The ones who were stranded by starliner?

No, those are coming back next February on a Crew Dragon.

I think, at least that's the plan. These things are often subject to change depending on whatever.

The ones who land on the moon.

Thanks, I obviously wasn't tracking.

That design is right out of a 1950s sci fi "women on the moon" movie.

Gawd, I love this timeline.

ETA:

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We get that and regular orbital launches from New Zealand. This timeline may have been extremely painful for me. But there are things in it beyond what were once my wildest fantasies.

Click first tweet to read thread and see pics.

Here's a bunch of emails within the FWS regarding Starship. They are really not beating the allegations that the agency is incredibly incompetent. A short thread pic.twitter.com/ChBABz372F

TheSpaceEngineer  (@mcrs987) November 4, 2024

These were all acquired via FOIA

TheSpaceEngineer  (@mcrs987) November 4, 2024

They cite a WAI video as a source pic.twitter.com/0rokEfYnIC

TheSpaceEngineer  (@mcrs987) November 4, 2024

citing ESGhound as a "good article" pic.twitter.com/ZBlaTKqAx1

TheSpaceEngineer  (@mcrs987) November 4, 2024

using Labpadre and NSF streams as part of environmental monitoring pic.twitter.com/iYtj4Gt5Rf

TheSpaceEngineer  (@mcrs987) November 4, 2024

apparently the FWS didn't know how this thing worked to begin with pic.twitter.com/8xoXCkppnr

TheSpaceEngineer  (@mcrs987) November 4, 2024

Mildly concerning that they seem to have no open comms with SpaceX? pic.twitter.com/5XQyZCmI3C

TheSpaceEngineer  (@mcrs987) November 4, 2024

They have no idea what kind of reports to file pic.twitter.com/A1NflGj4Fy

TheSpaceEngineer  (@mcrs987) November 4, 2024

General TLDR they keep citing multiple youtube videos and articles for their investigation rather than data they recorded, which is, interesting to say the least. No direct comms with SpaceX either.

Anyway here's all the photos attached throughout this file

TheSpaceEngineer  (@mcrs987) November 4, 2024

The feds need a fucking purge.

They are a classic of example of people educated beyond their intelligence, and given power beyond their competence.

Mildly off topic. But hopefully Elon will now be able to get whatever he needs from the FAA.

Seems likely that the FAA won't be the only part of the bureaucracy getting some adjustments in how they deal with SpaceX.

NOTAMs for Flight 6 of Starship are up.

NET 18. November@NASASpaceflight

Link: https://t.co/SxJo87Dxxt pic.twitter.com/nNnq0cbLY2

Adrian Beil  (@BCCarCounters) November 6, 2024

Decode this for the common man.  Does this mean the next launch is Nov 18th?

Maybe.   You never really know until it's a couple days out and even then you have to hope there isn't a scrub.

Starship launches have done really well keeping to their schedule in the last few launches.  I recall IFT2 scrubbed which bought me enough time to get down there to watch the launch.  I don't recall IFT3, IFT4, or IFT5 having any delays once the date was made firm.  I wouldn't consider November 18th to be firm at this point.

Thank God Elon is now protected by Trump.

Without the FAA trying to hamper everything that SpaceX does there is no limit to what can be accomplished in the next four years. Trump's victory last night was a victory for science and space exploration.

It means the next launch is Potentially Nov 18th

Absolutely.

You ready for the launch cadence that Elon is going to shoot for?

I am.

Hell yes!!  

Imagine if you will, Starships loaded in a drum magazine.

It’s going to get loud in south Texas.

Watch again. He talked about 3 total fins, because two aren't enough for full attitude authority. It would be a dorsal fin. But it makes the flight control math harder.

https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=starship-flight-6

I thought the original design had 3 fins at the rear, ala the Planetary Express ship. But the third fin was removed because it would be in the aerodynamic lee of the body and would therefore not have any airflow over it to provide any control and therefore useless. That's why it was reduced to 2 rear fins.
I could be mis-remembering though.

Early render.

Attached File


Planet Express Ship.

Aka Betsy.

Needs a gun turret on top to really complete the look though.

Nice!

And looks like this is going to be the most stressful reentry yet for the ship. Since it's last iteration of this configuration, might as well try and test some failure points on purpose that you wouldn't want to do on the first flights of the new configuration.

That dorsal fin was probably purely there as a landing leg when they were going with that.

Indeed!

I'm going to need to see one painted up like this.

https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=starship-flight-6



UPCOMING LAUNCH
Starship's Sixth Flight Test

The sixth flight test of Starship is targeted to launch as early as Monday, November 18.

A live webcast of the flight test will begin about 30 minutes before liftoff, which you can watch here and on X @SpaceX. You can also watch the webcast on the new X TV app. The 30-minute launch window will open at 4:00 p.m. CT. As is the case with all developmental testing, the schedule is dynamic and likely to change, so be sure to check in here and stay tuned to our X account for updates.

