SpaceX Tuesday...

[ninja-lewis]

MartG said:

Thrust puck for Super Heavy spotted - not sure if this is the final design as I only see provision for 17 engine - or maybe the outer ring is separate from this part

It is indeed just the inner part with 1 central engine and a ring of 8. The outer ring will contain 20 engines. Presumably the 32 engine version would arrange the 4 engines between the x cross braces.

Musk also mentioned that the factory is churning out a new Raptor engine every 48 hours now.

[frisbee]

MartG said:

Thrust puck for Super Heavy spotted - not sure if this is the final design as I only see provision for 17 engine - or maybe the outer ring is separate from this part

It takes 9 engines, 20 on a separate piece around the outside.

Apparently only the 9 in the middle gimbal, so I guess they need a little more space around each one than the outer ring ones.

[annodomini2]

Smiljan said:

Someone’s done a rendering of what the offshore launch rig might look like

Musk shared it on twitter, so it may be fairly accurate.

[Smiljan]

annodomini2 said:

Musk shared it on twitter, so it may be fairly accurate.

It's by this fella

https://www.instagram.com/kendalldirks3d/

I can't see why they'd build "Starbase" but then not actually ever launch from there. Aren't the still trying to evict the remaining residents so the road closures and evacuations don't matter any more? There was some real underhand stuff going on to try and force out the remaining homeowners.

I do like the rendering though, very talented artist.

[GTO-3R]

Smiljan said:

It's by this fella

https://www.instagram.com/kendalldirks3d/

I can't see why they'd build "Starbase" but then not actually ever launch from there. Aren't the still trying to evict the remaining residents so the road closures and evacuations don't matter any more? There was some real underhand stuff going on to try and force out the remaining homeowners.

I do like the rendering though, very talented artist.

They will still need road closures as it’s a public road and beach!

[Beati Dogu]

It’s Texas state highway 4 to be exact.

There were only about 20 (maximum) permanent residents in Boca Chica village before SpaceX arrived next door. Many of the properties were seasonal or holiday homes. Their owners were offered 3x the market rate to sell up and most of them have. One of those being Maria Pointer, who has been providing great footage of SpaceX’s activities. IIRC Elon sometimes stays at her old house when he’s there, although I believe he also rents somewhere in nearby Brownsville now too.

There’s about 9 residents left now according to Maria. SpaceX is important for the local economy and they have a lot of local political support with Cameron county. The federal or state government could certainly use eminent domain to forcibly take over any holdouts (with compensation, but probably at just market rate). There’s talk of SpaceX applying to incorporate the area as Starbase, Texas, but like anything legal, that’s not a quick process.

Edited by Beati Dogu on Monday 31st May 12:30

[MartG]

Looks like three in the centre in future

[xeny]

Interesting they can model gas flow during the boost back burn well enough to know what arrangement of engines is most efficient.

Also if the gimbaling engines are tightly packed, what happens if one of the engines fails to move either due to a failed actuator, or a seized pivot?

[Gargamel]

In the offshore rig launch version. Does the rig move in to collect the stack? Or is the stack shipped i]out in stages and stack on the pad ?

Seems like a lot of extra cost and variables, for no real gain.

I get the noise pollution thing, but really ?

[annodomini2]

Gargamel said:

In the offshore rig launch version. Does the rig move in to collect the stack? Or is the stack shipped i]out in stages and stack on the pad ?

Seems like a lot of extra cost and variables, for no real gain.

I get the noise pollution thing, but really ?

Launch from Boca Chica and land on the offshore platform

[Beati Dogu]

Gargamel said:

In the offshore rig launch version. Does the rig move in to collect the stack? Or is the stack shipped i]out in stages and stack on the pad ?

Seems like a lot of extra cost and variables, for no real gain.

I get the noise pollution thing, but really ?

I expect it will collect the booster and Starship(s) in port separately. Then it will integrate them using its own crane. I’m sure at least one and possibly both of the rigs will operate out of the nearby port of Brownsville into the Gulf of Mexico. They’re building a link road from the highway that runs past the factory to the port currently. They’ll need to have supply ships shuttling liquid oxygen and methane out to the rig as well. How they’ll integrate cargo is another thing. We’re in the realms of science fiction now.

Doing the occasional test launch on land every few months is one thing, but with the frequency they’re talking about, the disruption & noise will become untenable. We’ve only seen some Starship test so far; We haven’t even seen a booster yet and that will have 10 times the number of rocket engines.

