For the booster, I hope they go for a hover for as long as possible, perhaps steering it around. That would be a nice tower catch simulation.They want it to disintegrate on impact and sink, so it can’t pose a danger to the maritime traffic.
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For the booster, I hope they go for a hover for as long as possible, perhaps steering it around. That would be a nice tower catch simulation.They want it to disintegrate on impact and sink, so it can’t pose a danger to the maritime traffic.
Okay, but when they start attempting a soft water landing — which surely must be IFT-4 or 5 — are they then going to tow the ship somewhere or are they going to scuttle it by activating the FTS?They want it to disintegrate on impact and sink, so it can’t pose a danger to the maritime traffic.
Interesting. I don’t understand it, but it is interesting that they changed the trajectory.It will also fly a new trajectory, with Starship targeted to splashdown in the Indian Ocean. This new flight path enables us to attempt new techniques like in-space engine burns while maximizing public safety.
Soft landing attempt would be somewhere with more infrastructure available to recover or dispose of the Ship, just like they are doing with the Booster.Okay, but when they start attempting a soft water landing — which surely must be IFT-4 or 5 — are they then going to tow the ship somewhere or are they going to scuttle it by activating the FTS?
My point being, why not try for a soft landing during IFT-3? The issue of what to do with the ship at the end of the flight test is always going to be there until they start trying to catch it at Stage Zero, which is not going to be for awhile, I think.
Oh man, in my desire to throw shade at the "time changers" I end up going backwards, instead of forwards #SMHYeah, X shows local time for the viewer. The link shows 7:30 am Eastern for me which is 6:30 am Central (Starbase time). Sunrise at Starbase will be 7:39 am (with clock change).
This lines up with the inital 7:00 am Central launch time from IFT-2.
"...how on Earth are you going to manufacture the grid fins needed for Super Heavy!?"Will there be titanium grid fins on the discarded Super Heavy booster?
Asking for a friend....
COUNTDOWN
All times approximate
HR/MIN/SEC EVENT 01:15:00 SpaceX Flight Director conducts poll and verifies GO for propellant load 00:53:00 Ship LOX (liquid oxygen) load underway 00:51:00 Ship fuel (liquid methane) load underway 00:42:00 Booster LOX load underway 00:41:00 Booster fuel load underway 00:19:40 Raptor begins engine chill on booster and ship 00:03:30 Booster propellant load complete 00:02:50 Ship propellant load complete 00:00:30 SpaceX flight director verifies GO for launch 00:00:10 Flame deflector activation 00:00:03 Raptor ignition sequence begins 00:00:00 Excitement guaranteed
FLIGHT TEST TIMELINE
All times are approximate
HR/MIN/SEC EVENT 00:00:02 Liftoff 00:00:52 Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket) 00:02:42 Booster MECO (most engines cut off) 00:02:44 Hot-staging (Starship Raptor ignition and stage separation) 00:02:55 Booster boostback burn startup 00:03:50 Booster boostback burn shutdown 00:06:36 Booster is transonic 00:06:46 Booster landing burn startup 00:07:04 Booster landing burn shutdown 00:08:35 Starship engine cutoff
Thank you Thats what I thought. That flight path for Booster is just plain wrong.. and silly.Same answer: artistic license. Booster will actually be westbound after boostback. See yellow spot in mid Gulf:
View attachment 1025597
The booster will be pointing west but does the boost back burn actually null out the eastward velocity and then the booster actually moves to the west, or does the boost back burn simply greatly reduce the eastward velocity and then the booster reorients for the reentry burn? I’ve never been clear on that.Booster will actually be westbound after boostback
The boostback not only cancels the outbound velocity, it introduces some return velocity. All the while, the booster is gaining altitude because the vertical component isn't altered during the boostback. The fact that it is gaining altitude means that it has more time to use that return velocity. So if it's headed back to the launch site at 100 km/h, and it's 100 km out to sea, then if it can take an hour to rise to apogee and then fall to the ground, then it will arrive right at the launch site.The booster will be pointing west but does the boost back burn actually null out the eastward velocity and then the booster actually moves to the west, or does the boost back burn simply greatly reduce the eastward velocity and then the booster reorients for the reentry burn? I’ve never been clear on that.
Just Read The Instructions and A Shortfall of Gravitas both operate out of Port Canaveral. Of Course I Still Love You operates out of the Port of Long Beach.Don't all Falcon 9 boosters that come back to FLA have to fly back (boostback) westward?
Ah. I see that my post left out, only those that launch from FLA.The boostback not only cancels the outbound velocity, it introduces some return velocity. All the while, the booster is gaining altitude because the vertical component isn't altered during the boostback. The fact that it is gaining altitude means that it has more time to use that return velocity. So if it's headed back to the launch site at 100 km/h, and it's 100 km out to sea, then if it can take an hour to rise to apogee and then fall to the ground, then it will arrive right at the launch site.
Just Read The Instructions and A Shortfall of Gravitas both operate out of Port Canaveral. Of Course I Still Love You operates out of the Port of Long Beach.
I answered the wrong question.Ah. I see that my post left out, only those that launch from FLA.
Yep, goes westbound:The booster will be pointing west but does the boost back burn actually null out the eastward velocity and then the booster actually moves to the west, or does the boost back burn simply greatly reduce the eastward velocity and then the booster reorients for the reentry burn? I’ve never been clear on tthat.
Thanks. I was thinking of ASDS recoveries, but of course for an RTLS there has to be return velocity. And now I understand the same is true for an ASDS, or in the context of the IFT launches, a water landing of the booster.The boostback not only cancels the outbound velocity, it introduces some return velocity.