Starship program prepares for major test with 33 engine Static Fire

Date:
Thu, 09 Feb 2023 14:06:23 +0000

Description:
SpaceXs Starship program is set to attempt a major milestone ahead of its historic launch The post Starship program prepares for major test with 33 engine Static Fire appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .

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SpaceXs Starship program is set to attempt a major milestone ahead of its historic launch with a full-set 33-engine test of Booster 7.

The test will validate numerous systems, not least the Ground Support Equipment (GSE), which has never previously had to cater to the power of all 33 Raptor 2 engines firing simultaneously.



Major Starship Milestone

Regardless of the challenges yet to come ahead of the flight, Booster 7 will go down in the test programs history as a major data gatherer to the benefit of vehicles set to follow in its footsteps. Full stack during the WDR including a sporty methane vent. (Credit: Nic Ansuini for NSF/L2) See Also SpaceX Super Heavy/Starship Section L2 SpaceX Section Click here to Join L2

With a year of launch site testing including numerous trips back to the Production Site for repairs and upgrades Booster 7 is now on the Orbital Launch Mount (OLM) for what is hoped to be the final time ahead of launch.

Having already passed a key milestone of the full-stack Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR) , its current partner Ship 24 was rolled back to the Production Site to allow Booster 7 to prepare to fire all 33 of its Raptor 2 engines.

While a couple of Raptor engines have since been swapped out, work to strengthen the OLM has been ongoing in the interim period, with Stage Zero
set to provide an important set of data points during the Static Fire test.

SpaceX chief designer Elon Musk has previously noted that Stage Zero is more complex than the actual rocket. OLM surrounded by scaffolding, which has
since been removed. (Credit: Jack Beyer for NSF/L2)

Even the concrete base below the OLM will be closely monitored.

Some previous tests of the Ship involving just the six engines firing have resulted in flying concrete, which is undesirable during engine ignition for launch.

Interestingly, SpaceX continues to test concrete surfaces at its McGregor facility , gathering data on the interactions between Raptor engines on the test stands and concrete blocks installed in the plumes path.



It is possible that SpaceX will have a water deluge system installed at the pad for the actual launch attempt, with an array of pipes and tanks recently being shipped from the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) .

SpaceX has wasted little time since the barge full of hardware arrived at the Port of Brownsville, with the water tanks already placed into position at the Orbital Launch Site.



As is in SpaceXs nature which has served the company well over the years this Static Fire test could result in anything from losing the Booster and/or damaging the pad to being a complete success.

Should the test fail to go to plan, and providing any resulting damage is not significant, SpaceX has Booster 9 ready to roll at the Production Site. This booster also sports the next evolution of upgrades, which will aid confidence in what would likely be an accelerated test flow for this booster.

Ship 25 is also at the launch site, although a potential test earlier this week was scrubbed, returning the focus to Booster 7.

Future vehicles are forming an orderly line at the Production Site, with Ship 26 and Booster 10 in various stages of assembly, not to mention parts of vehicles through Booster 15 and Ship 32 . Future vehicles wait their turn. (Credit: Nomadd for NSF/L2)

Some of these vehicles are set to enjoy a barge trip to KSC, ready to serve
as pathfinders for the Starship launch site at LC-39A. This will be the interim flow while a dedicated Starship production facility at Roberts Road
is completed.

With Starbase cited as a test and development center, the bulk of Starships launch cadence will be focused on the East Coast, with 39A serving as the flagship launch site .

Two additional pads could be built at nearby LC-49 , which is understood to be making good progress through an inter-agency and public scoping for the proposed Environmental Assessment. Envisioning of LC-49 and LC-39A. (Credit: Jay DeShetler for NSF/L2)

NASA is working on this process that also seeks input from other agencies, organizations, and the public on potentially affected resources,
environmental issues, and the agencys planned approach to analysis.

While SpaceX has shown it can build a fleet of vehicles at a good pace at Starbase, the addition of Roberts Road production will be designed to keep
all three launch sites at KSC busy, which is an important part of the overall roadmap.

This week, Gwynne Shotwell, President and COO of SpaceX, cited the need for hundreds of uncrewed launches before humans ride on the new rocket system. Elon Musk has previously stated this is required to shake out the rocket to a level of safety that will satisfy crewed flights. Shotwell on Starship and HLS: we need to get orbital pretty quickly. We don't want fly people on the 15th flight. Want it to be the 100th or 200th flight.

Jeff Foust (@jeff_foust) February 8, 2023



With Starbase currently expected to have a max launch cadence of around five Super Heavy launches a year and 39A also serving Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy within the same pad perimeter, the need for LC-49 to come online in the
coming years is potentially a key factor in achieving the milestone to
approve crewed missions.

Crewed missions on the books include NASAs flagship HLS (Human Landing
System) missions and commercial flights such as Polaris , Dear Moon , and Dennis Titos trip with his wife.



For now, getting the vehicle launched as a full-stack vehicle to an orbital velocity is the primary focus, with Booster 7s Static Fire be it successful or otherwise set to go into the history books as a key milestone on the path to launching the worlds largest and most powerful rocket.

Photos from Jack ( @jackbeyer ), Nomadd, and Nic ( @NicAnsuini ).

(Lead image: Booster 7 at the launch site, via Jack Beyer)

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The post Starship program prepares for major test with 33 engine Static Fire appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .



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Link to news story: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2023/02/starship-b7-static-fire/


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