Blue Origin demands to cap the launch and landing of Starship from Cape Canaveral.Their main concern is "impact on local environment".
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Right.
I think their main concern is “SpaceX will be launching hundreds of Starships to LEO and beyond, and we still have not reached orbital velocity, ever.”I think KSC and CC can figure out on their own the risks Starship launches pose, they don’t need BO kibitzing the process.
TunaBug
Member
Remember a few pages back when conversation was about the Environmental Impact Statement for LC39A? See https://www.faa.gov/media/80626. Basically at this point the FAA is seeking public input for what things they should consider covering in the impact statement. Everybody can reply. So can you...oops, 6/24 was the last day, so it looks like Blue Original files at the last minute. It's moot now, but page 2 of that PDF describes "How to get involved".
ETA: I'm also glad the somebody pointed out that SpaceX is going to make a huge number of launches. Yes, I understand the cheesiness of coming from a competitor. But as a SpaceX fan I am glad: I don't want them to go through a year+ process of an Environmental Impact Statement, receive a license, only to find out they're capped at 50 launches per year and then have to start the process all over again.
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Some points from the Tim Dodd interview.
- IFT-4 left off two tiles. One had a single layer of ablative material installed and the other had two layers. The single layer burned through during reentry, but the double did not. Elon didn't know if the single layer burned through the stainless steel as well.
- The second launch tower will be taller than the first. As I recall, Elon said "a couple sections", and the crane being assembled for the second tower is markedly larger in capacity. From what I can find on the web, the new one can lift a couple hundred more tons, and reach perhaps 20 meters higher.
- The second launch tower will have a flame trench of some sort. I would guess that it's of the same design as the flame trench at Massey's for static fires. But much more robust, of course.
- Elon rarely makes "imperial decrees" on technical issues (any more?). Instead, he relies on what his teams come up with.
- During Starship descent, the forward flaps are primarily used for roll and yaw control. The rear flaps control pitch because of the vehicle's natural tendency to flip to an engines-first orientation. That happens because the rear that end of the ship is so massive (dense) compared to the nose.
- The damage to the flap during IFT-4 was the reason for the vehicle being 6 km off-target at landing.
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Interesting that SpaceX has apparently given up on the water deluge system. Perhaps out of concern over limited water supplies and how much water will be needed for multiple launches per week/per day.
I assume it will be able to accommodate Starship V3.
They are not demanding anything. They list a bunch of mitigation factors that they say should be considered.
https://downloads.regulations.gov/FAA-2024-1395-0040/attachment_1.pdf
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On the one hand, it's Blue Origin, on the other hand they do have a point, if Starship operations impact other space companies.
Either way, the rephrasing of the letter seems done to amplify outrage and detracts from the actual (potential?) issue.
I had not seen the term “lawfare” before but it seems appropriate given BO’s history vis-a-vis SpaceX.
Interesting to see the new concrete blast wall from the point of view of standing next to the OLM. That wall is massive! And oddly shaped, to me. A long rectangular section at the base and then it angles backwards.
I am happy that Tim Dodd gets these Elon interview opportunities but quite tired of him constantly gushing “That’s crazy!” And “That’s insane!”. Yes. We get it. Now just get over it and please spend more of the limited time you have asking interesting questions instead of acting gobsmacked all the time. Maybe draft questions in advance and refer to your notes and ask them? There are so many things he could have asked about and didn’t.
You took the words out of my mouth, especially about the repetitious exclamations and the fawning. I'll pile on with Tim's bad habit of generally trying to get technical with Elon to the point of offering suggestions. Elon made the mistake of entertaining one of Tim's suggestions in the first interview, making Tim feels like a technical advisor to Elon.
Interviewing people is a real skill, and I rarely see a YouTuber who has the gift. Of course, Elon is going to be a difficult interview subject.
On a different note, SpaceX has spent the day very slowly moving the arms into position around the booster test item. Oh, and note that the booster quick disconnect is not connected to the test item. The jury is still out on whether they'll load anything.
I think it's built like a dam/ retaining wall (possibly without much below ground footing), base is ballast, then the wall tapers as total load (level arm remaining) decreases. Plus, the angle helps redirect the breeze.
It was late, I couldn't think of a properly descriptive term for exhaust + steam + water + dust +???, nor did I know the flow vector at that distance, so I chose humor."the breeze"!!??
At 1:03 PM CDT on June 27, SpaceX performed the test that @mongo was speculating about, which is to secure the tank on the launch mount, then lift with the chopsticks to apply pressure to the rails. The only visible aspect of the test was the chopsticks moving up, and the landing rail being compressed as it contacted the lifting pins. There's no way to know how much pressure they put on the lift pins. It took several minutes for the visible motion parts of the test.
They repeated the test at 2:02 PM CDT, and this test was much faster, with visible motion completing in about 30 seconds.
Here's the live stream for anyone who wants to check it out. I'm sure it'll be in the next NSF weekly video.
They repeated the test at 2:02 PM CDT, and this test was much faster, with visible motion completing in about 30 seconds.
Here's the live stream for anyone who wants to check it out. I'm sure it'll be in the next NSF weekly video.
On the NSF zoom repost, you can just see the lift pins deflect a little under load.
Next up after squeeze and lift... the suplex...
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