After a gap of several months since the rocket’s last test, the time has come for Starship’s third flight. SpaceX engineers have conducted several important tests that will prepare the rocket for a manned flight to Mars.
What is Starship?
The rocket, which we’ve been hearing more and more about lately, is a vehicle that Elon Musk says will make humanity a multi-planetary species. The billionaire has set himself the goal of saving humanity from extinction while making it capable of inhabiting neighboring planets in the solar system. Starship is to become the tool that will allow him to achieve this goal. So far, the rocket has detached from the earth twice. The tests took place in April and November of the previous year, and each was a huge success. With each successive launch we could observe the tremendous progress made by the specialists involved in the construction, and programming of the spacecraft.
Starship’s third flight – what were the assumptions?
When it comes to building and testing rockets, it is a great success to get better results than the predecessor. It was no different in this case. During Starship’s last flight, the rocket took off, the separation of the rocket’s lower and upper stages took place, and the contractual limit of space was reached.
For the third launch, the bar was set much higher. Engineers carefully planned every stage of the flight. The plan was, of course, to repeat what was done in the previous test, as well as to test the payload bay doors, transfer fuel to the main tank, and restart the engines in a vacuum.
The location and method of landing was also planned. The lower stage of the rocket (Super Heavy), after separation, was to return to the area of the Gulf of Mexico, where it would collide with the water and go to the bottom. As for the upper stage of the rocket, on the other hand, this one was to fly several thousand kilometers to then enter the atmosphere and land in the Indian Ocean.
How did Starship’s third flight go?
There were a lot of demands placed on the rocket this time. While on the first flight success was talked about when the rocket broke away from the ground, on the second attempt workers wanted to test a new method for separation, on the next attempt there were many more requirements.
I won’t go into the exact technicalities here of how and when exactly each successive phase of the flight occurred. Let’s focus on what’s most important, i.e. what worked and what didn’t go as planned. The spacecraft repeated all the achievements of the rocket from the previous test, and until the separation of the two modules the flight was not significantly different.
Booster
During the last test, a malfunction occurred after the lower stage disconnected, as a result of which the booster exploded several seconds after the maneuver. In the case of today’s test, everything went according to plan. The lower stage properly detached and moved back towards the ground. This is important because SpaceX relies on using the same rocket stages repeatedly. This is a completely different approach to the issue, as it will significantly reduce the cost of spaceflight.
The entire maneuver seemed to go according to plan, but at an altitude of several kilometers it was already known that the booster was approaching the surface too fast. It hit the surface much faster than anticipated. After the flight, analysis will be necessary to find out exactly what was responsible for such a state of affairs
Ship
The rocket’s upper stage continued its flight as it did last time, increasing its speed to more than 26,000 kilometers per hour and reaching an altitude of 166 kilometers. After shutting down the engines, it proceeded to conduct several important tests. First of all, the door of the payload bay, which will be used in the future to launch cargo into low Earth orbit, was opened. In addition, a test was conducted to pump fuel into the main tank for liquid methane and liquid oxygen. This is the first time in history where such an operation was performed with fuel at cryogenic temperature (below 150 degrees Celcius). Both tests the ship passed properly.
Entering the atmosphere
The most important test, however, was re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere. It is important because on earth it is very difficult to simulate the conditions that prevail during such an operation. In addition, it must be carried out in a strictly defined manner, since even the slightest error could cause the ship to turn and burn up. The ship has one side encased in protective plates, which will effectively protect the vehicle from high temperatures. Initially, everything went according to plan, and during the official broadcast one could observe the plasma that formed on the underside of the ship. In the end, however, computer simulations proved insufficiently precise. The ship burned up in the atmosphere shortly thereafter.
It should be noted here that it is incomparably larger to the capsules that astronauts use to return to earth, if only from the International Space Station. This type of situation is a natural process of learning and improving technology. SpaceX will use the data gained to further improve the design.
When is Starship’s next flight?
Seven months passed between the first and second flights. Between the second and third flights just over three. So one can speculate that the next flight will be no later than a few months from now. There was no uncontrolled explosion during the flight, so there will be no need for an investigation. Consequently, there will be no need to wait several months to get approval for the next flight.
In addition, Elon Musk announced that six to nine Starship flights are the goal in 2024. Assuming even the weakest scenario, it will be possible to see a flight every two months or so, assuming adequate production capacity.
Przeciętny człowiek o przeciętnych umiejętnościach i przeciętnej inteligencji. Zazwyczaj udaje mądrzejszego, niż jest w rzeczywistości i wykłóca się o każdy najdrobniejszy szczegół.
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