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

[Elderberry]

SN11 Launched!

[Elderberry]

Lost camera view.

Too Foggy to see what happened.

[Elderberry]

SN11 exploded, debris falling from the sky!

[Elderberry]

It may have been off target and the Flight Termination System Kicked In?

[Idiot]

It may have been off target and the Flight Termination System Kicked In?

She go BOOM!  They need to rethink the raptor engines, they seem to be the issue.  Also, who launches a prototype in the fog where you can't see ANYTHING.  Heads should roll over this decision.

[Elderberry]

Four Tries, Four Failures, But SpaceX Undeterred on Starship Tests

Space Policy Online by Marcia Smith March 30, 2021

SpaceX suffered its fourth Starship test failure in a row today, but company founder and chief engineer Elon Musk remains undeterred, tweeting plans for the next test. He is expanding operations at his Starbase test facility in Boca Chica, TX and encouraging people to move there to work for SpaceX.

Over the course of the past four months, tests of Starship prototypes Serial Number 8 (SN8), SN9, SN10, and now SN11 have ended in what are whimsically called Rapid Unscheduled Disassemblies (RUDs) — explosions.

Today’s test of SN11 lifted off at 8:00 am Central Time (9:00 am Eastern) in heavy fog at Boca Chica. Typically these tests are later in the day, but this one was postponed from yesterday because an FAA inspector could not reach Boca Chica in time. According to a statement from the FAA, it is requiring the on-site presence of an inspector because SpaceX violated its launch license for SN8.

    On March 12, the FAA revised the SpaceX Starship license to require an FAA safety inspector to be present at the Boca Chica site for every flight. This is the result of FAA’s continuing oversight of SpaceX to ensure compliance with federal regulations to protect public safety, including issues arising from the SN8 launch in December 2020. SpaceX must provide adequate notice of its launch schedule to allow for a FAA safety inspector to travel to Boca Chica. — FAA Statement, March 29, 2021

Under the 1984 Commercial Space Launch Act and its amendments, the Department of Transportation, of which FAA is part, facilitates, promotes and regulates the commercial space launch and reentry business. Its regulatory authority is intended primarily to protect the public from harm in the event of a launch or reentry accident.

SpaceX churns out these prototypes at a regular pace and views failures as learning experiences. Musk went right on to tweet about the next test, which will be SN15, a new version incorporating a number of improvements.

More: https://spacepolicyonline.com/news/four-tries-four-failures-but-spacex-undeterred-on-starship-tests/

[Elderberry]

SPadre
@SpacePadreIsle
·
13h
Wow
 it was completely surrounded by debris, untouched!! Can’t wait to see all the footage
 
Quote Tweet
Everyday Astronaut
@Erdayastronaut
 Â· 14h
I can’t believe it... we recovered EVERYTHING! No damage to ANY of our gear by inches, just dirty! The only thing that went wrong was our dish guide wire got hit and it moved our remote connection so we lost footage. Going through the footage now with @considercosmos and wow

RGVAerialPhotography
@RGVaerialphotos
·
Mar 30
That was close

[Elderberry]

Mary
@BocaChicaGal

This morning Starship SN15’s nosecone is heading into the high bay. It appears that SpaceX is not wasting any time in preparing SN15 to roll to the launch site ASAP.

[Idiot]

Mary
@BocaChicaGal

This morning Starship SN15’s nosecone is heading into the high bay. It appears that SpaceX is not wasting any time in preparing SN15 to roll to the launch site ASAP.

Who welded the nosecone on, the local jr. high welding class?

[GtHawk]

Who welded the nosecone on, the local jr. high welding class?

Do you need to do your best work if it's just going to go

[Elderberry]

SpaceX Plans To Fast-forward Starship’s Development, SN15 Will Rollout To The Launch Pad Soon

TESMANIAN by Evelyn Arevalo April 04, 2021

https://www.tesmanian.com/blogs/tesmanian-blog/starship-sn15

Each flight test provided the company with enough data that Musk plans to fast-forward Starship’s development. He shared the company will rollout Starship SN15 to the Starbase launch pad soon, skipping Starship SN12 through SN14. “SN15 rolls to launch pad in a few days. It has hundreds of design improvements across structures, avionics/software & engine,” he said on March 30. “Hopefully, one of those improvements covers this problem. If not, then retrofit will add a few more days.”

The company’s decision to skip ahead to Starship SN15 suggests they are confident to iterate the design rapidly. SN15 finished assembly this week (pictured above) and could be rolled out of the rocket factory to the launch pad as soon as Monday, April 5, according to a Cameron County Boca Chica beach road closure announcement. It states the road could be blocked anytime from 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Central Time - “Hwy 4 traffic, near Boca Chica Beach, may be intermittently delayed,” a county representative wrote (date is subject to change). Once at the launch pad, SN15 will undergo a series of tests before taking flight. Musk has said on several occasions that rapid innovation is needed to make life multiplanetary within our lifespan. SpaceX targets to land the first uncrewed Starship with cargo on the Martian surface by 2024. The first crewed voyage aboard Starship will be around the Moon is ambitiously scheduled for 2023. You can watch SpaceX Starship Launch Site operations Live 24/7 in the video below, courtesy of LabPadre via YouTube.

