Most powerful rocket ever attempts launch early Monday morning

Post by **matthew1** » 16 Apr 2023, 23:41

SpaceX completed final preparations to its Starship and Super Heavy vehicles on Saturday, re-stacking the them with a flight termination system that will be engaged if the rocket flies off course.

Then on Sunday the company completed its final launch readiness review, clearing the rocket for liftoff.

Therefore, everything is just about as ready as it can be for the historic first flight test of Starship. But that does not necessarily mean there will be smoke and fire on Monday morning, when the launch window opens at 8 am local time in South Texas (1300 UTC). And we should really set expectations accordingly.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/04 ... ic-launch/

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Post by **abscate** » 17 Apr 2023, 05:37

Launch cancelled, P0455 pending……

Post by **matthew1** » 17 Apr 2023, 07:06

I can clear that code if the rocket has an OBD-II port...

Post by **BlackBart** » 17 Apr 2023, 09:25

That is a bigass rocket. So is the Buck Rodgers top and the long stainless cylinder all one piece?

Post by **matthew1** » 17 Apr 2023, 09:34

The top 2/5 is Starship, which has flown before, and the bottom 3/5 is Super Heavy, which has not flown (and can't by itself).

Post by **BlackBart** » 17 Apr 2023, 10:12

Thank you!

Says the BBC:

"The top segment of Starship has been tested previously on short hops, but this would have been the first time it would go up with its lower-stage.

This mammoth booster, suitably called Super Heavy, was fired while clamped to its launch mount in February. However, the engines on that occasion were throttled back to half their capability.

If things go to plan for another launch this week, SpaceX will aim for 90% thrust, meaning the stage should deliver something close to 70 meganewtons. This is equivalent to the force needed to propel almost 100 Concorde supersonic airliners at take off.

Assuming everything proceeds as planned, Starship will rise up and head down range across the Gulf, the 33 engines on the bottom of the methane-fuelled booster burning for two minutes and 49 seconds.

At that point, the two halves of the rocket will separate, and the top section, the ship, will push on with its own engines for a further six minutes and 23 seconds.

By this time, it should be travelling over the Caribbean and cruising through space more than 100km (62 miles) above the planet's surface.

SpaceX wants the Super Heavy booster to try to fly back to near the Texan coast and come down vertically, to hover just above the Gulf's waters. It will then be allowed to topple over and sink.

The ship is aiming to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere after almost a full revolution of the Earth, coming down in the Pacific just north of the Hawaiian islands. It's been given protective tiling to cope with the immense heating it will experience during the descent.

A bellyflop into the ocean is timed to occur 90 minutes after lift-off."

Post by **BlackBart** » 17 Apr 2023, 10:14

matthew1 wrote: ↑17 Apr 2023, 07:06 I can clear that code if the rocket has an OBD-II port...

Nope, you have to wait for the blinks... .. .. .... . ...

Post by **abscate** » 17 Apr 2023, 10:35

Oooops. It really did cancel this morning, due to a valve freezing. Purge valve, of course.

Musk still seems to have not grasped the irrelevance of not only himself, but the human race, to the Universe.

Post by **volvolugnut** » 20 Apr 2023, 09:24

The Space X rocket launched today, but exploded after about 4 minutes.

volvolugnut

Post by **xHeart** » 20 Apr 2023, 11:54

volvolugnut wrote: ↑20 Apr 2023, 09:24 The Space X rocket launched today, but exploded after about 4 minutes.

volvolugnut

Space X should try Volvo engine.