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SpaceX is preparing to launch its latest prototype spacecraft tens of thousands of feet in the air as early as this week.
The challenge is to bring it back to the ground – this maneuver ended in an explosion the two times the company has tried it. This time, Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX valued that the prototype has a 60% chance of landing successfully.
The prototype represents the top stage of a two-part system: Eventually, a booster of about 23 stages called Super Heavy would lift the Starship spacecraft into orbit. Musk’s long-term vision is that the system will someday transport astronauts to the moon and propel hypersonic travel to Earth. He said he plans to build 1,000 spaceships in order to transport people and goods to Mars.
But first, SpaceX needs to figure out how to land the rocket, as that is critical to making the system reusable. Full reusability could help Starship reduce the cost to reach space by 1000 times.
The most recent prototype is called Starship serial # 10, or SN10. It is not yet clear exactly when SpaceX plans to attempt its test flight, but Musk mentionned Sunday that there is a “good chance” to launch this week.
When that happens, SN10 will roar tens of thousands of feet above SpaceX’s facilities in Boca Chica, Texas. One by one, he would have to shut down his engines as he neared the peak of his flight, then turn onto his side and land back to Earth in a controlled stomach flop. As it approaches the ground, the rocket must trigger its engines again to recover in time to slow its descent and land gently on the landing pad.
The last two times SpaceX made such a flight, the prototypes crashed into their landing pads and exploded.
SPadre.com captured the second incident with a camera on top of a building about 10 km away:
Before this upcoming launch, SpaceX is due to conduct a static fire to test the rocket engines, but the company appears to have all the government clearances it needs for the launch. This includes a launch license approval, local route closures and airspace closures.
The Federal Aviation Administration has issued airspace closure advisories for the area from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Pacific Time on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Cameron County, Texas also issued a road closure notice in Boca Chica from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT for Thursday. However, road and airspace closures can be undone and postponed multiple times until SpaceX is actually ready to launch.
We’ll update this article once SpaceX confirms the timing of its attempted launch.
SpaceX faces regulatory hurdles to get the Starship into orbit
SpaceX’s two previous test flights – those of the SN8 and SN9 prototypes – were considered successful despite their explosive ends. This is because they have demonstrated that Starship is able to soar to suborbital heights and then control its fall.
However, both of these flights gave rise to FAA investigations, as the agency wanted to determine the cause of the explosions. It turned out that SN8 had suffered from low pressure in a propellant tank, which knocked the spacecraft down too quickly and crashed into its airstrip.
An additional problem with this attempt was that SpaceX had not obtained the proper approval from the FAA, violating its launch license.
This sparked its own investigation, which subsequently delayed flight SN9. Once this prototype flew, one of its three Raptor engines did not reignite as the rocket approached the ground.
All of those investigations have been closed, FAA spokesperson told CNN reporter Jackie Wattles. And SN10 Flight Launch License Updates Approved, Washington Post Reporter Says Christian Davenport.
Eventually, SpaceX will want to launch a spacecraft into orbit to test its ability to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere. This will require a different type of license from the FAA, but obtaining it means removing many regulatory hurdles, including a thorough environmental assessment.
(The environmental impact statement that SpaceX previously completed for the Boca Chica launches focused on the company’s small rockets, rather than its much larger Starship-Super Heavy system.)
The company is now waiting to begin this EA, but depending on the results, SpaceX may need to perform a new impact study, which could take up to three years.
To complicate matters, a draft FAA document, obtained by Insider, revealed that SpaceX plans to dig natural gas wells in Boca Chica to power spacecraft and power plants. Such plans could also affect SpaceX’s environmental review process.
This article was originally published by Business Insider.
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