SpaceX Starship - IFT-4 - Starbase TX - Pre-Launch Preparations Thread

[Cosmacelf]

Well, by now the FAA is getting familiar with Starship launches and acknowledged many days ago that IFT-3 did not pose a threat to human safety and that the mishap investigation does not have to be completed before the next launch license is issued. The FAA process seems very slow.

For a govt agency, it actually moves really fast.

 

[ecarfan]

Okay, but if SpaceX is going to meet its goals for Artemis it could need to launch every one to two months and it does not seem like the FAA is going to be able to keep up.

 

[Ben Hinssen]

Okay, but if SpaceX is going to meet its goals for Artemis it could need to launch every one to two months and it does not seem like the FAA is going to be able to keep up.

I guess that at a certain point before the Artemis missions, they will “freeze” the design and will be able the get a launch license for all flight needed for Artemis in one go.

 

[ICUDoc]

they will “freeze” the design

Doesn't sound much like Musk/ SpaceX to me!

 

[Ben Hinssen]

Doesn't sound much like Musk/ SpaceX to me!

With Falcon9/Dragon this was also the case. The Falcon9 design was frozen with block5. NASA doesn’t like it when you keep changing the design when you fly their astronauts.

 

[ICUDoc]

With Falcon9/Dragon this was also the case. The Falcon9 design was frozen with block5. NASA doesn’t like it when you keep changing the design when you fly their astronauts.

Makes sense. I didn't recall the freeze.

 

[ecarfan]

With Falcon9/Dragon this was also the case. The Falcon9 design was frozen with block5. NASA doesn’t like it when you keep changing the design when you fly their astronauts.

I think F9 major changes were ended because the company shifted focus to Starship development. It wasn’t just about making NASA feel comfortable.

 

[JB47394]

I think F9 major changes were ended because the company shifted focus to Starship development. It wasn’t just about making NASA feel comfortable.

You can be sure that the FAA wasn't going to give SpaceX carte blanche to launch rockets while make changes as they liked. I understand your animosity towards the federal government, but they ensure that we don't have expended boosters falling on our villages and other such unpleasant things.

 

[JB47394]

And we're restacked. I took the liberty of doing a poor-man's edit to remove the remaining vertical tanks so we can see what the launch site will look like in a couple weeks. I thought that having the tower and rocket being the only big upright objects in the area would look awesome, but I think I prefer the vertical tanks.

 

[ecarfan]

Thanks for the image, personally I am looking forward to no vertical tanks so the focus is on the tower and the vehicle! Infrastructure should be as inconspicuous as possible.