SpaceX, Blue Origin, Virigin Galactic and other Private Space Companies Thread

[Idiot]

The spacex SN9 had it's temporary support collapse and it now is leaning against high bay.  Tankzilla is trying to latch onto SN9 and save it and the high bay.  Bet the engineer that designed this support is on the way out.

[GtHawk]

The spacex SN9 had it's temporary support collapse and it now is leaning against high bay.  Tankzilla is trying to latch onto SN9 and save it and the high bay. Bet the engineer that designed this support is on the way out.

Or the fabricator, inspector or all three.

[Elderberry]

SpaceX Boca Chica - Starship SN9 stabilized, amid SN8 clean up, future nosecone preps

NASASpaceflight 12/13/2020

Starship SN9 is now mostly level and secure in the High Bay, as work continues to clean up the remains of the successful SN8 vehicle. New nosecones (one likely for SN10) are also being prepped.


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[Idiot]

Or the fabricator, inspector or all three.

Being a geologist I tend to blame it on the engineer....lol.

[Elderberry]

IT'S HERE!!! The first of many #SN8 videos today! Here's a realtime re-cut featuring INCREDIBLE clean audio. Honestly the best audio I've ever heard of a rocket launch since SN8 flies so slowly & close.

Starship SN8 Test Flight [Incredible Clean Audio & 4k Video]

This was shot from nearby South Padre Island along with Cosmic Perspective (Ryan Chylinski and Maryliz Bender), Spadre (Gene and Rachel Gore).

00:00 - T minus 10 seconds
00:10 - Ignition & Liftoff!
01:50 - Engine Shutdown 1
03:20 - Engine Shutdown 2
04:48 - MECO - Bellyflop
06:40 - Engine Relight & Flip Maneuver
06:50 - BIG OLE' BOOM


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[Cyber Liberty]

I liked the audio a lot better than those guys constantly giggling when it was live.

[Elderberry]

SpaceX Boca Chica - Starship SN9 leaves High Bay before being secured on new mount

 NASA Spaceflight 12/15/2020

Starship SN9 was lifted out of the High Bay on Monday, prior to returning and being remounted/secured for repair work. A new - potential replacement - flap was spotted nearby. Work is also continuing on removing the remains of SN8 at the landing pad.

0:00 Starship SN8 Cleanup Continues
0:40 SN8’s CH4 Header Tank
1:08 The New Crane is Being Assembled
1:42 SN8’s Nosecone & Forward Flaps
2:33 Starship Pad A
3:20 Starship Pad B
4:09 Crews Fence in the Launch Site
4:38 Starship SN9 Rescue Mission Continues
5:37 Super Heavy Booster Sections
6:27 Teams Clear the Area for SN9’s Lift
7:03 A New Flap is Ready
8:38 Back at the Launch Site, the New Crane is Assembled
10:00 Starship SN9’s Lift Begins
10:34 Workers Stabilizing SN9
11:38 SN9 is Out of the High Bay
13:37 SN9’s Crunched Flap
13:50 SN9 Returns to the High Bay
15:16 Timelapse of the Entire Starship SN9 Move


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[Elderberry]

SpaceX’s Next Starship Prototype Could be Headed to Launch Pad on Thursday

Futurism by Victor Tangermann 12/15/2020

https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacexs-next-starship-prototype-launch-pad-thursday

Making Moves

SpaceX may be getting ready to push its next Starship prototype onto the launch pad.

According to the latest highway closures in Cameron County, Texas, where SpaceX’s test facility is located, the company’s SN9 prototype could be headed to the pad as early as Thursday, as spotted by Ars Technica senior space editor Eric Berger.

Next Fireball

The new road closures are set for December 17 and 18 from 8 am to 5 pm Texas time. “Starship SN9 and the large crane could head to the launch site during these windows,” suggested NASASpaceFlight reporter Michael Baylor in a tweet.

[Elderberry]

                                “You maniacs! You blew it up!”

[Idiot]

                                “You maniacs! You blew it up!”

He...he...he.....  that's quite good!

[Idiot]

SpaceX’s Next Starship Prototype Could be Headed to Launch Pad on Thursday

Futurism by Victor Tangermann 12/15/2020

https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacexs-next-starship-prototype-launch-pad-thursday

Making Moves

SpaceX may be getting ready to push its next Starship prototype onto the launch pad.

According to the latest highway closures in Cameron County, Texas, where SpaceX’s test facility is located, the company’s SN9 prototype could be headed to the pad as early as Thursday, as spotted by Ars Technica senior space editor Eric Berger.

Next Fireball

The new road closures are set for December 17 and 18 from 8 am to 5 pm Texas time. “Starship SN9 and the large crane could head to the launch site during these windows,” suggested NASASpaceFlight reporter Michael Baylor in a tweet.

The wind is waaaay too high to move anything today.  Hopefully it will drop off a bit tomorrow, so they can move it.  I'd guess they'll replace the upper nosecone fling prior to moving.  It seems to take them soooooo long to accomplish anything up so high, once it's on the pad.

