Falcon Heavy static fire test scrubbed for today
Capitalism in space: SpaceX decided to scrub its Falcon Heavy static fire test today soon after they had loaded propellants into the rocket during countdown.
No details, but it appears to me that they are taking this test very seriously, and approaching each step with care. This was the first time they had loaded the entire Falcon Heavy, and I am not surprised they saw an issue that made them hesitate about continuing.
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Capitalism in space: SpaceX decided to scrub its Falcon Heavy static fire test today soon after they had loaded propellants into the rocket during countdown.
No details, but it appears to me that they are taking this test very seriously, and approaching each step with care. This was the first time they had loaded the entire Falcon Heavy, and I am not surprised they saw an issue that made them hesitate about continuing.
Readers!
My annual February birthday fund-raising drive for Behind the Black is now over. Thank you to everyone who donated or subscribed. While not a record-setter, the donations were more than sufficient and slightly above average.
As I have said many times before, I can’t express what it means to me to get such support, especially as no one is required to pay anything to read my work. Thank you all again!
For those readers who like my work here at Behind the Black and haven't contributed so far, please consider donating or subscribing. My analysis of space, politics, and culture, taken from the perspective of an historian, is almost always on the money and ahead of the game. For example, in 2020 I correctly predicted that the COVID panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Every one of those 2020 conclusions has turned out right.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
Elon has made the point that FH is not just 3 F9s with the center core a major modification. A lot is riding on the FH even though it is already obsolete before its first flight. Business schools will be developing SpaceX case studies for decades.
It’s a living example of Zeno’s paradox. By the time the industry catches up to the FH (if they ever do?) SpaceX will have moved their entire production on to the next level… BFR: one ship to rule them all.
Their caution is well justified because it doesn’t paralyze them from continuing to move forward. Without a visionary at the helm the others can’t make the moves to keep up or surpass. Bezos might get into the game at some point because Blue Origin has both the funding and the possibility of being flexible enough. I think the failures SpaceX had in the passed have given them experience to avoid the slow downs that come with it.
BE-4 looks like it will be a success. While they are going for high performance Raptor has had its thrust lowered. What does Elon know that Jeff doesn’t? Reuse perhaps? What will the life of the Raptor be compared to the BE-4?
This is probably just my perception but it felt like toward the end of last year, there was a bit of a rush and a lot of will/won’t they speculation about getting FH off before the end of the year. Obviously they weren’t worried about launching by the end of the year but now that the time has passed, maybe there is less pressure from the outside and SpaceX feels more comfortable taking a bit more time to get things right.
Adding some extra words cause of a duplicate comment problem. Gee I sure hope this is enough. I am already tired of typing, so tough!
Ran across this: “Wet Dress Rehearsal successful (old news) – static fire was postponed because a minor issue with one of the hold down clamps (update).” It appears the issue was gse related.
https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-falcon-heavy-first-static-fire-test-cape-canaveral-scrubbed
I have not seen this web site before so I do not know its reliability,
Michael,
Thanks for the link. A problem with a hold-down clamp would explain why the rocket was lowered then raised again, this morning.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/01/09/falcon-heavy-demo-flight-preparations/
I noticed that the new test schedule is for sometime between 5PM and 10PM (EST) Tomorrow (Saturday).