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

[sneakypete]

SpaceX is getting ready to launch its first-ever spacecraft with humans on board, the Commercial Crew Demo-2 mission (DM-2) that will take off from Florida on May 27.

They are truly some brave people. Every bit as brave as Columbus and the crews of his ship,or any other pioneer of history anyone can think to name.

[kevindavis007]

They are truly some brave people. Every bit as brave as Columbus and the crews of his ship,or any other pioneer of history anyone can think to name.

But it is good to see Americans going on a American Made Rocket from American soil into space again.


Make Space Great Again

[Elderberry]

SpaceShipTwo makes first flight from Spaceport America

Space News by Jeff Foust — May 1, 2020

https://spacenews.com/spaceshiptwo-makes-first-flight-from-spaceport-america/

Virgin Galactic conducted the first test flight of SpaceShipTwo from its New Mexico spaceport May 1 as the company edges closer to finally beginning commercial flights of the suborbital spaceplane.

The company’s WhiteKnightTwo aircraft, with the VSS Unity SpaceShipTwo attached to it, took off shortly before 11 a.m. Eastern from Spaceport America in southern New Mexico. After reaching a planned altitude of about 15,000 meters, WhiteKnightTwo released SpaceShipTwo, which glided back to the runway at the spaceport.

While SpaceShipTwo has performed many glide flights, all previously took place from Mojave Air and Space Port in California. SpaceShipTwo arrived with WhiteKnightTwo at Spaceport America in February to begin a final series of glide and powered test flights before starting commercial operations.

Pilots Dave Mackay and CJ Sturckow performed maneuvers during the glide test to compare the vehicle’s performance against earlier tests. They and the rest of the flight team also used the flight to familiarize themselves with operations in the New Mexico airspace.

More at link.

[sneakypete]

SpaceShipTwo makes first flight from Spaceport America

Space News by Jeff Foust — May 1, 2020

https://spacenews.com/spaceshiptwo-makes-first-flight-from-spaceport-america/

@Elderberry

Somebody PLEASE tell me that thing has power,and ain't a glider/rock.

[Elderberry]

@Elderberry

Somebody PLEASE tell me that thing has power,and ain't a glider/rock.

@sneakypete

It goes Up powered. It comes Down as a glider/rock.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceShipTwo

SpaceShipTwo is carried to its launch altitude by a Scaled Composites White Knight Two, before being released to fly on into the upper atmosphere powered by its rocket engine. It then glides back to Earth and performs a conventional runway landing.

https://www.virgingalactic.com/learn/

SpaceShipTwo is powered by a hybrid rocket motor – combining elements of solid rockets and liquid rocket engines. Both types of rocket engine have important advantages; the hybrid aims to combine the simplicity of a solid motor with the controllability of a liquid. SpaceShipTwo’s rocket motor can be shut down quickly and safely at any point during the flight.

SpaceShipTwo’s most innovative feature is its unique capability to change its shape in space to ensure a repeatable safe re-entry. By rotating its wings and tail booms upwards while in space, the vehicle’s stability and rate of deceleration in descent is controlled by aerodynamic forces. This “feathering” design takes the best from both the traditional capsule and winged space vehicle designs, and adds a little magic of its own. The “feathering” concept is often compared to a badminton shuttlecock or birdie – and proves that sometimes the most disruptive designs can emerge from the most humble of origins.

[sneakypete]

@sneakypete

It goes Up powered. It comes Down as a glider/rock.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceShipTwo

@Elderberry

Thanks,but that's not really what I wanted to hear.  I guess those Space Cadets are just more trusting than Ground Pounders.

[Elderberry]

@Elderberry

Thanks,but that's not really what I wanted to hear.  I guess those Space Cadets are just more trusting than Ground Pounders.

@sneakypete

Trust can be a strange thing. Reminds me when I was learning to jump. I felt it was better for me to jump than have to ride some more in that plane. I didn't trust those pilots.

[sneakypete]

@sneakypete

Trust can be a strange thing. Reminds me when I was learning to jump. I felt it was better for me to jump than have to ride some more in that plane. I didn't trust those pilots.

@Elderberry


I didn't/don't trust airplanes. First one I ever rode in was a old C-119 "Flying Boxcar",and the damn thing would hit a airpocket and drop 100 feet or more,scaring the crap  out of me. When I got on it,I was worried about not being able to jump out of it,and suddenly I was afraid nobody was going to open the damn door so so I COULD jump.

