And I see now that the construction site at Cocoa is basically one straight street away from the Canaveral launch complex, so that move should be doable. And if it isn't, there's always the water.
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And I see now that the construction site at Cocoa is basically one straight street away from the Canaveral launch complex, so that move should be doable. And if it isn't, there's always the water.
SafeNotAnOption @SafeNotAnOption (Rand Simberg)
History may record the absurdity of current planning for Artemis while this was happening in south Texas and Florida.
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https://twitter.com/BocaChicaGal/sta...01812371529733
Mary @BocaChicaGal
The cylinder grows higher as another panel section gets stacked and another section is brought out of the container area. It's been another busy morning at Boca Chica. @NASASpaceflighthttps://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/in...180#msg1963180https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/in...199#msg1963199
2:01 PM - Jul 5, 2019
Attachment 24369
https://twitter.com/SafeNotAnOption/...03902200139776
AIUI, down the road a tad from Coastal Steel is a boat/barge mooring.Quote:
Originally Posted by Nicolas
Only a few segments left....
Mary @BocaChicaGal
Another busy morning here at Boca Chica. Removal of the protective film has started. The polishing on Starship orbital prototype continues. The four panels that make a complete ring are being lowered into the container area. ������@NASASpaceflight https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/in...409#msg1963409
1:27 PM - Jul 6, 2019
https://twitter.com/BocaChicaGal/sta...57633949405186
Attachment 24372
Attachment 24373
Heck, just light one motor and fly it over!Quote:
Originally Posted by Nicolas
On further inspection, I only see unconnected bodies of water near Cidco road.Quote:
Originally Posted by docmordrid
Elon Musk ✔ @elonmusk
Exciting progress in Boca! Hopper almost ready to hover. Based on tonight’s test, looks like 600 Hz Raptor vibration problem is fixed.
4:53 AM - Jul 7, 2019
Attachment 24374
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1147790758449012736
Roger Holt @RogerLewisHolt
I thought I would do a composite image of all of the Boca Chica Starship components assembled. It looks like only 3 more rings need adding, (5 panels high) to be full hight. (Red section not built yet.)#SpaceX
Sourse 📷photos Credit @austinbarnard45
4:38 AM - Jul 7, 2019
Attachment 24377
https://twitter.com/RogerLewisHolt/s...87064836055041
Anton Gromov @tossha_spb
Replying to @elonmusk @atlasobscura
You know what else sounds like fun? Starship presentation!
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Elon Musk ✔ @elonmusk
Will do Starship presentation a few weeks after Hopper hovers, so prob late July. If that timing works, free LJ chips for all present!
7:09 PM - Jul 7, 2019
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1148006177491472384
Good SN6 news
Reagan Beck @bluemoondance74
Replying to @elonmusk and 4 others
Was the 50sec expected-Raptor SN6 test tonight considered a success, or was it intended to have been longer?
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Elon Musk ✔ @elonmusk
Overall successful. Aborted at T+51 sec on high mixture ratio, but we were intentionally probing the corners of the box of operating conditions, so not surprising.
2:31 AM - Jul 8, 2019
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1148117387419348992
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Reagan Beck @bluemoondance74
Replying to @elonmusk and 4 others
I regret my lack of technical terms lol... but in other words, are you saying you *maxed out* SN6 w/out causing damage- so the 51 sec abort was a good thing? ;)
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Everyday Astronaut @Erdayastronaut
If the ratio gets too high, temperatures go up. A lot of effort goes into keeping the walls and throat of the combustion chamber from literally melting including circulating fuel through the walls and film cooling via additional fuel injectors on the outer edge of the injector
2:41 AM - Jul 8, 2019
https://twitter.com/Erdayastronaut/s...19849056423936
"No one hurt after fire at SpaceX Starship site in Cocoa ceases operations"
https://www.clickorlando.com/news/sp...-site-in-cocoa
Quote:
A fire at the Cocoa industrial facility Monday where SpaceX is constructing a prototype of its interplanetary rocket ship Starship was quickly put out, according to a SpaceX spokesperson and Cocoa city officials.
The Starship mockup will be used to fire the rocket engines on brief "hops" to test out systems and hardware. A second prototype of the SpaceX interplanetary spaceship is also being assembled and tested in Boca Chica, Texas, according to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
Sounds like an electrical fire.Quote:
Originally Posted by selvaarchi
ESA is now listing the Starship #dearMoon manned lunar free return mission in 2023, and a manned Blue Origin mission in 202X.
Attachment 24387
Is this the mission with the Japanese artist?Quote:
Originally Posted by docmordrid
It's a Japanese busnessman who wants to take artists etc. along. Lunar free return trajectory was the plan, but that could evolve as Musk has been hinting a Starship landing as practice for Mars.Quote:
Originally Posted by bknight
He'll be doing an update sometime after the upcoming Starhopper hops, so perhaps new plans then. There's speculation this may take place at the new Univ. Texas-Rio Grande Valley STARGATE facility near the SpaceX South Texas launch center, a joint project with SpaceX.
