Starship fifth prototype set for first 500 foot hop
Capitalism in space: SpaceX fifth Starship prototype has passed all of its static fire tests and is now ready for its first flight, a 500 foot vertical hop.
That hop should occur within days.
I have embedded a nice video that summarizes well all of the work being done right now at SpaceX’s Boca Chica facility in Texas, including the construction of large assembly buildings for both Starship and Super Heavy.
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Capitalism in space: SpaceX fifth Starship prototype has passed all of its static fire tests and is now ready for its first flight, a 500 foot vertical hop.
That hop should occur within days.
I have embedded a nice video that summarizes well all of the work being done right now at SpaceX’s Boca Chica facility in Texas, including the construction of large assembly buildings for both Starship and Super Heavy.
Readers!
Every February I run a fund-raising drive during my birthday month. This year I celebrate my 72nd birthday, and hope and plan to continue writing and posting on Behind the Black for as long as I am able.
I hope my readers will support this effort. As I did in my November fund-raising drive, I am offering autographed copies of my books for large donations. Donate $250 and you can have a choice of the hardback of either Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8 or Conscious Choice: The origins of slavery in America and why it matters today and for our future in outer space. Donate $200 and you can get an autographed paperback copy of either. IMPORTANT! If you donate enough to get a book, please email me separately to tell me which book you want and the address to mail it to.
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. 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.
All the past tests used one single raptor engine and I wondered if this one was going to use multiple due to the planned 150m height. I confirmed that they will be using one engine for this test.
SpaceX’s Starship design of 31 engines always reminded me of the Russian’s N-1 with the 30 engines. SpaceX is approaching this design from the angle of testing everything first and scaling up. I read about the N-1 and they pretty much put together the components, skipped some integration testing steps, and went for launch. I am sure the quality control for the Raptor is a lot better than the NK-15.
Jay: One more point to SpaceX’s advantage: They have considerable experience making nine engines work together on Falcon 9. That knowledge is directly applicable to Super Heavy.
And, indeed, managing the 27 engines for Falcon Heavy. I think they staggered the ignition events on FH for the first few events, then changed to all at once, so there was some iteration there. Not sure what the plan is for Super Heavy.
At ignition, Soyuz lights THIRTY motors by pyrotechnic flares mounted on birch poles, aka, a 4’ match!
They strike the matches (electrically) at T-20 before the fuel or oxidizer is introduced.
With 1700 tries since 1966, they have it down pretty good.
Captain Emeritus,
Robert explains this here:
https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/russians-use-wooden-matches-to-ignite-rocket-engines/
Jay, an interesting thing about the SN5 prototype flight vs. the Starhopper flight of last August is that while they both use a single Raptor engine, the engine was centered on Starhopper, whereas it is offset on SN5, since it is mounted one of the three inner positions of a proper Starship thrust puck. (Starship will eventually fly with three inner Sea Level Raptor engines and 3 outer Vacuum optimized Raptors.)
So when SN5 lifts off, we should expect a bit of a “power slide” (as with the Atlas V 411), where it will translate horizontally a bit as it starts its way up. We should also expect a bit of cant as it flies. How much, I don’t know, but I’m expecting it to be visible.
Rose,
Wow! I did not know about the offset on the engine. It will be an interesting test.