[Elderberry]

SpaceX Starship: incredible Elon Musk photo shows the rocket’s true size

https://www.inverse.com/innovation/spacex-starship-incredible-elon-musk-photo

The giant ship has been captured in an image that demonstrates the scale of the Mars-bound ship.

The Starship, SpaceX's under-development ship for sending humans to Mars, has been captured in a new image that reveals its sheer size.

Ahead of a planned static test fire, CEO Elon Musk shared an image on Twitter Monday of the underside of the rocket, with a single Raptor engine attached. The final ship is expected to use six engines, paired with a Super Heavy booster adding up to 37 more that's designed to help the ship leave Earth. From there, it will be set to reach the moon, Mars and beyond.

The "SN4" prototype in the image is set for a static test fire that fires the engine at a stationary position, a precursor to a potential "hop test" that would see the prototype jump in the air. That test may be postponed, however, after Musk posted on Twitter that a Monday morning static fire "seems unlikely right now."





But prototype models of the ship, under development at the Boca Chica facility in Texas, have been somewhat hard to visualize from far-away shots. Photos like these show the impressive design and indicate that it's clearly pretty big, but it's still hard to picture the exact size. This is a ship designed to transport 100 people into space – its size is one of its biggest breakthroughs.

It's not the first time the public has had a visualized peek at the Starship's size. Back when it was known as "BFR," 3D modeler Reese Wilson produced a series of models in 2018 that showed the then-348-foot BFR against a series of landmarks:

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(More photos at link.)

[sneakypete]

I thought the plan was,as always,to "not fight gravity" by assembling sections here on Earth,and then boosting them into low Earth orbit for final assembly?

[Elderberry]

Not Fight Gravity?  Maybe if someone invents Teleportation. No matter where the assembly takes place it takes the same amount of energy per pound to get materials to the moon,depending on the efficiency of the rocket engines. So it behooves us to utilize raw materials not from the earth, such as mined from the moon or asteroids.

[Cyber Liberty]

Not Fight Gravity?  Maybe if someone invents Teleportation. No matter where the assembly takes place it takes the same amount of energy per pound to get materials to the moon,depending on the efficiency of the rocket engines. So it behooves us to utilize raw materials not from the earth, such as mined from the moon or asteroids.

That's the way I see it.  Assembling components in space may be easier in terms of hefting and stacking stages, but it still takes heavy lifters to get them up there.  The most interesting idea I've seen is refueling a rocket in space with a tanker, after it expends its first fuel getting to orbit.  Saves a stage or two.

I like the concept Virgin has been working, where they launch an orbit-bound rocket from 50,000 feet.

[Elderberry]

SpaceX's plan for in-orbit Starship refueling: a second Starship

It seems simple.

https://www.engadget.com/2019-09-28-starship-refueling-spacex.html

During an update on the SpaceX Starship program, Elon Musk just showed off a brief clip that explained part of the plan for using these vehicles to reach Mars. It involved a Starship in orbit around Earth, meeting a similarly-sized vehicle to refuel before it goes on the long trip to another planet. Musk has long touted his desire to make human life "multiplanetary" and expressed this as the way to achieve his goal.

He explained the Starship only requires its "Super Heavy" booster for launches from Earth, so it seems possible that the second vehicle could launch from the Moon powered only by its own Raptor engines.

In a graphic, the process is explained as "Propellant settled by milli-g acceleration using control thrusters." The way Musk described it, having the ability to refuel a Starship means it can carry a full 1200 ton propellant load when leaving Earth's orbit. He also showed off an updated version of the Starship's design, with its 50m-long body covered in 301 stainless steel, with ceramic tiles in certain high heat areas.

[sneakypete]

Not Fight Gravity?  Maybe if someone invents Teleportation. No matter where the assembly takes place it takes the same amount of energy per pound to get materials to the moon,depending on the efficiency of the rocket engines. So it behooves us to utilize raw materials not from the earth, such as mined from the moon or asteroids.

@Elderberry

True,but it is much harder to  build larger and more complex rockets that have enough lift to elevate such heavy items into LEO,and the result is MUCH bigger explosions when a launch goes wrong.

