What do you think SpaceX’s plan for Ship 32 is? Will it meet the same fate as ship 20 and never leave the rocket garden, or will it get an upgrade and fly on flight 7?
I believe they will see what happens on IFT5 and make the improvements to 32, ie...move fins, adjust heatshield dynamics, new RF system, based on more data
Felix, I have respectfully unsubscribed from all space news outlets that use AI generated vocals which really narrows down what I watch to a hand fully and will continue to watch and are subscribed to your channel! 👍
Ditto! those AI vocal channels are hard to listen to, and they don't contain any new info that Felix / WAI doesn't already cover. I only subscribe to WAI and Everyday Astronaut (Tim) now. The challenge I have is which live feed to watch during launches....I kind of do both :) They are both great!
Felix, many years ago I use to tease my mom and grandma for religiously watching their soap operas. I now find myself constantly checking your page with the excitement to watch a new Space X update. I can honestly say I’m addicted to your channel. Your page has also helped both my 10 & 8 year old sons in becoming interested in the space program. Thank you for your excellent videos!!
Feeding?! Have you seen them stop for anything? You've seen how fast they're getting things done. Just now out there working in a Category 12 sprinklestorm! Teslabots man. He's already got a big ol' army of Teslabots. They don't eat, they don't sleep (and they're water resistant to ten meters!). When Musk-O-Dyne's REAL plan to do the evil thing or whatever comes to light, we'll be seeing James Bond and the Avengers. We probably already have and they keep flashy thinging us.
Catch Testing. 1. Will the Mekazilla arms catch supports have programable hydraulic resistance will may vary according to the load and distance to travel before the end stops are reached ? 2. Is test catch booster going to be loaded to the maximum predicted test value during tests, In case the actual booster returns from sub-orbit with a heavier fuel load. 3. Will the crane supporting the test booster lower the booster at realistic landing velocities and test weights? 4. Will the catch tests be performed at the extreme ends of the Mekazilla arms representing the limits of the performance envelope ? 5. Will the test booster electronics be active during the test, to verify the control logic responses of the booster?.
I can hardly imagine 100 starships in orbit, let alone ten times that number. Even launching 10 starships to mars during the hohmann transfer window would be epic.
Space X need to be ready to rescue Stare Liner crew from the ISS. Congress will be questioning NASA of it's stonewalling a rescue. All they need to do is a supply mission and rescue the Stare Liner crew in return. The crew's time on the ISS is replenishing supplies because of the over stay.
There's already an emergency capsul on site. I get it, Boeing/Starliner is a joke, but all this Jr High drama and hype about being stranded is over the top BS. Go SpaceX!
Cargo dragon and Crew dragon are two entirely different crafts. I'm sure they could put some cargo on crew dragon but probably no more than normal because it would be an extra risk factor added to a rescue craft.
What could push me over the edge to subscribe? Video Chapters that align with your video intros. Your thumbnails, titles, and intros are top notch and pull me in often. And, every time I watch, I get frustrated trying to find the specific portion(s) of the 15+ minute video I want to watch.
The catch experiment may not need a crane, have 14.1 sitting on the OLM, lower the chopsticks below the pins, close, then wind them up as fast as the hoist can go. All that matters is the differential speed...
I think you would want to replicate what will happen as best you could and they can drop the test tank with a crane, that will be a lot closer than ramming the tank with the chopsticks.
"All that matters is the differential speed..." that's false because the main thing that matters is the jerk when it contacts the arms. Perhaps by differential speed you mean acceleration, jerk is the differential of the acceleration or how fast the object is decelerating. Just accelerating the chopsticks with the lifting motors would not simulate the jerk at all... the electric motor would have a very low jerk compared to the likely high jerk of the landing booster. Thus they have to drop it to get good results.
If the arms are not capable of achieving a threshold relative to a collision at lift, then they're not capable of arresting the booster. The clamps are an issue though. The simplest answer is to drop it from a crane.
Starship Heat Shield final clarification: even though the proposed heat shield is modular, it is only so as to facilitate quick installation and quick removal. It would still be built of individual heat shield tiles as currently done. But the advantage is being able to prebuild the heat shield sleeve modules, just like you prebuild Starships. The tiles would just be installed on "sleeves." Thinking about it, the nose cone sleeve and the body sleeve could be in two or more sections each. Sorry for leaving the possibility of "cracking" in the previous description. Rotating the Starship on reentry could be reconsidered. Just use this modular method to allow for rapid Starship turnaround. But will this be worth the trouble and expense. Replacing a few heat shield tiles is just as quick or quicker than replacing an entire modular heat shield section. Of course doing so would allow for inspection of the entire hull of the Starship. But is this necessary? If only a few heat shield tiles with the current system need replacing, the underlying area could also be inspected for any bigger problems. Well, apparently the issue boils down to the time and cost of rapid turn around of the Starship for its next flight. And finding the best solution. My latest suggestion may be worth considering until it is finally totally shot down. Thanks. Your feedback was helpful. Safety, cost, and time.
