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SpaceX received FAA approval to attempt a high-altitude Starship launch as early as Friday, according to a temporary flight restriction (TFR) filed on December 2.
SpaceX’s first high-altitude spacecraft TFR revealed that the crucial flight test is now scheduled between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CST (2 p.m. – 11 p.m. UTC) on Friday, December 4, with identical save windows. available (and cleared with the FAA) Saturday and Sunday. Initially scheduled for November 30, the delays are far from surprising given the complexity and unprecedented nature of the flight test facing SpaceX.
The production spacecraft / vessel number 8 (SN8) – the first working full-height prototype – is tasked with launching from Boca Chica, Texas, to a 15-kilometer (~ 9.5 mile) apogee and back down to Earth to test an unproven rocket approach. recovery.
Often referred to as a bellyflop or parachutist style stance, Starship SN8 will attempt to free fall with their stomach down to the ground, using four large flaps to maintain a steady approach, just as paratroopers use their arms and legs to control heading and speed. When landing on planets or moons with relatively thick atmospheres, a controlled free fall could save Starship a huge amount of structural mass (no need for actual wings or airfoils) and thruster – a major advantage for which aims to be the largest reusable orbital spacecraft ever built.
Powered by three Raptor engines capable of producing up to 600 metric tons (1.3 million lbf) of thrust at full throttle, the launch of SN8 will mark Starship’s first multiengine flight – a major milestone for any prototype rocket. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk also recently noted that the Starship SN8’s propellant tanks will only be “lightly filled” for its debut at the 15 km launch, which could result in an extremely healthy thrust-to-weight ratio on take-off.
Based on several unofficial estimates, Starship SN8 is also likely to break the sound barrier during ascent, potentially putting the prototype in conditions similar to what an actual orbital launch might see in Max Q (the point maximum aerodynamic pressure). Adding to the disheartening list of “ firsts, ” the SN8 debut at 15km will be Starship’s first jump or flight with a nose, making it the first full-scale structural test of a nose section and methods used to attach it to the Starship tank. section. It’s hard to overstate the number of things that could go wrong and the number of ways Starship SN8 could fail on its first flight.
In the meantime, SpaceX took advantage of the Starship launch delay as an opportunity to perform some sort of additional testing on the evening of December 2, involving some sort of cryogenic proof test (using liquid nitrogen) or a repeat. general wet (WDR; using real liquid methane. and oxygen). While there were initial signs that SpaceX would put SN8 through one or more static Raptor fires before releasing the rocket for flight, it appears those plans were scrapped earlier this week.
Fewer tests amplify the risk of Starship SN8 failing after takeoff, the probability for which Musk set at ~ 67%. Either way, the launch of SN8 is bound to be spectacular and the Starships SN9 and SN10 are almost ready to take over where SN8 leaves off.
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