Tests, more tests, and lots of infrastructure!
How far is SpaceX? How close are they to that orbital Starship flight?
Let’s find out!
My name is Felix, and I am your host for today's episode of What about it.
It’s the second episode from Florida, and I am adjusting to the new studio.
As you can see, it’s improvised.
A lot of things are still missing, but we’re getting there.
Similar to what SpaceX is doing.
We’re probably done by next week!
But when will SpaceX be ready for that orbital Starship flight?
Let’s dive right in!
Starship Updates
Today, I’ll focus on one of the most asked questions in the community.
Besides the dreaded FAA approval, what’s still missing for an orbital Starship launch?
Chief’s footage has told a story of progress since November of last year.
He’s worked on the WAI team for almost 7 months now.
Being out there practically every day, he shows us SpaceX’s progress.
Their failures and mistakes along with their successes and breakthroughs.
I picked this clip as the intro for a reason.
Even though Mechazilla and the OLM have stood here for some time now, there’s constant work on the structures.
Mostly improvements these days.
This is not just construction happening.
It’s SpaceX figuring out weak points and implementing changes more than just plain building.
This is an excellent example as well.
Arrived on Wednesday, it’s the latest improvement to the Orbital Launch Mount quick Disconnect cover.
Owe’s animation shows how it works up close.
The Quick disconnect or QD fuels the Starship booster.
As soon as the Rocket lifts off, the cover slams shut and protects the delicate fueling hardware from the engine blasts.
SpaceX already has one in place, though.
They installed it around 5 months ago.
So, the new one is an update.
They tested the current one for so long now that they see weak spots and parts where they can improve the design.
So, they do.
Chief was able to spot a new QD interface as well.
It’s unknown yet, but this might even be a complete replacement of the old lower QD mechanism.
Everything SpaceX builds in Boca Chica is new.
No one has ever built a Starship or its ground hardware.
So, there’s a lot of figuring out to do as they can’t just look at an old construction as many other rocket launch providers do.
A lot of new hardware has come in in recent days.
These, for example, likely are cover plates—armor for the orbital launch mount.
SpaceX decided not to implement a flame diverter in constructing the orbital launch mount.
This means that all the thrust generated by 33 Raptor engines on lift-off will hit the mount itself and the concrete below it.
Looking at Mauricio's latest flyover shows the problem.
The exhaust gasses and shock waves travel down, hit the concrete, and get reflected back up towards the mount if the booster ignites.
So, it technically gets blasted twice since it doesn’t have a flame diverter.
For that, SpaceX is installing these.
Thick steel armor plates. They will keep the Raptor blast at bay and protect everything behind them,
like fuel lines and OLM systems that can’t withstand the engine blast.
The orbital launch mount has seen so many additions in recent months.
It’s slowly turning into a complex and more intriguing piece of hardware.
Unique and very much unlike a traditional launch mount.
Launching such a large rocket also is a logistical problem.
Hundreds of tanker truckloads of fuel will be needed to fill up the orbital fuel farm for just one launch.
Again, though, progress is visible.
This is LabPadre’s camera broadcast from Boca Chica,
and the Tanker truck parking here and starting to unload is the first methane tanker truck in a long time.
In fact, since February. It fuels the newly placed horizontal tanks, and Methane is used for one thing only at Starbase.
Firing Raptors. SpaceX is getting ready for some Booster static fires after Starship Booster 7 recently passed two full cryo tests.
First likely only with one to three engines.
Then with the full inner circle of 13 and in the end with all 33 engines.
It’ll be another first at Starbase and the whole Spaceflight industry.
4 Launch attempts and four failures.
A Different reason each time. The Russian N1 Moon rocket.
Why am I showing this? Because even though it had 30 engines, it didn’t have as many as a Super Heavy Booster.
SpaceX is genuinely building a record-holder rocket in Boca Chica.
In almost every regard.
So, complexity is a problem when it comes to rockets, and even though the whole Starship isn’t very complex,
the booster’s engine setup definitely is.
Testing of that complete engine section is still missing.
Next, we have the upper quick disconnect.
Recently updated to be higher up and thus accommodate the raised QD plate on Ship 24, this piece of hardware has not been tested yet either.
Many catastrophic failures on rocket launches are caused by a failure in the quick disconnect system.
Even Starship SN4 was lost almost precisely two years ago due to problems with the quick release system.
Pictures from three days later show that SpaceX is working on this system with full force.
New work platforms have gone up, and crews are constantly putting hours into the upper QD arm.
The chopsticks, those giant black steel arms that in the end are responsible for stacking and for catching Ship and Booster on a landing,
later on, have seen a bit of work as well.
Scaffolding is still up, and workers seem to pay attention to the horizontal assembly.
