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Tag: SpaceX Starship

  • Starship V3: The World’s Largest Rocket Is About to Get Even Bigger

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    This past Monday, October 13, Starship Version 2 launched for the last time, ending its nearly two-year run on a high note. The megarocket’s 11th suborbital test flight marked the final launch of this iteration of Starship, making way for an upgraded version that’s larger and equipped with more efficient Raptor engines.

    Starship’s Version 3 is set to debut in 2026, marking the beginning of SpaceX’s orbital tests of its launch vehicle. This version of Starship will carry payloads to orbit and fly missions to the Moon and Mars. The upgraded vehicle will be about 5 feet taller (1.5 meters), capable of carrying more propellant, and equipped with new docking adapters for in-orbit fuel transfer.

    Starships are meant to fly

    Starship’s latest flight was another big success. SpaceX carried out several in-flight demonstrations to prepare for the launch of the rocket’s upgraded version. The second-generation prototype flew on a suborbital trajectory, similar to its previous missions, and deployed eight Starlink simulators.

    Starship’s last two flights were successful, but they followed a string of mission failures that plagued the rocket’s first three launches of the year. Although Version 2 ended on a high, it did have a rather turbulent run. Nonetheless, the company is now turning its attention toward the upgraded version of its rocket.

    “Focus now turns to the next generation of Starship and Super Heavy, with multiple vehicles currently in active build and preparing for tests,” SpaceX wrote in a statement. “This next iteration will be used for the first Starship orbital flights, operational payload missions, propellant transfer, and more as we iterate to a fully and rapidly reusable vehicle with service to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, and beyond.”

    The next-generation upgrade to the current prototype features a larger vehicle that’s capable of carrying more propellant. The rocket will also use a more powerful and efficient version of its engines, the third-generation Raptor engines.

    “We’re also getting energy storage upgrades, tons of avionics changes—a lot of things that will enable longer-duration missions,” SpaceX spokesperson Dan Huot said during Starship’s 11th test flight webcast.

    In order to prepare the rocket for missions beyond low Earth orbit, the company also needs to equip Starship with a ship-to-ship propellant transfer system to refuel the vehicle in space.

    “One notable thing you’ll start seeing on the outside are these new docking adapters, which we’ll use when we bring two Starships together for propellant transfer,” Huot said. “That’s a core capability of Starship that we’re going to demonstrate next year.”

    As with any new vehicle prototype, there will be a learning curve with the next-generation Starship. During an interview in September, SpaceX’s founder Elon Musk revealed that “pretty much everything changes on the rocket with version 3.” The upgraded Starship “might have some initial teething pains because it’s such a radical redesign,” he added.

    Considering the rocket’s new developments, it may take a while for Starship Version 3 to perfect those orbital flights. Musk had previously stated that he would like to send an uncrewed Starship to Mars during an upcoming launch window next year, but it’s not clear whether the rocket will be ready to travel to a new world by then.

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    Passant Rabie

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  • Elon Musk’s SpaceX Is Taking More Control of the Texas Coastline Ahead of Starship’s Next Launch

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    Elon Musk’s newly inaugurated space city has been handed control over a piece of Boca Chica beach as it expands its influence over the people and environment living near SpaceX’s rocket launch site.

    Texas’ Cameron County approved an agreement to hand over parts of the beach to Starbase in late September, granting SpaceX the ability to close the beach at Boca Chica ahead of the 11th test launch of its Starship megarocket, currently set for Monday. The move comes after SpaceX has faced criticism over its frequent rocket launches, which have become increasingly disruptive to both the local community and surrounding wildlife.

    Gizmodo has asked both SpaceX and Cameron County for comment.

    Closed access

    Musk’s dream of turning Starbase into this own city became a reality earlier this year when the majority of residents voted in favor of the company town. The city spans about 1.6 square miles (4.1 square kilometers) and is home to roughly 500 residents, the majority of whom are SpaceX employees and contractors.

    SpaceX began buying land in the area in 2012, and has expanded its presence with housing and other facilities, even announcing tentative plans to open a $15 million shopping center. Shortly after Starbase was established as its own town, it sent out a memo to residents regarding a new zoning ordinance and updated city map that could potentially force them to abandon their property.