The trickiest thing on a drop test could well be how to prevent the crane from jumping and breaking when the load is released. In a worst case, you could actual topple a crane over backwards (I think there are example of that happening). I'd not be surprised if during a drop the boom is actually tied to the tower (or something else in front of it) to prevent exactly that.
The small section of booster should not be large enough for that to occur its simulating the empty weight of the booster not full weight. Granted someone needs to run the numbers as or as you say that could well happen. Apparently its 200t empty, full its 3600 ton..one way to get around this is to not fully release the booster but to keep it tethered so it continues to exert some force on the crane as it goes down. that might require special modification to the winch though.
@@Wingnut353 depending on how things are configured, dropping a load way less than the rated load could cause damage... or not. I'm sure they can figure it out, but I'm also sure someone *needs* to run the numbers (and I suspect the warranty won't cover any damage). Regardless, cranes are remarkably fragile when loaded in ways they went designed for.
Do you think spacex could actually use the next booster as a hop test and catch, filling the booster to the point where it can launch just the booster so its nearly cleared the tower and then have it just do a catch, that way removing the bit where it has to hit a bullseye and then get caught? It may be something a booster that hasnt got an integrated staging ring may be useful for?
Getting it hop-ready is already just days away from getting it launch-ready. And if you can launch and test the ship too you may as well. Just like they did with falcon 9, you may as well take payload to orbit while testing water landings.
Jeff Bezos should realize that the Starship architecture is optimal and that New Glenn will not be competitive. Blue Origin should ask if they can help Musk with Mars, and join in building more Star Factories and launch facilities. Actually, any billionaire who wants to help civilization could do that.
@@flightofone sadly Jeff has very little actual experience or desire to deliver anything functional. They are only after government funds for "future delivery" but no intent to deliver anything... its the same thing Boeing has been doing this century. So let's keep this in mind and tell our representatives to stop funding companies that dont deliver.
Long term habitation on Mars by humans is currently unfeasible due to the low gravity. Long term living in low-g is harmful to humans, so Mars won't work until a solution is found. Alternatively, living in large (and I mean LARGE!) orbiting rotating habitats could provide the fake gravity (centripetal acceleration) necessary for human health.
@@richardpark3054 There is certainly evidence that microgravity is harmful long-term (bone loss, muscle loss, potential fetal development problems, etc.) However, there is ZERO evidence to show how much gravity is needed to avoid those problems. That is very difficult to simulate, ie: a centrifuge on the ISS big enough for a human is not feasible. The only way to find out is to try living on Mars. My prediction is that there will be very little problem with 1/3rd gravity.
@@richardpark3054 well Mars gravity doesn't necesarily have the same effects as microgravity for those exposed to 0G for long periods. 38% of Earths gravity is not that little. Ideally you would have some sort of artificial gravity while travelling from Mars back to Earth. So you can use those months to increase the artificial gravity progresively. Giving their bodies chance to recover.
Thank you for yet another thorough and detailed analysis of what’s happening at SpaceX. There’s no better channel or news outlet out there and I look forward to each video. Vielen Dank!🙏🇩🇪❤️
Growing up in Central Florida I was able to watch almost all launches from the Cape. Now that SpaceX has come on the scene and with the reusability of equipment I am truly amazed. I watch all SpaceX launches. Learning from previous launches of Super Heavy and Starships, and building ahead, I have always wondered about getting too many spares to install things learned from previous launches. Like V2 Starship. Seems like they should be launching V2 and developing that... GO SPACEX, you rock
I used to skip class at school, pick the lock to the door of the staircase that went up to the roof of my high school where the teachers would smoke on their breaks, and watch the shuttle launch from there. I moved away shortly before the shuttle program retired, though. Would be cool to see all the Falcons flying from the roost now, though. But to be honest, the coverage of them on video, internet streaming, better ground tracking and HD clarity on the cameras, onboard cameras, are such a better view of it all than anything I could glean up in the sky even with binoculars. I actually lived in South Florida, in northern Broward county, so I wasn't anywhere near as close as you probably were.
So, what’s your thoughts on improvements that could be made? I’ve been thinking a lot about the acoustics. We learnt a little from flight 1 and space ex responded in a raps manner to encourage that it was a possible outcome (big hole in the ground etc). Flight 2 saw all engines ignite, first stage separation and many other successes; Flight 3 pretty much developed and ruled out some shit; Flight 4 proved and tested the combined best effort. We achieved orbit-ish (to plan); we landed both booster and starship. Stress points were on heat shield. I expect future iterations may have some for heat shield on the main body and protesting the joint area, but these guys will figure that. I’ve also been thinking about the tile shape. We have done loads on ships going up and the flat tile design represented that. The recent curvature at the edges shows an acoustic consideration but I think it’s over engineered. Why not keep the simple base design in all tiles mut manipulate are flow on the way down with a belt on the top and bottom, kind of built into the heat guard for the flaps. Could be made expendable and quickly changeable, this factored into planning shit. I totally thing OFT5 has a great chance of pulling the landing off but I do have my questions on impact of in place mitigations to accuracy. Space exploration prove over and over they can land stuff, totally cool I’m sure we all agree. Point I made earlier: can the infrastructure take it. Exciting and site 2 is young enough to react so loads of info to come no doubt. Thanks all.
