Starship is Go...

louis · 2019-05-25 17:46:05

Interesting video...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_urTjM_Mymo

Looks like Starhopper has been a bit of a rush job and the nose cone doesn't fit! Hoping it's just an optical illusion - surely they wouldn't get the measurements wrong would they?

Void · 2019-05-28 18:06:05

A bit of news update?
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2019/05 … ests-loom/

Done

SpaceNut · 2019-05-28 19:01:18

The article void posted gave the answer for what Louis had seen... It was the inner and outer hull which was being seen while he shell is constructed as there is seperation between them for plumbing and electronics to go through.

As far as the hopper tests its more about the ability to control the engines performance and still keep the ship intact with each use.

The images are quite ugly but they will function for the purpose of getting numbers for the future build of the real deal.

Void · 2019-06-03 12:28:44

I feel that this article is just full of currently important information on intentions of space community per Mars and Starship at this time.
I suggest a read of it.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/06 … fely-back/

One thing I note is quite a lot of flexibility from the persons quoted. And real concerns about major hurdles to overcome.

I will quote just one:

SpaceX has outlined a plan that will send at least two cargo missions to Mars at the first opportunity. These test missions will identify resources available on Mars and potential hazards at the landing site. Provided that those missions go well, the company plans to send two more cargo missions as well as two crewed missions to Mars.
If conditions on Mars aren't what SpaceX expects in terms of resource availability, Wooster said SpaceX is considering bringing components of fuel to Mars for the return trip, likely in the form of either water or pure hydrogen. The company could also return a Starship with less than a full load of fuel. SpaceX has stated that it can return between 20 and 50 tons of payload from the surface of Mars to Earth with a fully fueled rocket, but it could do the return with less cargo and less fuel if required.
Other options include leaving a Starship in orbit, which would reduce the fuel needed. Or, as Gerry Sanders from NASA's In-Space Resource Utilization team said, a return could be accomplished by simply launching extra fuel to Mars and transferring it to a single Starship rocket.

So, I think that these people know what they are up against, and are flexible.

Discarding a Starship or two for a mission to Mars, is not as wasteful perhaps as it might seem. Elon Musk speculates that they might end up costing less than a Falcon 9 (Maybe).

Done.

Last edited by Void (2019-06-03 12:35:20)

SpaceNut · 2019-06-10 18:59:09

I think this is the better topic for BFR discusions to continue in.

The term prototype can stand for a large variety of build conditions and really a full finished designed product.

Slamming steel plates together in the out doors is a prototype as these are just crudely placed together and are not smooth form fitting, as the finished product would need to be.

These can have fuel tanks that are not to scale for the finished product, engine counts that will not be what it will need or having them optimized for LEO versus sea level performance.

space x starship prototype test images

While searching these wer very interesting:

th?id=OIP.f13-dWu2XRVGTVg0GXHx3wHaEc&pid=Api&rs=1&p=0

SpaceX%2BStarhopper%252C%2BStarship%2Band%2BSuper%2BHeavy%2Bmodel%2Bcomparison%2Bwith%2Bheight%2Bby%2BKimi%2BTalvitie.jpg

Void · 2019-06-10 19:42:41

I am like a cat watching a mouse hole

SpaceNut · 2019-06-30 09:33:30

Moving fast SpaceX hopes to blast off its Starship and Super Heavy Rocket project in 2021

“The goal is to get orbital as quickly as possible, potentially even this year, with the full stack operational by the end of next year and then customers in early 2021.”

Replacing Falcon 9 and heavy for Starship BFR...

The project is a two-stage space vehicle: The Super Heavy Rocket is the booster which will carry the ship Starship into orbit. The aim is to replace the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets and the Dragon spacecraft with a single system that will be more affordable.
It would deliver satellites into orbit or beyond, transport cargo and astronauts to the International Space Station, and even carry supplies and explorers to the Moon or to Mars. It could carry as many as 100 people on long-duration trips between planets.

louis · 2019-07-25 17:20:02

Looks like Starhopper is ready to launch...20 metres up that is!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aChE86D0c_A

I am amazed at just how pragmatic/trial-n-error the whole development process is.

SpaceNut · 2019-07-25 19:21:02

It had issues with the rocket and it aborted the test from what I saw earlier.

Elon Musk's Starship hopper hopes to rise to the occasion after several delays.

SpaceX founder Elon Musk has been teasing the test, which aims to take the Starhopper over 65 feet (20 meters) off the ground, for more than a week.
The actual test has been pushed back several times. SpaceX was originally set to give it a shot on Wednesday, but aborted the attempt. The hopper may get another chance Thursday.

Space aficionados also have cameras trained on the Texas test site. The Spadre.com Starship cam is a good one to check in on.

A single Raptor engine mounted to the Starhopper will power the hover attempt. The hopper is not meant to travel into space, but rather as a test vehicle for take-offs and landings. It will also help put the new Raptor engine through its paces.

louis · 2019-07-26 14:23:38

They did it! Starhopper got airborne!!

Next stop - Mars.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25CD1R0aXrk

Last edited by louis (2019-07-26 14:24:20)

SpaceNut · 2019-07-26 17:06:36

Saw and article that had video and what I saw was the ship drift sideways on the pad as well as verticle.

https://www.space.com/spacex-starhopper … ccess.html

The test hop Thursday night followed an aborted attempt on Wednesday (July 24) when Starhopper fired its liquid methane/liquid oxygen fueled Raptor engine for just 3 seconds before shutting down.
Musk has said that the abort was caused by high chamber pressure on Starhopper, apparently due to "colder than expected propellant."

louis · 2019-07-26 17:15:51

The sideways move was planned. That was part of the original flight plan ( I recall that from before this launch). But I admit you can't really see what the hell is going on!