Lunar landings are completely separate. The dearMoon lunar flyby is a lot easier and safer than a lunar landing and return, and can be done with a far less complete Starship system: one launch, no orbital refueling, one landing on Earth with GPS guidance. Lunar landings will require even more refueling launches than Mars trips, navigation systems for landing without GPS, surveys for safe landing sites with unmanned precursors before any craft carrying people touches down...and even more work if anyone's to actually get out of the vehicle once they get there. Unless someone contracts them to set up a lunar base, it's likely to just be a couple unmanned landings.Quote:
Originally Posted by docmordrid
In the 2018 update SpaceX said refuelling Starship in a high elliptical orbit gets them to the lunar surface and back.
Attachment 24391
Felix @gatoparlante
Replying to @elonmusk
How is going to safely land Spaceship without a landing zone? Can it tolerate landing & taking off on a not perfectly flat area? Moon surface is quite irregular.
7:34 AM - Apr 29, 2019
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Elon Musk ✔ @elonmusk
Replying to @gatoparlante
Yes
7:34 AM - Apr 29, 2019
Everyday Astronaut @ErdayAstronaut
Do you see starship landing on the Moon before Mars? Have you gone #moonfirst on us? ��
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Elon Musk ✓ @elonmusk
For sure moon 1st, as it’s only 3 days away & u don’t need interplanetary orbital synchronization
Astrum @AstrumFun
Will the Moon be Starships first mission or will you directly send it to Mars with supplies for future colonies?
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Elon Musk ✓ @elonmusk
Moon first, Mars as soon as the planets align
Long burns tonight. Look for hop attempts next week.
The early part of this shows the shipping container which was being used for welding practice. An oopsie caused an electrical fire.
https://youtu.be/os8bfSqn2Gk
:clap:
Reagan Beck @bluemoondance74
In the midst of some amazing sounding tests of likely Merlins in the SpaceX McGregor area, I believe I heard the Raptor SN6 for ~1 min last night, and for an incredible 84 sec this evening. Would you please confirm?? ��✨��
12:52 AM - Jul 10, 2019
https://twitter.com/bluemoondance74/...17211483668480
Discussion of its lunar landing capabilities goes back to the first version, and he's only saying they'll be landing on the moon before Mars. None of this references dearMoon or landing with passengers.Quote:
Originally Posted by docmordrid
It appears that the fire was “contained”.Quote:
Originally Posted by docmordrid
(Dons sunglasses)
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The FAA has issued a Starship Hopper flight permit
https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org...%20(06-21-2019).pdf
Quote:
Space Exploration Technologies is authorized, subject to the provisions of 51 USC Subtitle V, ch. 509, and the orders, rules, and regulations issued under it, to conduct launches.
General. The permittee is authorized to conduct:
(1) An unlimited number of flights of the Starship Hopper Reusable Launch Vehicle within the operating area identified by permit order A; and
(2) Pre-flight and post-flight ground operations at Boca Chica Launch Site associated with flights of the Starship Hopper Reusable Launch Vehicle.
>
Beach closure at Boca Chica for a Starship Hopper hop attempt on July 17 (1400-2000 Central), with backups of the 18th (1400-2000 Central) and the 19th (0600-1200 Central).
https://twitter.com/rgv_com/status/1148801257005572096
Attachment 24393
Raptor SN6 has arrived for next week's Starship Hopper test
Chris B - NSF @NASASpaceflight
SN6 Raptor is being installed on to Starhopper at Boca Chica.
Mary (@BocaChicaGal) with some cool pics 📸https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/in...715#msg1964715
12:29 PM - Jul 11, 2019
Attachment 24398
https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/...35502528365363
Do you know how many more engines will be attached prior to testing?Quote:
Originally Posted by docmordrid
Initially, one. It has 170t of thrust, the (overbuilt & heavy) Hopper is about 50-60t + propellants. Good enough for the low altitude hops. Later three for the 5,000m hops + more fuel.
Musk said a properly built, expendable, Starship-derived upper stage for high deltaV probe missions would mass about 40t.
In 2018 they said the much longer Starship propulsion module held about 1100t of propellants. Like today, 6 Raptors.
Elon Musk ✔ @elonmusk
Raptor engine mounted on Starhopper. Aiming for hover test Tues.
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~20m up & sideways for first flight. Mk1 Starship hopefully 20km up in a few months.
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We changed the design quite a bit. More about this in late July.
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100mT to 125mT for true useful load to useful orbit (eg Starlink mission), including propellant reserves. 150mT for reference payload compared to other rockets. This is in fully reusable config. About double in fully expendable config, which is hopefully never.
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1:24 AM - Jul 12, 2019
Twitter thread...
Ok, but it looked like it was off centered where it was installed, that's why I asked.Quote:
Originally Posted by docmordrid
NOTAM (notice to airmen) for the Starship Hopper hop
https://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_9_0258.html
New drone video of the Cocoa FL Starship site.
Very shiny!
Pad for a large structure going in at the rear of the lot.
Etc.
https://youtu.be/U-scr6FsddY
More images on Twitter, showing a bulkhead on the ground near the cargo module & construction on the pad,
https://twitter.com/flying_briann/st...01357160976385
Thrust vector control tests last night, with more tests building up to a static fire before the hop.
https://youtu.be/3pD5CZZfnYk