SpaceX Starship - Orbital Test Flight - Starbase TX

Launch Date: April 20
Launch Window: 8:28am CDT (6:28am PDT, 13:28 UTC) - 62 minute window
Launch site: LC-1? - Starbase, Boca Chica Beach, Texas
Core Booster Recovery: Expended in Gulf
Starship Recovery: Water landing near Hawaii
Booster: Super Heavy Booster 7
Starship: Starship 24
Mass: No mass simulator mentioned
Orbit: LEO-ish
Yearly Launch Number: 26

A SpaceX Super Heavy and Starship launch vehicle will launch on its first orbital test flight. The mission will attempt to travel around the world for nearly one full orbit, resulting in a re-entry and splashdown of the Starship near Hawaii.

Webcast:

 

[ICUDoc]

exciting stuff!

Now I just need to work out the Eastern Australia time and date for Monday 17 April 5:25 am....

 

[ecarfan]

So is this license only valid for a single launch following the flight path announced by SpaceX, or does the license cover multiple launches within those constraints? If multiple, how many over the next 5 years?

Eric Berger just published an article about the license but did not answer those questions.

 

[808?]

 

[HVM]

So is this license only valid for a single launch following the flight path announced by SpaceX, or does the license cover multiple launches within those constraints? If multiple, how many over the next 5 years?

Eric Berger just published an article about the license but did not answer those questions.

https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ast/licenses_permits/media/VOL%2023-129%20SpaceX%20Starship-Super%20Heavy%20License%20and%20Orders1.pdf

b. Flight Operations: i. Using the Starship-Super Heavy vehicle. ii. From SpaceX Boca Chica Launch Complex, Boca Chica, Texas. iii. To Gulf of Mexico and Pacific Ocean locations specified in its application. iv. For the first flight only, unless this license is modified to remove this term.

9. License Term: License No. VOL 23-129 terminates five (5) years from April 14, 2023.

 

[Grendal]

And as an extra bonus, the speaker for the webcast will be infamous John Insprucker! Let's all root for a Norminal launch for Starship.

John Insprucker - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[ecarfan]

And as an extra bonus, the speaker for the webcast will be infamous John Insprucker! Let's all root for a Norminal launch for Starship.

I hope he wears his NORMINAL hat! But I expect not, as there is nothing about this launch that is going to be normal or nominal.

 

[mongo]

FAA document drop
https://www.faa.gov/media/27236
Highlights:
Expect first 3 boosters may be sunk (first definitely)

Starship will vent propellant in space leaving 10mT LOX 4mT CH4 for ballast (1.1% of full load, mT = metric ton)

First 3 Starships expended, 2&3 are non-atmospheric and will go full orbital.

Cameras/ Salvage Vessel(s): SpaceX has agreed to and shall arrange a contract with salvage vessel(s) of adequate size, strength, and capability for retrieval of any vehicle reentering PACAREA AOR, and shall do so at least one week prior to the launch. The salvage vessel(s) will be staged at the site of reentry at
least the day prior to launch, approximately 16 nautical miles cross range from the nominal landing location.

Part of reason for delay on license: October 2022: The FAA informed NMFS that early developmental phase flights of Starship/Super Heavy could result in an explosive event upon Starship’s impact with the
Pacific Ocean, which is not covered under the existing programmatic concurrence for FAA for space launch and reentry (PLoC; OPR-2021-02908). NMFS provided technical assistance on acoustic thresholds, noise modeling, and exposure estimations related to the possibility of explosion and potential effects to ESA resources.

For all three flights, Super Heavy’s engines would cut off at an altitude of approximately 40 miles (approximately 64 kilometers) and the booster would separate from Starship. After stage separation from Starship, Super Heavy would conduct a boost-back burn prior to descending into the atmosphere. After descent through the atmosphere, Super Heavy would conduct a landing burn to approximately the ocean’s surface and then impact the water at approximately 8.5 meters/second in the Gulf of Mexico landing location, approximately 31 kilometers off the coast
of Texas. Any landing outside of the landing location would not be considered nominal.
Note: 8.5 m/s matches acceleration from a zero velocity point approximately 4-5 meters above the surface.

