Super Heavy moving to the pad at Starbase.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....51b2667696.png

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....275b9773e2.png
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Starship Flight 8: Booster 15 conducts Static Fire test!

Video.This was crazy. A nearly 60 second long Static Fire Test from Ship 34!

This is something I've been hoping to see for a long time.

A long duration test like this was only recently enabled by increasing the capacity of the Liquid Nitrogen storage for the deluge system.

​​​​​​​Side note...I'm not so sure what to think about the ending of this test. Looked a little spicy. Hopefully everything turned out okay.

Better footage of the static fire.

Video.Molten slag observed being ejected from the flame deflector during S34's sixty-second static fire last night.

It's possible that this correlates to moderate or severe damage to the deflector surface after such a harsh test. Concrete spalling would not throw this many sparks; this is almost certainly material from the deflector itself.

Snapshots of a few instances of the observed debris;

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....c7be454a1.jpeg
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S36 nosecone and payload section has rolled out of Starfactory, and she's prepped for catching!

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....8e142018ea.png

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....57cc6eb3a6.png
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https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....f182b62c87.png

An official airspace advisory has been posted for Starship test flight 8 listing Wednesday February 26th 2025 as the primary launch date with backups the following days.

https://www.cadenaois.org/vpublic_an...il.jsp?view=15

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....5c9106fa5e.png
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From Nasaspaceflight.com
•BREAKING• Per a Federal Aviation Administration-supported advisory, SpaceX is targeting no earlier than February 26th, 2025 for Starship Flight 8. Backup dates between February 27th and March 6th. Daily windows between 5:30pm and 7:09pm CST (23:30 and 01:09 UTC).

FCC document notes that Starship Flight 9 (after the upcoming launch) has the option of Ship returning to the launch site for a catch.

Although unconfirmed by SpaceX, Flight 9 has the potential of reflying Booster 14, with Ship 35, and both returning to the launch site, with Booster returning to Pad A and Ship to Pad B.

https://apps.fcc.gov/oetcf/els/repor...stTimeout=1000

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....0558a6bff2.png
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Surely they would want to achieve stable orbit, a deorbit burn and an accurate soft landing in the Gulf of Mexico before that. Wouldn't they?

As with the booster they can aim for a catch and divert to a water landing up to about a minute beforehand.

48 hour slip.

Elon has just announced that SpaceX intends to launch Starship test flight 8 this coming Friday February 28th at 5:30 pm cst. Let's Go!!

Is that 11:30 GMT?

2330Z - see post 968.

Launch is now Monday March 3rd.

FTS (Flight Termination System) explosives are currently being installed on Booster 15 for Starship test flight 8.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....6bd53f598.jpeg
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FAA issued the launch license for Starship Test Flight 8 today.

https://drs.faa.gov/browse/excelExte...dalOpened=true

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....dc5b839d06.png

The hot staging ring has been re-installed onto Booster 15 tonight ahead of Starship test flight 8.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....05e135d9c2.png
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B16 rolling out for cryo. If it takes the same time as B15 after this then it will fly in roughly 2 months. Although it is speculated B14 will fly again for flight 9….

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....aa5bf9e352.png
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No attempt at a Starship catch tomorrow.

Not surprised really. I mean the block 2 Starship hasn't even made orbit yet.

Scrub for the day - next window tomorrow.

48 hour slip - now targeting the same time on Wednesday.

SpaceX: ”The eighth flight test of Starship is preparing to launch as soon as Wednesday, March 5. The launch window will open at 5:30 p.m. CT.”

Really must drop Elon an email and point out that these late (GMT) launches are not convenient and the slips in the launch window are just not on. Push the damn red button and see what happens - that's what "Hardware rich development" means :E

Musk about the scrub....

Too many question marks about this flight and then we were 20 bar low on ground spin start pressure. Best to destack, inspect both stages and try again in a day or two.

Launch now expected tomorrow around 23:30 GMT.

Everybody in the Caribbean running for cover.

They'd safed the FTS from the feed. Wonder if there's the option to un-safe it again?!

Why cant they report in the English Language? This is gibberish "a rapid unscheduled disassembly"

Blame the lawyers. Explosion becomes 'rapid unscheduled disassembly' - fire becomes 'rapid oxidation', a broken cable now has 'separated'.

Footage of SpaceX’s Starship breaking up on reentry over the Bahamas and West Indies.

Discussion of possible RUD causes….

I think they had their tongue in their cheek when they came up with that one. See also "Falcon Heavy", I bet it is.

I used to describe a situation as "Failure Under Continual Test" ......or FUCT.

It's an in joke. Fan boys and Musk have been using it for years with tongue firmly in cheek.
Lighten up!

Cannot remember that many Apollo's blowing up. Had issues, yes, in all the tests, but not like Musks lot.

The Saturn V has the rather unique claim that it never experienced a failure that prevented the payload from reaching earth orbit. No other US launch system with more than 10 launches can make that claim.
What Musk and company is doing is much closer to what the US did with the Atlas - launch one, see what fails, fix it and try again. Similar to Starship, Atlas's were mass-produced (I think total production was over a thousand).
Even after the Atlas was man-rated for the Mercury program, the failure rate was not low - around 25% - NASA was somewhat fortunate that four manned Mercury-Atlas launches were successful.
Obviously Starship will need to get far better reliability than that before they can think of man-rating it.

Just stumbled across this - puts things into perspective a bit:

Von Braun was lucky.