SpaceX flight testing in South Texas
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
SpaceX has yet to submit all necessary information for the launch license modification.
Statement by the FAA provided to @NASASpaceflight :
Statement by the FAA provided to @NASASpaceflight :
SpaceX seeks a waiver to launch Starship “at least” nine times this year | Ars Technica
As SpaceX nears its first Starship launch of 2024—possibly as soon as within three weeks—from its Starbase facility in South Texas, the company is pressing regulators to increase its cadence of flights.
"They're looking at a pretty aggressive launch schedule this year," he said. "They're looking at, I believe, at least nine launches this year. That's a lot of launches. If you're doing modifications and doing them one by one, that's a lot of work. We've been talking to SpaceX constantly around the clock, coming together and trying to figure out how do we do this. We're invested with the company, and so we'll work with them to get them back going as soon as they can."
Nine! That's one per month nearly. I know they've got about five boosters and Starship either completed or almost ready but nine! I can only assume they expect to be able to land and reuse some of them.
Bring it on I say.
Bring it on I say.
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Very interesting details in the post incident analysis. The root cause of the failure of the booster seems like it was one situation we didn’t mention in the latest episode but was one Ryan suggested could have happened.
Sounds like slosh baffles may have broken free during the deceleration event and fallen to the bottom of the tank. This may be the debris that is being referred to. I still need to think about this one a bit more. …
https://www.spacex.com/updates
FEBRUARY 26, 2024
BUILDING ON THE SUCCESS OF STARSHIP’S SECOND FLIGHT TEST
The second flight test of Starship and Super Heavy achieved a number of important milestones as we continue to advance the capabilities of the most powerful launch system ever developed.
On November 18, 2023, Starship successfully lifted off at 7:02 a.m. CT from Starbase in Texas. All 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy Booster started up successfully and, for the first time, completed a full-duration burn during ascent. Starship then executed a successful hot-stage separation, the first time this technique has been done successfully with a vehicle of this size.
Following stage separation, Super Heavy initiated its boostback burn, which sends commands to 13 of the vehicle’s 33 Raptor engines to propel the rocket toward its intended landing location. During this burn, several engines began shutting down before one engine failed energetically, quickly cascading to a rapid unscheduled disassembly (RUD) of the booster. The vehicle breakup occurred more than three and a half minutes into the flight at an altitude of ~90 km over the Gulf of Mexico.
The most likely root cause for the booster RUD was determined to be filter blockage where liquid oxygen is supplied to the engines, leading to a loss of inlet pressure in engine oxidizer turbopumps that eventually resulted in one engine failing in a way that resulted in loss of the vehicle. SpaceX has since implemented hardware changes inside future booster oxidizer tanks to improve propellant filtration capabilities and refined operations to increase reliability.
At vehicle separation, Starship’s upper stage successfully lit all six Raptor engines and flew a normal ascent until approximately seven minutes into the flight, when a planned vent of excess liquid oxygen propellant began. Additional propellant had been loaded on the spacecraft before launch in order to gather data representative of future payload deploy missions and needed to be disposed of prior to reentry to meet required propellant mass targets at splashdown.
A leak in the aft section of the spacecraft that developed when the liquid oxygen vent was initiated resulted in a combustion event and subsequent fires that led to a loss of communication between the spacecraft’s flight computers. This resulted in a commanded shut down of all six engines prior to completion of the ascent burn, followed by the Autonomous Flight Safety System detecting a mission rule violation and activating the flight termination system, leading to vehicle breakup. The flight test’s conclusion came when the spacecraft was as at an altitude of ~150 km and a velocity of ~24,000 km/h, becoming the first Starship to reach outer space.
SpaceX has implemented hardware changes on upcoming Starship vehicles to improve leak reduction, fire protection, and refined operations associated with the propellant vent to increase reliability. The previously planned move from a hydraulic steering system for the vehicle’s Raptor engines to an entirely electric system also removes potential sources of flammability.
The water-cooled flame deflector and other pad upgrades made after Starship’s first flight test performed as expected, requiring minimal post-launch work to be ready for vehicle tests and the next integrated flight test.
Following the flight test, SpaceX led the investigation efforts with oversight from the FAA and participation from NASA, and the National Transportation Safety Board.
Upgrades derived from the flight test will debut on the next Starship and Super Heavy vehicles to launch from Starbase on Flight 3. SpaceX is also implementing planned performance upgrades, including the debut of a new electronic Thrust Vector Control system for Starship’s upper stage Raptor engines and improving the speed of propellant loading operations prior to launch.
