Destack! Why am I happy about that?
My name is Felix, and I’m your host for today's episode of What about it.
SpaceX is destacking a Starship, I’m so happy about it, and today I’ll explain to you why.
NASA Artemis is arriving at the Moon!
The weather is getting bad, thanks to Nicole, as I record!
Lots to talk about! Let’s dive right in!
Starship Updates
SpaceX keeps on testing Ship 24 and booster 7. In the past two weeks, tests have been performed almost every single day.
The current focus at the Starbase launch site is on Ship 24, Ship 25, and booster 7. All of which are heavily tested.
Ship 24, for example, has seen 10 cryo tests so far.
Booster 7 has seen 11. These pictures, of course, are from Chief, our WAI Cam operator at SpaceX’s Starbase in south Texas.
November 7th. SpaceX uses nitrogen for yet another partial cryo test on the booster main methane tank.
These tests are done for various reasons.
Design ideas are validated. Tanking and detanking procedures are developed, and fuel farm infrastructure and the orbital launch mount are tested.
Last but not least, after so many cryo tests, fatigue on the rocket itself, and stage zero equipment,
everything that’s not part of the rocket, but needed to make it lift off, can also be measured.
The goal of the Starship program is to not only create the largest and most capable rocket ever.
One fundamental goal is to make it operate like an airliner.
Rapid reusability is key for the success of SpaceX’s Starship.
Shortly after performing the test on Ship 24 and Booster 7, SpaceX went for another round with Ship 25.
Seriously. If you’re interested in seeing a cryo test live, now is the time to go to Starbase.
They’re testing like crazy. In Ship 25’s case, even with thrust rams.
Chief took this picture on November 4th.
It shows suborbital test pad A and Ship 25 on top.
Look at the black steel pillars below the ship and inside the pad.
That’s a new design for something we’ve seen for the past two years.
Hydraulic rams are installed under the ship.
While SpaceX is filling the main tanks, the whole ship starts cooling down rapidly due to the extremely cold liquid nitrogen.
As soon as that is done, those rams start pressing upwards with the same force Raptor engines would produce on lift-off.
This is supposed to simulate launch conditions on the prototype.
Everything went well. Both the test with Ship 24 and booster 7 and the one with ship 25 had no visible issues.
Next, SpaceX did something very disappointing, or did they?
Noooo! SpaceX destacked ship 24.
That’s bad. Right? If you’re a regular viewer of this channel, you’re probably relaxed now.
Maybe even a bit excited. Where at first glance, it looks like a step back if SpaceX destacks a Starship because this way, it can’t launch,
it actually really isn’t. This likely just means that the next testing step is done only with the booster.
And what could that be? Right.
The big one. A large static fire, possibly even with all engines.
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On we go!
Since Musk stated before that SpaceX is proceeding very carefully with ship 24 and booster 7,
it is likely that a more significant static fire would be done without the Starship on top.
So, fingers crossed.
We might be looking at the next big milestone.
A full booster static fire.
If SpaceX really does a 33-engine static fire, they’d have the next record in their books.
The most powerful rocket ignition ever.
The sheer power output of 33 Raptor engines is mind-boggling on its own.
At least 230 tons per engine. 7590 tons of thrust combined.
It’s likely that SpaceX will tune it down at first,
but if they want to test the engines under launch conditions before the actual launch… welp… they’ll have to put the pedal to the metal,
if you know what I mean.
And still, even at full thrust, the booster would not leave the pad.
SpaceX has a robust system in place to keep the booster right where it is, even with 33 engines blasting.
And they look strong enough for a static fire even without the ship on top to keep the booster in place.
Locking pins and hold-down clamps will work in combination and tame the beast.
Now, let’s jump to the production site at SpaceX’s Starbase.
There’s some exciting stuff going on a bit further up the road.
This is a look into tent number 3. The nosecone factory.
This is where SpaceX builds the cones and where heat tile technicians apply the famous Starbricks to form a very unique-looking heat shield design.
More precisely, this likely is Ship 29’s nose cone, and it’s evolving quickly.
The upper aero covers for the forward flaps have been installed, and now the Starbase crew is busy attaching thousands of tiles.
Over time these have looked better and better throughout the development history of SpaceX’s Starship, and by now,
they’re at a very professional-looking level.
The same goes for booster 9.
Sitting inside the mega bay, it now looks almost finished.
There’s not much work left to be done here.
Maybe two or three weeks, and it should be ready for testing.
The interesting take here is that this would give SpaceX two Starships and boosters ready for full stacks and lift-off.