[sneakypete]

That's the way I see it.  Assembling components in space may be easier in terms of hefting and stacking stages, but it still takes heavy lifters to get them up there. The most interesting idea I've seen is refueling a rocket in space with a tanker, after it expends its first fuel getting to orbit. Saves a stage or two.

I like the concept Virgin has been working, where they launch an orbit-bound rocket from 50,000 feet.

@Cyber Liberty

I like it too,and was unaware that was in the planning stage.

[Elderberry]

It would take a whole lot of Virgin's SpaceShipTwo flights to build anything substantial in LEO.

Virgin plans to market the 200 kg (440 lb) payload delivery to Sun-synchronous orbit for under US$10,000,000 per mission, while the maximum payload for LEO missions is 230 kg (500 lb).

Aircraft model: SpaceShipTwo

[Elderberry]

So Virgin is using a 747 instead of a First Stage Rocket to launch small payloads(Tourists). It can't be very fuel efficient.

[Cyber Liberty]

So Virgin is using a 747 instead of a First Stage Rocket to launch small payloads(Tourists). It can't be very fuel efficient.

Maybe not, but it's off-the-shelf.  It's the same reason NASA used a converted 747 to ferry the Space Shuttles around.

[sneakypete]

Maybe not, but it's off-the-shelf. 

@Cyber Liberty

Which will save a TON of money that can be used to fund the development of tech that doesn't currently exist in a usable form.

In the long run,it is a decision to save both money and time.

[Cyber Liberty]

@Cyber Liberty

Which will save a TON of money that can be used to fund the development of tech that doesn't currently exist in a usable form.

In the long run,it is a decision to save both money and time.

I'd be surprised if, after a few years, Branson is still launching from a 747.

[sneakypete]

I'd be surprised if, after a few years, Branson is still launching from a 747.

@Cyber Liberty

Me,too. Innovation breeds even more innovation. It can do nothing else.

[Elderberry]

I'd be surprised if, after a few years, Branson is still launching from a 747.

Perhaps a Verne Gun.

[sneakypete]

Perhaps a Verne Gun.

@Elderberry

Please explain. That term rings some VERY distant bells,but I just can't put it together.

[Elderberry]

Space Gun

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_gun

Not to be confused with Raygun, a type of gun common in science fiction. For other uses, see Space gun (disambiguation).
The Quicklauncher spacegun

A space gun, sometimes called a Verne gun because of its appearance in From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne, is a method of launching an object into space using a large gun- or cannonlike structure. Space guns could thus potentially provide a method of non-rocket spacelaunch. It has been conjectured that space guns could place satellites into Earth's orbit (although after-launch propulsion of the satellite would be necessary to achieve a stable orbit), and could also launch spacecraft beyond Earth's gravitational pull and into other parts of the Solar System by exceeding Earth's escape velocity of about 11.20 km/s (40,320 km/h; 25,050 mph). However, these speeds are too far into the hypersonic range for most practical propulsion systems and also would cause most objects to burn up due to aerodynamic heating or be torn apart by aerodynamic drag. Therefore, a more likely future use of space guns would be to launch objects into near Earth orbit, from where attached rockets could be fired or the objects could be "collected" by maneuverable orbiting satellites.[citation needed]

In Project HARP, a 1960s joint United States and Canada defence project, a U.S. Navy 410 mm (16 in) 100 caliber gun was used to fire a 180 kg (400 lb) projectile at 3,600 m/s (12,960 km/h; 8,050 mph), reaching an apogee of 180 km (110 mi), hence performing a suborbital spaceflight. However, a space gun has never been successfully used to launch an object into orbit or out of Earth's gravitational pull.

[Cyber Liberty]

Branson wants to shoot tourists into space.  I don't think the 10s of Gs produced from being shot out of a cannon is conducive to Branson's objective.

[Elderberry]

Branson wants to shoot tourists into space.  I don't think the 10s of Gs produced from being shot out of a cannon is conducive to Branson's objective.

You're right. I don't think he even has plans, at least in the near term to even achieve low earth orbit. Only sub-orbital flights into space and then down again with passengers.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/virgin-galactics-plan-to-revolutionize-travel-on-earth-113934966.html

Virgin Galactic’s plan to monetize space tourism includes using its “proprietary technologies and capabilities for other commercial and governmental uses,” according to the company’s first earnings report released last week. Its growth strategy also envisions the development of “high speed global mobility vehicles that drastically reduce travel time from point to point,” for instance from Los Angeles to Tokyo in just two hours.

