Starship Flight Overview
Expectations for launch day were high, as SpaceX expected a graceful landing of Booster 11 and survival of the re-entry heat spike of Shipment 29. Road closure and cooling of the tank farm went ahead as planned, and the weather was close to the best time for a launch. .
Ship 29 and Booster 11 took off at 7:50 a. m. Central Time. Immediately, the Booster 11’s 15th engine, which is located in the outer ring, was switched off, which is a departure from the previous two flights, in which all 33 were in operation. . However, this did not prevent the reinforcement from climbing, as it finished the climb without additional problems.
— Sean Doherty (@SeanKD_Photos) June 6, 2024
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Then came the staging, where Barco 29 smoothly moved away from the BoosterArray. A few seconds later, the Booster turned and restarted the ten internal engines for booster combustion.
Unlike the last flight, all thirteen engines ran for the entire operating time before shutting down. SpaceX does this to return to the release site and capture a capture, but in this case, the target 20 kilometers offshore, in the Gulf of Mexico.
Shortly after the combustion, SpaceX announced a new point at launch: Teams dropped the hot preparation ring on top of Booster 11. This was probably done to reduce the mass at the top of the vehicle to allow for more smoothness. feedback. To facilitate this process, SpaceX has installed some pneumatic lifts to move the ring away from the Spice Up. It works in the same way as the thrust formula located at the Falcon Nine’s interlevel to push back the momentum level before the Merlin vacuum ignitions.
– SpaceX (@SpaceX) June 6, 2024
This is followed by a shutdown of the dispatch engine and a nominal suborbital insertion, which means that dispatch 29 has reached the correct trajectory. Shortly after, Booster 11 starts the thirteen internal engines for a first landing before moving on to the 3 internal engines.
However, just after ignition, the 8 engine in the inner ring of the 10 exploded, but the propeller continued to run. Then, Booster 11 made history by installing the first super-heavy booster in the Starship program to land in the Gulf. Mexico After the engine stalled, the Booster 11 overturned and was lost at sea.
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) June 8, 2024
In retrospect, Barco 29, which in its coastal phase, had problems with the descent with the cameras, but they were resolved in time for re-entry. After the coastal phase, the shipment was geared towards re-entry, which gave the impression of having a higher angle. attack, such as the area shuttle. It starts to lose speed too slowly with the frame of the shipment before turning around and losing even more speed.
This is when the questions begin: will the heat shield be maintained?Will Starlink provide an uninterrupted signal when it re-enters?
Slowly, like spacecraft 28, spacecraft 29 began to emit the glow of plasma as the spacecraft slammed into the atmosphere at more than 26,000 kilometers per hour. This happens because the air is heated so much by friction that it becomes something else in matter called plasma, made up of charged debris caused by the energy around the vehicle.
– SpaceX (@SpaceX) June 6, 2024
Today, as spacecraft 29 passes through the atmosphere, plasma continues to accumulate. This is the first time the human race has observed re-entry live plasma from external cameras. Spacecraft 29 would heat peaks, thus achieving one of its main objectives. However, during re-entry, the starboard front flap, as seen in the external chamber, saw its lower drive arm completely melted, and the plasma also devoured a clever component of it.
However, despite damage to the flap and any other systems, Ship 29 managed to re-enter space. Then, even after everything that happened, Ship 29 performed a capsize and burn maneuver, which the first time a shipment had occurred. made one since SN15 over 3 years ago. The maneuver was a success: the ship landed in the ocean and capsized intact.
Problems with the flight and what it means for flight 5
In the run-up to Flight 5, SpaceX most likely won’t want to make any significant adjustments to the booster because it managed to land on target, as demonstrated by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. Building on this success, SpaceX will attempt to capture Booster 12 Flight 5. The failure of the engine in the ascent and the engine exploded when landing will be the subject of an internal investigation as to the causes.
Booster 12, which has been in Mega Bay 1 since January 23, 2024, is waiting for its turn for a static fire. Currently, there is no timeline on when it might be deployed, as SpaceX has begun orbital release assembly (OLM). holding the clamps again.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 8, 2024
From shipment 29 to shipment 30, it’s a totally different matter. Now, even though Ship 29 effectively re-entered and finished capsizing and burning, many disorders wanted to be corrected. First, the plasma burned the flap seals and nearly cut a flap. SpaceX will have to find a way into those spaces for long-haul flights. Second, although the heat shield has allowed the ship to survive, there are still major upheavals that need to be addressed.
Because of those issues, the Barco 30 is already in the process of cutting and, in all likelihood, replacing its thermal cover slabs and underlying decks. The underlying covers would be replaced with a new ablative curtain that could have debuted in Shipment 29. Elon Musk said that the shingles are being upgraded to a newer and much more powerful design. Although Boat 29 completed the capsize and burn maneuver, it drifted away from the target a few miles due to flap damage.
“The FAA has evaluated the operations of the SpaceX Starship Flight 4 mission. All of the Starship and Super Heavy flight events appear to have occurred as part of planned and legal activities. “
— Adrian Beil (@BCCarCounters) June 12, 2024
NSF’s Adrian Beil earned a backlash from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regarding a possible investigation into a Flight 4 twist: “The FAA has evaluated the mission operations of SpaceX Starship Flight 4. All of Starship’s and Super Heavy’s flight occasions appear to have occurred as part of planned and legal activities. Without the need for an investigation of a twist of fate, SpaceX can move forward with Starship Flight 5, however, it is unclear whether or not the existing permit can be used for a; Recovery capture. Since a landing at the launch site is not included in the existing license, SpaceX will most likely want some other modification.
Overall, the arrangements for the launch of Flight Five will be attractive as SpaceX prepares for a capture and aims for much greater functionality in re-entry.
Orbital Launch Pad B
The structure of the next orbital launch pad (PLO) is accelerating. SpaceX has the last two sections, as well as the arm-and-stick cart, on its way from Florida. With the arrival of those parts, SpaceX will only be missing a quick disconnect arm for ships. There’s still one on Roberts Road, where SpaceX is building pieces of the OLP. However, this arm may need to be updated and will most likely be rebuilt from scratch at the Sanchez site.
In terms of when the tower could begin to be stacked, the groups made significant progress on the foundation, with the tower pile cap poured and the crane parts needed to stack the tower arrived. Unlike the last two towers, SpaceX will use the Liebherr LR11350. Crane is still a Demag CC 8800-1, which has a higher lifting capacity.
An attractive new note about this tower is that the base will have hollow metal columns filled with concrete instead of concrete that requires the addition of metal truss. The orbital launch platform (OLM) will be located to the south, offering prospects once a vehicle is stacked. on this new launch pad.
Main image: Ship 29 and the Booster take off for the Starship flight. Credit: Mary/BocaChicaGal for NSF
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