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Mission type | Flight test |
---|---|
Operator | SpaceX |
Mission duration | ~8 minutes, 06 seconds (achieved) 90 minutes (planned) |
Orbits completed | <1 (planned) Not achieved |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft | Starship S25, Super Heavy B9 |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | November 18, 2023, 13:02:50UTC |
Rocket | Starship |
Launch site | Starbase |
Contractor | SpaceX |
Orbital parameters | |
Regime | Transatmospheric Earth orbit (planned) |
Periapsis altitude | 50 km (31 mi) (planned) −1,740 km (−1,080 mi) (reached) [1] |
Apoapsis altitude | 250 km (160 mi) (planned) 148 km (92 mi) (reached) [2] [3] |
SpaceX Starship flights |
On November 18, 2023, SpaceX performed the second integrated near-orbital flight of its Starship rocket. [4] The mission's primary objectives were for Starship to enter transatmospheric orbit, re-enter the atmosphere above the Pacific Ocean, and make a splashdown near Kauai. [5] [6] [7]
The rocket successfully lifted off under the power of all 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy booster and made it through stage separation. The booster then had multiple engine failures and exploded after beginning its boostback burn, while the Starship second stage continued to fly for over 8 minutes, reaching an altitude of 148 km (92 mi) before being destroyed by the flight termination system. [8] [9] [10] The Federal Aviation Administration issued a statement confirming that an anomaly had occurred and that there are no reports of public property damage or injuries. [11] SpaceX described the test as a success. [8]
After the first test flight in April 2023 ended in the destruction of the Starship vehicle, [12] significant work was done on the launch mount to repair the damage it sustained during the test and to prevent future issues. [13]
Meanwhile, following Starship's first flight failure, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) required SpaceX to conduct an investigation on the mishap, grounding Starship pending the outcome of their investigation. [14] [15] The FAA closed the investigation on September 8, 2023. [16] [17] The FWS concluded its environmental review on November 14, [18] and the FAA gave its approval for launch shortly after. [19] [20]
Following Starship's first flight failure, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) required SpaceX to conduct an investigation on the mishap, grounding Starship pending the outcome of their investigation. [21] [22] The FAA would oversee the investigation, a standard practice when a vehicle was lost in flight. [23] The agency grounded Starship flights during the investigation, also a standard practice, [22] [24] and said that "a return to flight of the Starship/Super Heavy vehicle is based on the FAA determining that any system, process or procedure related to the mishap does not affect public safety" and that there were no reports of injuries or public property damage. [25] [26] The FAA also announced that it would monitor the cleanup, which included the standard removal of launch debris from "sensitive habitats". [27] On May 15, SpaceX filed a request for FCC approval for a second flight between June 15 and December 15, using Booster 9 and Ship 25. [28] In August, SpaceX submitted an initial mishap report to NASA for review and approval. [29] [30]
The FAA stated in September 2023 [21] [31]Following SpaceX's final report, the FAA closed the investigation on September 8, 2023. [31] [32] In the same statement, FAA officials emphasized that "The closure of the mishap investigation does not signal an immediate resumption of Starship launches at Boca Chica." [31] [33] And that SpaceX first had to "implement all corrective actions that impact public safety" and applied for a "license modification from the FAA" that addresses the FAA's "safety and other environmental regulatory requirements". [31] [34] The FAA also announced that the full investigatory report would not be released due to confidential contents including export control information. [34]Following the launch, the FAA [...] required SpaceX to conduct a mishap investigation in accordance with its approved mishap plan under FAA oversight. The FAA conducted a final review of the mishap report, dated August 21, 2023 . The primary focus of this review was to ensure [...] the identification of root cause(s) and implementation of corrective actions to avoid a recurrence of the event. The FAA has been provided with sufficient information and accepts the root causes and corrective actions described in the mishap report. Consequently, the FAA considers the mishap investigation that SpaceX was required to complete to be concluded. The final mishap investigation report [lower-alpha 1] cited a total of sixty-three (63) corrective actions for SpaceX to implement. These included actions to address redesigns of vehicle hardware to prevent leaks and fires, redesign of the launch pad to increase its robustness, incorporation of additional reviews in the design process, additional analysis and testing of safety critical. [21]