Felix, you did an amazing job providing us with SpaceX Starship updates! I like your polished delivery of easily digestible facts! Thank you, and well done to you and your team, Felix!
Love what you do. I got to meet you and your family at Rocket Ranch and really admire you. This is a great update. Would be nice if you used Chapters so we can more easily for back for things we want to hear and see again. Just a thought.
if they do a drop test, i hope they also do a drop test at 'arms length' too to simulate 'worst case scenario' where the booster falls a little short or moves out a little and drops. as that would be maximum load/shock on the arms
14:00 The next generation Raptor 3 could potentially use the new engine jacket cooling to generate pure oxygen ullage gas for the oxygen tank, rather than using pre-burner bypass gas. And do similar for the methane tank. Tim Dodd may have closer to the mark than he realised when he discussed Stoke Space using hydrogen to cool their main re-entry shield. The combined surface area of the Raptor engines should be more than enough to generate enough ullage gas during ascent and rentry. Shame to let that heat go to waste.
You know I've never looked close enough. SpaceX pinpoint lands the booster but... Are they orienting the booster a certain direction? So if there are only two catch pins, will they be positioned above the catch arms and not between thus not catching the booster?
Felix, why don't they use the heatshield tiles they removed on the orbital pad legs to protect it from the launch? Unless there is a risk of them flying off from the pressure of the launch.
They're not going to "fly off" from the pressure... they're going to *disintegrate*. They're ceramic tiles... good for heat, not so good for 80MN worth of Raptor exhaust hammering on them.
I wonder how much development will be needed to figure out correct tolerances with the ablative material under tiles now due to expansion and contraction of Starship
Anyone know where the place in Europe is he's showing at 16:14 ? That looks amazing and I'd love to know more about where that is... Anyways, love the space content, Felix, you rock!!
Hi. Can the Booster relight more rockets if something goes wrong near landing to get away and then come back and try again? Or is fuel almost depleted on first try?
Don’t forget that Boca is a development site and they’re not only developing Starship, they also need to develop the ground support equipment including tower and launch mount. I think 2 towers will allow SpaceX to alternate between them every 6 to 12 months with one tower active at any given time while the other is totally out of use undergoing major design updates, maybe some years design updates so big that it or the OLM gets demolished completely and rebuilt to a new design. By the time they’re doing crewed flights I would expect a tower at KSC to be active so that will give the emergency backup capability.
Since the old GSE tanks are made from "starship stuff": Maybe leave one in place to see how close proximity to a liftoff influences another starship waiting on the next pad over...
meh, I said it last year, I'll say it again. they need to get those chem eng to work a polymer phenolic resin-based material, PICA (phenolic impregnated carbon ablator) or SLA (super lightweight ablator) and use it as a base for a resin based glue. Adhere the same tiles and the glue now adheres (hopefully) and ablate if you lose a tile. Ablative Glue. saves a ton of weight because two layers of tile is less than efficient.
I agree. While companies competing helps eliminate inefficient designs, one design neglected is a basic lifeboat. Whether capsule or lifting body or Starship always ready for evacuation, let’s not wait for another “Titanic” tragedy to realize that space is as forgiving as the North Atlantic in 1912 to those who who did not have access to lifeboats.
Its a catch tower only. They will prepare the launch tower for another launch, well they unload the catch tower ship. Remember elon aiming for 3 launches a day.
The tower is the adjacent structure to the circular launch mount, which I don't think they have mounted. But I think they are iterating four legs instead of the 6 supporting current olm.
@5:40 and they also stand a good chance of damaging their only operational tower before the next flight if the catch is not successful. What's the rush for a catch?
Ak to táto verzia nezvládne až tak fatálne, že zničí vežu, je potrebné prerobiť celý booster, zatiaľ postavia aj ,,dve veže" a aj ukuju pár ,,prsteňov moci" :D
Question. Why not put the hinge area for flaps out of the high heat plasma zones? Move hinges more to the rear of the ship during re-entry? Right now they are in direct high heat zone.
That has been the plan for the V2 for probably a year now. They also are changing shape and size. Revised models have been seen on site already but none installed to my knowledge.
There will be no drop test. The crane is not testing equipment, and dropping half a booster in a way that might cause it to fall off the stand and hit the crane with a human operator inside is not going to be allowed.
Well they DO own the crane. And the newer ones like that can be operated remotely. No human needed inside for something as simple as a drop. The question is would they really risk something going wrong like a crane tipping over. Or maybe they have some plan for making sure that can't happen.
I don't think there is going to be any actual dropping of the booster. Doesn't make much sense to drop it to test if the arms can handle it if the test booster weighs in 1/10th of the actual booster. Much more likely scenario on that is that some sort of additional weight woudl be added hanging below the booster (provided they have added any tie-down points to it), much like when the clamps were tested, and that would be lowered to the arms as A) in order to test such things they need the equivalent of the proper mass, B) dropping something with extra weight bags is going to be messy/uncontrollable and dangerous and most imporantly C) doing it with crane still attached to the thing gives them highly controlled test situation with rapid iteration. On the other hand, if it is not about "drop testing" it would most likely be just about the booster alignment etc. to make sure they can rotate the booster in controlled way from misaligned positions.