[Elderberry]

Starship SN4 LIVE Static Fire Attempt From SpaceX's Boca Chica Launch Site

SpaceX is set to conduct a static fire attempt of the Starship SN4 prototype from their Boca Chica, Texas launch site. This will be the first static fire of a Raptor engine on a Starship vehicle.


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[Elderberry]

Well it didn't blow up. It was hard to see through all the fog.

[sneakypete]

You're right. I don't think he even has plans, at least in the near term to even achieve low earth orbit. Only sub-orbital flights into space and then down again with passengers.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/virgin-galactics-plan-to-revolutionize-travel-on-earth-113934966.html

@Elderberry

That boy is going to end up making,AND EARNING,"stoopid money".

[kevindavis007]

Starship SN4 Static Fire Test

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cp2oaguCzN8

[Elderberry]

SpaceX Boca Chica - Starship SN6 build-up begins amid SN4 testing and SN5 stacking


NASASpaceflight

Ahead of another test of Starship SN4 tonight, SN5 stacking ops continue around the VAB and sections of SN6 have been spotted out in the wild near the big tents!


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[Elderberry]

SpaceX fires up Starship rocket twice in 30 hours ahead of next big tests

TESLARATI by Eric Ralph 5/8/2020

SpaceX has successfully fired up a full-scale Starship rocket for the second time in barely 30 hours and removed the ship’s Raptor engine to perform an additional suite of “cryo testing”.

Around 7pm CDT on May 6th, SpaceX technicians began loading the fourth full-scale Starship with liquid oxygen and methane, filling up a large portion of its massive propellant tanks. Just the latest in a line of several tests involving wet dress rehearsals (WDR) completed in the days prior, this test would soon become exceptional. About an hour and a half after work began, Starship SN4’s lone Raptor engine ignited and burned for ~3 seconds, marking the first time in history a next-generation SpaceX rocket truly came alive with one of the engines designed to take it all the way to orbit.

In line with tests performed with Starhopper – a low-fidelity, subscale tested that flew twice with Raptor – last year, it would have been business as usual if SpaceX had called it a day and moved on to something else with Starship SN4. Instead, Starship performed another WDR and fired up its Raptor engine for a second time in just 30 hours after SpaceX teams inspected the rocket and cleared it for another round. It’s unknown why two back-to-back static fires were performed but, to be clear, every step Starship SN4 takes forward is a step into uncharted territory. Already, the ship’s next steps could come as soon as Friday, May 8th.

According to CEO Elon Musk, SpaceX’s second Starship SN4 static fire test was completed successfully and actually marked the operational debut of a critical aspect of the next-generation launch vehicle and spacecraft. Known as header tanks, Starship needs two smaller secondary propellant tanks to complement its main tanks, a need driven mainly by the challenges of landing such a large and mobile spacecraft. Smaller header tanks will also make it dramatically easier for SpaceX to insulate cryogenic propellant and ensure it remains liquid over long-duration cruises in space, but safe and reliable landings are a more pressing concern for these early prototypes.

Yes. Static fire feeding from fuel header vs main tank.

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[sneakypete]

@Elderberry

EXCITING STUFF!

Thank you for keeping us up to date on the progress!

[Cyber Liberty]

@Elderberry

EXCITING STUFF!

Thank you for keeping us up to date on the progress!

Dittos that!  And thanks to @kevindavis, too!

[Elderberry]

Blue Origin preparing to enter the orbital arena

Spaceflight.com by Colin Fletcher May 4, 2020

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2020/05/blue-origin-orbital-arena/

Blue Origin has been making significant progress on the structures, systems, propulsion, and infrastructure supporting their New Glenn heavy lift rocket. Though the company is traditionally quite secretive about most of their operations, they have recently been revealing more and more information as they work towards a first flight date of no earlier than 2021. They also won through as part of the Human Landing System (HLS) award winners as its goals move from the suborbital, through to Low Earth Orbit and beyond.