By September 2023, the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) had not yet started a formal review of SpaceX's modifications, and based on the 135 day review period, the launch could have been postponed to NET 2024. [35] [36] The FWS received the final biological assessment from the Federal Aviation Administration.[ citation needed ] William H. Gerstenmaier, SpaceX's Vice President of Build and Flight Reliability, called on the FAA to increase licensing staff. [37] [38] On October 19, 2023 the FWS surveyed the area around Starbase and the consultation with the FAA has been extended into November. [39] [40] The FWS reviewed the changes to the launch pad, especially the water deluge system. [41] By October 31, 2023, the FAA had concluded the safety review portion of the launch license. [42] [43]
The FAA closed the investigation on September 8, 2023. [16] [17] The FWS concluded its environmental review on November 14, [18] and the FAA gave its approval for launch shortly after. [19] [20]
After the first test flight in April 2023 ended in the destruction of the Starship vehicle, [12] significant work was done on the launch mount to repair the damage it sustained during the test and to prevent future issues. [13] The foundation of the launch tower was reinforced and a steel water deluge flame deflector was built under the launch mount. [13] Ship 25 was rolled to the suborbital launch site in May 2023 and underwent spin prime and static fire testing ahead of flight. [44] Once that was completed, Booster 9 was rolled to the launch site to undergo cryogenic proof testing, spin primes and static fires of its set of engines. By November 15, 2023 Ship 25 was stacked onto B9 for launch. [45]
On November 14, 2023, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) concluded its environmental review. [20] The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted the flight its launch license on November 15, 2023. [46]
Significant changes implemented by SpaceX compared to the previous flight include an expansion of the Super Heavy's fire suppression system in order to mitigate any potential engine bay fires. [47] SpaceX re-qualified their autonomous flight safety system, [47] which had malfunctioned during the first flight. [48]
Other changes unrelated to the previous flights include a hot stage separation system in which Starship's second-stage engines ignite while Starship is still attached to the booster, pushing the two apart. [47] SpaceX replaced the hydraulic systems of Super Heavy Raptor engines with thrust vector control driven by electric motors, citing fewer potential points of failure and more energy efficiency. [47]
The orbital launch mount and pad system was reinforced in a way that, according to SpaceX, should prevent a recurrence of the pad foundation failure observed during the first flight test. [47] SpaceX also added, and tested, a flame deflector for the launchpad. [47]
The spacecraft flight plan was to lift off from SpaceX's Starbase facility along the south Texas coast, then conduct a partial orbit around Earth. [49] The Super Heavy had a planned boostback burn followed by a soft water landing in the Gulf of Mexico, similarly to a Falcon 9 performing a return to launch site landing (RTLS). [50] The Starship spacecraft was then to re-enter the atmosphere and perform a water landing in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii, without performing a landing burn. [50] [49]
Time | Event | November 18 |
---|---|---|
−02:00:00 | SpaceX Flight Director conducts a poll and verifies go for propellant loading | Success |
−01:37:00 | Super Heavy (booster) propellant load (liquid oxygen and liquid methane) underway | Success |
−01:17:00 | Starship fuel loading (liquid methane) underway | Success |
−01:13:00 | Starship oxidizer loading (liquid oxygen) underway | Success |
−00:19:40 | Booster engine chill | Success |
−00:00:10 | Flame deflector (water deluge system) activation | Success |
−00:00:03 | Booster engine ignition | Success |
00:00:02 | Liftoff | Success |
00:00:52 | Max q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket) | Success |
00:02:39 | Booster most engine cutoff (MECO) | Success |
00:02:41 | Starship engine ignition and stage separation (hot-staging) [52] | Success |
00:02:53 | Booster boostback burn startup | 9/10 engines were initially relit with multiple engines failing shortly after |
00:03:47 | Booster boostback burn shutdown | Boostback burn failed due to progressive engine failures, followed by the destruction of the booster at T+3:21 |
00:06:18 | Booster is transonic | — |
00:06:30 | Booster landing burn startup | — |
00:06:48 | Booster splashdown | — |
00:08:33 | Starship engine cutoff (SECO) | Burn aborted and vehicle terminated at T+8:05, potentially due to propellant leaks causing vehicle to deplete fuel and oxidizer faster than expected |
01:17:21 | Starship atmospheric re-entry interface | — |
01:28:43 | Starship is transonic | — |
01:30:00 | Starship Pacific impact | — |
