Rumor mill says no WDR, going straight to launch. This week's road closures are canceled.
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Seems a bit risky to skip a full stack WDR. But what do I know…
What is the risk? There is no payload, deadline, nor orbital plane involved. Only differential between WDR and launch is marine/ aviation notices.
My uninformed speculation is that doing a WDR with the full stack could reveal GSE issues that would not be apparent from the separate booster and ship fueling tests. But it seems like SpaceX is not concerned about it, so that’s good enough for me.
Let’s launch already!Sure, but problem != risk. Any risk is just as existent in a WDR as a launch attempt. Only difference is disappointment level.My uninformed speculation is that doing a WDR with the full stack could reveal GSE issues that would not be apparent from the separate booster and ship fueling tests. But it seems like SpaceX is not concerned about it, so that’s good enough for me.
They are hardware rich, but does that apply in this case? If anything, an extra WDR puts more stress on the rocket and stage zero, with added risk of something going wrong during detanking.
My bad if intent unclear... I was attempting to suggest that not needing to go ultra-conservative with a WDR prior to launch is made more feasible when you are building boosters and ships at such a prodigious rate...
That's how I read it, but I'm unclear on what the WDR would do to reduce risk.
If this were a payload mission or had tight timing requirements, I'd agree.
Right, skipping the WDR only makes sense because the launch permit is expected this week. If the launch permit wasn’t expected for six months, then you might as well do a WDR to learn what can you learn Before six months goes by.
Similarly, if this was a client mission, then you’d do a WDR to minimize launch failure if you hadn’t done a WDR before.
But doing a WDR now, with permit expected in days, does nothing for you. Indeed if something goes wrong, the permit will be delayed even more.
The thinking process is, if everything goes without a hitch, why waste a good countdown, just simply light the fuse and release the clamp.
If there is a hitch then it is like a regular WDR.
If there is a hitch then it is like a regular WDR.
Better angle. Audio [per comments] indicates something falling. [May have been elevator counter weight?-oer comments]
Washington Post article about Starship. Article is behind a paywall but WP does allow a few free accesses per month.
For a mainstream media piece, it’s pretty accurate except for this part:
They got the booster right, but not the ship. As far as I know, the plan is for the tower arms to catch the ship as well. Adding legs to Starship adds mass. If they can catch the booster they can catch the ship.
Of course Starships going to the Moon and Mars will have legs.
For a mainstream media piece, it’s pretty accurate except for this part:
They got the booster right, but not the ship. As far as I know, the plan is for the tower arms to catch the ship as well. Adding legs to Starship adds mass. If they can catch the booster they can catch the ship.
Of course Starships going to the Moon and Mars will have legs.
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