I think maybe the solution to the flap joints ,would be to make all of the joint behind the sheild, and out of the plasma. So the one side would be built out and shaped to shed the plasma, and the flap would be "behind", placed proud and bend backwards as it were to reach the operation angle needed for control. Maybe longer, maybe wider, whatever is needed. The main thing is to remove the joint from the plasma stream. Or perhaps build over the hinge so the hinge is "hidden" from the plasma stream.
I still think that, as cool as the idea of the super heavy rocket is, they will eventually abandon it and make a new one from 4 falcon 9s strapped together. They take off as one giant object, and land as 4 separate ones as they always do.
another thought, what would change to the towers to accommodate 'passengers'? if they are planning a lot of launches eventually, they would need some way to shift 100 people to the pad, up and in, without 'rushing' them (as rushing increases risk) but, unlike an airline terminal, you cant have a waiting platform so close to ships landing and taking off....
Dont see the crane dropping a load the weight of the 14.1 booster, the crane boom will jump because of the sudden load release which might result in a backflip of the crane depending on the boom angle. Much more likely is lowering full speed.
So, how did SpaceX get the camera to work on the reentry phase where previously all rockets were in blackout due to the plasma interference? What are their plans for improving them further? Are they going to put a second camera on the other flap?
What do you think SpaceX’s plan for Ship 32 is? Will it meet the same fate as ship 20 and never leave the rocket garden, or will it get an upgrade and fly on flight 7?
I think it’s already been retired to be honest. No work on it for months, yet the respective boosters have. Straight onto v2 for flight 7 I reckon
Spare hardware for catch attempts. :>
You rock Felix!!!
You didn't tell us at what temperature water freezes, only that it was higher than -70
I believe they will see what happens on IFT5 and make the improvements to 32, ie...move fins, adjust heatshield dynamics, new RF system, based on more data
Felix, I have respectfully unsubscribed from all space news outlets that use AI generated vocals which really narrows down what I watch to a hand fully and will continue to watch and are subscribed to your channel! 👍
Ditto! those AI vocal channels are hard to listen to, and they don't contain any new info that Felix / WAI doesn't already cover. I only subscribe to WAI and Everyday Astronaut (Tim) now. The challenge I have is which live feed to watch during launches....I kind of do both :) They are both great!
Yeah, I get tired of the AI voice referring to Starliner as "Starlinner"! 🤣
Vote with your subscriptions. Leave those channels that simply regurgitate real channels. Thanks for bringing this annoying trend into the spotlight.
I don't subscribe and I click the button to hide thoes channels from my feeds.
Felix, many years ago I use to tease my mom and grandma for religiously watching their soap operas. I now find myself constantly checking your page with the excitement to watch a new Space X update. I can honestly say I’m addicted to your channel. Your page has also helped both my 10 & 8 year old sons in becoming interested in the space program. Thank you for your excellent videos!!
Love the lastest intro and the sound effect when you say ‘Starship Updates”. Love how polished you are now! Keeps getting better.
There's a gantry crane, I think he said that
Thank you very much! We already have more ideas!
Your reporting rocks, thank you, Felix and WAI.
0:57 Lifting engines by hand?! What is musk feeding his workers?
Spinupich
ROFL
Grizzly meat and gun powder! GRRRRRR!!
Feeding?! Have you seen them stop for anything? You've seen how fast they're getting things done. Just now out there working in a Category 12 sprinklestorm! Teslabots man. He's already got a big ol' army of Teslabots. They don't eat, they don't sleep (and they're water resistant to ten meters!).
When Musk-O-Dyne's REAL plan to do the evil thing or whatever comes to light, we'll be seeing James Bond and the Avengers.
We probably already have and they keep flashy thinging us.
Just to give you an idea. We can install all inner 13 engines in a single 12hr shift. We are animals.
Felix, you and Marcus are the ONLY space presenters I watch. Always professional in all you both do. THANK YOU.
Scott Manley is sad
Thank you!
I am the same, I watch both Marcus and Felix streams 🙂
give matt lowne a go. his kerbal content and space this week are good
How ironic given this channel is using news/info/video from Everyday Astronaut channel in this very video...
Felix giving Tim props just goes to show what a class act WAI actually is ❤. WAI, YOU rock!
Definitely an exciting time for fans of space and spaceflight ! 🚀
Again. still can't wait for the booster catch
*Catch attempt
There's a high possibility of fireworks 🎇
Same here, Simon!
Same!
Catch Testing. 1. Will the Mekazilla arms catch supports have programable hydraulic resistance will may vary according to the load and distance to travel before the end stops are reached ? 2. Is test catch booster going to be loaded to the maximum predicted test value during tests, In case the actual booster returns from sub-orbit with a heavier fuel load. 3. Will the crane supporting the test booster lower the booster at realistic landing velocities and test weights? 4. Will the catch tests be performed at the extreme ends of the Mekazilla arms representing the limits of the performance envelope ? 5. Will the test booster electronics be active during the test, to verify the control logic responses of the booster?.