Engine Development

At their facility in West Texas, Blue Origin has been conducting test fires of both its BE-4 first stage engine and BE-3U upper stage engine. BE-3U is a variant of the BE-3PM engine that has powered the suborbital, reusable New Shepard vehicle on 12 flights. Unlike the tap-off cycle PM variant, BE-3U operates on an open expander cycle, which in turn with a vacuum optimized nozzle creates higher thrust, efficiency, and provides for multiple restarts in space.

On February 14, 2020, Blue Origin opened a “high-rate engine production facility” in Huntsville, Alabama for both the BE-4 and BE-3U engine. Nearby, the company is currently in the process of renovating test stand 4670 at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.

More at link.

[Elderberry]

SpaceX Boca Chica - Full Drive-Past Entire Facility Video from Mary (@BocaChicaGal)

Mary takes you on an updated drive past the growing facility at SpaceX Boca Chica, from the launch site to the production facility. Very useful to get one's bearings. No fancy editing or timelapse, just a fateful of Boca Chica, which most of you will appreciate!


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[kevindavis007]

SpaceX Starship SN4 Passes Cryo Test!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiAU3_DKFLg&t=363s

[Elderberry]

SpaceX’s Starship rocket just took a big leap towards orbit with latest test success

TESLARATI by  By Eric Ralph 5/10/2020

https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-starship-leap-towards-orbit-test-success/

A full-scale Starship rocket has passed a critical test for the first time ever, strongly suggesting that the next-generation launch vehicle could be much closer to orbital readiness than most would imagine.

To be clear, a huge amount of work remains before Starship can be deemed anywhere close to its first orbital flight tests, not the least of which is the fabrication and assembly of the first massive Super Heavy booster(s). However, after Starship SN4’s latest successful May 9th test, it’s hard to see any apparent showstoppers that can’t be handled with a combination of fairly routine testing and iterative progress, as well as time and money. There is certainly room for improvement throughout the program but SpaceX has effectively demonstrated that the biggest practical concerns about its approach to Starship are moot.

This time, SpaceX – having successfully gathered data from two static fire tests and several wet dress rehearsals – was ready to risk Starship SN4 and pressurized it all the way to 7.5 bar (~110 psi). While ~12% shy of minimum human spaceflight standards, Starship SN4 successfully reached and maintained 7.5 bar while the ship stressed with hydraulic rams to simulate the thrust of three Raptor engines, all of which it survived fully intact. What 7.5 bar does offer, however, is a 1.25x safety factor – on the higher end of aerospace industry standards for uncrewed orbital spaceflight (i.e. cargo/satellite launches).

Perhaps the most important unknown is whether SpaceX’s recent May 2020 WDRs and static fires have used autogenous pressurization, a more efficient method of pressurizing rockets by using hot gas generated by their own engines. It’s extremely likely that SpaceX has been autogenously pressurizing Starship SN4 for its recent tests, but if that weren’t the case, it would be a big source of schedule uncertainty without significant redesign work.

More at link.

[Elderberry]

Why SpaceX Bought An Entire Village


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[kevindavis007]

Why SpaceX Bought An Entire Village


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I don't blame SpaceX...

[Elderberry]

SpaceX’s first high-flying, triple-Raptor Starship is almost finished

TESLARATI by Eric Ralph 5/12/2020

https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-starship-first-triple-raptor-prototype/

SpaceX’s first high-flying, triple-engine Starship prototype is rapidly approaching completion at the same time as the company is preparing for the rocket’s predecessor to lift off on its inaugural test flight.

Known as serial number 5 (SN5), it will be the fifth full-scale Starship prototype completed by SpaceX since November 2019 and the fourth since late-January 2020. Following in the footsteps of Mk1, SN1, SN3, and SN4, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has recently stated that Starship SN5 will be the first prototype to have three Raptor engines and a nosecone installed and could be the first to be outfitted with new and improved aerodynamic control surfaces.

In the meantime, Starship SN4 is perhaps less than 30 hours away from performing a third Raptor static fire test, potentially paving the way for the biggest challenge yet for a full-scale Starship prototype: powered flight. Scheduled no earlier than 9am CDT (14:00 UTC), May 13th, Starship SN4’s next static fire is meant to ensure that a replacement Raptor engine is functioning properly. If successful, the building-sized rocket will effectively be ready to attempt its first launch – also a first for the Starship program overall – pending FAA approval.