The crews have recently focused on the screw actuators running along the arms and responsible for forward and backward movement of loads resting on the arms.
And last but not least, we’re still missing ship and booster.
Booster 7 at least passed the last two cryo tests successfully.
But it’s still missing vital parts.
The engine section is not finished.
The engines are missing. Some details on the Vertical COPV covers or chines and other outside covers are sealed with duct tape.
So it would need some more attention before a flight can commence.
And it does very much look like SpaceX will at least do a static fire with booster 7. Raptor 2 engine installation inside the high bay has just
begun. These pictures are a good indicator of more action in the coming days!
Right now, possible for orbital flight use would be Booster 7 & 8 and Ship 24.
Booster 8 and ship 24 are still in the high bay at the production site.
Booster 8 is in three parts, and the engine skirt has not been sighted yet.
So, it’s close to being ready for testing.
Ship 24 has recently been stacked and is just awaiting aft flaps and a lot of detail work on the inside and outside.
The question still stands, which pair of Ship and booster will attempt the orbital flight.
Booster 8 and Ship 24 are only weeks away from being finished, so it is a possibility that Booster 7 is ground test hardware,
and 24 and 8 will fly. Let’s sum it up and try to answer the question from the beginning.
Besides the FAA approval, what’s still missing for the orbital flight?
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Keep in mind that these are not official numbers.
We’re making educated guesses based on research here.
Orbital Launch mount? It still needs work, but just details.
Blast Protection, QD improvements.
More systems integration. I say about 75% done!
Mechazilla, Chopsticks & Upper QD Arm?
Mechazilla is constantly being worked on in almost every part of it.
Plumbing is being updated. Chopstick detail work is ongoing.
The upper QD arm has seen a new QD interface and works on the claw continue.
It’s a big question mark. I’ll still go with a solid 85%, though, as the chopsticks wouldn’t be mandatory for a first launch.
Only fueling would be necessary.
Commodities? Let’s do some math!
This is what the Orbital Fuel Farm looks like right now.
The Methane GSE tanks all the way on the right have now been replaced as they didn’t pass regulations.
LOX and LN2 are still stored in the GSE tanks, though.
SpaceX laid down the horizontal tanks to replace the lost Methane GSE tanks.
Those horizontal tanks likely hold around the same amount of methane as the GSE tanks did before.
Maybe even more. Each of those 5 smaller Methane tanks contains around 500 cubic meters.
We’re missing at least another 50 tanker trucks for a complete fill of the orbital tank farm,
but SpaceX is likely just stashing Methane for static fires right now.
As soon as you see whole convoys of Methane trucks approach the Boca Chica launch site,
you’ll know it’s time to get excited about an orbital launch!
The orbital fuel farm is likely around 90% done by now.
Functional and only missing the commodities.
Last but not least, we have the prototypes.
Assuming that SpaceX will use Booster 7 & Ship 24, they would at least be 85% done by now.
That does look like an excellent overview to me.
Now, next time, when someone tells you that SpaceX will never get done with all this, you can show them this video.
It’s a huge task, and many things have come together, but they do,
and SpaceX is getting closer and closer to one of the most important milestones of this year.
A first orbital Starship flight.
Next up, we have Starliner! And there’s good news.
Boeing & ULA did it again. Only this time, there was no problem.
May 19th of 2022. 17 months after the first attempt, dubbed OFT-1, which was plagued with all sorts of problems and anomalies, Boeing tried again.
This time with much more success.
The Atlas V rocket, equipped with two solid boosters and 2 upper-stage engines, which is unique to Starliner launches,
rolled to the pad on May 18th, and John Winkopp was on site for WAI Media, bringing us these incredible pictures.
Once it arrived at Pad 41 at Kennedy Space Center, the rocket was ready for lift-off, and this time, everything worked out.
Atlas carried Starliner up into its orbit as last time, and Starliner this time performed as intended,
reaching the ISS a few hours later and docking successfully.
It’ll stay attached to the ISS until May 26th and then go for a landing at the white sands missile range in the US on May 27th.
This is a massive milestone for Boeing, as the Starliner program was plagued with anomalies and mishaps for quite some time.
For NASA, it finally means that the Commercial Crew Program is now in full swing.
Two vehicles are servicing the ISS, giving redundancy and creating a competitive market for Boeing and SpaceX.
I know. SpaceX is in the lead.
Nonetheless, though, the second vehicle is needed.
If any unforeseen anomaly would ground the Crew Dragon for some time,
there would be little to no alternatives now that Roscosmos is going into full-on NASA hate mode.
Starliner is that alternative, and even though late, it will now complete the original plan of having two spacecraft at hand for crewed flights.
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