Update on SpaceX activities leading to the next Superheavy/Starship orbital test flight
Link here. Lots happening, including fueling and static fire tests of Starship prototype #26 (which will not fly) and major changes on Starship prototype #30, which is slated to make that fifth test flight:
Ship 30 continues to receive upgrades, preparing it for Flight Five. Now, with most of the older tiles removed [18,000 total], new similar-sized tiles are being attached to Ship 30. These tiles could potentially have a different formula, which would make them more resistant to heat while holding a similar size.
Also, an ablative pyron layer is being added to the hot spots where Ship 30 is most likely infiltrated by plasma during entry. Pyron is used in the Falcon 9’s engine bay and is a material that SpaceX knows and trusts.
SpaceX has said it is targeting July for the flight, and the FAA has said the company’s launch license will allow it to launch whenever it is ready, with no FAA red tape to stand in the way.
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 print edition can be purchased at Amazon. from any other book seller, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit.
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
Link here. Lots happening, including fueling and static fire tests of Starship prototype #26 (which will not fly) and major changes on Starship prototype #30, which is slated to make that fifth test flight:
Ship 30 continues to receive upgrades, preparing it for Flight Five. Now, with most of the older tiles removed [18,000 total], new similar-sized tiles are being attached to Ship 30. These tiles could potentially have a different formula, which would make them more resistant to heat while holding a similar size.
Also, an ablative pyron layer is being added to the hot spots where Ship 30 is most likely infiltrated by plasma during entry. Pyron is used in the Falcon 9’s engine bay and is a material that SpaceX knows and trusts.
SpaceX has said it is targeting July for the flight, and the FAA has said the company’s launch license will allow it to launch whenever it is ready, with no FAA red tape to stand in the way.
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 print edition can be purchased at Amazon. from any other book seller, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. 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
” . . . FAA has said the company’s launch license will allow it to launch whenever it is ready, with no FAA red tape to stand in the way.”
Could it be, that the ‘We really need this capability, folks’ lobby is gaining influence in Washington?
Actually there is a caveat wrt the launch license status. As it stands SpaceX appears clear to fly again with a mission profile substantively similar to that flight 4. If however they do want to attempt a true Return to Launch Site booster recovery with a Megazilla Catch maneuver, then they are going to need to file an updated launch profile and an amended license for the flight.
Given the heat shield refurb under way on ship 30 and the pace of progress on Tower 2, I wouldn’t be surprised if they do decide to go for it. My logic here is as follows:
– The ship 30 work will probably take a few more weeks than expected, so call it late August instead of July
– All the parts for Tower 2 are essentially done and ready to stack
– The crane to stack them is now on site and being assembled too, so erecting the tower by lickity split seems feasible
– With that done but not yet plumbed into the tank farm or having an orbital launch mount, Tower 2 would still seem fully ready to try a catch with
– And if that goes badly they hit a snag, but the main Tower 1 and Stage 0 infrastructure would likely be OK unless they fubar wildly
So my guess is end of August with a catch attempt on Tower 2.. But that is all it is, a guess.
MDN: While everything you say makes sense, I think it would be a mistake for SpaceX to go for a chopstick landing on the next launch. I say, better to get off the ground quickly to test the new tiles and learn more about getting Starship back to Earth in one piece. If they launch in July and succeed at this, they could then apply immediately with the FAA for a chopstick landing on the next flight, and possibly be ready to launch again in August or early September, with FAA approval.
This provides a much faster pace of operations, something SpaceX is known for.
Agreed… maybe an even steeper trajectory to see how much Starship can take.