[Elderberry]

Spacex Launch: Starship SN15 test dates set as debris hotline launched

Independent by Anthony Cuthbertson 4/7/2021

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/spacex-launch-starship-sn15-b1827806.html

Elon Musk says Mars-bound craft is ‘getting fixed six ways to Sunday’

SpaceX has set the date for the next major flight test of its Starship rocket, which it hopes will eventually take people to Mars.

Starship SN15 is expected to roll out to the launch site at SpaceX’s Boca Chica facility in Texas on Friday 9 April, before testing begins on Monday 12 April.

Public notices issued by Cameron County show that local road closures are already in place for both dates, as well as a back-up launch attempt scheduled for Tuesday 13 April.

It will be the fifth high-altitude test of a Starship craft, with all previous attempts ending in a fiery explosion.

[Elderberry]

SPadre
@SpacePadreIsle

Starship SN15 lifting onto the pad this afternoon.

Chris B - NSF
@NASASpaceflight
Boom lifts have raised crews to attach the crane to Starship SN15 for the lift onto the launch mount.

LIVE: Starship SN15 Rollout

SpaceX is rolling out the Starship SN15 vehicle to the Boca Chica launch site ahead of a test flight later this month. Like the previous Starship prototypes, SN15 is expected to fly to approximately 10 kilometers.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0tpApLtukc

[Elderberry]

SpaceX Building Giant Tower To ‘Catch’ 230 Feet Tall Rocket During Landing

WCCFtech By Ramish Zafar 4/9/2021

 https://wccftech.com/spacex-building-giant-tower-to-catch-230-feet-tall-rocket-during-landing/

New details for Space Exploration Technologies Corp.'s (SpaceX) plans for the first-stage rocket booster of its Starship interplanetary launch vehicle system have come to light. SpaceX is currently testing the second stage of its net-generation rocket system in Boca Chica, Texas, as it builds the  Starship first stage, which will be responsible for propelling payloads beyond Earth's atmosphere.

SpaceX Will Build 469 Feet Tall Launch and Arrest Tower For Catching Starship Boosters

The details of the launch tower come courtesy of a filing with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), responsible for overseeing SpaceX's ongoing test activities in Boca Chica. SpaceX filed for the launch tower in March, and the FAA has granted it the authority to build the 469 feet tall structure, which will be responsible for launching the fully stacked Starship and catching the first stage booster on its return.

On top of the tower, a 10 feet lightning rod will ensure that the vehicles on the ground are protected from any lightning strikes. This will ensure that vehicles on the launch pad remain safe in case of lightning strikes, as in May last year, with the Starship SN4 prototype sitting right beside the location a bolt hit the ground.

SpaceX's first stage booster itself will be 230 feet tall, accounting for more than half of the fully stacked launch vehicle platform's height. The final variant of the booster will be powered by 28 Raptor engines, but the initial test variants will use fewer engines. According to details shared by SpaceX chief Mr. Elon Musk in October last year, the first boosters which SpaceX will test will feature in between two to four engines. SpaceX plans to shift this booster to the launch pad in Boca Chica as soon as by the end of this month according to the executive, with his company also aiming to reach orbit with the platform this year.

[Elderberry]

Starship SN15 Rolled Out, Cryo Test Imminent! SpaceX Starship Updates! TheSpaceXShow

 TheSpaceXFans
 
Welcome to the latest SpaceX Starship updates video from TheSpaceXFans. We have a variety of standard SpaceX updates to kick off this video with many Tweets from Elon Musk. Over in Boca Chica, work continues at the orbital launch site area and also with future Starships and Super Heavy boosters. The big news however, is that there’s now Starship SN15 rolled out, so we can now expect there to be the SN15 cryo test imminent! Sit back and enjoy!

All sorts of cool and up to date SpaceX info from launches to boosters and more:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uek2MlOC3jA

[Elderberry]

SpaceX denies claim that Starlink and OneWeb satellites almost collided

arsTechnica by Jon Brodkin - 4/21/2021

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2021/04/spacex-says-oneweb-spread-false-story-of-near-miss-satellite-collision/

SpaceX says collision-avoidance system works fine despite OneWeb's false claim.

SpaceX has accused satellite-broadband rival OneWeb of spreading a false story claiming that the companies' satellites nearly crashed into each other.

In reality, "[t]he probability of collision never exceeded the threshold for a [collision-avoidance] maneuver, and the satellites would not have collided even if no maneuver had been conducted," SpaceX told the Federal Communications Commission in an ex parte filing. The filing describes a meeting that SpaceX and OneWeb representatives had with FCC staff yesterday in which SpaceX said it "corrected the record regarding recent press reports regarding physical coordination between SpaceX and OneWeb."

In yesterday's filing to the FCC, SpaceX said that "OneWeb's head lobbyist recently made demonstrably inaccurate statements to the media about recent coordinations of physical operations. Specifically, Mr. McLaughlin of OneWeb told the Wall Street Journal that SpaceX switched off its AI-powered, autonomous collision avoidance system and 'they couldn't do anything to avoid a collision.' Rather, SpaceX and OneWeb were working together in good faith at the technical level. As part of these discussions, OneWeb itself requested that SpaceX turn off the system temporarily to allow their maneuver, as agreed by the parties."