On November 11, 2023, SpaceX announced that they were targeting a launch date of November 17, pending regulatory approval. [53] On November 14, the FWS concluded its environmental review, and the FAA gave its approval for launch. [20] [46] On November 16, the flight was delayed one day, [54] due to a grid fin actuator needing to be replaced on B9. [55]
The first launch attempt of the second integrated flight test occurred on November 18 at 13:03 UTC (8:03 a.m. EST, 7:03 a.m. CST). [49] Booster 9 and Ship 25 lifted off the pad. [56] The rocket encountered maximum aerodynamic stress (Max q ) with no anomalies reported. [52] Starship executed a successful hot-stage separation, powering down all but three of Super Heavy’s Raptor engines and successfully igniting the six second stage Raptor engines before separating the vehicles. [52]
Following separation, the Super Heavy booster completed its flip maneuver and initiated the boostback burn, before exploding. [52] [58] [59] The vehicle breakup occurred more than three and a half minutes into the flight at an altitude of ~90 km over the Gulf of Mexico. [52] Starship's six second stage Raptor engines then all started and powered the vehicle to an altitude of 148 km, above common boundaries of space, and a velocity of ~24,000 km/h, becoming the first Starship to reach outer space and nearly completing its full-duration burn. [52] [60]
Near the end of Starship second stage burn, after over eight minutes of flight, prior to engine cutoff, telemetry was lost on the second stage. [52] SpaceX said that a safe command destroyed the second stage [52] prior to achieving its planned orbit or attempting re-entry. [61] According to astronomer Jonathan McDowell, at his predicted re-entry point, NOAA weather radar picked up a debris cloud a few hundred miles north of the Virgin Islands. [57]
SpaceX and Cameron County reopened the road to the launch site a few hours after the launch. This was noted by CNN as a faster reopening than during the first flight attempt, when it remained closed for two days. [8] NASA administrator Bill Nelson and astronaut Chris Hadfield congratulated SpaceX. [62]
Elon Musk later stated that the water deluge would not require any refurbishment for IFT-3. [63] According to SpaceX, the water-cooled flame deflector and other pad upgrades performed as expected, requiring minimal post-launch work to be ready for upcoming vehicle tests and the next integrated flight test. [52]
A reusable launch vehicle has parts that can be recovered and reflown, while carrying payloads from the surface to outer space. Rocket stages are the most common launch vehicle parts aimed for reuse. Smaller parts such as rocket engines and boosters can also be reused, though reusable spacecraft may be launched on top of an expendable launch vehicle. Reusable launch vehicles do not need to make these parts for each launch, therefore reducing its launch cost significantly. However, these benefits are diminished by the cost of recovery and refurbishment.
Space Exploration Technologies Corp., commonly referred to as SpaceX, is an American spacecraft manufacturer, launch service provider, defense contractor and satellite communications company headquartered in Hawthorne, California. The company was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk with the goal of reducing space transportation costs and to colonize Mars. The company currently operates the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets along with the Dragon spacecraft.
Falcon 9 is a partially reusable medium-lift launch vehicle that can carry cargo and crew into Earth orbit, designed, manufactured and launched by American aerospace company SpaceX. It can also be used as an expendable heavy-lift launch vehicle. The first Falcon 9 launch was on 4 June 2010. The first Falcon 9 commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS) launched on 8 October 2012. In 2020 it became the first commercial rocket to ever launch humans to orbit and is currently the only such vehicle capable of doing so. It is the only U.S. rocket currently certified for transporting humans to the ISS. In 2022, it became the U.S. rocket with the most launches in history and with the best safety record, having suffered just one flight failure.
Launch vehicle system tests assess the readiness of a launch system to safely reach orbit. Launch vehicles undergo system tests before they launch. Wet dress rehearsals (WDR) and more extensive static fire tests prepare fully assembled launch vehicles and their associated ground support equipment (GSE) prior to launch. The spacecraft/payload may or may not be attached to the launch vehicle during the WDR or static fire, but sufficient elements of the rocket and all relevant ground support equipment are in place to help verify that the rocket is ready for flight.
Falcon 9 prototypes were experimental flight test reusable rockets that performed vertical takeoffs and landings. The project was privately funded by SpaceX, with no funds provided by any government until later on. Two prototypes were built, and both were launched from the ground.
