| Grizlas | RE: Starship orbital launch attempt |
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| | General |  |
| | Group: Administrator,
Klikan,
Regulars,
Outsiders
| | Location: Denmark | | Joined: 08.06.06 | | Posted on 11-09-2024 16:29 |
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I was hoping for a launch attempt in August but then there was a delay, despite Spacex looking like they were ready to launch. Now it looks like we will have to wait until late November, because the FAA will not be able to issue a launch license before then - and that is just best case: according to the current regulatory framework, the process can be delayed indefinitely. This really is bureaucracy at its finest 
Spacex issued this statement yesterday which can be found here:
https://www.spacex.com/updates/
Just pisses me off.
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You want to tempt the wrath of the whatever from high atop the thing? |
Edited by Grizlas on 11-09-2024 16:30 |
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| Grizlas | RE: Starship orbital launch attempt |
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| | General | |
| | Group: Administrator,
Klikan,
Regulars,
Outsiders
| | Location: Denmark | | Joined: 08.06.06 | | Posted on 12-10-2024 15:47 |
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Tomorrow looks like it might be the day for IFT-5. The FAA has not officially given any launch license, but Spacex is 100% ready for tomorrow, so they must be expecting to receive said license momentarily.
This flight will be the same as IFT-4, except this time they might try to catch the booster with the "Mechazilla" arms. This is completely bonkers and nothing like it has ever been done before. We are basically talking about catching a skyscraper in mid-air. The catch will only be attempted if all sensors are green and the decision between returning for a catch attempt and splashing down in the gulf will be a manual command sent by the flight controller to the booster after it has separated from Starship.
for an in-depth analysis of this catch attempt:
People also made some fun games about this:
https://starshipthegame.spacex.com/
https://mechazilla.io/
Anyhow, this will be spectacular to watch, no matter the outcome. You should try to see it live.
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You want to tempt the wrath of the whatever from high atop the thing? |
Edited by Grizlas on 12-10-2024 15:49 |
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| Norlander | RE: Starship orbital launch attempt |
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| | Field Marshal | |
| | Group: Administrator,
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Regulars,
Outsiders
| | Location: Copenhagen | | Joined: 09.06.06 | | Posted on 13-10-2024 19:34 |
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That was amazing, the catch by the chopsticks feels like a game changer.
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The conventional view serves to protect us from the painful job of thinking.
- John Kenneth Galbraith |
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| Grizlas | RE: Starship orbital launch attempt |
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| | General | |
| | Group: Administrator,
Klikan,
Regulars,
Outsiders
| | Location: Denmark | | Joined: 08.06.06 | | Posted on 14-10-2024 14:45 |
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Absolutely breathtaking to watch Spacex catch an orbital class booster in a world first - and on their first attempt!
So far I think Scott Manley has the best summary of the launch:
Why bother with catching the booser and just use legs?
Elon tweeted this:
And so far, this is all we know about any potential damage to the booster - encouraging:
As for the Starship heatshield, that also looked to hold up better than during the last flight. We still saw some burn through on the forward flap, but much less than last time. The next Starship version will have these flaps moved further leeway, which most likely will solve this problem.
Starship also managed to perform the belly-flop maneuver and make a soft splashdown at a very precise location, since they had a buoy waiting there. Just imagine landing something that is speeding around the earth at < 260000 km/h next to a buoy somewhere in the Indian ocean. Just boggles the mind.
Anyways, I suppose they now have to try for a proper orbit of Starship on the next flight and begin thinking about how to catch it 
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You want to tempt the wrath of the whatever from high atop the thing? |
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