For the first flight, after separation from Super Heavy, Starship’s engines would start and burn to the target location just below orbital before beginning its descent.
For the second and third flights, after separation from Super Heavy, Starship’s engines would start and burn to the desired orbit location. Upon reentry, Starship is expected to break up and SpaceX proposed an area southwest of Hawai’i, to account for the potential Starship debris field.

 

[ecarfan]

@mongo thanks for your post! Lots of interesting info.

After descent through the atmosphere, Super Heavy would conduct a landing burn to approximately the ocean’s surface and then impact the water at approximately 8.5 meters/second in the Gulf of Mexico landing location, approximately 31 kilometers off the coast
of Texas. Any landing outside of the landing location would not be considered nominal.
Note: 8.5 m/s matches acceleration from a zero velocity point approximately 4-5 meters above the surface.

So the bposter will attempt to hover and null out its velocity before cutting out the engines. For an actual Stage Zero chopsticks catch I assume the plan is to hover much higher above the ground, but for the purposes of the initial flight tests it will be much lower. I wonder why?

First 3 Starships expended, 2&3 are non-atmospheric and will go full orbital.

I wonder if 2&3 will make at least one complete orbit?

For the second and third flights, after separation from Super Heavy, Starship’s engines would start and burn to the desired orbit location. Upon reentry, Starship is expected to break up and SpaceX proposed an area southwest of Hawai’i, to account for the potential Starship debris field.

So 2&3 will splashdown in a different location than 1.

S25 has a heat shield and flaps, as does S28. S26 and S27 do not. I wonder which ships will be used for flights 2&3?

 

[ecarfan]

Found this in the FAA document:

SpaceX also proposes to add an area southwest of Hawaii, uprange of the passive descent ocean
landing area, to account for the potential Starship debris field for the second and third launches of
Starship that are not configured to survive atmospheric reentry.

So that apparently means that S26 and S27 will be used for test flights 2&3. Those flights will not test the ship re-entry capabilities. I wonder what the flight objectives are for those ships?

 

[ecarfan]

Details from the document about booster landing plans:

After stage separation of the Super Heavy from Starship, the flight plan is for Super Heavy to conduct a boost‐back burn prior to descending into the atmosphere. After descent through the atmosphere, Super Heavy would conduct a landing burn, which would cutoff at approximately the ocean’s surface, and then impact the water. After the landing burn ends, the flight plan is for Super Heavy to impact the water intact vertically. Then, within several seconds, Super Heavy would tip over and impact the water horizontally. The landing would impart forces onto the liquid oxygen (LOX) tank and methane tank; however, the tanks’ structural capabilities allow it to withstand these forces. Therefore, the tanks would remain intact, and there would be no resultant interaction between the LOX and methane. Nominally, Super Heavy will remain intact. Following the landing burn, Super Heavy would sink at an angle (similar to a sinking ship), during which sea water would flood the tanks through the fill drain valves near the bottom. As the tanks flood, the vehicle would become waterlogged and sink to the ocean floor. If in an off‐ nominal event, Super Heavy did not sink, SpaceX would attempt to scuttle Super Heavy. The primary means of scuttling the vehicle is to remotely open the tank vents allowing water to ingress into the tank and sink the vehicle. If the vents are determined to be closed, SpaceX would attempt to command the valves open, inducing the flooding. Should SpaceX receive positive confirmation that the valves are open but the vehicle is not taking on water, SpaceX would attempt to orientate the vehicle in a manner that would be expected to induce sinking by using a vessel to physically interact with the vehicle and cause it to roll on its long axis. This could be accomplished with a vessel and tow line attached to the aft end of the vehicle or grid fins. During an off‐nominal event where Super Heavy did not sink, additional methods for scuttling could be considered such as puncturing the outer shell of the vehicle using a firearm or remote operating vessel. Consistent with the 2022 LOC, it is SpaceX’s goal to recover and reuse the Super Heavy boosters. However, during the first three launches, SpaceX may require landing the Super Heavy in the Gulf of Mexico intact and then let it sink.

