an example of a similar shot at the moon at 200X zoom using an HONOR Magic8 Pro. The difference is clear. Next, here we have a shot of the daytime moon. Here is a shot of Arcturus, the red giant star, which is the fourth brightest in the night sky. As previously mentioned, it could be a bit clearer, but clouds passing in front of it muddied the shot a bit. The Sun The DWARF mini also ships with a sun filter, meaning you can take great shots of the sun as well. Tracking Sun Resulting (stacked) shot Live zoom The pictures themselves are limited to Full HD, and some of the examples actually came out in HD (1280x720), but this is because the standard telescopic result is in 720p while "Wide" is in 1080p. Above you can see how in the app the Sun is tracked, the resulting capture, and Live zoom. I have only scratched the surface of what is possible with this telescope; I found several examples online of shots of the Milky Way, among others, such as nebulae and galaxies. All of this requires patience and knowledge, although if you know what you are looking for, simply enter it in the Atlas tab in the DWARFLAB app, tap the camera icon, and the telescope will attempt to track it. Conclusion The good The DWARF mini definitely places itself in a price point that makes astrology accessible to anyone looking to get started in the hobby. Say you want to have a closer look at the moon, simply enter it in the Atlas, and the Live view also lets you zoom in and snap pictures. The bad Some issues I came across while operating the DWARF mini were that it sometimes failed to connect unless I held my smartphone right next to it, and finding and tracking sometimes took several attempts to get it calibrated. I discovered that it helped if I sort of positioned and pointed the telescope in the general area it was supposed to detect, but this obviously wouldn't work with objects you can't see with the naked eye; more testing is required for that. Another bit of advice is to ensure that the lens is clean. While making the examples of live zooming on the sun, I discovered that the telescope lens and sun filter were not completely clean, and only after cleaning with a microfiber cloth was I able to get a decent shot of the sun. Where to buy and a coupon Okay, $399 is not cheap for a side hobby, but nor is a $1,500 smartphone flagship that you'll most likely have for a couple of years. This is a one-time entrance into astrology, and it won't become obsolete in one year like a smartphone. It's a thumbs up from me. The DWARF mini is available to buy right now in the U.S. and U.K. at the links below. DWARF mini for $399 on the official site DWARF mini for $399 on Amazon U.S. Use the NEOWIN5OFF coupon code for an additional 5% off at checkout (expires June 21) As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
    • Adobe Acrobat Reader DC 2026.001.21651

      By Mindovermaster · Posted

      Adobe Acrobat Reader Dis Continued
    • An actual cosmic "Eye of Sauron" had been looking straight at us all along

      By ZipZapRap · Posted

      The name, you mean? If so, it's actually the objects common name. There's another one called NGC 7293 which is also known as Helix Nebula (because we're looking at a helix structure top down) but other times also known as the Eye of God. You'll understand when you see it

  • Recent Achievements

    • One Month Later
      lamborghiniv10 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      lamborghiniv10 earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Reacting Well
      X-No-file earned a badge
      Reacting Well
    • One Month Later
      pestcontrol46 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      pestcontrol46 earned a badge
      Week One Done

  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      504
    2. 2
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      271
    3. 3
      Skyfrog
      75
    4. 4
      +Edouard
      71
    5. 5
      FloatingFatMan
      69
    Show More

  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!