orbitalmayo
orbitalmayo  ·  2 days ago

Content Warning

"A block of planned upgrades to the Starship upper stage will debut on this flight test, bringing major improvements to reliability and performance. The vehicle’s forward flaps have been reduced in size and shifted towards the vehicle tip and away from the heat shield, significantly reducing their exposure to reentry heating while simplifying the underlying mechanisms and protective tiling" -SpaceX

#space #spacex #starship #ift7#LaunchInformation #bocachica #texas #newspace #launch #rocket

orbitalmayo
orbitalmayo  ·  2 days ago
Ship 33: This is the first Block 2/v2 upper stage of Starship, it features various improvements over previous ships. The item to watch is the new forward fins. Many changes are internal and/or software so won't be visible.

Booster 14: A Block 1 booster. Notably, Raptor #314 (Pi engine) from the recovered booster from IFT-5 will be reused on this flight.

#space #spacex #starship #ift7#LaunchInformation #bocachica #texas #newspace #launch #rocket

orbitalmayo
orbitalmayo  ·  2 days ago

Content Warning

Ship 33 will also be used to test the deployment of 10 payload dummies. These are similar weights and sizes to the upcoming next generation Starlink sats.

#space #spacex #starship #ift7#LaunchInformation #bocachica #texas #newspace #launch #rocket

orbitalmayo
orbitalmayo  ·  2 days ago

Content Warning

Some good coverage that doesn't require using X:

[4K] Everyday Astronaut: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Px_b5eSzsA

[1080p] Spaceflight Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yCG1T06jlk

[1080p] NSF: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhJRzQsLZGg

[1080p] WAI: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NupMFUk0Og

[1080p] LapPadre: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8Bn5BrZix8

As usual, be aware that "official" streams from SpaceX on YT are fake. SpaceX no longer broadcast to YT directly. Please report them.

#space #spacex #starship #ift7#LaunchInformation #bocachica #texas #newspace #launch #rocket

Spaceflight 🚀
Spaceflight 🚀  ·  3 weeks ago

Content Warning

🔴 October 8, 2024 #RocketLab will challenge the program to hit a 📆 2028 launch window https://spacenews.com/nasa-awards-rocket-lab-study-contract-for-mars-sample-return

📆 December 2, 2024 #SpaceX would rely on #Starship. Canceling #MSR would open the door for #China 🇨🇳 to become the first nation to return samples from #Marshttps://spacenews.com/foust-forward-who-gets-the-final-word-on-mars-sample-return

#Mars#SampleReturn#NASA #commercial#Neutron

Astro Hawk (Ian Kluft) 🚀🛰️
Astro Hawk (Ian Kluft) 🚀🛰️  ·  3 weeks ago

Content Warning

The pace of #space launches has reached the point that lots of stuff is always happening. But some things don't go as planned. @LiveScience was able to make a Top 10 list of mishaps in space in 2024. #Starliner figures prominently on the list. But also 3 #Falcon9 groundings, #Starship explosions, and misc probes and rovers. https://www.livescience.com/space/space-exploration/10-times-space-missions-went-very-wrong-in-2024#NewSpace#NASA#SpaceX#Boeing
Spaceflight 🚀
Spaceflight 🚀  ·  8 months ago
Launch costs have fallen 95% 📉 (with another massive reduction expected in the coming years) thanks to reuse, improved engineering, and increased volumes.
“In economics, we assume that resources are limited; land is limited; natural resources are limited. With #space 🌌, it allows us to change that.” https://www.theguardian.com/science/article/2024/may/03/were-in-a-new-era-the-21st-century-space-race-takes-off

#LaunchCost#SpaceMining

Spaceflight 🚀
Spaceflight 🚀  ·  5 months ago

Content Warning

📊 #ESA 🇪🇺 and its member states forked over $4.4B 💰💰💰💰 to develop #Ariane6. Customer launches are unlikely to pay back development costs any time soon.

#SpaceX has invested over $5B 💰💰💰💰💰 in #Starship 🚀 R&D to date. Starship has proven its expendable capability, and the company is focusing on achieving full #reusability ♻️.

#NASA spent a dizzying $24B 💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰 developing #SLS
https://payloadspace.com/rocket-development-costs-by-vehicle-payload-research

#DevelopmentCost#LaunchCost

Spaceflight 🚀
Spaceflight 🚀  ·  10 months ago
When Mr Bridenstine suggested in 2019 that America could return to the Moon 🌙 using #SpaceX’s #FalconHeavy, he provoked a row with Richard #Shelby, a senator from #Alabama who was then chairman of the Senate appropriations committee. Welcoming the #SLS in 2011, Mr Shelby said that #NASA’s exploration of space, “has always been and always will be through Marshall Space Flight Centre [in #Alabama].” https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2022/08/24/nasas-space-launch-system-is-yesterdays-rocket

#SpacePolitics#PorkBarrel

Spaceflight 🚀
Spaceflight 🚀  ·  10 months ago

Content Warning

It will become inevitably embarrassing if #Starship is launching dozens of times a year like #Falcon9 is, and #SLS 💰 once every two years. #FalconHeavy is the one SLS was originally in a race against, not Starship. https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/08/former-nasa-official-on-trying-to-stop-sls-there-was-just-such-visible-hostility/
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