More Starships are ready to fly, putting flight hardware in a flight environment to learn as quickly as possible. Recursive improvement is essential as we work to build a fully reusable launch system capable of carrying satellites, payloads, crew, and cargo to a variety of orbits and Earth, lunar, or Martian landing sites
Sounds like slosh baffles may have broken free during the deceleration event and fallen to the bottom of the tank. This may be the debris that is being referred to. I still need to think about this one a bit more. …
https://www.spacex.com/updates
FEBRUARY 26, 2024
BUILDING ON THE SUCCESS OF STARSHIP’S SECOND FLIGHT TEST
The second flight test of Starship and Super Heavy achieved a number of important milestones as we continue to advance the capabilities of the most powerful launch system ever developed.
On November 18, 2023, Starship successfully lifted off at 7:02 a.m. CT from Starbase in Texas. All 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy Booster started up successfully and, for the first time, completed a full-duration burn during ascent. Starship then executed a successful hot-stage separation, the first time this technique has been done successfully with a vehicle of this size.
Following stage separation, Super Heavy initiated its boostback burn, which sends commands to 13 of the vehicle’s 33 Raptor engines to propel the rocket toward its intended landing location. During this burn, several engines began shutting down before one engine failed energetically, quickly cascading to a rapid unscheduled disassembly (RUD) of the booster. The vehicle breakup occurred more than three and a half minutes into the flight at an altitude of ~90 km over the Gulf of Mexico.
The most likely root cause for the booster RUD was determined to be filter blockage where liquid oxygen is supplied to the engines, leading to a loss of inlet pressure in engine oxidizer turbopumps that eventually resulted in one engine failing in a way that resulted in loss of the vehicle. SpaceX has since implemented hardware changes inside future booster oxidizer tanks to improve propellant filtration capabilities and refined operations to increase reliability.
At vehicle separation, Starship’s upper stage successfully lit all six Raptor engines and flew a normal ascent until approximately seven minutes into the flight, when a planned vent of excess liquid oxygen propellant began. Additional propellant had been loaded on the spacecraft before launch in order to gather data representative of future payload deploy missions and needed to be disposed of prior to reentry to meet required propellant mass targets at splashdown.
A leak in the aft section of the spacecraft that developed when the liquid oxygen vent was initiated resulted in a combustion event and subsequent fires that led to a loss of communication between the spacecraft’s flight computers. This resulted in a commanded shut down of all six engines prior to completion of the ascent burn, followed by the Autonomous Flight Safety System detecting a mission rule violation and activating the flight termination system, leading to vehicle breakup. The flight test’s conclusion came when the spacecraft was as at an altitude of ~150 km and a velocity of ~24,000 km/h, becoming the first Starship to reach outer space.
SpaceX has implemented hardware changes on upcoming Starship vehicles to improve leak reduction, fire protection, and refined operations associated with the propellant vent to increase reliability. The previously planned move from a hydraulic steering system for the vehicle’s Raptor engines to an entirely electric system also removes potential sources of flammability.
The water-cooled flame deflector and other pad upgrades made after Starship’s first flight test performed as expected, requiring minimal post-launch work to be ready for vehicle tests and the next integrated flight test.
Following the flight test, SpaceX led the investigation efforts with oversight from the FAA and participation from NASA, and the National Transportation Safety Board.
Upgrades derived from the flight test will debut on the next Starship and Super Heavy vehicles to launch from Starbase on Flight 3. SpaceX is also implementing planned performance upgrades, including the debut of a new electronic Thrust Vector Control system for Starship’s upper stage Raptor engines and improving the speed of propellant loading operations prior to launch.
More Starships are ready to fly, putting flight hardware in a flight environment to learn as quickly as possible. Recursive improvement is essential as we work to build a fully reusable launch system capable of carrying satellites, payloads, crew, and cargo to a variety of orbits and Earth, lunar, or Martian landing sites
All very positive. It was almost a success.
Any news on the next launch date. My guesses are well off. 😁
Any news on the next launch date. My guesses are well off. 😁
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/26/faa-...h-license.html
The Federal Aviation Administration on Monday announced the close of its investigation alongside SpaceX into the second Starship flight, as Elon Musk’s company seeks a license to launch the towering rocket again.
SpaceX led an investigation that the FAA oversaw into the Nov. 18 launch of a Starship prototype that reached space before being intentionally destroyed due to a problem with the rocket.
The FAA noted that SpaceX identified 17 corrective actions from the mishap.
“Prior to the next launch, SpaceX must implement all corrective actions and receive a license. … The FAA is evaluating SpaceX’s license modification request and expects SpaceX to submit additional required information before a final determination can be made,” the federal regulator said in a statement…..
The company emphasized that it has already made “changes on upcoming Starship vehicles” to resolve the issues from the second test flight, with “upgrades” to the booster and Starship prototypes that are set to launch the third test flight.
