Topic: Interesting stuff about SpaceX Starship (hate the name)

[Nemesis]

The FAA is once again delaying Starship launches. So instead of this month it will be November at the earliest.

I'm seeing claims of it launching this Sunday.  No details yet.

[Nemesis]

Booster CAUGHT.  Starship achieved it planned orbit.

More detail to come as the flight is still in progress.

Some but less burn through on the flaps.  Still a good ocean landing.

IFT 6 i now scheduled for December.

Some of the outer ring of engine bells seem to have damage and distortion from the heat/force of coming down from 96 km altitude tail first (hot enough to see them glow). 

The booster was sat back down the launch platform and locked in place, the quick disconnect arm was able to reconnect (possibly to drain/recover the left over methane). 

I expect this booster to be dissected to find every iota of damage that would need to be prevented in later models for rapid reuse and also of course the damage that can't be avoided but which will need to be repaired after each flight.

[Nemesis]

The orbital launch mount is already repaired enough that booster 13 has used it for a static fire test.

A raptor was tested for rapid ignition and shut down.  It ran 34 ignitions and shutdowns within 9 minutes.

[Nemesis]

IFT 6 Mon • Nov 18th, 2024  5:00 PM - 5:30 PM EST

[Nemesis]

Not happening this year.  The maiden flight is now scheduled for November.  I fully expect it to slip into next year, if they reschedule it for Dec 31st that will be (I think) the 4th year in a row that they scheduled it for that date then failed to launch it. 

Am I cynical about any Blue Origin announcements?  You bet I am.  They got my hopes up too many times only to dash them.

Maiden launch no longer November but December (no day just the month).  Bet on it being delayed into next year.  4 years in a row its launch has been delayed to December.  I doubt that they will do a launch without some one else paying for it.  No cargo no launch.

[Nemesis]

IFT 6 Mon • Nov 18th, 2024  5:00 PM - 5:30 PM EST

Delayed till Tuesday, same time.

Fueling in process.  IFT 6 has a payload - 1 banana.

[Nemesis]

Flawless launch.  They cancelled the catch for reasons I haven't heard.  Looked like a perfect ocean landing for both booster and Starship. 

The banana surprised me by surviving till the landing, I suspect it was frozen.

The Starship had heat tiles that were from the pre IFT 5 era and they were reduced by 2100 to see how the metal took reentry.  It looked like they had melt through's at the flaps and on one side where the tiles were removed.  They changed the attitude of reentry to test alternatives and at one point had it somewhat nose down to see if the rear flaps could recover - they did.

Yes they did manage an engine relight (briefly on purpose to stay in landing zone).

If any of this doesn't make sense my excuse is I'm feverish.

[Nemesis]

Rumored date for IFT 7 is Jan 11th.

[Nemesis]

Artemis 2 will include three astronauts from NASA and one from the Canadian Space Agency.  NASA commander Reid Wiseman, NASA pilot Victor Glover, NASA mission specialist Christina Koch and CSA mission specialist Jeremy Hansen will fly around the moon before returning to Earth. The roughly 10-day-long mission is tentatively scheduled to launch in April 2026.

[Nemesis]

Not happening this year.  The maiden flight is now scheduled for November.  I fully expect it to slip into next year, if they reschedule it for Dec 31st that will be (I think) the 4th year in a row that they scheduled it for that date then failed to launch it. 

Am I cynical about any Blue Origin announcements?  You bet I am.  They got my hopes up too many times only to dash them.

Maiden launch no longer November but December (no day just the month).  Bet on it being delayed into next year.  4 years in a row its launch has been delayed to December.  I doubt that they will do a launch without some one else paying for it.  No cargo no launch.

December 27th and still no date beyond "December" so I will be shocked and amazed if they launch this year.  I fully expect them to delay it until it becomes the next scheduled PAID launch as the "Maiden Flight" of New Glenn.  Bezos is not one to spend his own money when he can spend money that isn't his even if it delays things for years.

So 4 consecutive years in a row they scheduled the maiden flight and still hasn't happened.  Now on the 25th year without a orbital launch ATTEMPT.  Yet people still hold them up as competing with SpaceX.  HOW?  How can they be considered actual competitors?  They might win contracts for launches but they have yet to fulfill one.

