Author Topic: Wen Starship Flight 9? (Read 8167 times)

sdsds · « **Reply #20 on:** 04/30/2025 08:48 am »

Six weeks ago Musk wrote, "The next ship will be ready in 4 to 6 weeks."

Today there was an unsuccessful attempt at a ship static fire. Congratulations to all whose poll vote indicates they've learned to seriously question Musk's estimates.

Skye · « **Reply #21 on:** 04/30/2025 08:50 am »

Wait whaaaaa? Btw, since S36 is cryo testing (prob done by the time you read this), do you think it’ll overtake S35? They seem to be having issues with it and moving to S36 may not be the worst idea.

laszlo · « **Reply #22 on:** 04/30/2025 03:03 pm »

Makes no difference, it's just gonna blow up over Florida anyway

lightleviathan · « **Reply #23 on:** 05/01/2025 01:10 am »

Quote from: Skye on 04/30/2025 08:50 am

Wait whaaaaa? Btw, since S36 is cryo testing (prob done by the time you read this), do you think it’ll overtake S35? They seem to be having issues with it and moving to S36 may not be the worst idea.

Proper retrofits to a flawed design take time, especially now that they aren't rushing. Cryotesting 36 while there's a gap in the schedule makes sense, it's not an indication of a replacement.

sdsds · « **Reply #24 on:** 05/01/2025 05:19 pm »

Quote from: AI Overview

The static fire test for Ship 34 (S34) was conducted on February 11, 2025. The first launch attempt for Starship Flight Test 8 (IFT-8), which involved Ship 34, was scrubbed on March 3, 2025. The actual launch of IFT-8 took place on March 6, 2025. Therefore, the time between the static fire and the actual launch of IFT-8 was approximately 25 days.

25 days from today would put launch on May 26.

litton4 · « **Reply #25 on:** 05/02/2025 10:53 am »

Might all depend on whether, from camera views, there was a problem with the 6-engine static fire, just conducted.

So, if confirmed, either they've had a new failure (bad)
or
They've had the same failure that doomed the last 2 flights. (bad short term, good medium term)

Skye · « **Reply #26 on:** 05/06/2025 10:46 am »

Date apparently set for ~~May 13with backups till May 23!!!~~

(I’m scared!

)

Edit: Flight 9 is now NET May 19th

Edit edit: NET May 20th? It’s unclear now

Edit edit edit: May 21st, quite a few date changes

shm6666 · « **Reply #27 on:** 05/06/2025 11:10 am »

I did take the very conservative guess of aug 2025. Knowing full well that they want to try way before. My feeling after seeing flight 7 and 8 is that they do probably have a serious design issue with V2. They can solve it in several ways and I think they will. But my feeling is that it will take time.

If the fly flight 9 now in May. I really do hope it is successful. A failure now will not be good. My thinking behind aug 2025 was that they would need to do a V2.5 and that would take some time. I want to see Starship fly. I want to see it with the same cadence as Falcon 9.

Robotbeat · « **Reply #28 on:** 05/14/2025 08:11 pm »

Didn’t vote, but end of May or June seem likely.

I do think it’s funny when people are surprised when aerospace dates slip. That’s just the nature of this industry, nothing to do with Musk. Not a single firm is immune to it.

jongoff · « **Reply #29 on:** 05/15/2025 06:57 pm »

I voted May when I setup the poll. I knew there was a chance they might try to move fast and roll the dice, and try for an earlier launch, but figured May was the most likely date if they were trying to split the difference between moving fast and trying to make sure it would work. Fingers crossed that they prove me right. :-)

More seriously, I hope they take the time necessary to have a good and successful flight. I want to see them go for a Starship catch this summer, and I'd also like to see them get into operational Starlink deployment flights.

~Jon