SpaceX testing Booster 7, Ship 24 stack, 4 Starlink launch is in a row and SpaceX is suggesting nuclear propulsion.
My name is Felix, and I am your host for today's episode of What about it.
This is it! The first episode from Florida!
The studio is not built, but we’re back, and it feels so good.
Starship Updates
SpaceX is still working on improving the booster design, and they’ve chosen to put Booster 7 through its paces once again.
Booster 7’s last test likely ended with a decompression problem.
Some leaked pictures were circulating online that I won’t show here to protect SpaceX’s IP,
but they showed the internals of booster seven after its last cryogenic test.
The downcomer inside the boosters header tank was crushed, and one of the domes showed dents.
This could be caused by a detanking issue, where too much gas was released too quickly, creating a vacuum inside the header tank,
which led to a structural failure.
SpaceX rolled the booster back into the production site, fixed it, and on May 9th, it was back at the launch site, undergoing this latest test.
Again, a full cryo test as last time.
First, they filled the oxygen tank with liquid nitrogen and then the methane tank as well.
On Wednesday, they even performed a second test.
On May 14th, it got rolled back towards the production site after seemingly finishing the tests fine.
It looked the same on the failed test, though.
And there were no leaked pictures this time.
So, the results are unknown, and we’ll have to wait and see.
It’s safe to say that Booster 7 managed to pass the first test fine, though, which gives a fair bit of confidence.
I was there and watched at least part of the rollout towards the launch site with a few very epic people.
It gives you a completely different perspective on their size.
Ground handling these boosters is not an easy task at all, even though SpaceX makes it look like it is.
Meanwhile, SpaceX workers stacked Ship 24’s forward section onto the aft section in the high bay.
This is a timelapse done by Chief of the welding process.
As you can see, the ship is spinning on a turntable.
Very even movement. This can only mean one thing.
SpaceX used the robotic welder attached to the back wall of the highbay for the final weld.
This is new and hasn’t been used much yet.
It shows how SpaceX is constantly improving their prototypes' build quality and manufacturing process in Boca Chica.
As discussed in a few episodes now, Ship 24 is the first Starship to feature a payload dispenser system.
It is supposed to deploy Starlink satellites, dubbed by Elon Musk with the fitting name PEZ dispenser.
It will roughly work like this, and there are still many questions surrounding the concept.
For example, if this really is flight hardware.
The Payload door looks jammed in there with rough edges, and it doesn’t look very well built at all.
Of course, this could be due to it being prototype hardware.
So, Ship 24 and booster 7. The two show that they’re still very much prototypes: rough edges, duct tape on aero surfaces,
unaligned payload door, decompression problems on cryo tests.
There is no official news if these really are the two to go to orbit first.
Time will have to tell. Right now, the FAA Environmental assessment is supposed to conclude on May 31st, but it’s been pushed several times already.
SpaceX can’t launch Starships out of Boca Chica without the FAA, but it won’t stay like this forever.
On May 6th, the last day of our recent visit to Starbase, the FAA completed the so-called section 106 consultation.
Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 requires Federal agencies to consider the effects of their undertakings on historic
properties. So, this time it looks like the FAA might be on track for a final decision at the end of this month.
Another clue towards an orbital launch being close by now is Gwynne Shotwell herself.
On Thursday, May 5th, she gave a little talk to an engineering group, and she spilled some beans on a possible launch date.
This summer is still the plan, and if true, we’d be a maximum of 3 months away from an orbital launch.
Furthermore, she said that nuclear propulsion would be inevitable for the future of space exploration.
A nuclear thermal rocket can achieve more than twice the efficiency of a conventional chemical rocket because its propellant is brought to a far
higher temperature than can be achieved in a conventional combustion chamber.
Is SpaceX working on something like this already?
What do you think? As always, tell me in the comments!
This brings me to the next topic.
NASASpaceflight was up in the air in my neighborhood again, taking some impressive pictures of SpaceX’s progress at the Cape.
Foundations for the KSC Starfactory can already be seen, and progress is fast.
If this is connected to the FAA delays is unknown,
but it very much looks like SpaceX wants to have production and launch capability at the cape as soon as possible.
Mechazilla 2 is coming along nicely as well.
Four modules done. A fifth is almost finished, and a sixth is already under construction.
Since the Mechazilla at Starbase Boca Chica is made from 8 tower segments, and one crown segment,
Not many more parts need to be built before stacking can commence.
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On we go with Crew 4, and two more Starlink launches.
SpaceX is launching rockets as no one else does right now and with a cadence that can only be called mindboggling.
April 27th. A day after our move to Florida, SpaceX rewarded us with this.
Clear skies at 3:56 am. The Schlang family, jetlagged and wide awake at 4 in the morning, experiencing our first rocket launch together.
