The framework of a new Starship Hopper nose fairing is going up in on the circular construction jig.
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SpaceX Starship & StarHopper (UPDATES 1)
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Raptor Serial Number 1 has sacrificed itself to the test-to-failure gods,
Elon Musk ✓ @elonmusk
Merlins. The max chamber pressure run damaged Raptor SN 1 (as expected). A lot of the parts are fine for reuse, but next tests will be with SN 2, which is almost done.
Dr. Mordrid
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An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.
I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps
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At Boca Chica, the Starship Hopper was moved to the pad today...
Two more builds in progress at two sites, with hints one may be the Starship Mk-1 orbital test vehicle.
Elon Musk ✔ @elonmusk
Raptor on way to Hopper. Will be mounted to vehicle next week.
5:23 PM - Mar 8, 2019
Dr. Mordrid
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An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.
I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps
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It. Is. Happening....
Brownsville Herald...
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SpaceX spokesman James Gleeson said in an email that the Starship prototype was moved to the launch pad in preparation for testing, though the public won't be able to see the first tests.
"SpaceX will conduct checkouts of the newly installed ground systems and perform a short static fire test in the days ahead," he said.
"Although the prototype is designed to perform sub-orbital flights, or hops, powered by the SpaceX Raptor engine, the vehicle will be tethered during initial testing and hops will not be visible from offsite. SpaceX will establish a safety zone perimeter in coordination with local enforcement and signage will be in place to alert the community prior to the testing."
>Dr. Mordrid
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An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.
I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps
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Confirmed: Raptor SN2 will soon be installed in the Starship Hopper
Elon Musk ✓ @elonmusk
Replying to
@BPSYT1
@Erdayastronaut
and 3 others
Raptor on way to Hopper. Will be mounted to vehicle next week.
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Colin @somepitch
Replying to @elonmusk
Which S/N Raptor is going to be installed on hopper first?
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Elon Musk ✔ @elonmusk
2
11:20 PM - Mar 10, 2019
Let loose the BLUE FIRELast edited by Dr Mordrid; 10 March 2019, 22:09.Dr. Mordrid
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An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.
I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps
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Raptor SN2 appeared at Boca Chica this morning, image at the tweet.
Much of the mess is a test harness, which goes away later. Next up is integration into the Hopper, a static fire then a few tethered hops.
Then, the party starts...short hops to 500m, followed by higher hops to 5,000m. Then the Starship Mk 1 orbital test vehicle arrives and things get real exciting.
The nozzle is about 1.3m wide and 1m high. After some evlution it'll have about as much thrust as the Space Shuttle Main Engine, but with huge margins past that. Now multiply by 19 or 31 for the booster and 3-7 for Starship.
Chris B - NSF @NASASpaceflight
Nobody panic, but a Raptor has been spotted in Boca Chica!
NSF's @BocaChicaGal https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/in...974#msg1920974
10:47 AM - Mar 11, 2019
Last edited by Dr Mordrid; 11 March 2019, 11:04.Dr. Mordrid
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An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.
I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps
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They're building the Starship Mk 1 orbital vehicle NOW
Builds & launches at both Boca Chica and KSC
Heat shield is both TUFROC heat tiles (used on X-37A) and active transpirational cooling for the hot-spots.
Elon Musk ✔ @elonmusk
First (really short) hops with one engine. Suborbital flights with three.
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Hopefully. Always many issues integrating engine & stage. First hops will lift off, but only barely.
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Raptor is *very* complex, even for a staged combustion engine. Were simplifying as much as possible with each iteration. Throttling down to ~50% is hard, but manageable. Going to 25% would be extremely tough, but hopefully not needed.
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Working on regulatory approval for both Boca Chica, Texas, and Cape Kennedy, Florida. Will also be building Starship & Super Heavy simultaneously in both locations.
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We decided to skip building a new nosecone for Hopper. Don't need it. What you see being built is the orbital Starship vehicle.
