SpaceX is preparing to launch the latest prototype of its Starship spacecraft with thousands of feet in the air, then land it lightly on the ground.
If the company can stop this complicated maneuver – cutting the rocket engines again as it crashes to Earth, just in time to rotate it upright, slow it down and constantly sit on a landing pad – it will be the first Starship Vehicle he ventured so high and came back in one piece.
Elon Musk, who founded SpaceX in 2002, wants the final Starship-Super Heavy launch system to be completely and quickly reusable.
If Musk’s plan succeeds, Starship can reduce the cost of reaching space 1,000 times, allowing hypersonic travels around the world to Earth and astronauts to fly to the moon.
Musk are said that his ultimate plan is to build 1,000 astral ships carrying enough people and cargo to Mars to build an independent, self-sustaining city there.
SpaceX first launched a Starship prototype of this kind on December 8th. Named the Starship series no. 8 or SN8, screamed tens of thousands of meters above the company’s expanding facilities in Boca Chica, Texas.
SN8 then straightened his nose forward, stopped his engines and began to descend. As the vehicle approached the ground in a belly-free fall, it restarted its engines to turn upright and slow down.
However, low pressure in a propulsion tank caused the spacecraft to fall too fast, hit the landing pad and explode catastrophically.
SpaceX, however, considered the seven-minute test flight a success, however, because it was inherently an experiment – and one that flew higher than ever and performed unprecedented maneuvers.
For example, flight SN8 made sequential stops of the rocket engine, air dampers and a belly flop stabilized by wing flaps. (Previous test flights were “hops,” with prototypes that launched several hundred feet into the air and then landed at a distance.)
Now, SpaceX is set for another major test flight, and this time it could block the landing.
Like its predecessor, the new prototype, called the SN9, has 16 floors and is powered by three Raptor engines. SN9 overturned inside a built-in vertical assembly December 11th, but SpaceX seemed to make quick repairs and run it on a launch pad on the beach.
In preparation for the launch, SpaceX blocked SN9 and launched its engine three times on Wednesday – a record static rate of fire for the Starship program.
The company seemed ready to launch this week, but two of the engines needed repairs, Musk posted on Twitter on Thursday. Musk added that he hopes SpaceX can speed up the process of changing the engine so that it takes “at most a few hours.”
SpaceX looks set to launch on Monday. The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a notice to close the airspace for a rocket launch from Boca Chica for that day, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. CST. The FAA issued similar notifications for Tuesday and Wednesday – back-up data if weather or errors cause SpaceX to delay the test flight.
Both the closure of the airspace and the closure of local roads are necessary for the launch. The judge of Cameron County issued notifications of closing the Boca Chica road for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 8 am to 17:00 CST.
How to watch live SN9 launch attempt
SpaceX can broadcast the launch attempt live on YouTube. Several online broadcasters, such as NASASpaceFlight.com and LabPadre, also plan to broadcast live video images of the flight. We’ll incorporate these live streams below once they’re available.
A series of events usually precede the launch of the Starship prototype.
A few hours in advance, SpaceX will eliminate the launch staff. About an hour before the flight, the storage tanks at the launch site will begin to release gas as SpaceX prepares to refuel Starship with cryogenic fuels. Subsequent powering causes Starship to release gas from its tip, signaling that the launch could take place in a few minutes.
Poor weather, a technical problem or a boat entering the danger zone of the launch – a new challenge for Starship – could lead to delays.
This article was originally published by Business Insider.
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