For the 1st pass just catching a test article moving a few feet/second ought to suffice. I would expect later tests to be more complex.
I can hardly imagine 100 starships in orbit, let alone ten times that number.
Even launching 10 starships to mars during the hohmann transfer window would be epic.
Best SpaceX channel out there!
The "Accidentally Ablative Tiles" graphic was fantastic. Hah
Space X need to be ready to rescue Stare Liner crew from the ISS. Congress will be questioning NASA of it's stonewalling a rescue. All they need to do is a supply mission and rescue the Stare Liner crew in return. The crew's time on the ISS is replenishing supplies because of the over stay.
There's already an emergency capsul on site.
I get it, Boeing/Starliner is a joke, but all this Jr High drama and hype about being stranded is over the top BS.
Go SpaceX!
It's congress that keeps throwing money at Boeing. Their stock goes up and a few in congress bennifit. The Pelosi effect.
Cargo dragon and Crew dragon are two entirely different crafts. I'm sure they could put some cargo on crew dragon but probably no more than normal because it would be an extra risk factor added to a rescue craft.
@@LiquorandCheeseburgersis the emergency capsule big enough to carry everyone in case of a catastrophic failure of the ISS?
@@Bryan-Hensley Is that ever the case? What if the same happened with a Soyuz or SpaceX capsul being stranded there with a fully crewed ISS?
What could push me over the edge to subscribe? Video Chapters that align with your video intros.
Your thumbnails, titles, and intros are top notch and pull me in often. And, every time I watch, I get frustrated trying to find the specific portion(s) of the 15+ minute video I want to watch.
The catch experiment may not need a crane, have 14.1 sitting on the OLM, lower the chopsticks below the pins, close, then wind them up as fast as the hoist can go. All that matters is the differential speed...
@@r0cketplumber I don't think the chopsticks are fast enough to get a usable result and that's if they are even able to catch it while moving.
I think you would want to replicate what will happen as best you could and they can drop the test tank with a crane, that will be a lot closer than ramming the tank with the chopsticks.
"All that matters is the differential speed..." that's false because the main thing that matters is the jerk when it contacts the arms. Perhaps by differential speed you mean acceleration, jerk is the differential of the acceleration or how fast the object is decelerating. Just accelerating the chopsticks with the lifting motors would not simulate the jerk at all... the electric motor would have a very low jerk compared to the likely high jerk of the landing booster. Thus they have to drop it to get good results.
And rip the test article from the hold down clamps? The OLM holds boosters it does not just support them.
If the arms are not capable of achieving a threshold relative to a collision at lift, then they're not capable of arresting the booster. The clamps are an issue though. The simplest answer is to drop it from a crane.
Starship Heat Shield final clarification: even though the proposed heat shield is modular, it is only so as to facilitate quick installation and quick removal. It would still be built of individual heat shield tiles as currently done. But the advantage is being able to prebuild the heat shield sleeve modules, just like you prebuild Starships. The tiles would just be installed on "sleeves." Thinking about it, the nose cone sleeve and the body sleeve could be in two or more sections each. Sorry for leaving the possibility of "cracking" in the previous description. Rotating the Starship on reentry could be reconsidered. Just use this modular method to allow for rapid Starship turnaround. But will this be worth the trouble and expense. Replacing a few heat shield tiles is just as quick or quicker than replacing an entire modular heat shield section. Of course doing so would allow for inspection of the entire hull of the Starship. But is this necessary? If only a few heat shield tiles with the current system need replacing, the underlying area could also be inspected for any bigger problems. Well, apparently the issue boils down to the time and cost of rapid turn around of the Starship for its next flight. And finding the best solution. My latest suggestion may be worth considering until it is finally totally shot down. Thanks. Your feedback was helpful. Safety, cost, and time.
The trickiest thing on a drop test could well be how to prevent the crane from jumping and breaking when the load is released. In a worst case, you could actual topple a crane over backwards (I think there are example of that happening). I'd not be surprised if during a drop the boom is actually tied to the tower (or something else in front of it) to prevent exactly that.
The small section of booster should not be large enough for that to occur its simulating the empty weight of the booster not full weight. Granted someone needs to run the numbers as or as you say that could well happen. Apparently its 200t empty, full its 3600 ton..one way to get around this is to not fully release the booster but to keep it tethered so it continues to exert some force on the crane as it goes down. that might require special modification to the winch though.
@@Wingnut353 depending on how things are configured, dropping a load way less than the rated load could cause damage... or not. I'm sure they can figure it out, but I'm also sure someone *needs* to run the numbers (and I suspect the warranty won't cover any damage).
Regardless, cranes are remarkably fragile when loaded in ways they went designed for.
Love your work mate, great production values. Well done
“Accidentally ablative”. Two thumbs up. 😊
We all think the ending clips are bloopers but it’s actually Felix communicating with other space civilizations
Perhaps Ship XXXII is going to be used for some sort of "in orbit" purpose: a fuel depot, a mini space station, spare parts storage, etc.
