Stacked Starship and Superheavy complete first full wet dress rehearsal countdown
SpaceX yesterday successfully completed a full wet dress rehearsal countdown of its stacked Starship prototype #24 and Superheavy prototype #7, fueling both completely and taking the countdown down to T-0.
On this rehearsal however the Superheavy engines were not fired. From two SpaceX tweets:
Starship completed its first full flight-like wet dress rehearsal at Starbase today. This was the first time an integrated Ship and Booster were fully loaded with more than 10 million pounds of propellant
Today’s test will help verify a full launch countdown sequence, as well as the performance of Starship and the orbital pad for flight-like operations
Next step: Another full wet dress rehearsal countdown that includes a short static fire test of all 33 Superheavy Raptor-2 engines. Once that is done successfully, the company will be ready for that first orbital launch.
Meanwhile, SpaceX awaits its launch license from the FAA. I remain pessimistic that it will be issued on a timely manner, as there are clear signs the Biden administration wants to use its power against Musk, whom it now sees as an enemy.
The support of my readers through the years has given me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Four years ago, just before the 2020 election I wrote that Joe Biden's mental health was suspect. Only in this year has the propaganda mainstream media decided to recognize that basic fact.
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SpaceX yesterday successfully completed a full wet dress rehearsal countdown of its stacked Starship prototype #24 and Superheavy prototype #7, fueling both completely and taking the countdown down to T-0.
On this rehearsal however the Superheavy engines were not fired. From two SpaceX tweets:
Starship completed its first full flight-like wet dress rehearsal at Starbase today. This was the first time an integrated Ship and Booster were fully loaded with more than 10 million pounds of propellant
Today’s test will help verify a full launch countdown sequence, as well as the performance of Starship and the orbital pad for flight-like operations
Next step: Another full wet dress rehearsal countdown that includes a short static fire test of all 33 Superheavy Raptor-2 engines. Once that is done successfully, the company will be ready for that first orbital launch.
Meanwhile, SpaceX awaits its launch license from the FAA. I remain pessimistic that it will be issued on a timely manner, as there are clear signs the Biden administration wants to use its power against Musk, whom it now sees as an enemy.
The support of my readers through the years has given me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Four years ago, just before the 2020 election I wrote that Joe Biden's mental health was suspect. Only in this year has the propaganda mainstream media decided to recognize that basic fact.
Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Even today NASA and Congress refuse to recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the 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. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
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.
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are five 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:
5. 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. And if you buy the books through the ebookit links, I get a larger cut and I get it sooner.
Interestingly, there’s now considerable evidence that SpaceX is planning to install a full water deluge system at the Starbase orbital pad (See the new videos from NSF and Zack Golden); what remains unclear is whether they will do so *before* the 33 engine static fire, or after.
If it’s before, that might push the test fire back a couple weeks. But then, it is posible they need that time for other preparations anyway?
Richard M: I suspect they will have that spare time as they wait for the FAA to approve the launch license.
Yesterday after the WDR the rumor was that the 33 engine static fire was about two weeks out for additional work on the pad, but this morning that same source is saying “nope, plans change, not that far out.” So possibly next week. The real push for the launch license won’t even start until after the static fire, then we’ll see if the FAA is going to do their job in a timely fashion, drag their feet, or be actively hostile.
Launch attempt in Q1 23 no longer seems likely, I believe SpaceX is still hoping for March but expecting April.
Hello Robert,
David makes a good point here: “The real push for the launch license won’t even start until after the static fire.” SpaceX can’t file the application until they have all the data from a full static fire. This could be an additional reason for moving as quickly as possible on a static fire (assuming all the hardware is otherwise ready).
But I have heard the same rumor: they really do seem to want to do the static fire on an accelerated schedule, possibly within the week. If this is true, then the deluge system may be be installed after the static fire, but before the launch attempt.
How much will the FAA hold things up? As I have said before, the one thing SpaceX has going in its favor is that it actually has some bureaucracies on its side, finally. NASA, the USSF, and NRO all have keen interest in making use of Starship; NASA’s human spaceflight program is basically staked on it. One wonders what pressure they can bring to bear.
As always, I hope my pessimism about the corruption of our government is wrong. However, in my life I have found such pessimism routinely confirmed, so we must keep that in mind.
And yes, by becoming customers instead of builders, agencies like NASA, the Space Force, and the NRO have become dependent of private companies like SpaceX. It will thus be in their interest to push the Biden administration to approve the launch license.
Very minor edit in last sentence: “whom it now sees…”
Elon Musk never released the promised Twitter “Fauci Files” a couple weeks ago. Maybe he’s negotiating a deal.
There was a water deluge at the end of the WDR. Whether it is the final version, and whether it is capable of handling the full 33-engine static fire, is unknown.
Andi: Ah, the endless conflict between “who” and “whom.” :) Fixed. Thank you.
Hi Diane,
I think what you’re thinking of is the Orbital Launch Mount’s detonation suppression system. It’s not actually a water deluge system – nowhere near enough water volume or pressure.
The deluge system they appear to be gearing up for seems to be something very similar to what they have recently installed on the LC-39A OLM, which is installed underground around the OLM, and entails very large water tank systems.
I saw something, tho I cannot find it now, stating SS would be unstacked from SH before the static fire.
I am assuming that is to protect it, just in case of “foom, boom, and bang”.
But I also heard that they will need a lot of restraints for all 33 engines.
sippin_bourbon: Indeed.
https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1618426581428621317?s=20&t=J8yMoXs741E-cfVE1Vb17A
I saw something, tho I cannot find it now, stating SS would be unstacked from SH before the static fire.
They just did it this afternoon!
I worry about the 33-engine static fire. At a thrust / weight ratio of 1.5, the real full stack will clear the tower in about 8 seconds or less, according to the scratching on the back of my envelope.
Optimistically, pad-damaging thrust levels should decline before that, say after 5 seconds, SWAG.
If held hard down on the launch ring for for a minimally-relevent 5 seconds or so, Superheavy could do a lot of damage, not the least to itself!
Damage to the pad has been an obvious issue since some of the early test fires. SpaceX has since put in an enormous amount of work on deluge systems, deflectors, steel blast barriers, etc. Presumably they believe they have it handled, or at least mostly so. Also remember that the Raptor is a deep throttling engine. The static fire will almost certainly not hold full thrust on all engines for long, if at all.
Mr. Z “As always, I hope my pessimism about the corruption of our government is wrong.”
Something you can take to the bank—each SLS core your see–WILL fly–not just be the latest addition to the rocket garden like Starship 24
https://twitter.com/thejackbeyer/status/1618662902516576256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1618662902516576256%7Ctwgr%5Ee85df06c6bb5d283573d849a9cae3bb34826b506%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.secretprojects.co.uk%2Fthreads%2Fspacex-general-discussion.13774%2Fpage-138
Artemis III on the way
https://twitter.com/NASA_SLS/status/1614321465263886337?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1614321465263886337%7Ctwgr%5E87a50d321d358bda0d18975ca86ec187bc7a631f%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.secretprojects.co.uk%2Fthreads%2Fnasa-space-launch-system-sls.13729%2Fpage-23
Marshall is no longer re-building—we’re reloading.
So you go right ahead with the libertarian colored glasses—let Elon build his toys and park them.
SLS has flown—and WILL fly again.
Starship is just a totem.
Worship the stainless steel calf at your own hazard.
I am a member of the one TRUE church of the heavy lift.