Starship’s fifth flight test was a seminal moment in iterating towards a fully and rapidly reusable launch system. On the first attempt, the Super Heavy booster successfully returned to the launch site and was caught by the chopstick arms of the launch and catch tower at Starbase. Starship’s upper stage went on to demonstrate several improvements, resulting in a controlled entry and high accuracy splashdown at the targeted area in the Indian Ocean.

The next Starship flight test aims to expand the envelope on ship and booster capabilities and get closer to bringing reuse of the entire system online. Objectives include the booster once again returning to the launch site for catch, reigniting a ship Raptor engine while in space, and testing a suite of heatshield experiments and maneuvering changes for ship reentry and descent over the Indian Ocean.

The success of the first catch attempt demonstrated the design feasibility while providing valuable data to continue improving hardware and software performance. Hardware upgrades for this flight add additional redundancy to booster propulsion systems, increase structural strength at key areas, and shorten the timeline to offload propellants from the booster following a successful catch. Mission designers also updated software controls and commit criteria for the booster’s launch and return.

Analogous to the fifth flight test, distinct vehicle and pad criteria must be met prior to a return and catch of the Super Heavy booster, which will require healthy systems on the booster and tower and a final manual command from the mission’s Flight Director. If this command is not sent prior to the completion of the boostback burn, or if automated health checks show unacceptable conditions with Super Heavy or the tower, the booster will default to a trajectory that takes it to a landing burn and soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. We accept no compromises when it comes to ensuring the safety of the public and our team, and the return will only take place if conditions are right.

The returning booster will slow down from supersonic speeds, resulting in audible sonic booms in the area around the landing zone. Generally, the only impact to those in the surrounding area of a sonic boom is the brief thunder-like noise with variables like weather and distance from the return site determining the magnitude experienced by observers.

Starship’s upper stage will fly the same suborbital trajectory as the previous flight test, with splashdown targeted in the Indian Ocean. An additional objective for this flight will be attempting an in-space burn using a single Raptor engine, further demonstrating the capabilities required to conduct a ship deorbit burn prior to orbital missions.

Several thermal protection experiments and operational changes will test the limits of Starship’s capabilities and generate flight data to inform plans for ship catch and reuse. The flight test will assess new secondary thermal protection materials and will have entire sections of heat shield tiles removed on either side of the ship in locations being studied for catch-enabling hardware on future vehicles. The ship also will intentionally fly at a higher angle of attack in the final phase of descent, purposefully stressing the limits of flap control to gain data on future landing profiles. Finally, adjusting the flight’s launch window to the late afternoon at Starbase will enable the ship to reenter over the Indian Ocean in daylight, providing better conditions for visual observations.

Future ships, starting with the vehicle planned for seventh flight test, will fly with significant upgrades including redesigned forward flaps, larger propellant tanks, and the latest generation tiles and secondary thermal protection layers as we continue to iterate towards a fully reusable heat shield. Learnings from this and subsequent flight tests will continue to make the entire Starship system more reliable as we close in on full and rapid reusability.

video

Starship’s fifth flight test was a seminal moment in iterating towards a fully and rapidly reusable launch system.

Next up: the sixth flight test of Starship is targeted to launch as early as Monday, November 18 ? https://t.co/oIFc3u9laE pic.twitter.com/5496ApNHkA

SpaceX  (@SpaceX) November 6, 2024

That should be fun.

Am I the only one that read that in Rod Serlings voice?

Line B) 2411181300     Nov 18, 1:00pm
Line C) 2411262300     Nov 26, 11:00pm
Probably open and close dates for NOTAM.

Well there goes my plan to see the next launch.  November 18th is the day before my kid’s birthday and we have plans.  Guess I’ll have to wait til launch #7.  Shoot maybe I’ll wait for the one where they try and catch Starship.  That would be peak awesomeness.

NASA confirms negotiations for the commercial use of High Bay 1 in the VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building) have ceased. It was understood SpaceX was interested in using HB1 for Starship KSC ops.

SpaceX Roberts Road is set to expand and include Mega Bays (more than Starbase), but… pic.twitter.com/mkpA5gcFIl

Chris Bergin - NSF  (@NASASpaceflight) November 7, 2024

Is that actually on the ship or is it just a photoshop?

2 pics from 2 different people

whatcha think?

Ok. You posted both. I didn't look deeper than that.

Who says heat telltales can’t be fun graphics too?

If it weren't for the reflection on the fin, I thought it was fake.

I love the fact that NASA builds spacecraft in surgical-cleanrooms.  SpaceX builds them in rusty tin huts using old painter's scaffolding and some 2x12s.

Using guys who used to weld grain silos.