SpaceX manufactures launch vehicles to operate its launch provider services and to execute its various exploration goals. SpaceX currently manufactures and operates the Falcon 9 Full Thrust family of medium-lift launch vehicles and the Falcon Heavy family of heavy-lift launch vehicles – both of which powered by SpaceX Merlin engines and employing VTVL technologies to reuse the first stage. As of 2023, the company is also developing the fully reusable Starship launch system, which will replace the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy.
SpaceX has privately funded the development of orbital launch systems that can be reused many times, similar to the reusability of aircraft. SpaceX has developed technologies over the last decade to facilitate full and rapid reuse of space launch vehicles. The project's long-term objectives include returning a launch vehicle first stage to the launch site within minutes and to return a second stage to the launch pad following orbital realignment with the launch site and atmospheric reentry in up to 24 hours. SpaceX's long term goal would have been reusability of both stages of their orbital launch vehicle, and the first stage would be designed to allow reuse a few hours after return. Development of reusable second stages for Falcon 9 was later abandoned in favor of the development of Starship, however, SpaceX has been developing reusable payload fairings for the Falcon 9.
Starbase is a spaceport, production, and development facility for Starship rockets, located at Boca Chica, Texas, United States. It has been under construction since the late 2010s by SpaceX, an American aerospace manufacturer.
SpaceX has stated its ambition to facilitate the colonization of Mars via the development of the Starship launch vehicle. The company claims that this is necessary for the long-term survival of the human species and that its Mars program will reduce space transportation costs, thereby making travel to Mars a more realistic possibility.
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A super heavy-lift launch vehicle is a rocket that can lift to low Earth orbit a "super heavy payload", which is defined as more than 50 metric tons (110,000 lb) by the United States and as more than 100 metric tons (220,000 lb) by Russia. It is the most capable launch vehicle classification by mass to orbit, exceeding that of the heavy-lift launch vehicle classification.
Starship is a two-stage super heavy lift launch vehicle and spacecraft under development by SpaceX. It is the heaviest, tallest and most powerful space launch vehicle to have flown. Starship is intended to be fully reusable, which means both stages will be recovered after a mission and reused.
SpaceX Starship flight tests include ten launches of prototypes of the Starship spacecraft on suborbital and low-altitude tests, and two orbital trajectory flights of the entire Starship launch vehicle with the Starship prototype atop the Super Heavy first-stage booster. Designed and operated by private manufacturer SpaceX, the flown prototypes of Starship so far are Starhopper, SN5, SN6, SN8, SN9, SN10, SN11, SN15, Ship 24 stacked with Booster 7, and Ship 25 stacked with Booster 9.
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ABL Space Systems is an American aerospace and launch service provider, based in El Segundo, California, that manufactures deployable launch vehicles and infrastructure for sending commercial small satellites into orbit. The company manufactures its components in the United States.
On April 20, 2023, SpaceX performed the first integrated near-orbital flight of its Starship rocket. The prototype vehicle was destroyed less than four minutes after lifting off from the SpaceX Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas. The vehicle became the most powerful rocket ever flown, breaking the half-century-old record held by the Soviet Union's N1 rocket.
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Super Heavy is the first stage of the SpaceX Starship super heavy-lift launch vehicle, which it composes in combination with the Starship second-stage. As of 2023, Super Heavy prototypes are being flight tested. In April 2023, Super Heavy flew for the first time on the first orbital launch attempt of the Starship rocket.
Starship is a spacecraft and second stage under development by American aerospace company SpaceX. Stacked atop its booster, Super Heavy, it composes the identically named Starship super heavy-lift space vehicle. The spacecraft is designed to transport both crew and cargo to a variety of destinations, including Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, and potentially beyond. It is intended to enable long duration interplanetary flights for a crew of up to 100 people. It will also be capable of point-to-point transport on Earth, enabling travel to anywhere in the world in less than an hour. Furthermore, the spacecraft will be used to refuel other Starship vehicles to allow them to reach higher orbits to and other space destinations. Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, estimated in a tweet that 8 launches would be needed to completely refuel a Starship in low Earth orbit, having extrapolated this by using Starship's payload to orbit and combining it with how much fuel a fully fueled Starship contains. To land on bodies without an atmosphere, such as the Moon, Starship will fire its engines and thrusters to slow down.
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