Thanks!
Thank you very much, Elizabeth!
Do you think spacex could actually use the next booster as a hop test and catch, filling the booster to the point where it can launch just the booster so its nearly cleared the tower and then have it just do a catch, that way removing the bit where it has to hit a bullseye and then get caught? It may be something a booster that hasnt got an integrated staging ring may be useful for?
Getting it hop-ready is already just days away from getting it launch-ready. And if you can launch and test the ship too you may as well. Just like they did with falcon 9, you may as well take payload to orbit while testing water landings.
Jeff Bezos should realize that the Starship architecture is optimal and that New Glenn will not be competitive. Blue Origin should ask if they can help Musk with Mars, and join in building more Star Factories and launch facilities. Actually, any billionaire who wants to help civilization could do that.
@@flightofone sadly Jeff has very little actual experience or desire to deliver anything functional. They are only after government funds for "future delivery" but no intent to deliver anything... its the same thing Boeing has been doing this century. So let's keep this in mind and tell our representatives to stop funding companies that dont deliver.
Long term habitation on Mars by humans is currently unfeasible due to the low gravity. Long term living in low-g is harmful to humans, so Mars won't work until a solution is found. Alternatively, living in large (and I mean LARGE!) orbiting rotating habitats could provide the fake gravity (centripetal acceleration) necessary for human health.
@@richardpark3054 There is certainly evidence that microgravity is harmful long-term (bone loss, muscle loss, potential fetal development problems, etc.) However, there is ZERO evidence to show how much gravity is needed to avoid those problems. That is very difficult to simulate, ie: a centrifuge on the ISS big enough for a human is not feasible. The only way to find out is to try living on Mars. My prediction is that there will be very little problem with 1/3rd gravity.
@@flightofone If we're going to populate Mars, it's critical to get animal test subjects there ASAP to find out what 1/3 g does to gestation.
@@richardpark3054 well Mars gravity doesn't necesarily have the same effects as microgravity for those exposed to 0G for long periods. 38% of Earths gravity is not that little.
Ideally you would have some sort of artificial gravity while travelling from Mars back to Earth. So you can use those months to increase the artificial gravity progresively. Giving their bodies chance to recover.
Can you possibly post links to the source documents (applications) you speak of in the description going forwards please?
Subbed. Thanks for all the work you do on your channel.
🙏
Thank you for yet another thorough and detailed analysis of what’s happening at SpaceX. There’s no better channel or news outlet out there and I look forward to each video. Vielen Dank!🙏🇩🇪❤️
Than heavens they are testing the booster catch first, this is fantastic news!
My guess for the tower is 2-3 months max
Great video. I notice though that TJ Cooney no longer features in any of your videos and wondering whether you've had a "parting of the ways" ?
Growing up in Central Florida I was able to watch almost all launches from the Cape. Now that SpaceX has come on the scene and with the reusability of equipment I am truly amazed. I watch all SpaceX launches. Learning from previous launches of Super Heavy and Starships, and building ahead, I have always wondered about getting too many spares to install things learned from previous launches. Like V2 Starship. Seems like they should be launching V2 and developing that... GO SPACEX, you rock
I used to skip class at school, pick the lock to the door of the staircase that went up to the roof of my high school where the teachers would smoke on their breaks, and watch the shuttle launch from there. I moved away shortly before the shuttle program retired, though. Would be cool to see all the Falcons flying from the roost now, though. But to be honest, the coverage of them on video, internet streaming, better ground tracking and HD clarity on the cameras, onboard cameras, are such a better view of it all than anything I could glean up in the sky even with binoculars. I actually lived in South Florida, in northern Broward county, so I wasn't anywhere near as close as you probably were.
The production that goes into these... 🤯.
Do you think they will fill the test tank with water to simulate the weight of a full booster?
So, what’s your thoughts on improvements that could be made? I’ve been thinking a lot about the acoustics. We learnt a little from flight 1 and space ex responded in a raps manner to encourage that it was a possible outcome (big hole in the ground etc).
Flight 2 saw all engines ignite, first stage separation and many other successes;
Flight 3 pretty much developed and ruled out some shit;
Flight 4 proved and tested the combined best effort. We achieved orbit-ish (to plan); we landed both booster and starship.
Stress points were on heat shield. I expect future iterations may have some for heat shield on the main body and protesting the joint area, but these guys will figure that.
I’ve also been thinking about the tile shape. We have done loads on ships going up and the flat tile design represented that. The recent curvature at the edges shows an acoustic consideration but I think it’s over engineered. Why not keep the simple base design in all tiles mut manipulate are flow on the way down with a belt on the top and bottom, kind of built into the heat guard for the flaps. Could be made expendable and quickly changeable, this factored into planning shit.
I totally thing OFT5 has a great chance of pulling the landing off but I do have my questions on impact of in place mitigations to accuracy. Space exploration prove over and over they can land stuff, totally cool I’m sure we all agree.
Point I made earlier: can the infrastructure take it. Exciting and site 2 is young enough to react so loads of info to come no doubt. Thanks all.
