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Eric Berger
– 8th. December 2020, 3:01 p.m. UTC
5:45 p.m. EST update: SpaceX counted down to its Starship vehicle first launch at high altitude Tuesday, but its main engines stalled T-1’s attempt. 3 seconds. It’s not clear if there was a problem with one or more of the Raptor’s engines, or if a sensor elsewhere in the rocket detected a problem to automatically trigger the abort.
If this problem can be diagnosed and corrected, SpaceX will have an opportunity to try again on Wednesday in daylight in Texas. The window runs from 8 a.m. CT (14:00 UTC) to 5 p.m. (23:00 UTC). . Fortunately, the weather on Wednesday seems exceptional.
After several ground-based tests of the fuel tanks in its Starship prototype and firing the vehicle’s three Raptor engines, SpaceX says the large vehicle could fly from the company’s launch site near Boca Chica Beach, Texas, Tuesday. The flight cannot begin until 11 a.m. ET (1600 UTC) at the earliest, but it is more likely that it will not occur until sometime in the afternoon hours. Weather conditions are near perfect, but there are still myriad technical issues with this new hardware that could prevent a flight today.
This is the first time SpaceX has attempted to fly Starship to a great height – the vehicle can fly up to 12. 5 km. Previous tests were only up to 150 meters long and did not include the flaps, nose cone, and other features required to control the vehicle’s flight in the thin upper atmosphere.
A lot can go wrong with the test due to the new flight profile. After ascending to the highest altitude, the vehicle performs a flip maneuver to realign itself for a return to earth at an angle of attack of 70 °. Then, near the surface, the three Starship engines will reignite and the vehicle will land vertically while powered.
SpaceX founder and chief engineer Elon Musk has estimated that the probability that the vehicle will land safely is about a third. Speaking to several current and former employees, this estimate seems roughly correct. There are many unknowns about this flight and instead of testing them with more simulations, the company decided to just keep flying.
Can afford to do this because the program is hardware rich and follows an iterative design methodology. The vehicle on the pad in South Texas is « Serial Number 8 » or SN8. This Starship prototype is the same size and shape as the final vehicle, though the company is still tinkering with the landing legs, flaps, and more. SpaceX is almost finished building the SN9. SN10 may be a few weeks back and parts of several other vehicles are in the works. With every vehicle, the welds become smoother and the manufacturing processes more precise. The knowledge gained from SN8 will be incorporated into future vehicles. advertising
To reach orbit, Starship must be launched with a Super Heavy rocket. SpaceX has also begun building a prototype version of this rocket in South Texas. If the SN8 or SN9 fly successfully, it is possible that SpaceX can attempt an orbital flight with both the rocket and the upper stage of the spacecraft late next year. Within a few years, Starship could begin launching very large payloads into space, with human flights possibly following in the mid-2020s.
But that’s ahead of the game. Today or later this week, it’s all about testing the prototype with its novel Raptor engines, large stainless steel fuel tanks, flaps, and the complex flight software designed to control the flight of the large vehicle through the atmosphere.
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WIRED Media Group
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SpaceX, Elon Musk, space launch, SpaceX South Texas launch site, flight test, rocket
World News – AU – Engine crashed at T-1. Starship 3 Second Peelings Attempt [Updated]
. . Associated title :
– Engine aborted at T-1. Starship attempts 3 seconds of peeling to launch [Updated]
– SpaceX cancels prototype Mars missile launch
– SpaceX says » stand still for the day « after the Raptor -Motor sensor caused Starship SN8 to abort
– SpaceX is currently on an ambitious rocket launch Scrubbed by Starship after the engines were automatically stopped
– SpaceX cancels test flight of Starship Mars rocket
– The launch of the SpaceX spaceship fails at the last second in the first major test of the Mars-bound spacecraft
– SpaceX delays the attempt to launch the Starship prototype after the engine has failed
– >> SpaceX aborts the test flight of the Starship prototype in one second to take off
– Abort spaceship! SpaceX is forced to scrap 41,000 feet of & # 39; hop& # 39; of its massive rocket seconds after the countdown clock runs out . . .
– Watch live: SpaceX is attempting a high-altitude test of its spaceship rocket
Ref: https://arstechnica.com