They will probably operate a launch rig out of Port Canaveral, Florida eventually too.

[14]

Beati Dogu said:

It’s Texas state highway 4 to be exact.

There were only about 20 (maximum) permanent residents in Boca Chica village before SpaceX arrived next door. Many of the properties were seasonal or holiday homes. Their owners were offered 3x the market rate to sell up and most of them have. One of those being Maria Pointer, who has been providing great footage of SpaceX’s activities. IIRC Elon sometimes stays at her old house when he’s there, although I believe he also rents somewhere in nearby Brownsville now too.

There’s about 9 residents left now according to Maria. SpaceX is important for the local economy and they have a lot of local political support with Cameron county. The federal or state government could certainly use eminent domain to forcibly take over any holdouts (with compensation, but probably at just market rate). There’s talk of SpaceX applying to incorporate the area as Starbase, Texas, but like anything legal, that’s not a quick process.

Edited by Beati Dogu on Monday 31st May 12:30

There’s also Mary who’s known as BocaChicaGal. She still lives in Boca Chica and does a lot of the day to day recording that NASASpaceflight does.

[Beati Dogu]

There's quite a local community of SpaceX watchers really. They've done a great job,



Over in Florida, there's a Falcon 9 launch due off on Thursday, 3rd June. This is the CRS-22 cargo resupply mission to the ISS.

Launch time: 6.29 pm UK time (1.29 pm. EDT) from LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center.


It has been a while, but this is actually a completely new rocket and Dragon-2 capsule.

The capsule will stay with the ISS for a month, before heading back home.

The new booster is B1067. If it survives, it will fly the next crew flight to the ISS in October: Crew-3

[rxe]

Beati Dogu said:

I expect it will collect the booster and Starship(s) in port separately. Then it will integrate them using its own crane. I’m sure at least one and possibly both of the rigs will operate out of the nearby port of Brownsville into the Gulf of Mexico. They’re building a link road from the highway that runs past the factory to the port currently. They’ll need to have supply ships shuttling liquid oxygen and methane out to the rig as well. How they’ll integrate cargo is another thing. We’re in the realms of science fiction now.

Doing the occasional test launch on land every few months is one thing, but with the frequency they’re talking about, the disruption & noise will become untenable. We’ve only seen some Starship test so far; We haven’t even seen a booster yet and that will have 10 times the number of rocket engines.

They will probably operate a launch rig out of Port Canaveral, Florida eventually too.

I suspect one of the issues with noise is the sheer number of flights they are planning - if they are going to achieve half of what Musk is intending, they will be launching one a day, possibly two. Living near (within 10 miles) of a rocket launchpad would be great with one launch every 6 months. At 2 a day, it would be tiresome. I suspect the Starship booster will be “next level loud” as well.

[MartG]

rxe said:

I suspect the Starship booster will be “next level loud” as well.

I remember seeing video of Walter Cronkite's studio collapsing on his head during a Saturn V launch due to the noise and vibration at the press site nearly 4 miles from the pad - a full Super Heavy launching from Boca Chica would probably flatten the town

[Beati Dogu]

That was Apollo 4, the first flight of the Saturn V. The pad water suppression system wasn't ready yet, so it was much louder than subsequent launches.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uoVfZpx5dY


SpaceX isn't using water suppression either. Something they admit they may have to rethink. There's a bunch of condos about 6 miles from the launch pad at Boca Chica. Lots of glass doors and windows.

[xeny]

Super Heavy is expected to have twice the thrust of the Saturn V's first stage.

Looking at the Apollo 4 video, it promises to be apocalyptic.

[CraigyMc]

xeny said:

Super Heavy is expected to have twice the thrust of the Saturn V's first stage.

Looking at the Apollo 4 video, it promises to be apocalyptic.

I wonder how much thrust they'll get from steam, during a launch where the flame trench is the sea

[Beati Dogu]

Nothing I should think, although it will make for a good show. It goes upwards because of exhaust being thrown out the back at a rate of knots, not because of stuff coming back at them.

It'll be interesting to see which launches first - The Starship with booster, or NASA's SLS.

Both are more powerful that a Saturn V and should rattle a few fillings.

[CraigyMc]

Beati Dogu said:

Nothing I should think, although it will make for a good show. It goes upwards because of exhaust being thrown out the back at a rate of knots, not because of stuff coming back at them.

It'll be interesting to see which launches first - The Starship with booster, or NASA's SLS.

Both are more powerful that a Saturn V and should rattle a few fillings.

I feel like you might wind up owing me a quarter.