Revived on February 26 | The test flight of the Ship 28 prototype is approaching. As the user StarshipGazer pointed out on the social network X (Twitter), a car arrived at Starbase a few days ago with a very interesting cargo – explosives.
These explosives are most likely intended for the Starship’s self-destruct system.
In addition, representatives of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently confirmed that SpaceX has planned a number of launches of prototypes of the spacecraft in question for this year. According to available information, there should be at least 9 of them.
“That’s a lot,” commented on it according to Ars Technica’s Kelvin Coleman of the FAA during a press conference.
If all goes well, we could expect the first of them already at the beginning of next month. At least this is the idea of Elon Musk, who is of course pushing for flying as soon as possible.
Starship’s third orbital flight attempt
In this regularly updated article, we follow the preparations for the third orbital flight attempt of the Starship spacecraft prototype. Previous updates to the article can be found on other sheets. Older information is then available here.
The prototype Starship could have reached orbit if it was carrying a payload
Revived on January 18 | Ship 25 would probably have successfully reached orbit if it had any cargo on board. This follows from Elon Musk’s statement.
The explosion of the prototype in question was caused by a leak of liquid oxygen. However, in the event that this was a normal operational – and not just a test – flight, Ship 25 would not have this oxidizer.
“If we were carrying a payload normally, we wouldn’t have the liquid oxygen there. So it’s ironic that we would have reached orbit with a payload,” said the SpaceX CEO, among others.
“I think with Flight 3 we already have a really good chance of achieving orbit and then a fast cadence to achieve full and rapid reusability,” he added.
Flight 3, the test flight of the Ship 28 prototype, is currently scheduled for February. However, the assumption is that SpaceX will receive a license from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) by then.
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SpaceX tested Ship 28 engines
December 26 A few days ago, SpaceX briefly ignited the engines of its latest prototype Starship spacecraft, called Ship 28. According to available information, the test went well.
“Flight 3 Starship has completed static ignition of all six of its Raptor engines,” the company tweeted.
In the video below, you can watch the progress of the export of Ship 28, which this time was also interesting thanks to the unusual Christmas decoration:
A question mark still hangs over when exactly it will fly. At the moment, the only thing that is clear is that it will most likely not happen before the end of this year – as Elon Musk originally wished.
“It would definitely be great if we could do it in the first quarter,” stated SpaceX General Manager Kathy Lueders.
“Elon would probably talk about the end of December, but I don’t think we’ll get there,” she added.
We could see the Starship prototype in the air again before the end of this year. This follows from the statement of Elon Musk, who is satisfied with the results of the second test.
“Starship Flight 3 hardware should be ready to fly in 3 to 4 weeks. There are three ships in final production in High Bay,” stated the SpaceX CEO, among others.
The question, however, is how the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will approach this idea. According to available information, she has already started an investigation into the course of the previous attempt.
The idea that a permit for the third test will be issued so soon seems not very realistic to most foreign commentators. On the other hand, the possibility that FFA will pleasantly surprise can never be ruled out.
Elon Musk also confirmed that the improved launch pad survived the launch this time (recall that in April it was partially damaged due to the ignition of the Raptor engines).
We will of course continue to monitor the situation. You can recall the course of the Ship 25 flight, which has already managed to achieve transatmospheric orbit, in the video above.
2024-02-27 07:50:23
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