SpaceX Starship OFT-3

[Elderberry]

Elon Musk thinks the next Starship’s flight hardware will be ready in ‘3-4 weeks’

Space Explored by Seth Kurkowski | Nov 21 2023

In a reply on his social media site X, Elon Musk shared his timeline for when he wants the next pieces of Starship flight hardware ready. However, we still don’t have any details as to what caused the RUDs of Saturday’s launch.

Starship Flight 3 hardware by Christmas

After inspections of Starbase’s orbital launch mount, Elon Musk shared via X, that it was in great condition and no refurbishment needed to the water deluge system and plate. That doesn’t mean the whole mount was free from damage, we’ve seen continued work since the launch on the mount. Including some scaffolding showing up on top.

Later in the day, in a response to when SpaceX could be ready to launch again, Musk stated that “Starship Flight 3 hardware should be ready to fly in 3 to 4 weeks.”

Elon Musk
@elonmusk
·
Nov 19
Starship Flight 3 hardware should be ready to fly in 3 to 4 weeks. There are three ships in final production in the high bay (as can be seen from the highway).

As Musk continued in his response, SpaceX already has three ships in final production, meaning any one of those could be the next flight ready Starship. For Boosters, there are a few of those as well that could become flight ready.

Super Heavy Booster 11 just returned from the old Massey’s gun range, a site SpaceX purchased last year and turned into a rocket test site.

We should know which Boosters and Starship ships are being prepared for flight when they are moved from Starbase production to the Starbase launch site for further testing. Although even that won’t 100% mean those vehicles will fly.

When might we actually see Flight 3?

Three to four weeks would put us in mid-December, aka Christmas season. From a SpaceX point of view, this is a very reasonable timeframe, even in Elon terms, to get flight hardware ready. However, that doesn’t necessary mean SpaceX can fly by then.

SpaceX will first have to complete its mishap investigation and report its finding to the FAA with corrective actions to ensure a similar failure won’t happen again. Then the FAA will have to improve the actions and complete its own safety review to make sure the public won’t be at risk for another flight.

Unlike April’s launch, there’s isn’t a fear of having any issues getting a second launch approval from the FAA. There’s precedent now that the FAA will give SpaceX another launch on its license and eventually close out the investigations.

More: https://spaceexplored.com/2023/11/21/elon-musk-thinks-the-next-starships-flight-hardware-will-be-ready-in-3-4-weeks/

[Elderberry]

Huge Starship Flight #3 News, Elon Musk Inspected Launch Pad | SpaceX Starship Updates

SpaceXtudio 11/20/2023

Following the successful launch of Starship Flight Test 2 on November 18 from Starbase, Texas, Elon Musk personally visited the launch pad to inspect. He gives an update on the pad condition and possible timeline for Starship Flight #3.


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

[Elderberry]

Elon Musk says SpaceX will soon be ready for third flight of Starship

The Washington Post by Christian Davenport 11/22/2023

The hardware to fly is nearly complete, CEO Musk says. But first the FAA must sign off on SpaceX’s investigation into what went wrong on Saturday.

After SpaceX’s first test flight of its Starship rocket and spacecraft, it had to wait seven months before the Federal Aviation Administration allowed the company to try again. That’s because the inaugural flight destroyed the launchpad, triggered environmental concerns and ended with the rocket spinning out of control before destroying itself in a fireball.

Starship’s most recent flight on Saturday also ended in an explosion. But there is reason to believe it won’t have to wait seven months before it is permitted to again test the vehicle NASA is counting on to return its astronauts to the surface of the moon under its Artemis program, according to industry and former FAA officials.

After the flight, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk wrote on X that the rocket, which is composed of the Super Heavy booster and the Starship spacecraft that sits atop it, “should be ready to fly in 3 to 4 weeks.” The company has a fleet of vehicles rolling off the production line, including “three ships in final production,” he wrote.

Perhaps just as important: The test flight on Saturday from SpaceX’s facility in South Texas showed significant improvements over the first one in April. In the months after that flight, SpaceX installed a water suppression system designed to preserve the pad by dampening vibrations from the booster’s 33 Raptor engines. It seemed to work, and after Saturday’s flight, Musk wrote that he had “inspected the Starship launchpad, and it is in great condition! No refurbishment needed to the water-cooled steel plate for next launch.”

The flight also went much better. The spacecraft reached space this time, flying to an altitude of 93 miles, well above the 24 miles it hit last time. All 33 of the booster’s engines ignited; last time six failed. It made it through the point where the booster and spacecraft separate, which it did not last time. And the onboard flight termination system, designed to destroy the rocket if it veers off course, appears to have worked in a timely manner. Last time, there was a delay of about 40 seconds.

