SpaceX (general discussion)

www.teslarati.com

SpaceX envisions massive rocket enclosure for military applications

SpaceX has published the first renders of a massive tower (MST) designed to fully enclose a Falcon Heavy rocket, giving the US military access to certain prized satellite payloads even when the vehicle is vertical at the launch pad. Stretching some 70 m (230 ft) tall and 12.2 m (40 ft) wide...
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High risk is the price of high tempo. They will need to isolate the failure before pressing further ahead on SN2.

SN1 proof test failure
 
A relief valve/burn-off at the top of the test article seemed to be triggering on and off after the test started. Part of the test or a possible clue to why it failed?
 
fredymac said:
They will need to isolate the failure before pressing further ahead on SN2.
Click to expand...
Elon Musk tweeted before the pressure test that, they used wrong settings of Argon welding on SN1.
Also he eschewed a question about number of engines on SN1 with answer SN2 will have 3 raptors
And there issue that all pressure system were on exterior of the hull.

SN1 was just Pressure Test article, no flight hardware...

Seems SpaceX have to look on Atlas and Blue Streak Missile to figure out how make good welded Tank.


Source:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1232556310874533888

https://twitter.com/x/status/1232437566932017154
 
Grey Havoc said:
A relief valve/burn-off at the top of the test article seemed to be triggering on and off after the test started. Part of the test or a possible clue to why it failed?
Click to expand...
That would be a bit of a clue, but the massive amount of (what appeared to be uncontrolled) venting from underneath SN1, for about 45 seconds prior to the explosion, would be more relevant I think.
We'll hopefully find out what happened in the next day or week, but I'm not so sure that it was a bulkhead or ring weld that initially failed. Unlike the other recent "Bopper" test tanks, SN1 wasn't meant to be tested to >100% design pressure (it still had a static fire to conduct in the next week or so), and it had additional plumbing, etc.
What might have happened was something like a pipe cracked / leaked, got worse, failed violently, and then (as 3+ bar of LN2 starts escaping) causes a transient shock to the structure that exceeds the design spec (and also maybe safety margin) of the lower bulkhead weld (which then causes SN1 to initiate its premature suborbital flight).
 
Whatever the reason may be, it would clearly delay the future development. Which is unfortunate; Starship is one of the most interesting current space program.

Still, Musk could always went back to F-H and try a "Starship Light" configuration - i.e. use a smaller version of Starship as F-H reusable upper stage.
 
Dilandu said:
it would clearly delay the future development.
Click to expand...

Musk tweeted that SN2 is already under construction

But there more for moment, about expansion of Production
remember the L.A. Harbor land that SpaceX had for composite Starships hulls and abandon it ?
Now it seems that SpaceX and L.A. city council made a deal to install there Starship related production.
While in Florida on KSC, SpaceX is building large facility. (who replace that now abandon site in Florida with Mk II.)

Now SpaceX is now building Starship near Launch side Boca Cica, means also at KSC once that facility is operational
But L.A. harbor ? want SpaceX a piece of Vandenberg AFB ?
but Musk say interview with Robert Zubrin "next our launch sites we will use sea platforms to launch Starships"
Now that make L.A. harbor very attractive !

i not worry about the failures, so long SpaceX getting the bugs out, after each failure and progress until Success
See there issue with a Falcon 9 landing took over 2 years, but it worked.

and gave us this iconic moment ( i wonder how guy react wenn first Superheavy made landing... it like Saturn V IC stage would return)
 
Elon Musk on Rocket Design, hours before SN1 test
during Air Warfare Symposium on February 28, 2020
 
Reality is the best simulation. A few explosions in tests will contribute more to faster progress than a million Powerpoints. That's what Elon Musk knows, what Congress doesn't and NASA daren't.
 
Spacex polar launch from KSC. It will be interesting to see how many others shift away from Vandenberg as this becomes politically viable (again).

 
Michel Van said:
i wonder how the cubans gonna react on that news...
Click to expand...


It is almost 500km from KSC to Cuba and MECO occurs very early. By the time the 2nd stage reaches Cuba it will be well over 100km altitude. Add in the fact that these launches can be viewed live on internet so there will be no issue of "surprise". Still, I would expect the usual protests just because.
 
When the rockets are launched, they go east don't they ? why would they be going south ?
 
kitnut617 said:
When the rockets are launched, they go east don't they ? why would they be going south ?
Click to expand...

To hit a polar (north-south) orbit.

Seems this corridor has been available since 2017/2018, but no one has needed it before. And it requires an automatic flight termination system, so SpaceX was the only potential user.

www.floridatoday.com

Southbound? Cape rockets may fly new path toward poles

The Air Force says some polar launches are now possible from Cape Canaveral, potentially bringing more missions to Florida.
www.floridatoday.com
 
Those are very different -- sounding rockets that reach the upper atmosphere or the edge of space but are nowhere near orbital velocity. They're being launched in Alaska because they want to investigate Aurora borealis, which happens at higher latitudes.

Satellites in polar orbits go roughly from pole to pole while the Earth turns under them.
 
science.slashdot.org

Elon Musk Wants To Build a New Starship Every 72 Hours - Slashdot

Ars Technica's senior space editor visited SpaceX's South Texas Launch Site for a long profile of Elon Musk (who was wearing an "Occupy Mars" t-shirt). Just two weeks ago Musk had called an all-hands meeting at 1 a.m. which led to a massive hiring spree of 252 people, doubling the site's...
science.slashdot.org
 

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