SpaceX Starship OFT-2

[Elderberry]

[4K] Watch SpaceX launch Starship, the biggest rocket ever, LIVE up close and personal!

Everyday Astronaut    Started streaming 5 hours ago

This is the second fully integrated full stack test flight of Starship and the mighty Super Heavy booster, the largest and most most powerful rocket to ever fly. It produces over twice as much thrust as the Saturn V that took humans to the moon.

The goal of the test is to get further along than IFT-2 in April 20th which didn't make it to stage separation while also hoping the improvements to the launch pad hold up better than the previous attempt. If all goes well, Starship will re-enter near Hawaii about 90 minutes after it lifts off from Starbase, TX, nearly completing an orbit of the Earth. This would allow the teams to test the reentry profile and heat shields for the first time from orbital velocities.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6na40SqzYnU

[Elderberry]

SpaceX
@SpaceX

All systems and weather are go for the second integrated flight test of Starship. Today's webcast will go live ~35 minutes ahead of liftoff → http://spacex.com/launches

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1725834753537188097

[Elderberry]

https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1725829697232122034

[Elderberry]

T- 10 Minutes

[Elderberry]

Hold @ T-40secs Normal hold Point

[Elderberry]

Counting!!!

[Elderberry]

Launched!!!!

[Elderberry]

Stage Separation complete!

[Elderberry]

Booster RUD!!!!

[Elderberry]

2nd Stage on its way.

[bigheadfred]

FANTASTIC!

[Elderberry]

Lost Communication with 2nd stage

[Cyber Liberty]

Lost Communication with 2nd stage

Ruh rho...

[Right_in_Virginia]

Elon Musk is legend. NASA could never.

https://twitter.com/CitizenFreePres/status/1725887683375890580

[Right_in_Virginia]

Incredible view of Elon Musk's Starship lift off.

https://twitter.com/CitizenFreePres/status/1725887510390169923

[Right_in_Virginia]

Liftoff of Starship!

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1725862657780281349

[catfish1957]

twitter.com/CitizenFreePres/status/1725887683375890580

"Elon Musk is legend. NASA could never."

And why many don't know and understand that if Musk ever took SpaceX public, he'd become the world's first Trillionaire.

[Elderberry]

Watch: SpaceX Starship Test Flight Launches Before Exploding


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujJ7jqLav8o

[Right_in_Virginia]

SpaceX
@SpaceX

Congratulations to the entire SpaceX team on an exciting second integrated flight test of Starship!

Starship successfully lifted off under the power of all 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy Booster and made it through stage separation

9:12 AM · Nov 18, 2023

[Elderberry]

The rocketship reached space following lift-off from south Texas before communication was suddenly lost.

SpaceX officials said it appears the ship’s self-destruct system blew it up over the Gulf of Mexico.

[Elderberry]

FAA to oversee investigation of SpaceX's explosive 2nd Starship flight

Space.com By Mike Wall 11/18/2023

SpaceX will figure out why Saturday's (Nov. 18) test flight ended just eight minutes after liftoff.

SpaceX will figure out why Saturday's (Nov. 18) test flight ended just eight minutes after liftoff.

The second-ever test flight of SpaceX's giant Starship rocket has spurred an investigation, just as the first one did.

Starship lifted off from SpaceX's Starbase site in South Texas on Saturday (Nov. 18), kicking off a test mission that aimed to send the vehicle's upper stage most of the way around Earth.

The target was a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii about 90 minutes after launch. But Saturday's flight ended just eight minutes in, with the "rapid unscheduled disassembly" of Starship's upper stage. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) deemed this outcome a mishap and will supervise an investigation into its cause.

-----

Indeed, SpaceX hailed Saturday's test flight as a success.

"Honestly, it's such an incredibly successful day, even though we did have a rapid unscheduled disassembly of both the Super Heavy booster and the Ship," SpaceX quality engineering manager Kate Tice said during the live webcast. (Super Heavy was supposed to splash down in the Gulf of Mexico about seven minutes after launch, but it exploded shortly after stage separation.)

"That's great," Tice added. "We got so much data, and that will all help us to improve for our next flight."

It's unclear when that next flight will take place; that depends on the outcome of the investigation, and how many adjustments SpaceX may need to make before the FAA clears Starship for liftoff once again.

More: https://www.space.com/faa-oversee-investigation-second-starship-flight

[Elderberry]

A look at the launch site, post-flight

CNN By Jackie Wattles

https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/spacex-starship-launch-scn/index.html

SpaceX's launchpad appears to be fully intact, indicating that a new water deluge system used to dampen the jarring forces of the Super Heavy rocket's engines during takeoff helped keep the ground facilities safe.

