SpaceX Starship - IFT-4 - Starbase TX - Launch Thread and Post Launch Discussion

[Grendal]

Launch Date: June 6
Launch Window: 7am to 11am CDT (+1 hour EDT and -2 hrs PDT)
Launch site: LC-1 - Starbase, Boca Chica Beach, Texas
Core Booster Recovery: Expended in Gulf with a landing burn
Starship Recovery: A controlled reentry through the atmosphere to a terminal velocity splashdown in the Indian Ocean
Booster: Super Heavy Booster 11
Starship: Starship 29
Mass: No mass simulator
Orbit: LEO-ish
Yearly Launch Number: 60

A SpaceX Super Heavy and Starship launch vehicle will launch on its fourth "not quite" orbital integrated flight test designated IFT-4. The mission will attempt to place Starship into a nearly orbital trajectory that will attempt a controlled reentry through the atmosphere to a terminal velocity splashdown in the Indian Ocean . The Super Heavy booster will attempt a landing burn in the the Gulf of Mexico where it will likely be destroyed. This is a further test of Stage 0, the booster, full power ascent, Max-Q, stage separation using the new hot staging, a booster stage test of a hard turn and boostback, full burn boost of Starship to space and sub LEO, Starship will do one partial orbit, simulate a de-orbit burn, test tiles and heating from atmospheric reentry, until it has a splashdown in the Indian Ocean.

There will probably be a number of tests performed during the launch (similar to the last launch) that will be listed as the information on them happens.

SpaceX will jettison the hotfire ring on the booster somewhere in the reentry process.

 

[Grendal]

We have a date - though there a number of days after as a fall back.

 

[ggies07]

Awesome, can't wait!

https://twitter.com/x/status/1796140009071747091

 

[DanCar]

Thursday is current target.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1797071331667632569

 

[Grendal]

 

[scaesare]

And just for completeness, although that video says it's live at 12am, the SpaceX IFT-4 page says launch window at 7am CT at the earliest:

The launch window will open as early as 7 a.m. CT.

 

[scaesare]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1797499471632519491

That's purty...

 

[JB47394]

Christian Davenport is a Washington Post reporter.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1797712542216925309

 

[mongo]

License granted
Dynamic Regulatory System

 

[scaesare]

License granted
Dynamic Regulatory System

 

[ecarfan]

Stephen Clark in ars Technica: SpaceX is about to launch Starship again—the FAA will be more forgiving this time

The article includes the SpaceX diagram showing the flight profile for each vehicle, with the ship doing a bellly flop landing. But the article states:

If it survives the heat of reentry, Starship will descend into the lower atmosphere belly first and decelerate to subsonic speed under the control of aerodynamic flaps, similar to miniature wings. Finally, the ship will reignite a subset of its Raptor engines—probably two—and quickly flip from horizontal to vertical to settle into the waters of the Indian Ocean

(Bolded emphasis by me) I think that statement is incorrect. The flip maneuver will not be attempted on this flight.

 

[mongo]

Stephen Clark in ars Technica: SpaceX is about to launch Starship again—the FAA will be more forgiving this time

The article includes the SpaceX diagram showing the flight profile for each vehicle, with the ship doing a bellly flop landing. But the article states:

(Bolded emphasis by me) I think that statement is incorrect. The flip maneuver will not be attempted on this flight.

Timeline indicates a flip attempt. FAA license also allows for a failed flip to be not a safety issue.

SpaceX

 

[scaesare]

This was also interesting to from that Ars article:

"As part of its request for license modification, SpaceX proposed three scenarios involving the Starship entry that would not require an investigation in the event of the loss of the vehicle," the FAA said in a statement.

Based on language in the code of federal regulations, the FAA has the option to approve these exceptions. The FAA accepted three possible outcomes for the upcoming Starship test flight that would not trigger what would likely be a months-long mishap investigation.

These exceptions include the failure of Starship's heat shield during reentry, if the ship's flap system is unable to provide sufficient control under high dynamic pressure, and the failure of the Raptor engine system during the landing burn. If one of these scenarios occurs, the FAA will not require a mishap investigation, provided there was no serious injury or fatality to anyone on the ground, no damage to unrelated property, and no debris outside designated hazard areas.

This change is quite significant for the FAA and SpaceX. It shows that federal regulators, suffering from staffing and funding shortages, are making moves to try and keep up with SpaceX's rapid, and often ever-changing, development of Starship.

 

[JB47394]

This was also interesting to from that Ars article:

"Look, maybe I didn't do every single little tiny checklist item, no. But basically, I did them, yeah."
-- Ash Williams (Evil Dead)

 

[scaesare]

So it looks like SpaceX is deliberately leaving 2 tiles off the ship... surmised to be a test of ability to withstand single tile failures:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1798318343155597456

 

[ecarfan]

Timeline indicates a flip attempt.

Thanks for catching my error. I sure hope the ship gets that far and the onboard camera views are still working by that point!

 

[Electroman]

Can't they station some drone ships in the vicinity of say 20 Km radius to capture the video of the landing ? In the event if those camera losing connection with Starlink or getting obscured by water vapor and any number of things. The extreme heat of reentry can do any number of things that can disable not only sending live video feed but also telemetry.

 

[Bull]

Can't they station some drone ships in the vicinity of say 20 Km radius to capture the video of the landing ? In the event if those camera losing connection with Starlink or getting obscured by water vapor and any number of things. The extreme heat of reentry can do any number of things that can disable not only sending live video feed but also telemetry.

I can’t imagine them not trying to do that. Fingers crossed.

 

[Electroman]

I can’t imagine them not trying to do that. Fingers crossed.

Ya.. but there was not single terrestrial visual of IFT-3 booster landing. And that is next door in the Gulf. And this Ship is going to land somewhere in the Indian ocean boondocks.

 

[Bull]

Ya.. but there was not single terrestrial visual of IFT-3 booster landing. And that is next door in the Gulf. And this Ship is going to land somewhere in the Indian ocean boondocks.

I’d be happy seeing any landing video at this point. Ship or booster.