[Nemesis]

Rumored date for IFT 7 is Jan 11th.

Friday January 10th 5 PM - 6:37 PM EST.

[Nemesis]

Not happening this year.  The maiden flight is now scheduled for November.  I fully expect it to slip into next year, if they reschedule it for Dec 31st that will be (I think) the 4th year in a row that they scheduled it for that date then failed to launch it. 

Am I cynical about any Blue Origin announcements?  You bet I am.  They got my hopes up too many times only to dash them.

Maiden launch no longer November but December (no day just the month).  Bet on it being delayed into next year.  4 years in a row its launch has been delayed to December.  I doubt that they will do a launch without some one else paying for it.  No cargo no launch.

December 27th and still no date beyond "December" so I will be shocked and amazed if they launch this year.  I fully expect them to delay it until it becomes the next scheduled PAID launch as the "Maiden Flight" of New Glenn.  Bezos is not one to spend his own money when he can spend money that isn't his even if it delays things for years.

So 4 consecutive years in a row they scheduled the maiden flight and still hasn't happened.  Now on the 25th year without a orbital launch ATTEMPT.  Yet people still hold them up as competing with SpaceX.  HOW?  How can they be considered actual competitors?  They might win contracts for launches but they have yet to fulfill one.

Now claiming Jan 5th 11:30 PM - 2:45 AM EST,

I'm not staying up that late on the off chance of an actual launch.


DELAYED Wed • Jan 8th, 2025 1:00 AM - 4:45 AM EST

DELAYED AGAIN   Fri • Jan 10th, 2025   1:00 AM - 4:45 AM EST

Still not staying up that late on the off chance of a launch.

DELAYED YET AGAIN

Sun • Jan 12th, 2025 1:00 AM - 4:00 AM EST

I have BO supporters angry on Youtube for saying I wouldn't stay up late for the launch on the off chance it happens after over 4 years of repeated delays.  It is now January 9th 2025 and this year alone there have been 4 different declared launch dates and these guys each time get angry with me for saying I won't stay up.  BO just proves me right.

Delayed another time:  Mon • Jan 13th, 2025  1:00 AM - 4:00 AM EST

A fifth date this year.  Gee I can stay up all night and watch New Glenn probably not launch  OR sleep and find out in the morning if it launches and be fresh to watch he launch of Starship again.    Yep I'll get my beauty sleep and watch Starship knowing that if it is delayed it WILL launch soon.

Another delay Tue • Jan 14th, 2025  1:00 AM - 4:00 AM EST 6 dates in 13 days.

One more time Thu • Jan 16th, 2025  1:00 AM - 4:00 AM EST  7 dates in 13 days

[Nemesis]

Rumored date for IFT 7 is Jan 11th.

Friday January 10th 5 PM - 6:37 PM EST.

Sat • Jan 11th, 2025 8:00 AM - 9:38 AM EST

Delayed Mon • Jan 13th, 2025  5:00 PM - 6:38 PM EST

Delayed  Wed • Jan 15th, 2025  5:00 PM - 6:38 PM EST

Delayed Thu • Jan 16th, 2025  5:00 PM - 6:00 PM EST

Launch now appears to be minutes away.

[Nemesis]

New Glenn FINALLY launched after 4 years of delaying their initial declared launch date. 

All those people who were claiming it would have a full success are now pretending that putting a tiny satellite in orbit and losing the booster for unknown reasons well short of the landing is a full success.

But congratulations to BO for their PARTIAL success. 

[Nemesis]

IFT 7

Booster caught at the tower.

Seems to be "issues" with the Starship 2nd stage.  Details unclear.  Seems to have had uneven shut down and loss of telemetry.  This could be just a telemetry issue with the flight still going or more likely a substantial failure resulting in destruction.   More as data comes in.

Appears that someone in the Turks and Caicos got video of debris falling from the destruction of Starship. 

Allegedly posted by Musk:

Preliminary indication is that we had an oxygen/fuel leak in the cavity above the ship engine firewall that was large enough to build pressure in excess of the vent capacity.

Apart from obviously double-checking for leaks, we will add fire suppression to that volume and probably increase vent area. Nothing so far suggests pushing next launch past next month. From Elon Musk