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

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Blue Origin having failed to get the GAO (Government Accountability Office) to throw out SpaceX being given the Human Landing System contract is now suing NASA over the contract.

Recently most of the quotes I've seen about the cargo potential of Starship have been 120 tons but Musk in responding to claims by Bezos about the number of launches to refuel the HLS has been referring to the capacity as 150 tons.  If accurate this is promising. 

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The forward fins on future Starships are apparently being moved a little forward but up above the curve so the hinges won't be needing heat shielding but the reason is to improve performance.

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Blue Origin now has Project Jarvis.  Makes me wonder if he sees himself as a real life Tony Stark (Stark = Iron Man and Jarvis is his AI that he uses for designing and operating his armour).  He must REALLY hate that people call Musk the real life Tony Stark.

So what IS Bezos Jarvis? It is a attempt to build a fully reusable 2nd stage to the New Glenn rocket, I don't know if they are eliminating the planned fairings.  Like Starship it is stainless steel.  They have a test tank very like the early Starship tanks.  How do you think Cape Canaveral will appreciate Bezos blowing up test tanks on their property?  SpaceX blew up theirs on their own test site not NASA grounds.  New Glenn is about 75 feet shorter than Starship and only 7 meters diameter vs 9 meters for Starship. 

New Glenn is planned to fly with the expendable 2nd stage until "the mid 2020s" when Jarvis will replace it.  There are also comments that without a reusable 2nd they won't be able to launch at a profit but will lose money every launch.  It also seems to reduce the planned cargo from 50 tons to 38 tons.  This puts it squarely in the F9/FH market and far less than the Starship at 150 tons. 

Functionally this is Bezos endorsing Starship.

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U.S. requirements for Oxygen to treat Covid patients is apparently beginning to impact the ability to supply LOX for rocket launches.

Bezos is apparently filing objections with the FCC to try and block more Starlink satellites.

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“The Commission should recognize this delay tactic for what it is — a continuation of efforts by the Amazon family of companies to hinder competitors to compensate for Amazon’s failure to make progress of its own,” Goldman wrote.

Goldman also said Amazon has not updated the FCC in “nearly 400 days” on Kuiper’s approach to interference and orbital debris but “took only 4 days to object to” the SpaceX Gen2 amendment.

“While Amazon has waited 15 months to explain how its system works, it has lodged objections to SpaceX on average about every 16 days this year,” Goldman added.

Bezos really is trying to be the most hated man in the space industry.

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So how about the proposal to build space telescopes into Starships?  Potentially a reflector 50% larger in diameter than the legendary Mount Palomar 200" one with no atmospheric distortions and 24 hour a day use.

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90 successful landings of the Falcon 9 now achieved.  On to 100!

The launch tower is now being called Stage 0 by Musk who says it is harder to make than Starship itself.

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Starliner has valve problems in the propulsion system and the launch is delayed with the Starliner being removed from the launch pad.

Finally some details on this. 13 stuck valves 4 of which they freed.  It is probably a good thing they couldn't free them all.  The material the valves controlled is a nitrogen compound which leaked through the Teflon seals and interacted with moisture forming nitric acid which caused corrosion which is why they stuck.  Looks like a serious design flaw to me. 

I don't want to fly on this one.

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Looks like all Bezos lobbying and lawsuits won't get him a HLS contract (1st round) as Congress isn't giving NASA a budget increase to handle it. There is a 2nd round that they are eligible for.  He could fund it himself and then under bid to get the contract at a loss (he would have to pay him partner companies to get this).  He might not even be able to do it because since his flight in New Shepard he has had an exodus of high ranked engineers (some to SpaceX).   

Here is my advice to Bezos.  If you REALLY plan to move industry into space to stop polluting Earth like you say then use some of your $200 billion to do the following (and STOP ALL THE BLOCKING LAWSUITS!  Learn to let someone else win a round gracefully while working to win next time).

A/ develop New Glenn (fully reusable). 

B/ Make your own lander (no partners) maybe based on your Jarvis 2nd stage.

C/ You haven't detailed your announced plan for New Armstrong so whatever it is change it to be a super Starship more capable than the SpaceX Starship/Super heavy combo. 

D/ Buy Bigelow and make designs for inflatable lunar bases (and space stations)

E/ Design your lunar mining prototype and generic mini factory.  Don't forget the remote operation of equipment (rovers etc) from Earth.

F/  Combine all this into your OWN lunar base / mines / factories.  Then instead of making yourself the most hated man in the Space Industries you would be the most loved and just maybe become far wealthier if you succeed.  Start with the E/ prototypes and use native materials to build the rest as much as possible. 

G/ Build space stations (Bigelow or other designs)

H/ Build satellites for science and/or commercial

If you can't make this using your own talents then subcontract to SpaceX.  I'm sure that while developing Starship II Musk would love to be delivering your stuff to orbit and the moon for a fair profit.  Don't fight SpaceX - partner with it.  Hell hire them to make your BE-4 engines work. 

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Firefly had a launch and it was destroyed by a Reaver (engine that exploded). 

Astra had a explosion that either was of an engine or something that knocked the engine out which resulted in it moving sideways (fortunately through a gate) then when it was light enough it did fly until being terminated so the debris would fall in an exclusion zone but it did pass the sound barrier.

Both are small launchers but you have to start somewhere.

So two failures but the Firefly was a 1st launch and Astra was a third in a row failure (Falcon 1 failed 3 times as well) hopefully Astra will be 4th time lucky. 

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Interesting:

"A Private space company is starting up, unlike the others."

Steve Wozniak

The associated Youtube channel Privateer.

A new space startup Privateer. 

Must admit this is intriguing.

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Wednesday 8:01 PM EDT is the first SpaceX launch of Space Tourists. It is the Inspiration 4 launch.

They are now in orbit.  SpaceX is up to 14 people delivered to orbit now. 

Now successfully returned.

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The Starship launch now shows as November.

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I just counted the planned SpaceX launches for the balance of this year.  There is of course the possibility that some of them will slip to next year but it is an impressive 17 planned launches between now and New Years.

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The Starship launch now shows as November.

Now December.

They seem to be building the catcher arms now.

Lots of construction going on for the launch site.  Construction is going on for BN5 and SN21.  Work is happening on the new high bay to allow work on more boosters and starships at the same time. 

No launch excitement but lots of site development. 

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Cryotests have begun on the BN4 and SN20.  SN20 was also struck by lightning.  No reports on damage yet.

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Elon Musk is now the richest man in the world partly because the value of SpaceX has been upgraded to being worth $100 billion. 

Interesting (joking) post on YouTube

The years is 2025. Blue origin has launched their second cgi animation of new Glenn, however even the animated rocket failed to achieve orbit. They have sued sued themselves in retaliation

another

Elon Musk: “the best part is no part”
Jeff Bezos: “hmmmm” - proceeds to not built an orbital rocket

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This morning Shatner is supposed to go up in the New Shepard.

He has gone up and back.  He is now the oldest to reach space.  Watching some of the videos now.

If Bezos has a clue he will try to get Shatner to be the face of Blue Origin (and actually have someone who can drive BO like Musk drives SpaceX - not Shatner or Bezos).  They really need to get a flying orbital craft and the BE4 engine going to make it work though.  Project Jarvis could be such a thing if they fly it from the ground like Starship prototypes very publicly.  New Glenn of course needs to fly and land as well. 

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Sign on SpaceX fence at Boca Chica

No Trespassing

Raptors Loose

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"If all goes well, Starship will be ready for its first orbital launch attempt next month, pending regulatory approval," Musk tweeted today (Oct. 22).