SpaceX is preparing to launch the latest prototype of its Starship spacecraft thousands of feet into the air, then gently land it on the ground.
If the company can pull off this tricky maneuver: cut the rocket’s engines back as it plunges toward the Earth, just in time to turn it upright, slow its fall, and constantly settle on a platform of landing, will be the first time the Starship vehicle has ventured so high and returned in one piece.
Elon Musk, who founded SpaceX in 2002, wants the final Starship-Super Heavy launch system to be fully and quickly reusable.
If Musk’s plan is successful, Starship can reduce the cost of reaching space 1,000 times, boost hypersonic travel around the world to Earth, and fly astronauts to the Moon.
Musk tea dit that his final plan is to build 1,000 starships that will carry enough people and cargo to Mars to build an independent and self-sufficient city.
SpaceX first launched such a Starship prototype on December 8th. Called Starship No. 8, or SN8, it roared tens of thousands of feet above the company’s expanding facilities in Boca Chica, Texas.
Then, SN8 tilted his nose forward, cut off the engines, and began to plummet. As the vehicle approached the ground in a belly-free fall, it fired the engines again to turn vertically and slow down the descent.
However, low pressure on a propulsion tank caused the spacecraft to fall too quickly, crash into its landing pad and explode catastrophically.
SpaceX still considered the seven-minute test flight to be a success, as it was an inherent experiment, and it flew higher than ever and performed unprecedented maneuvers.
For example, the SN8’s flight achieved sequential rocket engine shutdowns, aerial turns, and a belly flop that became stable through wing flaps. (Previous test flights had been “hops,” with prototypes being launched a few hundred yards into the air and then landing at the lower distance).
Now, SpaceX is ready for another major test flight, and this time it could land.
Like its predecessor, the new prototype, called the SN9, measures 16 floors and runs on three Raptor engines. The SN9 overturned inside a built-in vertical assembly December 11th, but SpaceX seemed to make quick repairs and launch it onto a launch pad on the beach.
In preparation for launch, SpaceX slowed the SN9 and tested the engines three times on Wednesday, a record static fire rate for the Starship program.
The company seemed ready to launch this week, but two of the engines needed repairs, Musk he tweeted Thursday. Musk added who hopes that SpaceX can speed up the engine exchange process so that it takes “a few hours at most.”
It looks like SpaceX is headed for a launch on Monday. The Federal Aviation Administration issued a notice to close the airspace for rocket launch from Boca Chica for that day from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. CST. The FAA issued similar warnings for Tuesday and Wednesday: backup dates in case weather or errors cause SpaceX to delay the test flight.
Both airspace closure and local road closure are required for the launch. Cameron County Judge has issued Boca Chica road closure notices for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST.
How to watch SN9 launch attempt live
SpaceX can stream the live launch attempt to YouTube. Several online stations, such as NASASpaceFlight.com and LabPadre, also plan to stream live video footage of the flight. We will incorporate these live feeds below when they are available.
A number of events usually precede the launch of the Starship prototype.
A couple of hours earlier, SpaceX will clean up staff at the launch site. About an hour before the flight, storage tanks at the launch site will begin venting gases as SpaceX prepares to power Starship with cryogenic fuels. Subsequent feeding causes Starship to expel gases from the top, indicating that the launch could occur within minutes.
Bad weather, a technical error, or a ship entering the launch danger zone (a new challenge for Starship) can cause delays.
This article was originally published by Business Insider.
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