 

[ecarfan]

And the ship landing plans:

For the first launch, after ascent engine cutoff, Starship would vent residual main tank propellant during the in‐space coast phase of the launch at or above 120 kilometers AGL. Following the in‐space coast phase, Starship would begin its passive descent. Some residual LOX (approximately 10 metric tons) and methane (approximately 4 metric tons) would remain in Starship, which is the minimum amount that can remain in Starship after venting to serve as ballast in order to successfully maintain trajectory to the landing location. The 14 metric tons of remaining propellant represents approximately 1.1 percent2 of the total fill levels for the Starship main tanks. Starship would impact the Pacific Ocean intact, horizontally, and at terminal velocity (i.e., the steady speed achieved by a freely falling object), and the impact would disperse settled remaining propellants and drive structural failure of the vehicle. The structural failure would immediately lead to failure of the transfer tube, which would allow the remaining LOX and methane to mix, resulting in an explosive event.
SpaceX would expend Starship (break up upon atmospheric entry) following the second and third launches.

 

[ecarfan]

From the document:

SpaceX also proposes to add an area southwest of Hawaii, uprange of the passive descent ocean landing area, to account for the potential Starship debris field for the second and third launches of Starship that are not configured to survive atmospheric reentry.1 This area is shown in red in Figure 1.

1 When Starship is not configured to survive atmospheric reentry, Starship would tumble as it descends through the atmosphere and break apart at greater than 50 kilometers (km) above ground level (AGL).

 

[mongo]

@mongo thanks for your post! Lots of interesting info.


So the bposter will attempt to hover and null out its velocity before cutting out the engines. For an actual Stage Zero chopsticks catch I assume the plan is to hover much higher above the ground, but for the purposes of the initial flight tests it will be much lower. I wonder why?

I wonder if 2&3 will make at least one complete orbit?

So 2&3 will splashdown in a different location than 1.

S25 has a heat shield and flaps, as does S28. S26 and S27 do not. I wonder which ships will be used for flights 2&3?

Found this in the FAA document:

So that apparently means that S26 and S27 will be used for test flights 2&3. Those flights will not test the ship re-entry capabilities. I wonder what the flight objectives are for those ships?

Fights 2&3 aka S26 & S27 will go orbital and reenter later. Test articles for fuel transfer and maybe Starlink v2?

Like you just posted, they'll break up in the upper atmosphere and land short of Hawai’i.

Booster hover height isn't super critical as long as it achieves the pre-programmed altitude without undershooting it. I could see them practicing hover until tthey un out of propellant.

 

[Cosmacelf]

Huh. Interesting that they aren’t even considering doing a water hover landing of Starship. The only reason that I can think of is that they simply haven’t gotten to that point in development yet and need the telemetry info they’ll get from these test flights.

 

[JohnnyEnglish]

Fights 2&3 aka S26 & S27 will go orbital and reenter later. Test articles for fuel transfer and maybe Starlink v2?

So no post flight inspections for either Booster or Ship (or salvage of items such as the grid fins). Clearly confident of the level of instrumentation and data transmission.

Presumably the planned flight order will give them the opportunity to test refuelling with an eye on the timelines for the SpaceX Artemis Moon Lander missions. It will also give them time to update their reentry aero/thermal models with the flight data obtained on test 1 and make any necessary improvements to the reentry profile. If hardware changes are required these could also be started.

All in all it should lead to another intense burst of activity and enable SpaceX to remove/clarify lots of technical risk from the Starship (and Artemis) programme.

 

[mongo]

Huh. Interesting that they aren’t even considering doing a water hover landing of Starship. The only reason that I can think of is that they simply haven’t gotten to that point in development yet and need the telemetry info they’ll get from these test flights.

They've shown the flip turn can work. Cratering Starship reduces post landing clean up needed.
This flight will help validate heatshield and fin sizing. Next two for orbital operations.

 

[Cosmacelf]

They've shown the flip turn can work. Cratering Starship reduces post landing clean up needed.
This flight will help validate heatshield and fin sizing. Next two for orbital operations.

The best test is no test

 

[ecarfan]

New video from NSF. I don’t recall seeing these engine identifiers before, only the engine SNs.

 

[ecarfan]

S24 has been outside for so long that the black paint is wearing away! I assume it is primarily for cosmetic reasons and is not part of the TPS.

 

[ecarfan]

Chopsticks have been moved around S24 and according to NSF the FTS on both vehicles are now armed. I expect S24 to be restacked by tomorrow morning.