posted 10-13-2024 06:28 AM               

The Starship team is go for prop load, and weather is looking ideal for today's flight test!

Liftoff is currently targeted for 7:25 a.m. CT.

posted 10-15-2024 01:56 PM               

After the spacecraft is inspected, the two stages are then refueled and fly again, perhaps within the span of one day.

Something like this unofficial, three-year-old animation:

posted 10-15-2024 04:10 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Blackarrow:
The booster can't land, but we've previously seen the Starship touching down on landing legs.

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posted 10-16-2024 09:39 AM            

I understand SpaceX's long-term intention to catch both stages, re-stack and re-launch very quickly. After what we've just seen, it would be foolish to rule that out, but in trying to assess timescales, how quickly can SpaceX refurbish and re-fly a Falcon 9 first stage? I suspect there's more to it than a quick check of the engine bells. Speaking of engine bells, if the Flight 5 booster sustained warping to some engine bells, that sounds like partial or total engine replacement, all of which takes time. I'm hoping the Raptor 3 will be more robust and more resistant to such damage.

posted 10-17-2024 10:17 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Blackarrow:
I understand SpaceX's long-term intention to catch both stages, re-stack and re-launch very quickly.

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posted 10-18-2024 05:41 PM               

Starship achieved a precise, soft landing in the ocean, paving the way for return to launch site and being caught by the tower arms, like the booster.

Full and rapid reusability improves the cost of access to orbit and beyond by more than 10,000 percent.

It is the fundamental technology breakthrough needed to make life multiplanetary and for us to become a true spacefaring civilization.

A few outer engine nozzles are warped from heating and some other minor issues, but these are easily addressed.

Starship is designed to achieve reflight of its rocket booster ultimately within an hour after liftoff. The booster returns within about 5 minutes, so the remaining time is reloading propellant and placing a ship on top of the booster.

posted 10-22-2024 05:40 PM               

Flight 6 Super Heavy booster moved to the Starbase pad for testing. The move comes just one week after returning the first booster caught following launch.

posted 10-28-2024 11:35 AM               

Musk posted a three-minute video Oct. 25 on X, the social media network he also owns, showing action from a video game that he is playing. The audio, though, is not from the video game but of several people discussing the Starship Flight 5 test flight Oct. 13. ...

In the audio, one person, not identified, described an issue with the Super Heavy landing burn where a "misconfigured" parameter meant that spin pressure, presuming in the Raptor engines in the booster, did not increase as expected.

"We were one second away from that tripping and telling the rocket to abort and try to crash into the ground next to the tower," that person said. That scenario would "erroneously tell a healthy rocket to not try that catch."

"We had a whole bunch of new aborts and commit criteria that we tried to doublecheck really well, but, I mean, I think our concern was well-placed, and one of these came very close to biting us," the person continued.

posted 11-06-2024 02:54 PM               

Starship’s fifth flight test lifted off on October 13, 2024, with our most ambitious test objectives yet as we work to demonstrate techniques fundamental to Starship and Super Heavy’s fully and rapidly reusable design.

And on our first try, Mechazilla caught the booster.

posted 11-19-2024 02:05 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Blackarrow:
...55 years ago today.

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(I'm kidding of course, I realize you're thinking of a different sample return mission.)

quote:

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Originally posted by SpaceAholic:
Trump is expected to be in attendance at this launch.

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I'm heading to the Great State of Texas to watch the launch of the largest object ever to be elevated, not only to Space, but simply by lifting off the ground. Good luck to Elon Musk and the Great Patriots involved in this incredible project!

posted 11-19-2024 05:27 PM            

In November 1969, it was often said (inaccurately, I believe) that Apollo 12 was launched on schedule in spite of heavy clouds and rain because President Nixon was at the Cape to see the launch, and NASA didn't want to disappoint him. Today, President designate Trump was at Boca Chica to see the Starship launch, and he did indeed see a spectacular launch.

But is there any possibility that the delicate GO/NO-GO calculation relating to the booster landing was influenced by his presence? The explosive destruction of the launch-pad witnessed by the President designate would not look good for SpaceX. A diversion into the Gulf was a disappointment but by no means a disaster.