For all those reasons, “the situation is much more promising,” said George Nield, the former head of the FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation. The question now is: “Did we learn whether something needs to be changed, fixed, replaced or modified?” he said. “And do any of those things have to do with public safety?”

But the FAA also is stretched thin, which could add to a delay, he said, as the commercial space industry continues to grow and put demands on the agency it didn’t have just a few years ago. And there is always the possibility that the investigation could reveal bigger problems, which could force SpaceX and the FAA to take more time.

More: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/11/22/spacex-starship-faa-test-license/

[Elderberry]

SpaceX's next Starship launch could feature key refueling test

Space.com by Mike Wall 12/6/2023

SpaceX may aim to conduct a propellant-transfer demonstration on Starship's third flight.

The third flight of SpaceX's giant Starship vehicle may be considerably more ambitious and complex than the first two.

The coming mission could involve a refueling test, according to a recent presentation by Lakiesha Hawkins, deputy associate administrator for NASA's Moon to Mars program office.

Hawkins spoke on Monday (Dec. 4) about the agency's infrastructure and technology programs with a committee of the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. One of her slides noted that SpaceX recently launched the second-ever Starship mission and stated that the company is "moving quickly" toward the third, "which will include a propellant transfer demonstration."

Hawkins did not read those words aloud or discuss the planned refueling trial during the meeting, however, and NASA has since walked the statement back a bit: An agency spokesperson told CNBC that "no final decisions on timing have been made." (You can see Hawkins' presentation here; the highlighted slide appears at the 120-minute mark.)

More: https://www.space.com/spacex-starship-refueling-test-flight

[Elderberry]

Chris Bergin - NSF
@NASASpaceflight

SpaceX Rolls Out Ship 28 for Third Starship Flight Test Campaign

https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1735215371060215902

[Elderberry]

SpacePadre
@SpacePadreIsle

ASTROZILLA!! 🚀 🦖

https://twitter.com/SpacePadreIsle/status/1744863891522269210

[Smokin Joe]

SpacePadre
@SpacePadreIsle

ASTROZILLA!! 🚀 🦖

https://twitter.com/SpacePadreIsle/status/1744863891522269210

[Elderberry]

SpaceX targets February for third Starship test flight

Space News by Jeff Foust January 10, 2024

SpaceX expects to conduct the third integrated test flight of its Starship vehicle in February as it works to demonstrate key technologies needed to land humans on the moon.

During a Jan. 9 media briefing about NASA’s Artemis lunar exploration effort, Jessica Jensen, vice president of customer operations and integration at SpaceX, said securing an updated Federal Aviation Administration launch license was the key factor driving the schedule for that test flight.

“From a hardware readiness perspective, we are targeting to be ready in January,” she said. The company performed static-fire tests of both the Super Heavy booster and Starship upper stage, or ship, intended for that launch in late December.

SpaceX, though, is still working on corrective actions identified from the second Starship test flight Nov. 18. On that flight the Super Heavy booster appeared to perform well, but exploded shortly after stage separation. The Starship upper stage triggered its flight termination system late in its burn.

SpaceX has released few details about what happened to both the booster and ship during that flight, and Jensen did not identify the corrective actions that SpaceX was undertaking. Closing out those actions, she said, was a condition for receiving an updated license. “We’re on track for that,” she said. “We’re expecting that license to come in February. So, it’s looking like Flight 3 will occur in February.”

More: https://spacenews.com/spacex-targets-february-for-third-starship-test-flight/

[Elderberry]

Musk: SpaceX aims to launch third Starship by second week of March

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — SpaceX is aiming to launch its third Starship in the second week of March, according to Elon Musk.

Musk said on X that the team is working to execute its third launch before March 8, but he guesses the launch will happen during the first half of next month. Musk added that the fourth test flight will be ready shortly after.

Additionally, Musk added the probability of the rocket reaching orbit is almost 80%.

More: https://cw39.com/news/space-exploration/musk-spacex-aims-to-launch-third-starship-by-second-week-of-march/

I don't know what the ods are of it launching on my birthday. It would be quite a candle.

[Elderberry]

SpaceX hit by FAA with list of 17 fixes it must make before it tries to launch Starship again after most recent explosion

Fortune BY Aashna Shah and Bloomberg 2/27/2024

US air safety regulators concluded a mishap investigation into SpaceX’s most recent Starship explosion in November, laying out the issues the Elon Musk-led company must address before it can attempt to launch the rocket for a third time.

The Federal Aviation Administration ordered 17 corrective actions, including hardware redesigns for its Super Heavy Booster and additional fire protection and upgrades for its Starship vehicle. 

The remediation steps, identified during a SpaceX-led mishap investigation that the FAA has now closed, are one of a series of actions SpaceX must take in order to attempt another launch from its base in south Texas.

