FL/AL/MS/LA/TX - GULF OF MEXICO - Hazardous Space Operations - UPDATEThe rocket launch scheduled for September 8, 2023, in the vicinity of Boca Chica Beach, TX., has been postponed. New rocket launch dates will be advertised by U.S. Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi, and can be found at: https://www.cameroncountytx.gov/spacex/.
Starship as seen from 10,420ft.Captured today!
The chopsticks have released S25 from their tight grasp. @epicspaceflight #Hoop2Cam
072234Z SEP 23NAVAREA IV 1039/23(11,28).GULF OF MEXICO.TEXAS.CANCEL NAVAREA IV 1025/23 AND THIS MSG.
072234Z SEP 23HYDROPAC 2886/23(19,81,83).NORTH PACIFIC.HAWAII.DNC 12, DNC 13.CANCEL HYDROPAC 2828/23 AND THIS MSG.
072234Z SEP 23NAVAREA XII 618/23(19,81,83).NORTH PACIFIC.HAWAII.CANCEL NAVAREA XII 608/23 AND THIS MSG.
FAA closes Starship mishap investigation from Booster 7/Ship 24's test flight. Following was emailed out by the FAA:"The FAA has closed the SpaceX Starship Super Heavy mishap investigation. "The final report cites multiple root causes of the April 20, 2023, mishap and 63 corrective actions SpaceX must take to prevent mishap reoccurrence. "Corrective actions include redesigns of vehicle hardware to prevent leaks and fires, redesign of the launch pad to increase its robustness, incorporation of additional reviews in the design process, additional analysis and testing of safety critical systems and components including the Autonomous Flight Safety System, and the application of additional change control practices.""The closure of the mishap investigation does not signal an immediate resumption of Starship launches at Boca Chica. SpaceX must implement all corrective actions that impact public safety and apply for and receive a license modification from the FAA that addresses all safety, environmental and other applicable regulatory requirements prior to the next Starship launch."
SEPTEMBER 8, 2023UPGRADES AHEAD OF STARSHIP’S SECOND FLIGHT TESTThe first flight test of a fully integrated Starship and Super Heavy was a critical step in advancing the capabilities of the most powerful launch system ever developed. Starship’s first flight test provided numerous lessons learned that are directly contributing to several upgrades being made to both the vehicle and ground infrastructure to improve the probability of success on future Starship flights. This rapid iterative development approach has been the basis for all of SpaceX’s major innovative advancements, including Falcon, Dragon, and Starlink. SpaceX has led the investigation efforts following the flight with oversight from the FAA and participation from NASA and the National Transportation and Safety Board.Starship and Super Heavy successfully lifted off for the first time on April 20, 2023 at 8:33 a.m. CT (13:33:09 UTC) from the orbital launch pad at Starbase in Texas. Starship climbed to a maximum altitude of ~39 km (24 mi) over the Gulf of Mexico. During ascent, the vehicle sustained fires from leaking propellant in the aft end of the Super Heavy booster, which eventually severed connection with the vehicle’s primary flight computer. This led to a loss of communications to the majority of booster engines and, ultimately, control of the vehicle. SpaceX has since implemented leak mitigations and improved testing on both engine and booster hardware. As an additional corrective action, SpaceX has significantly expanded Super Heavy’s pre-existing fire suppression system in order to mitigate against future engine bay fires.The Autonomous Flight Safety System (AFSS) automatically issued a destruct command, which fired all detonators as expected, after the vehicle deviated from the expected trajectory, lost altitude and began to tumble. After an unexpected delay following AFSS activation, Starship ultimately broke up 237.474 seconds after engine ignition. SpaceX has enhanced and requalified the AFSS to improve system reliability.SpaceX is also implementing a full suite of system performance upgrades unrelated to any issues observed during the first flight test. For example, SpaceX has built and tested a hot-stage separation system, in which Starship’s second stage engines will ignite to push the ship away from the booster. Additionally, SpaceX has engineered a new electronic Thrust Vector Control (TVC) system for Super Heavy Raptor engines. Using fully electric motors, the new system has fewer potential points of failure and is significantly more energy efficient than traditional hydraulic systems.SpaceX also made significant upgrades to the orbital launch mount and pad system in order to prevent a recurrence of the pad foundation failure observed during the first flight test. These upgrades include significant reinforcements to the pad foundation and the addition of a flame deflector, which SpaceX has successfully tested multiple times.Testing development flight hardware in a flight environment is what enables our teams to quickly learn and execute design changes and hardware upgrades to improve the probability of success in the future. We learned a tremendous amount about the vehicle and ground systems during Starship’s first flight test. Recursive improvement is essential as we work to build a fully reusable launch system capable of carrying satellites, payloads, crew, and cargo to a variety of orbits and Earth, lunar, or Martian landing sites.
Thousands of upgrades to Starship & launchpad/Mechazilla
#138😤
Starship Flight 2
Starship 🚀
QuoteThis week, Jack, Sawyer & Trevor will discuss Falcon 9's increased launch cadence in 2024 and all things Starship.
This week, Jack, Sawyer & Trevor will discuss Falcon 9's increased launch cadence in 2024 and all things Starship.
What's Starship waiting on? Is the FAA holding things up? Who has this list of 63 fixes (Elon does, apparently!). John Galloway sheds light, with comment from the FAA, on the documents and posts surrounding the status of Starship's second launch. Abhi Tripathi Thread: https://twitter.com/SpaceAbhi/status/1700201198941515881
Busy times at Starbase ahead of the next flight of SpaceX's Starship!Host Jack Beyer (@thejackbeyer) updates the latest status, including a flyover of Starbase:
SpaceX's Tom Ochinero says the company is "real close" to the next Starship launch; "working closely with the regulators" at this point.
Ochinero: Wish I could announce the next Starship launch date but we're "working closely" with the FAA to get everything ready correctly. All upgrades to the launch pad are completed.
Elon Musk released an overview of the 63 improvements that SpaceX pitched to the FAA, for the clearance of launch two. Furthermore, SpaceX rolls out Booster 10 to Masseys, for thrust simulator testing.In our new update show "Countdown to Launch" we will update you regularly on all things Starship flight 2. The goal is to answer all the questions you have about the upcoming launch campaign.24/7 Coverage: nsf.live/starbase
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