SpaceX (Vol. 2)
Discussion
rxe said:
Surely they need to secure a recovered booster to the deck? I can’t believe they send it 400 miles out without some sort of support to tie the booster down?
Octagrabber!rxe said:
Surely they need to secure a recovered booster to the deck? I can’t believe they send it 400 miles out without some sort of support to tie the booster down?
They plan to land it back at the launch site, they will have added enough margin that it can do full payload and return to land.The aim is obviously to catch it with the launch tower, I'm a little more skeptical that they'll be able to pull this off without destroying 1 or 2 launch towers in the process.
Einion Yrth said:
Beati Dogu said:
Someone is confusing the Falcon 9 and Starship. These landing ships are for Falcon 9 boosters only.
The former oil platforms "Phobos" and "Deimos", currently being refitted, are for SS/SH.Edited by Beati Dogu on Wednesday 14th July 15:07
GTO-3R said:
Apparently SpaceX are yet to have approval from the FAA for their launch tower they’re about to put the top on! Seemingly the FAA are conducting an environmental impact study but SpaceX have proceeded with the build anyway and are at risk doing so!
Space X and the FAA seem to be getting closer and closer to having a major falling out. Is the launch tower or environment under the FAA purview? I would have thought that was an EPA thing.
The existing Environmental Impact Assessment was for launching Falcon Rockets, presumably they'd have needed a launch tower too.
I suspect it's stirring of the pot by the "Save RGV" environmentalist pressure group?
The existing Environmental Impact Assessment was for launching Falcon Rockets, presumably they'd have needed a launch tower too.
I suspect it's stirring of the pot by the "Save RGV" environmentalist pressure group?
Flooble said:
Is the launch tower or environment under the FAA purview? I would have thought that was an EPA thing.
That was my thought, too.FAA scoping report for Starship/Super Heavy.
"The FAA is evaluating SpaceX’s proposal to operate the Starship/Super Heavy launch vehicle at its Boca Chica Launch Site in Cameron County, Texas. SpaceX must obtain an experimental permit and/or a vehicle operator license from the FAA to operate the Starship/Super Heavy launch vehicle. Issuing an
experimental permit or a vehicle operator license is considered a major Federal action under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Therefore, the Proposed Action for this project is for the FAA to issue experimental permits and/or a vehicle operator license to SpaceX that would allow SpaceX to launch Starship/Super Heavy from the Boca Chica Launch Site."
The above is "interesting" as the first item in the FAQ section of the same FAA website states "...the current flight tests of Starship prototypes-a reusable suborbital launch vehicle-are within the scope of the Written Re-evaluations performed on the 2014 Environmental Impact Statement." I guess that when the FAA realised the scale of the booster they revised their opinion.
Edited by jingars on Thursday 15th July 11:04
I wouldn't worry about it.
The tower SpaceX are building now is just Pad A. They have plans for an equally massive Pad B a little to the south.
They're getting ready to hoist the 8th tower section. This is smaller than the previous sections (probably about 40 ft tall instead of 60 ft). Maybe that's it now. The crane boom was lengthened again for it.
The tower SpaceX are building now is just Pad A. They have plans for an equally massive Pad B a little to the south.
They're getting ready to hoist the 8th tower section. This is smaller than the previous sections (probably about 40 ft tall instead of 60 ft). Maybe that's it now. The crane boom was lengthened again for it.
The new landing ship "A Shortfall of Gravitas" has arrived in Port Canaveral now.
Shown here being docked alongside the other east coast landing ship, "Just Read The Instructions":
You can also see the new Octagrabber in the photo, waiting on the dockside. A white square, just above the older landing ship. And a close up of it:
Here's some nice overhead footage of the ship arriving - from Port Canaveral themselves:
https://twitter.com/PortCanaveral/status/141578505...
Shown here being docked alongside the other east coast landing ship, "Just Read The Instructions":
You can also see the new Octagrabber in the photo, waiting on the dockside. A white square, just above the older landing ship. And a close up of it:
Here's some nice overhead footage of the ship arriving - from Port Canaveral themselves:
https://twitter.com/PortCanaveral/status/141578505...
Flooble said:
Officially this week! Even with rapid iteration you would think number of engines is the sort of thing you'd lock in fairly early. I guess they can't get the Raptor thrust as high as they thought they could?
As they both evolve their masses will change, engine development will change.This is development by rapid prototyping.
When you know you're not going to be reusing the engines, you want the minimum you will lose.
When it becomes reusable, they will want to maximise payload.
Agreed it nothing like as fun as seeing the stuff that involves fire. But it is kind of fun to try to guess when they're doing things.
Ultimately I think the schedule is very fluid so it's pointless releasing timings as they'll just miss them generating bad publicity. You do get some details from Musk, he said there will be some testing this week I think.
Ultimately I think the schedule is very fluid so it's pointless releasing timings as they'll just miss them generating bad publicity. You do get some details from Musk, he said there will be some testing this week I think.
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