SpaceX's "autonomous collision avoidance system was and remains fully functional at all times," SpaceX also wrote.

[Elderberry]

Starship SN15 conducts a Static Fire test – McGregor readies increased Raptor testing capacity

NASA Spaceflight.com by Chris Bergin April 26, 2021

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2021/04/starship-sn15-tests-mcgregor-raptor-testing/

Starship SN15 conducted a pre-launch Static Fire test Monday, tasked with setting the scene this week for a flight that could pave the way toward an orbital flight in the coming months.  The groundwork for the push to orbit is taking place both at the Orbital Launch Site and elsewhere in Texas as a new dual-bay Raptor test stand nears completion.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1386801847504154624

Since arriving at the Suborbital Launch Site, SN15 has undergone several “risk reduction” tests ahead of firing up her trio of Raptors.

That included the usual routine of proof testing the vehicle, filling and pressurizing the tanks with ambient, gaseous nitrogen before proceeding with cryogenic testing with liquid nitrogen.

The roads were closed for additional testing late last week, although not for a Static Fire test. This time, the vehicle was loaded with Liquid Oxygen before a LOX Dump test, aimed at improvements relating to safing the vehicle ahead of and after flight, was completed.

With limited opportunities to conduct weekend testing, that requires Highway 4 to be closed to the public, SpaceX opted to move the Static Fire attempt to Monday. A three engine test did occur just prior to 5pm local time.

An eight-hour window was available for the opportunity to fire up the SN54, SN61, and SN66 Raptors, which will be followed by a quick look data review. Occasionally, such reviews have found issues with one of the engines, requiring a swap out and repeat of the test in the following days.

Should the review go to plan for this test, the potential of a recycle later in the day remains on the cards, given SpaceX likes to test the engines use of propellant from the Header Tanks.

These small tanks are located at the top of the nosecone (LOX) and the middle of the vehicle (CH4 – Liquid Methane) and supply the engines for the flip and landing burn.

All eyes will be on that key phase of the flight, with Starship having already proven and repeated numerous major milestones while only landing in one piece during the SN10 test. However, that was a hard landing, resulting in the vehicle exploding minutes later.

Moving on from those initial series of test with SN8 through SN11, SN15 is the first vehicle to sport improvements ranging from the Thrust Puck to her avionics, and, importantly, the Raptor engines. Other improvements have not been revealed, although may include the Header Tank system, which, in total, would form a mitigation path to the issues suffered by previous Starship prototypes.

Regardless, should SN15 suffer issues, SN16 is already being stacked in the Mid Bay. However, if SN15 nails the landing, the path forward becomes less clear, albeit even more exciting.

[Elderberry]

SN15 Flight Tomorrow After Static Fire #1 & #2 Complete! SpaceX Starship Updates! TheSpaceXShow

 TheSpaceXFans

Welcome to the latest SpaceX Starship updates video from TheSpaceXFans. Starting off today’s video, we have standard SpaceX news with Crew mission information and some Starlink stuff too. Of course, over in Boca Chica things are progressing around the facility, with lots of work at the orbital launch site. Then, we have Starship pieces to check out, as well as the big news with the Starship SN15 flight tomorrow after static fire #1 & #2 complete! Sit back and enjoy!

All sorts of cool and up to date SpaceX info from launches to boosters and more: https://thespacex.fans/​


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qi8vatbcAsI

[DB]

That thing looks like 50's SciFy...

[Cyber Liberty]

Please ping the thread in the morning!!

[Idiot]

SN15 Flight Tomorrow After Static Fire #1 & #2 Complete! SpaceX Starship Updates! TheSpaceXShow

 TheSpaceXFans

Welcome to the latest SpaceX Starship updates video from TheSpaceXFans. Starting off today’s video, we have standard SpaceX news with Crew mission information and some Starlink stuff too. Of course, over in Boca Chica things are progressing around the facility, with lots of work at the orbital launch site. Then, we have Starship pieces to check out, as well as the big news with the Starship SN15 flight tomorrow after static fire #1 & #2 complete! Sit back and enjoy!

All sorts of cool and up to date SpaceX info from launches to boosters and more: https://thespacex.fans/​


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qi8vatbcAsI

How can they launch tomorrow when Bluto is still there and they haven't installed the FTS devices?

[Idiot]

How can they launch tomorrow when Bluto is still there and they haven't installed the FTS devices?

Possible launch after 10 am today.  Seems to be dependent on the weather.

[Cyber Liberty]

Did it launch already?  the linked YouTube is just a taped vid, but the "Live Pad" camera shows an empty launch pad.

[Idiot]

Did it launch already?  the linked YouTube is just a taped vid, but the "Live Pad" camera shows an empty launch pad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCbgoqMcirI
Still on the pad.

[Elderberry]

FAA Authorized next 3 SpaceX Launches 15-17.

Crew-1 Undock 4:55 CDT Today with splashdown Tomorrow 10:36 CDT.