Cameron County — the Texas county that encompasses Starship's launch site — opened the single road that runs out to SpaceX's launch facility and the public beaches shortly after launch. It was a quick turnaround for the county, which left the roads closed significantly longer after the inaugural test launch in April.

One key factor at play: SpaceX acknowledged that the sheer force of Super Heavy's engines after the April launch tore apart the launchpad. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk referred to it as a "rock tornado."

But the new deluge system used during this launch shot nearly 360,000 gallons of water upward as the engines ignited during this morning's launch. When CNN visited the launch site a few hours after takeoff, the stand that the rocket launched from appeared to be unharmed and there were no immediately visible signs of large debris in the area.

[DB]

Watch: SpaceX Starship Test Flight Launches Before Exploding


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujJ7jqLav8o

From the video it looked like the first stage blew up well after separating. The second stage was continuing on. Why did the second stage get destroyed?

[GtHawk]

From the video it looked like the first stage blew up well after separating. The second stage was continuing on. Why did the second stage get destroyed?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMJIRTCK--I

[Elderberry]

From Reddit:

What would cause RUD at that late stage?

There was a weird gas stream starting at T+07:06 and a second puff of gas T+07:38, another puff at T+08:04 and what looks to me like the final explosion at T+08:07 and then there was nothing. Maybe the second stage was damaged by the hot staging event and started leaking later on when g-forces became higher, just some speculation

I noticed that too and on Tim's stream it almost sounds like you hear a background reaction to whatever happened at T+07:38 via the space x audio they were playing, it comes a split second before we see the event.

maybe it was someone from the control room swearing over some irregular data that they received

Who knows if the interface from the live stream shows live sensor data, but I noticed that starting with the first stream of gas at T+07:06 the LOX meter started to decrase faster than the CH4 meter, while it was the other way around just before that

FTS triggered for some reason, may have been off track, or maybe lost something in the engines so it triggered since it wasn't yet in orbit

For all we know, the activation could have been caused by a spurious condition or an overly sensitive instrument.

If the #Starship self-destruct mechanism indeed took place when it was about to shut off its engines, then this should be the approximate area where it #disintegrated:

[Smokin Joe]

From Reddit:

If the #Starship self-destruct mechanism indeed took place when it was about to shut off its engines, then this should be the approximate area where it #disintegrated:

I was watching the video feed of the Starship, and noticed those puffs of gas, then the final RUD. When I saw the gas, I figured something was wrong. After all, the emissions from the vehicle are supposed to be highly controlled and generally in one direction.

I had also noticed that the altitude had stabilized, then dropped by 1 km, which I didn't think was part of the flight plan, and may have further heralded a problem in fuel/oxidizer flow or pressure. Then it was over.   

Still, this represents progress. The difficulties appear to be a result of damage incurred during the hot staging, even though the separation was successful. Hopefully, the data gathered will allow these issues to be resolved.

As a reminder, early efforts in space programs do not always go well:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g79K-R7xTFo

We learn from our mistakes, before we try manned flight, and even then, there are no guarantees.

[DB]

I was wondering if those momentary gas streams at the top end after separation were steering jets to orient the first stage for optimum position to return back to earth - before it exploded.

[Elderberry]

SpaceX Starship Launch 2 (IFT2) Explained!
Marcus House  Nov 19, 2023

Here we have the colossal SpaceX Starship Launch 2 (IFT2) Explained!

The day arrived where SpaceX has proved that all those improvements to the launch site and launch vehicle have paid off! Yes, on Saturday the 18th of November, 2023! That day my friends, the newest record breaking Starship full stack flew for the second time ever! Oh boy was this one improved from the last, yet still a nail biting spectacle.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmiI_up0G2Y

[DB]

Thank you for the update/description of the flight.

[Elderberry]

SpaceX
@SpaceX

From the entire SpaceX team, thank you to our customers, Cameron County, spaceflight fans, and the wider community for the continued support and encouragement.

Elon Musk
@elonmusk

Thanks also to @FAANews
 and @NFWFnews
 for rapid approval of a complex launch license

[Elderberry]

Elon Musk
@elonmusk

Starship hot stage separation

[catfish1957]

FAA to oversee investigation of SpaceX's explosive 2nd Starship flight

Anyone want to wager the probability that the FAA wouldn't gotten their sneaky grubby little fingers into this investigation, if Musk hadn't bought Twitter.

Sorry but I view every swamp fed regulatory puke in the same vein as Walter Peck froom Ghostbusters.   Prove me wrong.

[Smokin Joe]

Anyone want to wager the probability that the FAA wouldn't gotten their sneaky grubby little fingers into this investigation, if Musk hadn't bought Twitter.

Sorry but I view every swamp fed regulatory puke in the same vein as Walter Peck froom Ghostbusters.   Prove me wrong.