The 17 corrective actions following the second Starship flight also represent a marked improvement from the first, which required 63 corrective actions before the rocket launched again.
Musk said in a social media discussion last week* that he expects the company to be ready to launch the third Starship test flight as soon as mid-March, although the SpaceX CEO also said, shortly after the November launch, that the third flight’s rocket would be “ready to fly in three to four weeks.”
* “The Third Starship Flight Test (IFT-3) is targeted to be on the second week of March…. "The probability of Starship reaching the orbit is 70-80% this time."
The Federal Aviation Administration on Monday announced the close of its investigation alongside SpaceX into the second Starship flight, as Elon Musk’s company seeks a license to launch the towering rocket again.
SpaceX led an investigation that the FAA oversaw into the Nov. 18 launch of a Starship prototype that reached space before being intentionally destroyed due to a problem with the rocket.
The FAA noted that SpaceX identified 17 corrective actions from the mishap.
“Prior to the next launch, SpaceX must implement all corrective actions and receive a license. … The FAA is evaluating SpaceX’s license modification request and expects SpaceX to submit additional required information before a final determination can be made,” the federal regulator said in a statement…..
The company emphasized that it has already made “changes on upcoming Starship vehicles” to resolve the issues from the second test flight, with “upgrades” to the booster and Starship prototypes that are set to launch the third test flight.
The 17 corrective actions following the second Starship flight also represent a marked improvement from the first, which required 63 corrective actions before the rocket launched again.
Musk said in a social media discussion last week* that he expects the company to be ready to launch the third Starship test flight as soon as mid-March, although the SpaceX CEO also said, shortly after the November launch, that the third flight’s rocket would be “ready to fly in three to four weeks.”
* “The Third Starship Flight Test (IFT-3) is targeted to be on the second week of March…. "The probability of Starship reaching the orbit is 70-80% this time."
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
The SpaceX post that notes the WDR was completed, thus successfully, with the epic drone shots (only SpaceX can fly a drone there).
The next milestone will be the launch license from the FAA, short destack to arm FTS (Flight Termination System), and then send it.
(My note - full load of fuel took only 45 minutes after updates to the tanks and fuelling system)…
Starship completed its rehearsal for launch, loading more than 10 million pounds of propellant on Starship and Super Heavy and taking the flight-like countdown to T-10 seconds
The next milestone will be the launch license from the FAA, short destack to arm FTS (Flight Termination System), and then send it.
(My note - full load of fuel took only 45 minutes after updates to the tanks and fuelling system)…
Starship completed its rehearsal for launch, loading more than 10 million pounds of propellant on Starship and Super Heavy and taking the flight-like countdown to T-10 seconds
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Flight 3 Starship will target a new splashdown location in the Indian Ocean.
https://www.spacex.com/launches/miss...rship-flight-3
https://www.spacex.com/launches/miss...rship-flight-3
FTS explosive charges fitted.
Weather looks rubbish though for next week.
Weather looks rubbish though for next week.
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Shortly before I posted my first detailed thread about my #SuperHeavy #B9 propellant simulation results, #SpaceX rolled B10 to the launch site, and some new weld marks were observed in the lower LOX tank. Like others, I also speculated this may indicate new slosh baffles. /1
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1...467104769.html
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1...467104769.html
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
The FAA Operations Plan Advisory now includes the Starship OFT-3 launch on the 14th, with backup dates listed as the 15th, 16th, 17th, and 18th.
Starship Flight 3 Checklist! 🚀
•FAA mishap investigation ✅
•Marine hazard notices ✅
•Flight road closures ✅
•FTS installation ✅
• FAA launch license 🔜
•All TFRs 🔜
•Evacuation notice 🔜
(Credit: SpaceX)
Starship Flight 3 Checklist! 🚀
•FAA mishap investigation ✅
•Marine hazard notices ✅
•Flight road closures ✅
•FTS installation ✅
• FAA launch license 🔜
•All TFRs 🔜
•Evacuation notice 🔜
(Credit: SpaceX)
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
The most relevant website URL of the day / week goes to - https://hasspacexreceivedtheift3laun...cationyet.com/ - it parses the FAA's websites, caches the response and displays if SpaceX has received the launch license modification! Great work @OptoCloud!
Tabs please !
The website suggests that not all of the permissions are in place, what's happening ?
I see that the fuelling system can deliver a full propellant load in something like 45 mins which is remarkable. I guess that reduces the need for insulation and as Musk has said, "the best part is no part at all".
I see that the fuelling system can deliver a full propellant load in something like 45 mins which is remarkable. I guess that reduces the need for insulation and as Musk has said, "the best part is no part at all".
Tabs please !
Wx looking best for Friday, fingers crossed.