What do you think? Will SpaceX proceed with Ship 24 and Booster 7?
Will we see a Starship launch in December?
As always, tell me in the comments!
On we go with Rocket Lab, their recent launch and catch attempt, and future plans for December!
Catch me if you can! That was the title of this mission, and it shows us something.
Even though a catch reference was the title of this flight, it was a secondary goal.
November 4th, New Zealand. Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Pad B. Electron lifts off for yet another mission.
This time with the Mesospheric Airglow and aerosol Tomography and Spectroscopy satellite.
A science payload for the Swedish National Space Agency or SNSA.
50-kilogram launch mass. Destination: A 585-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit.
And what can I say? Everything went perfect again.
The Electron has a 90% success rate at this time.
This is not perfect, but considering that they’re a very new company, they’re the industry leader when it comes to small payloads.
Carbon fiber rocket, electrically fed engines, and soon…
Drogue Chute deployed. The intent is clear.
Rocket Lab is working on a reusable first stage.
The plan is to catch a booster in mid-air with a helicopter.
And that’s not as easy as it might seem.
The rocket booster is falling back down to Earth at top speeds of up to 8300 kilometers per hour.
And it has to withstand a temperature peak of 2400 degrees Celsius.
That’s a thousand degrees warmer than the melting point of steel.
Then, at 13 kilometers in height, the drogue chute is released.
A minute later, the main chute follows.
The plan is to have the helicopter descend with the rocket booster and slowly close in on the drogue chute line with a hook.
Once aligned, the helicopter would catch the line and bring the booster back to Rocket Lab’s ground facilities.
So much for the theory. It didn’t work a second time in a row, though.
The first mission where Rocket Lab tried this maneuver was called “there and back again.” 6 months ago, the Rocket Lab Helicopter caught the booster.
What a sensation on its own! But the booster started twisting and dangling around under the helicopter.
So they made the safety decision of dumping the booster into the ocean not to endanger the helicopter crew.
And on Catch me if you can, they lost telemetry of the booster while it was returning back down from space.
So, again, they decided to dump the booster into the ocean even without catching it this time.
These are safety decisions, and they’re understandable.
They also show that returning a first stage from Space is rather difficult.
Different problems each time mean there’s more to be learned.
The intent is clear, though. Electron is to become a reusable orbital rocket.
The second one of its kind, if Rocket Lab is fast enough.
And it does make so much sense.
This is a Rocket Lab video from two months ago showing a Rutherford engine ignition.
Not just any engine, though. It is one from the Electron booster that fell into the ocean as part of the “There and back again” mission.
It’s a 200-second engine fire, showing that Electron hardware is perfectly reusable, even if it falls into the Ocean.
Ocean water is salty. Salty water is corrosive and so flooding an engine with seawater is not a recommended procedure.
The Rutherford engine demonstrated that day that it is tough.
Rocket Lab is entering difficult territory, and they’re making good progress.
Here’s to the next mission and catch attempt!
Why not call this one “Never say never”?
Rocket Lab is also participating in the Artemis Program.
Capstone, short for Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment,
is paving the way for NASA’s Gateway,
a small Lunar outpost intended to serve Artemis missions on the Moon and later… be the gateway to Mars, get it?
Capstone is almost there. After trouble with an engine ignition on September 8th,
resulting in a safe mode of the 25-kilogram spacecraft NASA is still troubleshooting the little probe.
It lost its three-axis control, which is essential for the mission outcome.
But the situation is not grim.
On October 27th,
the craft completed a trajectory correction maneuver and is now only days away from arriving in its unique Cislunar or near rectilinear halo orbit.
But what makes that orbit so unique?
It’s never been flown before. This is the orbit the Gateway station is supposed to fly in the future, so it needs to be… charted, so to speak.
Capstone will investigate what it’s like to be in this orbit for a more extended period.
Can a Spacecraft stay here and fly autonomously?
It’s a very elongated orbit around the Moon.
The spacecraft will be influenced by both Earth’s and the Moon’s gravity, creating this strange crown-shaped orbital path,
flying in a carefully balanced dance.
The task is to gather data for 6 months, and on November 13th, the mission will begin.
Rocket Lab has long done its work, but for NASA, the important part is about to begin.
Thank you, Rocket Lab, and good luck, NASA.
I’ll keep you updated!
Sometimes the right moment is all that counts.
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That’s it for today! Make sure to check out our WAI Wear merch store!
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And if you want to get even smarter about Space and rockets, watch this video next to continue the journey!
Thank you very much for watching, and I’ll see you again in the next episode!