And this is what it looked like from the pad and through SpaceX’s cameras.
B1067 on its fourth launch, performing as usual.
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Ignition and liftoff...
Sending up Astronauts Hines, Cristoforetti, Watkins, and Lindgren towards the International Space Station.
On top of the booster? Crew Dragon Freedom on its maiden launch.
Sixteen hours later, docking occurred, and the crew is now in full swing working on the tasks of Expedition 67.
As SpaceX states, Enjoy legendary views, exciting spacewalks, and out-of-this-world accommodations.
A return of the capsule is planned for June, and Crew 4 will return from Space in September.
Good luck and have fun!
That wasn’t the only launch. This is a Starlink launch from two days after Crew 4. April 29th from Jetty Park at Port Canaveral.
Being at the Cape has its benefits.
In total, SpaceX launched another 212 Starlink Satellites into Space since we moved to Florida on April 26th.
Bringing the total amount of operational Starlink sats up to 1739.
An incredible number, considering that SpaceX now owns around half the active satellites orbiting Earth.
On May 12th SpaceX announced on Twitter that Starlink is now available in 32 countries.
From Alaska to Australia. From Chile to Newzealand.
Expansions for 2023 include almost the entire continent of South America, the entirety of Africa, and large parts of Asia.
The most prominent exceptions here are China and Russia.
Even if those are left out entirely and never become a part of the Starlink service coverage,
we’re talking 80% of humanity covered by Starlink at the end of 2023.
Now you know why SpaceX is launching so many Starlink satellites.
With Starship nearing orbital capability and right now seemingly focussed on exclusively launching Starlink satellites initially,
the capabilities of the mega constellation will go up even quicker in the near future.
Rumors of a Starlink v2 satellite being launched atop Starships and with 5 to 10 times the mass of a current Starlink satellite are just the icing
on top of SpaceX’s future. Don’t forget that Starlink plays an essential role in SpaceX’s plans to colonize the Moon and Mars.
The mega-constellations revenue is supposed to finance the undertaking.
Next up, we have Astra Space expanding their business!
Launch System 2.0 and Rocket 4.0!
Launch system 2.0, announced on May 12th, is Astra Space’s next-generation launch hardware.
Featuring vastly increased payload capability and a very competitive price of only 3.95 million dollars base launch price,
this is Astra transitioning from experimental launches towards their business model.
Rocket 4.0 will stand 19.4 meters tall, have a diameter of 1.8 meters,
and feature two stages and two lox rp1 engines with a total first stage thrust of more than 32 tons.
The suggested payload capability to a low earth orbit stands at 300 kilograms.
Compared to a Falcon 9 or even a Starship, this might seem low, but it's a compelling product compared to Rocket Lab’s Electron Rocket.
The electron has been in service for quite some time now.
Twenty-five launches to date, 112 satellites have been successfully deployed.
And as of recently, the only reusable small launch vehicle in the world.
On May 2nd, Rocket Lab managed to catch the first electron booster out of mid-air with a helicopter after being launched into space.
It’s not an easy task, and Rocket Lab figured that out.
The parachute kept inflating after the booster was caught, making the load aerodynamically unstable and very hard to control.
After successfully catching it, they had to cut it loose again, dumping it into the ocean after all.
It was the first try, and they’ll improve and try again.
And there’s a reason for this.
Staying competitive. The space industry is moving fast these days, and even though Electron is a unique rocket,
it could not compete with Astra’s rocket 4.0.
300 kilograms on both sides.
So far, so good. But launch costs of 7.5 million dollars on Rocket Labs' side and 3.95 million on Astra’s side show the problem.
To stay competitive in this booming market of smallsat launchers, you can not stand still at all.
Even if you have the best solution today, it doesn’t mean that you’ll have it tomorrow.
The most significant change in the rocket is its first stage propulsion.
While the current Rocket 3.3 uses five Astra Delphin engines, generating a combined 35,000 pounds-force of thrust,
Rocket 4.0 will utilize two larger engines, producing a combined 70,000 pounds-force of thrust.
Slated to launch in q4 of this year, it’s also not a project for the distant future.
It’s right around the corner’ showing Astra Space’s eagerness to compete.
Just launching out of Cape Canaveral and Kodiak, Alaska, Astra Space is planning and building a third launch facility in Europe.
Saxavord in the United Kingdom.
Scheduled for 2023, it will be the first-ever orbital launch facility in Europe.
And everyone is comparing their rockets to SpaceX’s mega project.
But does it even make sense? Is Rocket 4.0 competing with Starships?
In a sense, yes. In this case, it doesn’t come down to cost per kilogram, though.
It comes down to cost per launch.
And that should likely be lower for Rocket 4.0 compared to a Starship.
So, yes, it does make sense to build these small and cost-effective launch systems for years to come.
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