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[Merged] SpaceX’s Starship Rocket Explodes After Launch/Starship hop

3point14

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3point14
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Whatever you think of Elon and his antics, this should be good.

It's either going to be a stunning example of how to belly-flop an enormous rocket flip it and land it on its backside or it's going to be an epic RUD.

I think it may be happening tomorrow...
 
They've done a couple of successful 150m hops. Hope the 15km one goes just as well.
 
Mike! said:
???
.:confused:
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Well, you know, They Built that City with Rock and Roll.



Now I guess they want to hold a 50's themed dance. A Starship Hop.


....also something about a big rocket scheduled for a 15 km up and down test launch, sometime within the next week.
 
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sts60 said:
Hope so. It will finally surpass what the Delta Clipper did 27 years ago. :-)
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Haters gonna hate. As far as I'm concerned, they've already surpassed the Delta Clipper. Not that it matters, much, but it's kind of depressing that it's taken almost 30 years for someone to take the proven concept and actually set about making it a going concern.
 
Delayed until Monday

ETA: No actual scheduled time yet, but the necessary road closures are from 8am to 5:30 pm CST on Monday
 
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theprestige said:
Haters gonna hate. As far as I'm concerned, they've already surpassed the Delta Clipper. Not that it matters, much, but it's kind of depressing that it's taken almost 30 years for someone to take the proven concept and actually set about making it a going concern.
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You needed two things, someone with the money, vision, and drive to take the gamble on entering the launcher market and embracing these abandoned ideas. And you needed a NASA/Government that was willing and able to support shaking things up.
 
ohms said:
They've done a couple of successful 150m hops. Hope the 15km one goes just as well.
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sts60 said:
Hope so. It will finally surpass what the Delta Clipper did 27 years ago. :-)
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theprestige said:
Haters gonna hate. As far as I'm concerned, they've already surpassed the Delta Clipper. Not that it matters, much, but it's kind of depressing that it's taken almost 30 years for someone to take the proven concept and actually set about making it a going concern.
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Ah, I was teasing, not hating. As much of an orifice as Elon Musk is personally, I wish SpaceX success with this project (and I say that as someone who worked on SLS). And I generally concur with your sentiments.
 
sts60 said:
Ah, I was teasing, not hating. As much of an orifice as Elon Musk is personally, I wish SpaceX success with this project (and I say that as someone who worked on SLS). And I generally concur with your sentiments.
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Trebuchet said:
Falcon 9 did that years ago.
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Well, yes, but Delta Clipper was touted as a 100% reusable SSTO (Single Stage to Orbit). IMO, SSTO is a pipe dream, and always will be unless rocket science can come up with a new fuel or an engine design that can supply very high thrust at an ISP up in the high 500s or more. SSTO might be possible, but I doubt such a vehicle would or could deliver a significant payload to orbit.

Delta Clipper never got past the hop stage, hovering for a minute or two before landing again. That aspect was surpassed even before Falcon 9 by the Grasshopper test flights. However, even Falcon 9 does not surpass what Delta Clipper was intended to be, a fully reusable rocket - 100% of the hardware being safely landed for re-use. The second stage of Falcon 9 is de-orbited to burn up on re-entry.

Starship is intended to ultimately achieve what Delta Clipper was supposed to... be a fully reusable rocket with heavy light capability. While Starship is not an SSTO, its two stages, but does it really matter at the end of the day, if you are getting 100% of your hardware back.
 
Trebuchet said:
Falcon 9 did that years ago.
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You mean the launch vehicle, right?

I guess there’s a tendency to just think of an integrated spacecraft - even a prototype - differently. But, yep. Here’s a pair of them back at the Cape after the Heavy launch last year.
 

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smartcooky said:
Well, yes, but Delta Clipper was touted as a 100% reusable SSTO (Single Stage to Orbit). IMO, SSTO is a pipe dream, and always will be unless rocket science can come up with a new fuel or an engine design that can supply very high thrust at an ISP up in the high 500s or more. SSTO might be possible, but I doubt such a vehicle would or could deliver a significant payload to orbit.

Delta Clipper never got past the hop stage, hovering for a minute or two before landing again. That aspect was surpassed even before Falcon 9 by the Grasshopper test flights. However, even Falcon 9 does not surpass what Delta Clipper was intended to be, a fully reusable rocket - 100% of the hardware being safely landed for re-use. The second stage of Falcon 9 is de-orbited to burn up on re-entry.

Starship is intended to ultimately achieve what Delta Clipper was supposed to... be a fully reusable rocket with heavy light capability. While Starship is not an SSTO, its two stages, but does it really matter at the end of the day, if you are getting 100% of your hardware back.
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That's a good point. The first "stage" is a reusable rocket that can boost its payload partway to orbit and then return intact. That payload being a second reusable rocket that can boost its payload the rest of the way to orbit and then also return intact. It's not SSTO but you can think of it as two stages, or as two reusable vehicles operating in cooperation.

Add three more such vehicles and you can form a megazord.
 
Looking forward to this. I still have a photo in my screensaver slide show of the original Grasshopper hop test that led to the Falcon 9 first stage recovery.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf83yzzme2I&feature=emb_title

Starship | SN8 | High-Altitude Flight Test

As early as Tuesday, December 8, the SpaceX team will make the first attempt of a high-altitude suborbital flight test of Starship serial number 8 (SN8) from our site in Cameron County, Texas. The schedule is dynamic and likely to change, as is the case with all development testing.

This suborbital flight is designed to test a number of objectives, from how the vehicle’s three Raptor engines perform, and the overall aerodynamic entry capabilities of the vehicle, including its body flaps, to how the vehicle manages propellant transition. SN8 will also attempt to perform a landing flip maneuver, which would be a first for a vehicle of this size.

With a test such as this, success is not measured by completion of specific objectives but rather how much we can learn as a whole, which will inform and improve the probability of success in the future as SpaceX rapidly advances development of Starship.

This will be a live feed of the flight test and will start a few minutes prior to liftoff. Stay tuned to our social media channels for updates as we move toward our first high altitude flight test of Starship!
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SpaceX to attempt major Starship SN8 prototype test flight Tuesday. Here's how to watch live.
SpaceX's webcast is scheduled to start at 7 a.m. EST (1200 GMT).
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(About 10 PM Japan time; or 8 hours from now, if my math is correct)
 
I just looked in on the live streams. They've got about five more hours in the launch window, but I don't think it is going to go today.

There are people on cranes looking at the fins, and it does not seem to be fueled yet - no vapor venting off.
 
crescent said:
I just looked in on the live streams. They've got about five more hours in the launch window, but I don't think it is going to go today.

There are people on cranes looking at the fins, and it does not seem to be fueled yet - no vapor venting off.
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The people on the cranes are removing securing chains and a NASA WB-57 is due to be overflying the area later to observe, so the flight is certainly possible for 1600-1800 EST.
 
Garrison said:
The people on the cranes are removing securing chains and a NASA WB-57 is due to be overflying the area later to observe, so the flight is certainly possible for 1600-1800 EST.
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Yes - there are some vapors venting here and there now. The little live status window says they are at "SNB Venting", whatever that is. After that the next steps are


Raptor Chill
Siren
Liftoff
Landing
Abor/Scrub

Still no venting from the rocket itself though
 
Unfortunately I'll be working when this happens, but I'm sure I'll catch up on Scott Manley's take when I get home.
 
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