You could drive a pickup truck into that nozzle! Oh, wait....

- Ed

The bigger the nozzle, the greater the vacuum efficiency.

Starship Flight 10: Ship 36 is now full of cryos for its first test at Masseys.

Expecting Ship 35 to join it in the coming days for its Static Fire test ahead of Flight 9.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....827b957429.png

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Looks like the next flight might be indefinitely delayed….

S35 definitely had an engine explode during testing. After the bright flash, the exhaust can be seen turning an orange-brown. This typically is seen during engine RUDs. Here is a comparison of S35 static fire and a Raptor RUD at McGregor yesterday:

S35’s 6 Engine Static Fire Test tonight.

Replay footage from @NASASpaceflight shows an object flying out of the flame trench.

Hopefully it didn’t come off the ship!

I've got a bad feeling about S35's Raptors after viewing some closeup video captured by @StarshipGazer 👀

Looks like engine 5 (leeward RVac) might have let go with at least the other RVacs aborting shortly after. Unclear if the center engines aborted at the same time or if they aborted shortly after resulting in one of the visible flashes.

video

Next launch window now slipped to 9th-22nd May.

Window now narrowed to 13th-23rd.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....0fde69c838.jpg

Wonder which starship they'll fly?

FAA playing ball
 

Looks like launch cadence can pick up dramatically if they sort their reliability 😎

https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/0...s-launch-site/

S35 back on the pad for another static fire before the next launch.

Engines replaced and, if it was a test to duplicate the inflight failure mode, hopefully a further successful test and launch.

Launch Tower B plus flame trench. You can see the 4 mounting pads for the launch mount to sit on top.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....ac5203af4.jpeg

Launch mount for pad 2 is in the air!

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....95f749856f.png

OLM lift and installation plus successful 60 second Starship static fire burn.

That's one hell of a lift!

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....914b2a45cc.png
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This was issued today - obviously they have either close their report or made a determination overnight since their statement yesterday*. But it does mean the increased cadence to 25 flights a year is now approved and cleared........

The FAA has granted the launch license to SpaceX for Starship flight 9. Launch NET May 22.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....bc11bb2044.png

*
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....61142a342e.png

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....6a0c346118.png
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The first sight of that informative map immediately shouts to me, 'If these guys want to fire space-shots on a frequent basis" (as in dozens/scores per year, rather than three or four) "then they're simply in the wrong place."

Surely it just isn't workable (or fair) to disrupt that much commercial airspace and airways for hours on end on a frequent basis? The concentration of airways out of Miami and over the Caribbean is intense - and with the literally last-minute maybe-maybe not nature of space-shots sometimes extending over several hours commercial aviation surely can't be expected to suffer this level of interference for long?

If space launch danger zones have to be as extensive as this then maybe they need to happen much, much farther away from intense airway systems than the busy caribbean - ie mid Pacific perhaps (eg Diego Garcia?)
Or is this just a temporary 'abundance of caution' associated with a new and innovatory, unproven technology that will soon prove reliable enough to become a routine and percieved hazard-minimal event? (Good luck with that!)

May I suggest you first brush up on geography (Diego Garcia is in the Indian Ocean) and, if launching at least weekly, close to their supply of methane and LOX as well as their cargo - not the other side of the world.

It should be noted however that SpaceX are also constructing a major launch complex at Canaveral for east coast launches and Vandenberg for west.

​​​​​​​https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_facilities

VideoWell, the Booster Transport Stand is heading back to the launch site...

...that's not usually amazingly good news.

VideoStarship Flight 9: Booster 14-2 is being removed from Pad A.

Just saw this (sorry, the link for it goes to a U-Tube video)

May I refer you to posts 1019 and 1030 -

https://www.pprune.org/space-flight-operations/637604-spacex-flight-testing-south-texas-51.html#post11856125

https://www.pprune.org/space-flight-operations/637604-spacex-flight-testing-south-texas-52.html#post11863303

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....f9774d26eb.png
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Starship 35 has arrived at the SpaceX Massey's test site for more testing ahead of upcoming Starship test flight 9.

An orange high explosives placard was mounted on the entrance gate right after arrival confirming that FTS (Flight Termination System) explosives have been installed on ship 35.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....d467d6cc28.png

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....bcfb8df8b7.png

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https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....f84d371388.png

..................SpaceX update ahead of Flight 9 is out:

https://spacex.com/updates/

The most probable root cause for the loss of Starship was identified as a hardware failure in one of the upper stage’s center Raptor engines that resulted in inadvertent propellant mixing and ignition. Extensive ground testing has taken place since the flight test to better understand the failure, including more than 100 long-duration Raptor firings at SpaceX’s McGregor test facility.

To address the issue on upcoming flights, engines on the Starship’s upper stage will receive additional preload on key joints, a new nitrogen purge system, and improvements to the propellant drain system. Future upgrades to Starship will introduce the Raptor 3 engine which will include additional reliability improvements to address the failure mechanism.

While the failure manifested at a similar point in the flight timeline as Starship’s seventh flight test, it is worth noting that the failures are distinctly different. The mitigations put in place after Starship’s seventh flight test to address harmonic response and flammability of the ship’s attic section worked as designed prior to the failure on Flight 8.
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Confirmation of my previous posts….