Currently, SpaceX has been focused on testing just the tank section of Starship prototypes, representing the vast majority of the technical challenges that must be solved to fully realize the next-generation launch vehicle’s ambitions. Excluding a smaller secondary liquid oxygen tank situated in the tip of Starship nosecones, the nose section is effectively irrelevant – putting the cart before the horse – until Starship tank sections are more of a known quantity.

When that would be the case was entirely up in the air until just the last week or so, when Starship SN4 became the first full-scale prototype to pass a cryogenic proof test, perform a wet dress rehearsal (WDR) with real propellant, complete static fire(s) with a Raptor engine installed, and – finally – pass a more challenging cryogenic pressure test in quick succession. With those milestones passed for the first time ever, SpaceX has effectively proven that it’s solved the what is arguably the most unprecedented aspect of its Starship program: building orbital-class pressure vessels for pennies on the dollar on the South Texas coast.

More at link.

[Elderberry]

SpaceX Starship: Elon Musk praises render that shows its incredible size

https://www.inverse.com/innovation/spacex-starship-render-size

SpaceX's Starship, the giant stainless steel rocket under construction at a facility in Texas, is shaping up to be one giant machine. A concept render highlighted by CEO Elon Musk Tuesday has captured the sheer scale of this machine in new detail.

The fully-reusable rocket is designed to send humans to Mars and beyond, with the impressive ability to send up to 100 people into space at once. When paired with the Super Heavy booster that enables it to leave the Earth, the whole construction is set to measure nearly 400 feet – the exact figure being in flux as development continues. On Tuesday, Musk praised on Twitter a rendering of the full construction completed by South Australia-based Alex Delderfield:

I don't think enough people fully appreciate exactly how massive this vehicle is," Delderfield wrote in response. "Both in terms of scale and what it will go on to achieve for humankind."

The images demonstrate just how massive the full ship will look in reality. Musk first unveiled the predecessor to the Starship, dubbed BFR at the time, back in September 2017. The goal was to create a ship that could replace older rockets like Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy while also powering ambitious ideas like a manned mission to Mars. This all-purpose rocket would prove more economical as it could take on more of SpaceX's day-to-day tasks. It could take on its first commercial mission in 2021.

The Inverse analysis – The Starship is one huge machine, and Musk's tweet demonstrates its incredible size. The ship is expected to have around 1,000 cubic meters of cabin space, enough to send up to 100 humans into space with around two or three people per cabin. It's also designed to send over 150 tons of cargo into space with its alternate configuration. A more restricted 1,000-person version is expected to send people around the Earth within an hour. But while these numbers sound huge on paper, Monday's post brings home just how huge this ship is expected to be.

More at link.

[kevindavis007]

NASA estimates having SpaceX and Boeing build spacecraft for astronauts saved $20 billion to $30 billion
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/13/nasa-estimates-having-spacex-and-boeing-build-spacecraft-for-astronauts-saved-up-to-30-billion.html

[Elderberry]

SpaceX Will Have Two Functional Starship Prototypes Within Days – Orbital Flight Is Now in Sight

WCCFtech by Rohail Saleem 5/13/2020

https://wccftech.com/spacex-will-have-two-functional-starship-prototypes-within-days-orbital-flight-is-now-in-sight/

SpaceX has consistently demonstrated its honed logistics and engineering prowess over the course of 2020. Up till now, the company has constructed four starship prototypes, with the fourth iteration – known as the SN4 – currently undergoing extensive testing. Now, however, the company seems to be on the verge of another historic milestone.

Prior to the SN4, each previous Starship prototype could not graduate beyond the initial testing phase and was quickly destroyed. Consequently, SpaceX could only have a single prototype at any given time. This modus operandi now appears to be on the verge of a dramatic change. As per the pertinent reporting, SpaceX is now only a week away – at the longest – from completing its fifth Starship prototype, the SN5. This means that, for the first time ever, the company will have two functioning Starship prototypes concurrently.