Musk declared it a success so I presume the desired sideways move was achieved.

SpaceNut wrote:

Saw and article that had video and what I saw was the ship drift sideways on the pad as well as verticle.
https://www.space.com/spacex-starhopper … ccess.html
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WqoPe … 650-80.jpg
The test hop Thursday night followed an aborted attempt on Wednesday (July 24) when Starhopper fired its liquid methane/liquid oxygen fueled Raptor engine for just 3 seconds before shutting down.
Musk has said that the abort was caused by high chamber pressure on Starhopper, apparently due to "colder than expected propellant."

SpaceNut · 2019-07-26 17:47:02

The main thing was verticle climb as well as holding the pressures and temperatures while doing so. Which is why the earlier shutdown due to a spike in temperature was the right call to make. Space x does not have the test stands that Nasa has so its doing the same testing live instead.

louis · 2019-08-03 07:23:31

Starship development proceeding apace...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxtkTijn0_A&t=190s

louis · 2019-08-04 19:10:50

Discussion about Space X's plans for Mars - a long discussion. Much familiar to us here but haven't been through it all yet so may be some interesting nuggets...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPXBTPBV1Po

kbd512 · 2019-08-04 19:39:05

Louis,

Thanks for posting the discussion link. I'm very interested in how they're doing, but they've been pretty quiet about all of this. No doubt they're just very busy, but it'd still be interesting to know where they're headed.

louis · 2019-08-05 03:38:55

I think Musk is supposed to be giving an address of some sort within the next couple of weeks or so. We await that with interest. Sometimes they are very illuminating, sometimes not so much. I was encouraged by Cloudlicker's last or very recent video, which had some good drone videos of both Space X sites, to see there is a lot of work going on re bulkheads and so on. The project may be more advanced than appears from the rickety stunted one engine "hopper"!

2024 is probably a bridge too far but it's still 5 years...think 1963 to 1968...

I just wonder how much work is being done in parallel...e.g. on the crucial propellant production facility for Mars, on accurate landing techniques and landing site selection, on fail-safeness at every point, on coms, on space medicine and so on. I think there's no doubt that they will need a lot of help from NASA - but Trump is probably happy to ensure that help is given.

kbd512 wrote:

Louis,
Thanks for posting the discussion link. I'm very interested in how they're doing, but they've been pretty quiet about all of this. No doubt they're just very busy, but it'd still be interesting to know where they're headed.

SpaceNut · 2019-08-05 17:44:17

SpaceX just launched and landed a Mars spaceship prototype in a major test flight in Texas

SpaceX's Starhopper rocket ship prototype launches on its first free flight near Boca Chica, Texas, on July 25, 2019.on a 10 second flight

'Moving fast:' Musk's SpaceX eyes Florida for launch site for Mars rocket

https://www.wionews.com/world/moving-fa … ket-240489

?m=02&d=20190802&t=2&i=1414767468&w=1200&r=LYNXNPEF711RS

louis · 2019-08-05 18:52:52

Good video from Scott Manley detailing latest info on Space X plans for KSC launch of Starship/SuperHeavy prototype.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXKSH221uy4

Interesting detail about how methane and oxygen interact...lots of potential interactions - I wasn't aware of that! Amazing!!

louis · 2019-08-10 09:12:33

Starhopper progressing well...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHoABc6sZqo

Musk will deliver a presentation on Starship development on 24 August.

Hoping the 2024 human mission is still on track...we'll see. Would I think require the Starship to go orbital by 2020 and to then go lunar with a test landing by 2021 - followed by the 2022 Mars cargo mission.

That does sound a bit tight...maybe we'll see a postponement of the human mission to 2026. We should surely have seen some confirmation of Space X's partners for the propellant plant and so on by now if the 2022 Mars cargo mission was realistic.

louis · 2019-08-14 04:46:50

Yes, looks things are going well...This video from Mic of Orion is a useful summary of where we are:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AmFrpkaZIY

Seems like both Starships could be available for high altitude testing by late 2019/early 2020.

So, although it seems unlikely the 2022 Mars cargo mission target will be met, it's not impossible.

SpaceNut · 2019-09-07 07:38:48

Soon the flight of the starship hopper will make a big leap but all that is doing is giving test data to use in the real deal which is still on the drawing boards.
The hopes of the real deal flying any mission by 2024 is closing rapidly. History of abrupt changes to a business direction or in the case the ships or fuels used to make them fly.

louis · 2019-09-07 08:21:26

It's not going to be a hopper any more...it's a prototype Starship is my understanding...

SpaceNut wrote:

Soon the flight of the starship hopper will make a big leap but all that is doing is giving test data to use in the real deal which is still on the drawing boards.
The hopes of the real deal flying any mission by 2024 is closing rapidly. History of abrupt changes to a business direction or in the case the ships or fuels used to make them fly.

GW Johnson · 2019-09-07 11:51:38

These "prototypes" are really just X-planes of one sort or another. This thing will evolve greatly before a practical spaceship design is actually achieved. Even then it will evolve more, after it starts flying various missions.

And remember, it is primarily a transport to LEO. It could be used as a spaceship to other places, given adequate refueling, but that's just an artifact of being a good large-size transport to orbit.

GW

SpaceNut · 2019-09-07 21:46:10

Tipping his hand Seven Years of the SpaceX Super Heavy Starship Future With Hundreds in Space and the Moon

The plan is to fly the Super Heavy Starship up to 24 times per year. It seems that an orbital flight of the SpaceX Starship prototype could happen as early as the end of this year. The orbital test flight of the Super Heavy Starship should happen later in 2020. The Super Heavy Starship should ramp up operations and flights in 2021 and a fleet of 3 to 6 could be at a full 24 flight per year operation by 2022.

New Mars Forums

Announcement

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