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Topic: Interesting stuff about SpaceX Starship (hate the name)  (Read 101678 times)

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Offline Nemesis

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Re: Interesting stuff about SpaceX Starship (hate the name)
« Reply #420 on: March 06, 2025, 05:54:46 pm »
IFT 8 has flown.  Good news and bad news.

Booster - launched all 33 engines, perfect separation.  Re-ignition only 11 of the 13 engines ignited (last time it was 12 of 13).  Second re-ignition 12 of 13 engines ignited (last time it was all 13).  Final re-ignition all 3 ignited and it was a 3rd perfect catch.

Starship - Separation perfect all 6 engines.  At about 8 minutes and 5 seconds they quickly lost one of the vacuum raptors and all 3 sea level engines (needed for attitude control).  It spun out of control and lost the last 2 engines before explosion (detonated or breakup I don't know).  It was about 20 seconds from planned engine shut off.

This may be a failed fix of the IFT 7 issue (but still improved as it lasted longer) or it may be something new.

On to IFT 9.  Previous prediction was April, will it happen then????
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Offline Nemesis

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Re: Interesting stuff about SpaceX Starship (hate the name)
« Reply #421 on: March 28, 2025, 02:48:23 pm »
A Falcon 9 was relaunched only 9 days after landing, a new record speed.
Do unto others as Frey has done unto you.
Seti Team    Free Software
I believe truth and principle do matter. If you have to sacrifice them to get the results you want, then the results aren't worth it.
 FoaS_XC : "Take great pains to distinguish a criticism vs. an attack. A person reading a post should never be able to confuse the two."

Offline Nemesis

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Re: Interesting stuff about SpaceX Starship (hate the name)
« Reply #422 on: April 05, 2025, 01:41:06 pm »
IFT 9 will reuse booster 14 and 29 engines (+4 new engines for 33 total). One of those engines has already flown twice.  Rumours have it that there will be no attempt to catch it but no reason is given.  Could it be they are going to try for a Starship catch?  Perhaps booster 14 has damage that prevents a catch but not a launch?  It has had a static fire done this last week.

Still no date for the launch.  Perhaps mid to late May. 
Do unto others as Frey has done unto you.
Seti Team    Free Software
I believe truth and principle do matter. If you have to sacrifice them to get the results you want, then the results aren't worth it.
 FoaS_XC : "Take great pains to distinguish a criticism vs. an attack. A person reading a post should never be able to confuse the two."

Offline Tus-XC

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Re: Interesting stuff about SpaceX Starship (hate the name)
« Reply #423 on: April 05, 2025, 01:45:25 pm »
A starship test would be great, but I don't think that is the case.  Likely they don't want to risk the platform with damage should something go wrong with reuse. 
Rob

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Offline Nemesis

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Re: Interesting stuff about SpaceX Starship (hate the name)
« Reply #424 on: April 11, 2025, 12:54:23 pm »
Part of the header tank for Starship 39 seems to be labelled "version 3".  So the question is, is that version 3 of that component or is Starship 39 the first Block 3 Starship? 



Do unto others as Frey has done unto you.
Seti Team    Free Software
I believe truth and principle do matter. If you have to sacrifice them to get the results you want, then the results aren't worth it.
 FoaS_XC : "Take great pains to distinguish a criticism vs. an attack. A person reading a post should never be able to confuse the two."

Offline Nemesis

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Re: Interesting stuff about SpaceX Starship (hate the name)
« Reply #425 on: Today at 01:38:27 pm »
Starship 35 has been moved to the testing site where it should be having a static fire.  This (if no issues) might mean IFT 9 in as little as two weeks.

Amazons launch of one batch of Project Kuiper satellites (ULA Atlas 5 - very few left) has resulted in claims that they have only built 45 so far.  They need a bit more than 1600 in orbit by the end of July 2026.  So far it looks like there is only 1 more launch of Kuiper satellites in 2025 (on a Falcon 9).  They need ~60 launches by that July 2026 date or they risk losing their license.  I don't see New Glenn + Vulcan + Ariane 6 contributing substantially to those launches.  So Falcon 9 would be needed, can it add enough flights?  Will Starship take over launching Starlink by then and allow Falcon 9 to do those launches?  Will Starship launches supplant Falcon 9 launches enough to block Falcon 9 from doing those launches?  All up in the air and speculative at present.

Do unto others as Frey has done unto you.
Seti Team    Free Software
I believe truth and principle do matter. If you have to sacrifice them to get the results you want, then the results aren't worth it.
 FoaS_XC : "Take great pains to distinguish a criticism vs. an attack. A person reading a post should never be able to confuse the two."

 

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