Pretty cool new ship at 12:40 above to the right
Yea what on earth is that? I can't tell if it's edited in or I'm just trippin lmao
Love your channel man. I’m hooked on all these launches and what they are building
Felix, you did an amazing job providing us with SpaceX Starship updates!
I like your polished delivery of easily digestible facts!
Thank you, and well done to you and your team, Felix!
Was the booster or starship recovered from last flight?
I think if the catching pins can be extended during catching, this will helps in increase the catching percentage.
Wow, so many changes underway at Spacex !
Love what you do. I got to meet you and your family at Rocket Ranch and really admire you. This is a great update. Would be nice if you used Chapters so we can more easily for back for things we want to hear and see again. Just a thought.
It would be prudent to perform weight tests, controlled tests and drop tests prior to attempting a booster catch.
if they do a drop test, i hope they also do a drop test at 'arms length' too to simulate 'worst case scenario' where the booster falls a little short or moves out a little and drops. as that would be maximum load/shock on the arms
I think they will have to do some major redesigns of the tower catching system. It needs too much precision the way it is now.
16:13 the Bled lake, cant miss it! 😍
TestcTank - I think there will be several drop tests of various heights. It might also include water in the tank to simulate the full weight.
14:00 The next generation Raptor 3 could potentially use the new engine jacket cooling to generate pure oxygen ullage gas for the oxygen tank, rather than using pre-burner bypass gas. And do similar for the methane tank. Tim Dodd may have closer to the mark than he realised when he discussed Stoke Space using hydrogen to cool their main re-entry shield. The combined surface area of the Raptor engines should be more than enough to generate enough ullage gas during ascent and rentry. Shame to let that heat go to waste.
1:59 It shows where more protection is needed for the next one and return flights with cargo. Not just from LEO, but also the Moon and Mars.
You know I've never looked close enough. SpaceX pinpoint lands the booster but... Are they orienting the booster a certain direction? So if there are only two catch pins, will they be positioned above the catch arms and not between thus not catching the booster?
another great video! why have refueling so close to the tower? seems very risky
10:06
That sub-heading though!
Great video Felix!
Was that Firefly's Serenity in the upper right corner of the rocket garden? 🤔🤣
why do they not use the discarded heat tiles to line the tower?
They’re very fragile.
Felix, why don't they use the heatshield tiles they removed on the orbital pad legs to protect it from the launch? Unless there is a risk of them flying off from the pressure of the launch.
They're not going to "fly off" from the pressure... they're going to *disintegrate*. They're ceramic tiles... good for heat, not so good for 80MN worth of Raptor exhaust hammering on them.
10:03 I love the subtext just saying don’t read this. 🤣
I would think that at some point they will put water into the catch can to bring its weight equal to what an entire booster will weigh when landing.
I can't seem to access your store without getting hit with a "Error 503 Backend unavailable page"?
D-Ultimate Super Cool ! D-Ultimate Super Cool !! Wow Love It Dude ! Super Cool Video !
@11:06 A new type of ship? The FACLON 9 😁
I wonder how much development will be needed to figure out correct tolerances with the ablative material under tiles now due to expansion and contraction of Starship
the ablative material under teh tiles is temporary just to make sure starship gets further
Felix why won't you talk about stuckLiner in the ISS ??
Because, it's not really news at this point 😂 They'll talk about it again when it actually does something.
Anyone know where the place in Europe is he's showing at 16:14 ? That looks amazing and I'd love to know more about where that is... Anyways, love the space content, Felix, you rock!!
Hi. Can the Booster relight more rockets if something goes wrong near landing to get away and then come back and try again? Or is fuel almost depleted on first try?
Maybe the idea behind a second tower is so that if one gets damaged at launch, vehicles already in space can still return.
Don’t forget that Boca is a development site and they’re not only developing Starship, they also need to develop the ground support equipment including tower and launch mount. I think 2 towers will allow SpaceX to alternate between them every 6 to 12 months with one tower active at any given time while the other is totally out of use undergoing major design updates, maybe some years design updates so big that it or the OLM gets demolished completely and rebuilt to a new design. By the time they’re doing crewed flights I would expect a tower at KSC to be active so that will give the emergency backup capability.
Since the old GSE tanks are made from "starship stuff": Maybe leave one in place to see how close proximity to a liftoff influences another starship waiting on the next pad over...
Always good information
Will we see a taller tower to accommodate the stretched starship?
are they trying to have tower 2 built before the mechazilla catch?
meh, I said it last year, I'll say it again. they need to get those chem eng to work a polymer phenolic resin-based material, PICA (phenolic impregnated carbon ablator) or SLA (super lightweight ablator) and use it as a base for a resin based glue. Adhere the same tiles and the glue now adheres (hopefully) and ablate if you lose a tile. Ablative Glue. saves a ton of weight because two layers of tile is less than efficient.
I absolutely love Rothenburg! Germany is such a beautiful country. I live in a little town called Ansbach.