[kevindavis007]

The wind is waaaay too high to move anything today.  Hopefully it will drop off a bit tomorrow, so they can move it.  I'd guess they'll replace the upper nosecone fling prior to moving.  It seems to take them soooooo long to accomplish anything up so high, once it's on the pad.

Haste makes waste.... Espcially if you are building rockets.

[Idiot]

Haste makes waste.... Espcially if you are building rockets.

It's going to be interesting to watch them move a fully constructed Starship.  That's quite a load going down the road, that has to be kept perfectly level.

[Elderberry]

It's going to be interesting to watch them move a fully constructed Starship.  That's quite a load going down the road, that has to be kept perfectly level.

level or plumb?

[Elderberry]

Mary
@BocaChicaGal

Road closures scheduled for Dec. 17 and 18 at Boca Chica have been cancelled. Next road closures scheduled for Dec 28 and 29.

@NASASpaceflight

[Idiot]

level or plumb?

Both....lol

[Elderberry]

SpaceX Boca Chica - Starship SN9 Gets a New Forward Flap - Tankzilla Prepared for move

 NASASpaceflight

Starship SN9 got a shiny new forward flap to replace its damaged one, Super Heavy BN1's common dome section was still outside, Tankzilla, the LR1600/2 crane was disconnected from SN9 and prepared for a move to the Launch Site and we get a classic driving tour of the entire facility thanks to Mary.


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[Elderberry]

SpaceX Boca Chica - Huge Crane Rolled to Launch Site as a prelude to Starship SN9's arrival

 NASASpaceflight

The massive LR1600/2 crane rolled to the Launch Site on Monday, ready to receive Starship SN9 in the coming days. SN9 - as the first integrated Starship stack - will be lifted on to the launch mount by "Tankzilla".

Next up will be SN9's rollout - which will be the first time an integrated Starship will roll to the launch site (with nosecone and engines already installed).


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[Elderberry]

STARSHIP SN9 ROLLOUT + TIMELAPSE | Something about SpaceX


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[Elderberry]

SpaceX's Starship SN9 Rolling Out to Launch Site


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[Elderberry]

SpaceX Boca Chica - Starship SN9 receives Raptor SN49

NASA Spaceflight Dec 23, 2020

With Starship SN9 now on the launch mount, the third Raptor (SN49) was received ahead of testing. Starship SN10 is now into High Bay processing, ahead of nosecone installation.


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[Cyber Liberty]

SpaceX Boca Chica - Starship SN9 receives Raptor SN49

NASA Spaceflight Dec 23, 2020

With Starship SN9 now on the launch mount, the third Raptor (SN49) was received ahead of testing. Starship SN10 is now into High Bay processing, ahead of nosecone installation.


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They installed the Raptor after rolling SN9 out to the pad?

[Elderberry]

They installed the Raptor after rolling SN9 out to the pad?

I guess it wasn't ready before the rollout.  SN8 had all its 3 Raptors installed at the launch pad.

[Cyber Liberty]

I guess it wasn't ready before the rollout.  SN8 had all its 3 Raptors installed at the launch pad.

And (at least) one of the Raptors appeared to fail in flight...I hope they fixed the problem for SN9.

[Elderberry]

SpaceX Starship Super Heavy rocket testing could initiate in 'A few months,' says Elon Musk

TESMANIAN by Evelyn Arevalo December 24, 2020

https://www.tesmanian.com/blogs/tesmanian-blog/superheavy

SpaceX was founded by Elon Musk to enable life on Mars. “The future of humanity is going to bifurcate in two directions: Either it’s going to become multi-planetary, or it’s going to remain confined to one planet and eventually there’s going to be an extinction event,” he says. Colonizing Mars will completely change the course of humanity’s future. To make this ambitious mission a reality, SpaceX is working to develop of a spacecraft-rocket duo called Starship. It will be capable of transporting 100 passengers and tons of cargo through deep space. The Starship spacecraft will require a massive rocket booster called Super Heavy. The 240-feet-tall rocket will propel the spacecraft to orbit powered by 28 Raptor engines. The Raptor is a full-flow staged combustion engine designed by SpaceX, fueled by sub-cooled liquid methane (CH4) and liquid oxygen (LOX) propellants. Starship will feature 6 Raptors, 3 optimized for the vacuum of space and 3 sea-level Raptors for propulsion inside a planet.

The first prototypes of Starship and Super Heavy are under development at the SpaceX South Texas Launch Facility where the company has already launched three Starship prototypes this year. During the latest test flight in South Texas, engineers launched the Starship SN8 prototype approximately 12-kilometers powered by a trio of Raptor engines. Starship SN8 performed the “first-of-its-kind controlled aerodynamic descent and landing flip maneuver. Together these will enable landing where no runways exist, including the Moon, Mars, and beyond,” the company states (video below).

SpaceX aims to send the first launch Starship spacecraft to orbit next year. The flight test will require the use of Super Heavy. Super Heavy rocket testing will initiate in the new year. Musk said the first tests of the gigantic Super Heavy booster will take place in “A few months,” he wrote via Twitter on December 24. Teams already started to manufacture the first Super Heavy booster prototype.