Boat 33
Ship 33 continues to be stacked, as only two sections remain until the first shipment in Block 2 is fully assembled. These sections are the lower section of the liquid oxygen tank, which has 4 rings, and the rear section of the engine, which also has 4 rings. This will bring the number of stamps for Block 2 shipments to 21, compared to 20 for Block 1 shipments.
This cargo ring and the ability to move the tanks allow SpaceX to load about three hundred tons of additional propellant into the vehicle.
raptor 3
Recently, SpaceX revealed images and specifications of the Raptor 3, which is expected to upgrade the existing Raptor 2 in existing vehicles. This engine is much more refined, with much of the external piping moved internally or removed entirely. The internal plumbing is made up of regenerative cooling channels built into the engine housing.
This allows SpaceX to run the engine with more pressure and the heavy heat shield recently used on Raptor 2.
The Raptor 1 is used in suborbital test flights and in cars up to the Booster 4 and Ship 20. This engine is still a prototype. It had only 185 tons of thrust and weighed a decent weight, the engine weighing 2,080 kg and 3,630 kg when all the apparatus and apparatus of the vehicle were added to it.
Raptor 2 has been used since Booster 7 and Ship 24. So far, it is the most produced engine in the Starship program, with at least 569 engines manufactured and in all likelihood a decent number more. This engine develops 230 tons of thrust and is much lighter than the Raptor 1. The engine itself weighs 1,630 kg, and other committees and hardware on the side of the vehicle bring it to 2,875 kg.
Raptor 1 (sea-level variant) Thrust: 185 tf Specific thrust: 350 s Engine weight: 2080 kg Vehicle-side accessories and hardware Engine weight: 3630 kg
Raptor 2 (sea-level variant) Thrust: 230 tf Specific thrust: 347 s Engine weight: 1630 kg Engine. . . pic. twitter. com/8PgQeALOx4
– SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 3, 2024
Now, Raptor 2 has brought Starship to space and has proven to be very reliable launches, with only a few errors on Flight 1 and two on Flight 4.
Next up is Raptor 3, which SpaceX photographs show is located in the east bay of the Raptor Vertical teststand in McGregor, Texas. This engine is expected to have a thrust of 280 tons and especially reduce the weight needed. The engine is expected to weigh 1,525 kg and, with other side components, 1,720 kg.
— Elisar Priel (@ENNEPS) August 8, 2024
As noted above, SpaceX can make it much lighter by cutting through the heat shields. Looking at the Raptor 3, it appears to be made of two separate parts: a low-tension aspect that still has flanges and gaskets and a top-tension aspect on the unbridled rear. Removing the flanges and those gaskets will allow SpaceX to run the engine at higher and higher pressures, causing more thrust to come out of the engine.
It is not known when this engine will be installed in a vehicle. SpaceX probably still wants to run more tests now that the design is finalized. As a bonus, Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX’s chief operating officer, gave everyone a stunning photo of the static Raptor 3 SN1. fireplace in McGregor.
— Gwynne Shotwell (@Gwynne_Shotwell) August 8, 2024
Flight Five and 6 News
Boat 30 completed additional engine testing last week with a rotary starter. This is mandatory if replacing any other Raptort aspirated engine and replacing R398 with R384. It is unclear why SpaceX replaced this engine.
This time, the groups only performed a prime, as happened with Boat 28 after one of its Raptor Vacuum engines was replaced.
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Ship 30 is back at the production site and at a shipping station. This ship will receive the final touch from it, unless another engine is changed. Teams will fully work on the heat shield and other final elements until the Orbital Release Platform A is available. Once on the platform, Booster 12 and Ship 30 can perform a performance of dressing in the rain; However, it is unclear when or even if this will take place or how close the launch of such a thing will be.
Regarding the preparation of Flight 5, SpaceX posted on social media that any of the vehicles on Flight 5 are pending regulatory approval. This follows the recently concluded Spin Prime Ship 30. The Ship 30 and Booster 12 could be in position, but in the future SpaceX has said so when in reality neither vehicle was in a position to fly.
SpaceX has also initiated Array, and the Flight 6 cars would take position while crews await approval. B14. 1 is back at Orbital Launch Support (OLM) to capture Array. However, the cars on Flight 6 are a bit busy at the moment.
– SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 8, 2024
Ship 31 recently began remaking its heat shield, as SpaceX did for Ship 30, which took about 38 days. As such, Ship 31 will be docked at High Bay Tile Station for the foreseeable future.
As for the other part of Ship 31, the Booster 13 has been in the center paint booth at Mega Bay 1 since completing its cryogenic testing in late April. Currently, the teams have a tent built into the front dome of the Booster 13, which hints at possible basic work with this reinforcement. Also, the Booster thirteen doesn’t have its grid fins yet.
There is no company release date for Flight Five at this time.
Orbital Launch Pad B
Orbital Launch Pad B continues to progress and the tower now measures six modules. Once the first six modules were completed, the CC8800-1 was installed and is currently completing its reconfiguration before being raised to complete the tower. Modules 7, 8 and nine have scaffolding in the most sensitive position and appear to be in a position to be deployed and installed as soon as the crane is back in position.
During this downtime, crews finished welding around the base of the tower and then the hollow walls with concrete, which will add even more strength to the tower.
Crews continue to drive piles into the ground around a suspected flame-covered ditch. Teired’s new environmental assessment proposal, recently published, offers more evidence. However, it will still be several months before we see exactly what form this design will take.
B14. 1 The boogaloo of the slapping part of the moment
The Booster 14. 1 was deployed on Orbital Launch Pad A prior to what is considered a wand-capture test. In late June, the B14. 1 was fixed on the OLM and “beaten” with chopsticks. This test was not finished for ajustarse. la speed and wand arms before a flight booster arrived to land.
The teams also tested the landing rail formula to make sure it has the required instant load.
Since those tests, SpaceX has replaced many of the landing rail links on both arms and has stepped up and added more landing rail actuators on both arms. This will help the rails withstand more force and be more controllable. Another big update is that the groups are replacing and improving the bumpers used to hit the B14. 1 in June.
While crews had replaced the north side arm actuator, they only upgraded the south arm main actuator. So either arm will be able to move at full speed once those adjustments are complete.
With all those changes, groups can simply perform a slap test, in which either arm would pass through to receive a slap simultaneously, simulating a catch. The only other major thing SpaceX didn’t do in the most recent test circular was slap and then raise the arm in a full motion.
SpaceX continues to move toward Flight Five as it conducts the upcoming launch to Starbase and the flight.
Top image: Orbital launch with two towers (Credit: BocaChicaGal for NSF/L2)
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