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Big Flying Rockets: Space Launches V


SpaceChampion
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SpaceX planning on doing a 33-Raptor engine static fire test for the Superheavy booster today, the last major test before attempting an orbital launch in the next few weeks.  There might be some launch pad improvements/repairs they'll have to do before then though, depending on how the static fire goes.

 

Could be at time between 8am and 8pm.  :dunno:   Peek at this feed to see if they have an update on ETA.

 

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It just happened.  Randomly decided to check the stream and happened to see the static fire.  Everything is still standing.  :thumbsup:   33 Engines, full duration!

 

Update:  1 engine shutdown by the software, and 1 was shutdown by the flight team before ignition, so only 31 engines went the full duration.  That's enough to boost Starship to altitude for stage separation, and thus orbit.

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  • 2 weeks later...

ULA rumoured to be up for sale, no doubt Bezos is interested.  Ultimately that might be the best option since Blue Origin is interested in fully reusable rockets.  Can the era of expendable rockets finally be over?

I still find it crazy that the U.S. government gives ULA $1 billion as a subsidy just to exist.  I hope that is done away with.

 

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1 hour ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

Watching the Falcon first stages land… never gets old.  Why haven’t we attempted to soft land a powered crew capsule?  To much delta v to shed as you come in from orbital velocities?

That was the original design for the Crew Dragon capsules, but NASA didn't accept it was safe enough without extensive testing.  SpaceX decided proceeding to Starship development was a better option and use parachutes since Dragon and F9 would eventually be obsolete. 

There was also the question of where to put the landing legs.  You create a potential failure point if the legs have to stick through the heat shield.  SpaceX decided it was more trouble that it was worth the man-hours to figure it out.

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On 3/3/2023 at 8:57 AM, Ser Scot A Ellison said:
Quote

At around 160 meters (525 feet) across, Dimorphos orbits the 780 meter-wide Didymos roughly once every 11.9 hours.

Big deal.  Harry Stamper has taken craps bigger than that!

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In about 35 minutes, Relativity Space is looking to launch the first 3D printed rocket (at least 85% of it), hopefully also becoming the first methane rocket to make it to orbit (beating out SpaceX by perhaps a few weeks).

The Terran 1 rocket would carry a payload about 1.25 metric tons, at a cost of $12 million.  This demo carries just a dummy payload (a chunk of metal).

Official live stream:

 

Everyday Astronaut's stream:

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Starship liftoff could be just days away

https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/04/spacex-moves-starship-to-launch-site-and-liftoff-could-be-just-days-away/

Quote from a comment on the article:

Quote

SpaceX - Starship Flight #1 - SH/SS from Starbase TX:

Primary Day = Thursday, April 6 at ~~~11:30-16:30 UTC (~~~06:30-11:30 CDT) (convert time).

The launch period runs from Thursday, April 6, through Wednesday, April 12, at the same time each day.

Not sure if this schedule is insider knowledge or not.  

NASA is reserving a high altitude aircraft to observe the flight April 10-11. 

But FAA still needs to issue a launch license to SpaceX.

 

In Artemis Program news, expect NASA to announce on Monday the first woman selected for the initial lunar flyby, in lead up to the first woman landing on the Moon in a subsequent mission.

https://news.yahoo.com/meet-astronauts-vying-first-woman-143359824.html

 

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