I agree. While companies competing helps eliminate inefficient designs, one design neglected is a basic lifeboat. Whether capsule or lifting body or Starship always ready for evacuation, let’s not wait for another “Titanic” tragedy to realize that space is as forgiving as the North Atlantic in 1912 to those who who did not have access to lifeboats.
All the baby booster bits were super funny! Such fun times watching this video.
Why doesn't the second launch tower base have a water deluge system underneath it?
Its a catch tower only.
They will prepare the launch tower for another launch, well they unload the catch tower ship.
Remember elon aiming for 3 launches a day.
The tower is the adjacent structure to the circular launch mount, which I don't think they have mounted. But I think they are iterating four legs instead of the 6 supporting current olm.
@@mitchelldalton7405 Remember elon aiming for 3 launches a day.
3 launches a day = 6 catches a day.
Once again, amazing content! Bravo. Keep up your amazing work and of course, thank you for sharing.
Got to love all the development going on in the StarBase 🚀
@5:40 and they also stand a good chance of damaging their only operational tower before the next flight if the catch is not successful. What's the rush for a catch?
Ak to táto verzia nezvládne až tak fatálne, že zničí vežu, je potrebné prerobiť celý booster, zatiaľ postavia aj ,,dve veže" a aj ukuju pár ,,prsteňov moci" :D
Question. Why not put the hinge area for flaps out of the high heat plasma zones? Move hinges more to the rear of the ship during re-entry? Right now they are in direct high heat zone.
That has been the plan for the V2 for probably a year now. They also are changing shape and size. Revised models have been seen on site already but none installed to my knowledge.
I think the catch knobs need to be further down to avoid potential grid fins getting caught if coming in on an angle breaking the actuators…
JUNE 21th instead of JUNE 21st made my day, that’s funny
Exciting times peeps
the crane doesnt have to "DROP" the test subject, simply lower it down at the rate the booster would normally move downwards under power.
There will be no drop test. The crane is not testing equipment, and dropping half a booster in a way that might cause it to fall off the stand and hit the crane with a human operator inside is not going to be allowed.
Well they DO own the crane. And the newer ones like that can be operated remotely. No human needed inside for something as simple as a drop. The question is would they really risk something going wrong like a crane tipping over. Or maybe they have some plan for making sure that can't happen.
I don't think there is going to be any actual dropping of the booster. Doesn't make much sense to drop it to test if the arms can handle it if the test booster weighs in 1/10th of the actual booster. Much more likely scenario on that is that some sort of additional weight woudl be added hanging below the booster (provided they have added any tie-down points to it), much like when the clamps were tested, and that would be lowered to the arms as A) in order to test such things they need the equivalent of the proper mass, B) dropping something with extra weight bags is going to be messy/uncontrollable and dangerous and most imporantly C) doing it with crane still attached to the thing gives them highly controlled test situation with rapid iteration. On the other hand, if it is not about "drop testing" it would most likely be just about the booster alignment etc. to make sure they can rotate the booster in controlled way from misaligned positions.
I think maybe the solution to the flap joints ,would be to make all of the joint behind the sheild, and out of the plasma. So the one side would be built out and shaped to shed the plasma, and the flap would be "behind", placed proud and bend backwards as it were to reach the operation angle needed for control. Maybe longer, maybe wider, whatever is needed. The main thing is to remove the joint from the plasma stream. Or perhaps build over the hinge so the hinge is "hidden" from the plasma stream.
14:34 “how’d you solve the icing problem?”
How do the latest booster tests impact the timeline for the next flight? Curious about the next steps.
maybe a month delayed or more if chopsticks get damaged
Thanks for the progress, spacex sure knows how to move fast. 😀 Other certain companies would take years to do what they do in a day.
The wannabee billionaire competitor is taking decades for their first orbital launch attempt. Currently on decade 3.
Why would they have to close the road to move the arms and simulate a catch?
Dangerous.... Imagine if you were driving down that road, and suddenly a SpaceX tank drops to the ground, raining pieces of stainless steel on you.
I still think that, as cool as the idea of the super heavy rocket is, they will eventually abandon it and make a new one from 4 falcon 9s strapped together. They take off as one giant object, and land as 4 separate ones as they always do.
Mr. Miagi brought on as a consultant!
Fokken love Felix. What a man. Beauty, passion, competence
another thought, what would change to the towers to accommodate 'passengers'? if they are planning a lot of launches eventually, they would need some way to shift 100 people to the pad, up and in, without 'rushing' them (as rushing increases risk) but, unlike an airline terminal, you cant have a waiting platform so close to ships landing and taking off....
Brilliantly executed! 💪🏼🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌
Why havent they published any images of ship 25 after reentry?
Dont see the crane dropping a load the weight of the 14.1 booster, the crane boom will jump because of the sudden load release which might result in a backflip of the crane depending on the boom angle.
Much more likely is lowering full speed.
So, how did SpaceX get the camera to work on the reentry phase where previously all rockets were in blackout due to the plasma interference?
What are their plans for improving them further?
Are they going to put a second camera on the other flap?
They'd be bonkers to attempt the IFT5 catch on the existing tower/OLM. They should do it on the 2nd tower.