The closing of the mishap probe doesn’t signal an immediate authorization of the next Starship launch, the FAA added in its emailed statement. Before launching Starship again, SpaceX must implement all corrective actions and receive a launch license from the FAA.

More: https://fortune.com/2024/02/27/spacex-hit-faa-list-17-fixes-must-make-launch-starship-again-most-recent-explosion/

[Elderberry]

SpaceX
@SpaceX

Starship completed its rehearsal for launch, loading more than 10 million pounds of propellant on Starship and Super Heavy and taking the flight-like countdown to T-10 seconds

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1764697392128156144

[Elderberry]

Marcus House
@MarcusHouse

Well, #SpaceX's website has been updated for Flight Test 3. This is no drill my friends. It indeed must be a fully orbital trajectory or very close initially, we have a payload door test, a propellant transfer demo within the header tanks, and a deorbit burn. Exciting times!

spacex.com/launches/missi

[Cyber Liberty]

I am watching!

[Elderberry]

What about it!?
@FelixSchlang

The FTS Squad paid the launch site a visit! Starship IFT3! We’re getting close! 🔥

Fabian Ramirez
@texas_lizard
·
Mar 8
#58

Drum roll 🥁



 Booster 10 FTS installed! Final preps for launch, FAA license progress…

GREAT SPACEX
123K subscribers


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvCvl1yTlBE

[Elderberry]

LIVE - SpaceX Is Launching Starship IFT3!

 waiting   
Scheduled for Mar 14, 2024  #SpaceX #starship #elonmusk
SpaceX is about to launch Starship 28 and Booster 10 on the third orbital test flight! IFT-3 will launch NET on March 14th at 7 a.m. CST (13:00 Zulu Time/GMT), and you can watch it LIVE with me and the rest of the WAI team!

This test flight aims to improve on IFT-1 and 2, SpaceX's first and second attempts at launching a full-stack Starship on April 20th and November 18th, 2023.

The launch will take off at SpaceX's Starbase in south Texas, USA. Here's the launch timeline with event times before and after ignition.

For more info on the upcoming flight, go to https://www.whataboutit.space

COUNTDOWN

All times approximate

HR/MIN/SEC

01:15:00 SpaceX Flight Director conducts poll and verifies GO for propellant load
00:53:00 Ship LOX (liquid oxygen) load underway
00:51:00 Ship fuel (liquid methane) load underway
00:42:00 Booster LOX load underway
00:41:00 Booster fuel load underway
00:19:40 Raptor begins engine chill on booster and ship
00:03:30 Booster propellant load complete
00:02:50 Ship propellant load complete
00:00:30 SpaceX flight director verifies GO for launch
00:00:10 Flame deflector activation
00:00:03 Raptor ignition sequence begins
00:00:00 Excitement guaranteed

FLIGHT TEST TIMELINE

All times are approximate

HR/MIN/SEC

00:00:02 Liftoff
00:00:52 Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket)
00:02:42 Booster MECO (most engines cut off)
00:02:44 Hot-staging (Starship Raptor ignition and stage separation)
00:02:55 Booster boostback burn startup
00:03:50 Booster boostback burn shutdown
00:06:36 Booster is transonic
00:06:46 Booster landing burn startup
00:07:04 Booster landing burn shutdown


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHq2jhP1efI

[Elderberry]

What about it!?
@FelixSchlang

SpaceX’s Starship has „landed“ on the official FAA operations plan.🤘🔥🚀

More info here:


https://youtu.be/yYOA5BYbl-o

[Elderberry]

SpacePadre
@SpacePadreIsle
·
Astro keep looking, that FAA license for Starship flight 3 has to be somewhere around here!

https://twitter.com/SpacePadreIsle/status/1767719068189225172

[Elderberry]

Chris Bergin - NSF reposted
Adrian Beil

@BCCarCounters

Statement from the FAA regarding the third Starship flight, license modification:

[bigheadfred]

Chris Bergin - NSF reposted
Adrian Beil

@BCCarCounters

Statement from the FAA regarding the third Starship flight, license modification:

Good I am hoping for a great flight.

[Elderberry]

Everyday Astronaut

 Watch SpaceX launch Starship, LIVE up close and personal!


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

[Elderberry]

SpaceX
@SpaceX

Weather is 70% favorable for today’s third integrated flight test of Starship.

The live webcast will begin ~30 minutes before liftoff, which is currently targeted for 7:30 a.m. CT → http://spacex.com/launches/missi

[Elderberry]

New Liftoff Time: 08:02 AM

Boats were in launch area.

Now 8:25 am

[Elderberry]

Propellant Loading Underway

[Elderberry]

https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=starship-flight-3

[Elderberry]

SpaceX
@SpaceX
·
If Starship manages to make it all the way to reentry, we'll collect valuable data on reentry at hypersonic speeds, or more than 5 times the speed of sound