SpaceX remounts Superheavy prototype #7 on launchpad
Capitalism in space: Using its giant launch tower crane that Elon Musk has dubbed Mechazilla, SpaceX engineers yesterday remounted the seventh Superheavy prototype onto the orbital launchpad in preparation for more engine tests leading to its first flight.
Booster 7 has been atop this launch mount before. Earlier this month, SpaceX conducted two “static fire” tests with Booster 7, firing the vehicle up while it remained attached to the mount.
Both of those tests — which occurred on Aug. 9 and Aug. 11, respectively — lit up just a single Raptor engine (apparently, a different one each time). And Booster 7 wasn’t fully outfitted at the time, sporting just 20 of its 33 engines (opens in new tab) (the vast majority of which stayed dormant during the tests).
After the Aug. 11 test, SpaceX lifted the Super Heavy prototype off the mount and hauled it back to a processing bay at Starbase. Technicians installed the remaining 13 Raptors and got it ready for Tuesday’s move back to the pad.
The picture above was sent out by Musk on his Twitter feed. Note the number of engines at the base. The tower itself, acting as a crane, has also simplified and speeded up operations. SpaceX can now quickly move the rocket back and forth from the assembly building, without the need of separate cranes.
The company is still targeting early September for the first orbital launch, though it also still needs to stack Starship prototype #24 (seen in the background) on top of Superheavy, and then do more tests.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Capitalism in space: Using its giant launch tower crane that Elon Musk has dubbed Mechazilla, SpaceX engineers yesterday remounted the seventh Superheavy prototype onto the orbital launchpad in preparation for more engine tests leading to its first flight.
Booster 7 has been atop this launch mount before. Earlier this month, SpaceX conducted two “static fire” tests with Booster 7, firing the vehicle up while it remained attached to the mount.
Both of those tests — which occurred on Aug. 9 and Aug. 11, respectively — lit up just a single Raptor engine (apparently, a different one each time). And Booster 7 wasn’t fully outfitted at the time, sporting just 20 of its 33 engines (opens in new tab) (the vast majority of which stayed dormant during the tests).
After the Aug. 11 test, SpaceX lifted the Super Heavy prototype off the mount and hauled it back to a processing bay at Starbase. Technicians installed the remaining 13 Raptors and got it ready for Tuesday’s move back to the pad.
The picture above was sent out by Musk on his Twitter feed. Note the number of engines at the base. The tower itself, acting as a crane, has also simplified and speeded up operations. SpaceX can now quickly move the rocket back and forth from the assembly building, without the need of separate cranes.
The company is still targeting early September for the first orbital launch, though it also still needs to stack Starship prototype #24 (seen in the background) on top of Superheavy, and then do more tests.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Has there ever been a picture like this? – a tower holding a gigantic rocket
It has a great 1950s look. For an end of life project..have a balloon tank Atlas at the top of Starship minus tiles-shiny steel all the way up.
Chris asked: “Has there ever been a picture like this? – a tower holding a gigantic rocket”
Not since 1920’s/30’s sci-fi films. Back to the future, indeed,
And, by the way, not produced by any ‘Worker’s Paradise’.
Wonder why SpaceX went with multiple small engines, and not something comparable to Saturn V”s giant F-1s.
Perhaps Elon’s greatest skill is finding first-rate people! How would one recruit and evaluate talent for a cutting-edge space company? I’ve seen their videos. Clearly he hires the best and brightest. They look like like they’re rooting for their college football team, and the SpaceX record speaks for itself. Let’s avoid the James Bond villain crap and just enjoy their progress! Pretty sure massive numbers of young people are on board.
Steve Carleton observed: “Perhaps Elon’s greatest skill is finding first-rate people!”
2nd Rule of Management: A Manager Carries Water
Hire good people, point them in the desired direction, then get the heck out of the way.
Blair I,
Hire the best available people; don’t let them get in the way of your vision.
That’s the difference.
It your job, not theirs.
If they want your job, take it.
@Steven Carleton, I suspect F-1 sized engines would be inconveniently large for the upper stage (Starship). Keeping components as common as possible throughout the rocket system helps cut down the costs, so using the same engines for both stages aids in mass-production savings.
The medium-sized raptors have allowed SpaceX to adjust the quantity and arrangement of engines for both the upper and lower stages as development has progressed. They might not have had that kind of flexibility with something much larger.
Also, they can simply shut down multiple medium engines and land with a few active throttled ones. That might have been a very tall order to ask of F-1 sized engines.
Steven Carleton pondered: “Wonder why SpaceX went with multiple small engines, and not something comparable to Saturn V”s giant F-1s.”
In addition to Matt in AZ’s thoughts, larger engines are harder to get right. They are harder to stabilize, and can take longer to develop. Raptor was an incremental increase from Merlin, so development was not as hard or time consuming.
To reinforce one of Matt in AZ’s thoughts, F1 engines had a thrust eight to ten times more than the weight of the Superheavy, so even if they could throttle down to ten percent, catching a Superheavy with the launch tower’s “chopsticks” could be tricky on a single engine, as Superheavy’s dry weight is estimated to end up being between 160 and 200 tonnes.
Might SpaceX design such an engine in the future? Could be. But at the moment, Superheavy is 10 meters diameter, the same as the Saturn V (S-IC first stage). For Superheavy, SpaceX’s F1-class engine would have to be somewhat smaller in diameter, as they would need ten or eleven of them for launch. SpaceX may choose to design a larger tanker rocket in order to accommodate one-launch retanking (SpaceX’s word for “refueling,” as this word does not include oxidizer) in low Earth orbit.
“Wonder why SpaceX went with multiple small engines, and not something comparable to Saturn V”s giant F-1s”
I get why they did not go with super big engines.
I do not get why they went with a single booster.
I had assumed (before Elon shared details) that BFR (as it was called back then) would be like Falcon 9. Taller, bigger diameter, but with 9 Raptor engines. How to manage 9 engines on a booster is a known. How to manage 27 on 3 boosters is a known.
30+ on a single booster is N-1 territory, and that did not go so well. The complexity reaches ludicrous levels. And in recent interviews he has talked about the complexity of the start up for that many engines.
Granted, computer control has come a long way since then. But it still seems crazy. He could still get a huge amount of lift. He would have to sacrifice diameter, closer to 5.2m from 10. With a widened fairing, maybe get out to 6.5 or 7? (not sure what the ratio is for how much you can expand your fairing/vessel). Based on what I read about being able to throttle down, they would still be able to land/catch as well. Just.. 3 instead of 1.
Either way, I think it would still be the biggest thing flying.