I'd love to argue, but that has been my suspicion also. Narrative busting is highly unwelcome by the Administration and the rest of their toadies.

Not just the FAA, but they threw environmental regulators at him also.

He must not be handing out the baksheesh like the MIC.

[Elderberry]

Starship’s 33 Engines Created The Mother Of All ‘Shock Diamonds’

The War Zone by Oliver Parken 11/20/2023

The exhaust from the massive cluster of Raptor engines in Starship’s booster combined to create a gigantic ‘shock diamond’ during launch.

SpaceX’s massive Starship rocket lifted off for its second test flight over the weekend. Among the stunning imagery and video to have emerged from the launch that caught our attention was the sight of its super-heavy rocket booster generating gargantuan "mach diamonds" or "shock diamonds." What’s particularly impressive is how the rocket booster’s 33 Raptor engines combined to create a perfectly formed mach diamond as the stack lifted off the pad.

Given how incredible this example of physics visualized on a grand scale looks in the photos, we thought it was an opportune moment to dig deeper into the science behind them, as well as explain what makes their unique appearance during the recent Starship test launch so intriguing. 

The 'Starship' system, comprised of a super-heavy rocket booster and spacecraft, took off from SpaceX’s Starbase facility near Boca Chica Beach in South Texas on November 18. In a significant development for SpaceX, and in comparison to the first Starship test launch in April, the rocket booster was successfully able to separate from the spacecraft. This was before the rocket booster exploded over the Gulf of Mexico at an altitude of 91 miles (148 kilometers). Moreover, contact was lost with the spacecraft after it reached space, with the company having to trigger its self-destruct feature shortly thereafter. Eventually, Space X intends for its Starship system to carry crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond.

More: https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/starships-33-engines-created-the-mother-of-all-shock-diamonds

[Elderberry]

SpaceX
@SpaceX

Slow motion tracking shot of Super Heavy's 33 Raptor engines shortly after liftoff

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1727054554947268685

[Elderberry]

Watch SpaceX's Starship explode in astronomer's stunning telescope footage (video)

Space.com By Brett Tingley 11/22/2023

'There it was, spinning out of control, spewing clouds of gas in multiple directions.'

The second test flight of SpaceX's Starship was a photogenic one.

On Saturday (Nov. 18), the massive Starship rocket launched for the second time ever, lifting off from SpaceX's Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas. The Super Heavy booster of the 400-foot-tall (122 meters) rocket exploded shortly after stage separation, while the upper-stage Starship vehicle reached an altitude of 91 miles (148 kilometers), well above the 62-mile (100 km) boundary of space before it, too, experienced what SpaceX refers to as a "rapid unscheduled disassembly."

Despite both parts of the vehicle exploding, SpaceX considers the test flight a success. "All 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy Booster started up successfully and, for the first time, completed a full-duration burn during ascent," SpaceX wrote in a recent mission update.

As spaceflight fans and photographers around Boca Chica pointed their cameras to the skies to document the spectacle, Scott Ferguson of Astronomy Live was watching from much farther away with a different kind of instrument: A telescope. Observing from the village of Islamorada in the Florida Keys, Ferguson captured an incredible view of Starship's upper stage as it exploded in suborbital space.

More: https://www.space.com/spacex-starship-telescope-astronomer-video


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTcSMh4VYow&t=0s

[Elderberry]

Starship & Superheavy Become The Biggest Rocket In Space.... Before Exploding

Scott Manley Nov 18, 2023

SpaceX finally got to fly their second integrated flight test of the fully reusable Starship & Superheavy system, the launch was spectacular, excitement had been guaranteed and excitement was delivered. The reusable part however remains elusive for now, but I look forward to seeing the next launch be even more successful.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF2C7xE9Mj4

[Elderberry]

SpaceX Starship Booster 9 Tank Slosh simulation


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9WFmItGrKk&t=0s

[Smokin Joe]

SpaceX Starship Booster 9 Tank Slosh simulation


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9WFmItGrKk&t=0s

Needs batter baffles...

[Elderberry]

Everyday Astronaut
@Erdayastronaut
Onboard footage exists from IFT-2!!! And those tracking shots of Starship's second stage burning are incredible!!! I think flight three is going to happen much sooner than IFT-1 to IFT-2 and I expect it to be a much more successful test! I can't wait!

SpaceX
@SpaceX
·
13m
At dawn from the gateway to Mars, the launch of Starship’s second flight test

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1732824684683784516

[Elderberry]

What about it!?
@FelixSchlang
·
According to @elonmusk
 Starship IFT2 would have made it to orbit without a problem if it had a payload.

Venting of excess liquid Oxygen due to a lighter Rocket because of the missing payload created a fire and ultimately lead to the explosion. 🔥

https://twitter.com/FelixSchlang/status/1745973337874919918