    Before Starbase was established, SpaceX had been campaigning for the ability to close public beaches and roads in Boca Chica for rocket launches, ground testing, or other related activities during the week. The county’s recent agreement with Starbase grants the company town authority to close down the beach, a decision that previously fell under the authority of Cameron County.

    Starship ramping up

    With Starbase’s newly acquired power, the company may decide to close down the beach to support the development of its Starship rocket. Starship is scheduled to liftoff for its 11th test flight on Monday, October 13. Once Starship is fully operational, SpaceX aims to launch its giant rocket from Starbase as many as 25 times a year.

    Local environmental groups in Boca Chica have voiced their concern that Starship’s increased launch cadence will have a negative impact on the local wildlife and surrounding habitat. SpaceX is also facing fines of almost $150,000 from the Environmental Protection Agency for allegedly illegally dumping pollutants into a Texas waterway without a permit.

     

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    Passant Rabie

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  • SpaceX Wants to Fly Its Gigantic Starship Directly Over Florida

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    SpaceX is inching closer to sending its Starship rocket into low Earth orbit. A newly proposed flight path for the upper stage would see it fly across Florida skies—an unusual route that would seriously disrupt air traffic and raise the risk of debris falling onto populated areas below.

    The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is reviewing SpaceX’s request for new launch and reentry flight paths that would see its upper-stage Starship rocket crossing over Florida as it makes its way toward space and eventually return for a landing at the company’s Boca Chica launch mount in Texas.

    The agency is considering the safety risks of the new launch trajectories, as well as having to close the airspace over a portion of Mexico, Cuba, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, and the U.S.

    New flight paths, new risks

    Last month, Starship finally broke its back-to-back losing streak by acing its 10th test flight. Following its near-flawless launch, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk explained that an upgraded version of Starship will soon reach orbit by next year and demonstrate full reusability by landing both the Super Heavy booster and its upper stage.

    Diagram showing two newly proposed Starship flight paths. © FAA/SpaceX/Google Earth

    So far, Starship’s test flights have taken the megarocket on suborbital trajectories. SpaceX is preparing its rocket to reach low Earth orbit and complete a full trip around the planet before returning for a landing attempt at its launch site in South Texas.

    In its request, the company proposed two different routes: one that would fly the rocket toward the Cayman Islands and another that would have it fly directly over Florida. The FAA is reviewing the potential environmental impact the new flight trajectory would have in regard to emissions, air quality, noise pollution, and the potential of hazardous material falling onto populated areas.

    The effect of these over-Florida flights would be non-trivial for commercial airlines. “The launch and Super Heavy booster landing AHAs [Aircraft Hazard Area] could affect a minimum of 10 commercial aircraft per hour, during the lowest period of midnight hours, or up to a maximum of 200 commercial aircraft per hour, during peak daily travel periods,” according to the FAA’s assessment. The plan assumes as many as 22 Starship launches per year.

    A number of Starship’s test flights have ended with the rocket breaking apart and raining debris on parts of the Caribbean, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. In June, Mexico threatened to sue over possible contamination from SpaceX’s rocket launches that sometimes rain bits of debris across the nearby border. Local conservation groups in Boca Chica have also criticized SpaceX, arguing that the Starship rocket poses a threat to the surrounding wildlife habitat.

    In its recent report, however, the FAA concluded that there would be “no significant impact” from Starship’s new launch trajectories. The agency still hasn’t made its final decision; instead, it will hold a public meeting on October 7 and gather comments until October 20 before it makes a decision on SpaceX’s proposal.

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    Passant Rabie

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  • SpaceX To Attempt Launch Of Starship Rocket

    SpaceX To Attempt Launch Of Starship Rocket

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    Tomorrow, SpaceX will launch its Starship rocket, which is being designed to take NASA astronauts to the moon, in its first attempt at a test flight since an aborted launch in April when a crucial valve froze over, preventing the craft from pressurizing. What do you think?

    “What, we don’t have enough boring gray rocks down here?”

    Butch Culhane, Menu Interpreter

    This Week’s Most Viral News: June 23, 2023

    “That reminds me, I need to check when that launchpad is booked.”

    Thiago Forbes, Volunteer Surgeon

    “Have the astronauts’ next of kin been notified?”

    Zuzanna Lam, Deodorant Specialist

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