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Alex Tutt @Sloppy93
· 23m
Replying to @Erdayastronaut and 4 others
Is transportation cooling still how you plan to actively cool the windward side of Starship?
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Elon Musk ✔ @elonmusk
Only some of the hottest sections
4:16 PM - Mar 17, 2019
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Mathias Wehler @Mathias_Wehler
Replying to @elonmusk and 5 others
Will you have an extra cooling system incase the transportation cooling system fails?
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Elon Musk ✔ @elonmusk
Hexagonal tiles on most of windward side, no shield needed on leeward side, transpiration cooling on hotspots
4:23 PM - Mar 17, 2019Last edited by Dr Mordrid; 17 March 2019, 14:15.Dr. Mordrid
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An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.
I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps
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Starship Mk 1 orbital vehicle build sites
Yes, they're building an orbital spacecraft outdoors. At least for now. No clean rooms, no $5B assembly jigs like SLS. Just expert tank builders (Caldwell), robotic seam welders and SpaceX's crazy engineers.
Crops
Last edited by Dr Mordrid; 18 March 2019, 01:46.Dr. Mordrid
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An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.
I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps
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Liquid methane delivered this morning.*
First short hop Wednesday, with backup dates of Thursday or Friday
The Monitor...
Cameron County publishes notice of SpaceX testing
Cameron County has posted public notice that it will close Highway 4 to Boca Chica Beach for space flight activities from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday.
In the alternative, the public notice said Highway 4 to Boca Chica Beach will be closed for the same time duration on either Thursday or Friday.
The notice comes after Cameron County Commissioners Court last week voted to give Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño Jr. the power to close the area for space flight activities.
>Dr. Mordrid
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An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.
I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps
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No love from the weather gods,
SPadre @SpacePadreIsle
Just spoke with sheriff....todays test hop at SpaceX Boca Chica has been scrubbed due to weather and is postponed until 10am - 4pm tomorrow.
8:28 AM - Mar 20, 2019Dr. Mordrid
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An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.
I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps
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More tests through the weekend & Monday.
Starship Expendable?
Everyday Astronaut @Erdayastronaut
How will Starship do interplanetary probe missions? Will it do an injection burn, release the payload then cancel out the burn and come back? Or just put up a kick stage for the interplanetary injection burn? Like Europa clipper... can StarShip do it?
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Elon Musk ✓ @elonmusk
Replying to
@Erdayastronaut
and
@DiscoverMag
Massive delta velocity slam from highly elliptical Earth orbit using a fully retanked, but lightened up Starship with no heat shield or fins/legs. Best choice for the impatient. Ion engines are too slow.
Follow-up
Elon Musk ✓ @elonmusk
Probably no fairing either & just 3 Raptor Vacuum engines. Mass ratio of ~30 (1200 tons full, 40 tons empty) with Isp of 380. Then drop a few dozen modified Starlink satellites from empty engine bays with ~1600 Isp, MR 2. Spread out, see whats there. Not impossible.
The "empty engine bays" would be 4 cargo containers replacing removed engines. There are other cargo bins around the engine bay rim.
Starship cargo bins.jpgLast edited by Dr Mordrid; 29 March 2019, 20:02.Dr. Mordrid
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An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.
I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps
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Elon Musk ✔ @elonmusk
Starhopper completed tethered hop. All systems green.
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Michael Baylor @nextspaceflight
HOT FIRE!!! Raptor comes to life at the base of Starhopper as the vehicle performs a tethered hop at SpaceXs Boca Chica launch facility. This is the first ever firing of a rocket engine at the launch site. #SpaceX #Starship @elonmusk
Video at Twitter
This is one Raptor with two more on the way from their test site, each about as powerful as a Space Shuttle Main Engine (RS-25). Starship can use up to seven.
Last edited by Dr Mordrid; 3 April 2019, 18:45.Dr. Mordrid
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An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.
I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps
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