BREAKING: @SpaceX confirms Booster 14 is being expended, in return for new Atmospheric Data & a 2 engine landing burn!

"The booster will attempt to fly at a higher angle of attack during its descent. By increasing the amount of atmospheric drag on the vehicle, a higher angle of attack can result in a lower descent speed which in turn requires less propellant for the initial landing burn."

"One of the three center engines used for the final phase of landing will be intentionally disabled to gather data on the ability for a backup engine from the middle ring to complete a landing burn. The booster will then transition to only two center engines for the end of the landing burn, with shutdown occurring while still above the Gulf of America and the vehicle expected to make a hard splashdown."

Why is Ryan, a Brit, calling it the Gulf of America?
Are they really that frightened of upsetting the White House?

My money is on engine issues at the point of the pitch up and go for a re-light unless there is a significant time allowed for the fuel to settle and the gas to be purged from the feeds to the turbopumps.

Ladies & gents, we have a full stack!

This is the first stack we've seen with a flight proven Superheavy Booster (B14-2) - paired with Ship 35, this may be the most important pairing thus far in the Starship program.

Tuesday is drawing closer.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....8add1a6d7.jpeg
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Does the booster have those vents seen around the middle ?

Nah - that was a test article. This is the second outing for this particular one and it's going to go out in style, I suspect!

Does anyone have an insight to the flight plan i.e. the scope of the mission ? Launch is midnight UK time onwards.

2330 UTC/0030 BST.

Booster to recover back to Boca Chica for a water landing:

"Following stage separation, the booster will flip in a controlled direction before initiating its boostback burn. This will be achieved by blocking several of the vents on the vehicle’s hotstage adapter, causing the thrust from Starship’s engines to push the booster in a known direction. Previous booster flips went in a randomized direction based on a directional push from small differences in thrust from Starship’s upper stage engines at ignition. Flipping in a known direction will require less propellant to be held in reserve, enabling the use of more propellant during ascent to enable additional payload mass to orbit.".....

"The booster will attempt to fly at a higher angle of attack during its descent. By increasing the amount of atmospheric drag on the vehicle, a higher angle of attack can result in a lower descent speed which in turn requires less propellant for the initial landing burn.".....

"One of the three center engines used for the final phase of landing will be intentionally disabled to gather data on the ability for a backup engine from the middle ring to complete a landing burn. The booster will then transition to only two center engines for the end of the landing burn, with shutdown occurring while still above the Gulf of America and the vehicle expected to make a hard splashdown."

Starship is heading for the Indian Ocean again for another splashdown NW of Australia. Test is stressing the Starship to the limit and may, again, result to failure during re-entry, but is designed to give confidence for an attempted catch on the next flight.

"The Starship upper stage will again target multiple in-space objectives, including the deployment of eight Starlink simulators, similar in size to next-generation Starlink satellites. The Starlink simulators will be on the same suborbital trajectory as Starship and are expected to demise upon entry. A relight of a single Raptor engine while in space is also planned. The flight test includes several experiments focused on enabling Starship’s upper stage to return to the launch site.

A significant number of tiles have been removed from Starship to stress-test vulnerable areas across the vehicle during reentry. Multiple metallic tile options, including one with active cooling, will test alternative materials for protecting Starship during reentry. On the sides of the vehicle, functional catch fittings are installed and will test the fittings’ thermal and structural performance. The entire ship's tile line also received a smoothed and tapered edge to address hot spots observed during reentry on Starship’s sixth flight test.

Starship’s reentry profile is designed to intentionally stress the structural limits of the upper stage’s rear flaps while at the point of maximum entry dynamic pressure."

https://www.spacex.com/launches/miss...-flight-9&s=09

Hannah Ray en route to support B14-2 hard landing.

Appears to be on a bearing towards the 30km splashdown site (Where B13 landed) as opposed to the 60km splashdown site that B11 targeted.

This means the ocean impact WILL be visible from ground cameras on shore/

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....dc07c62047.png
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https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....88cb06527.jpeg

Thank you, the booster flip initiated by the stage separation is rather clever. I'll have the popcorn ready.

One of these days, I'll take a trip to see a launch.

I lost my virginity to my high school sweetheart on 19 April, 1966. I was a day short of my 17th birthday. It was time. I soloed in 757 Whiskey Whiskey, a Cessna 152 on my birthday, 1977. I shook hands with Rear Admiral Alan B. Shepard one fine spring day in 1995. I thanked him for "lighting the candle"! I listen to Sir Paul McCartney and Wings sing Listen to What the Man Said. The Wonder of it all, Baby!

All of these were phenomenal and indelible landmarks in my life. Another is Mr. Elon Musk and his teams' immense and awesome effort to make 39 rocket engines function perfectly while burning 12,500,000 pounds of propellant to take more than 400-feet of booster and vehicle sub-orbital.

I remember my treasured grandmother, Annie McDowell, teaching me all the major constellations in the night sky. I saw the glint in her eyes and heard the soft measure of her gentle voice as she described seeing Haley's Comet. Twice!

Those of us who dare to turn our eyes skyward do live charmed lives, do we not?

- Ed

Can’t really say that was an improvement!