So, why is SpaceX working on SN5 while the SN4 is undergoing testing? This question has a one-word answer: contingency. SN4’s approaching maiden flight test will be a risky endeavor, to say the least. For undisclosed reasons, the company has scrapped SN4’s Raptor engine – purportedly the SN18 – following extensive initial testing that included two static fire tests, one of which was publicly declared a success by Elon Musk himself. On the 10th of May, SpaceX installed a new Raptor engine – the SN20 – on the fourth Starship prototype. Now, the SN20 engine is slated to undergo several preliminary tests, including wet dress rehearsals and static fire testing, in order to gauge its operational readiness. Should these tests prove successful, the SN4 will undergo its first live flight test, comprising of a 500ft hop test – a first for any Starship prototype.

More at link.

[sneakypete]

SpaceX Will Have Two Functional Starship Prototypes Within Days – Orbital Flight Is Now in Sight

WCCFtech by Rohail Saleem 5/13/2020

https://wccftech.com/spacex-will-have-two-functional-starship-prototypes-within-days-orbital-flight-is-now-in-sight/

@Elderberry

WOW! Does that thing look like some sort of Rube Goldberg rocket ship from a cheesy 50's sci-fi movie,or what?

[Elderberry]

@Elderberry

WOW! Does that thing look like some sort of Rube Goldberg rocket ship from a cheesy 50's sci-fi movie,or what?

@sneakypete

Just what I was thinkin'.

And he has Grandiose plans for them:

Elon Musk shares details about SpaceX’s Starship, including estimated 20 to 30-year service life

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-e&q=grandiose

He has discussed some of this before, but Musk reiterated that Starship will need to operate on a brisk schedule, ferrying many megatons per year of cargo to the Red Planet in order to establish and maintain a human presence there. Musk said that the spacecraft is being designed with the plan of flying it for an average of three flights per day, each carrying over 100 tons per flight, for a total of mor than 1,000 flights per year, per vehicle.

Ultimately, Musk says that he hopes to achieve a construction rate of 100 Starships being produced per year, with a goal of hitting 1,000 in total in service over the course of the next decade, which can transport as much as 100 megatons per year in cargo, or about 100,000 people “per Earth-Mars orbital sync” in terms of human passengers. That translates to a schedule of roughly once every two years, when Earth and Mars are closest to one another because of the coincidence of their respective orbits around the Sun.

Musk clarified in response to another question that the way this will work will be getting the Mars fleet into a staging orbit above Earth, where they can be refueled in space prior to their synchronized departure. Then, once every 26 months approximately 1,000 ships will all depart over the course of 30 days for their Mars transit. While Starship will require an in-orbit refuel to make the trip to Mars leaving from Earth, because of how much boost is needed to exit Earth’s atmosphere, the same is not true for the reverse trip, Musk pointed out.

SpaceX’s goal, according to Musk, is to ultimately send one million people to Mars by 2050, something Musk also confirmed in another reply to a Twitter user. The goal is to make it common enough and affordable enough that “anyone can go if they want, with loans available for those who don’t have money.” Plus, Musk also noted that there “will be lots of jobs on Mars” for potential colonists.

[sneakypete]

@sneakypete

Just what I was thinkin'.

And he has Grandiose plans for them:

@Elderberry

Well,to be fair to him and the "ship" shown in the photo,it is just for test purposes and is never going to fly,anyhow.

Hell,it was probably banged together from parts of crashed test models. That would help explain all the dents.

Still,you would THINK a guy like Musk with all his bucks,all his ego,and all his understanding of PR would have insisted a more attractive model be put on display,wouldn't you?

[Elderberry]

@sneakypete

Its going to be used for a 150 meter test hop very soon. And if it survives it will be used for the following 20 km launch. Otherwise SN5 will be used. They are already building SN5, 6 and 7.

They are not built for looks.

[sneakypete]

@sneakypete

Its going to be used for a 150 meter test hop very soon. And if it survives it will be used for the following 20 km launch. Otherwise SN5 will be used. They are already building SN5, 6 and 7.

They are not built for looks.

@Elderberry

True,but the ones build for actual launches are going to have to be a lot "smoother" than that. Aerodynamics is a demanding bitch.

[Cyber Liberty]

SpaceX Will Have Two Functional Starship Prototypes Within Days – Orbital Flight Is Now in Sight

WCCFtech by Rohail Saleem 5/13/2020

https://wccftech.com/spacex-will-have-two-functional-starship-prototypes-within-days-orbital-flight-is-now-in-sight/

This is just the top stage, minus the core stage and/or boosters?