All articles tagged with #launchpad
Originally Published 3 months ago — by Space
SpaceX has moved its Starship spacecraft to the launch pad in South Texas for upcoming testing, including pressurization and engine tests, ahead of its 11th test flight, which aims to advance the development of vehicles potentially capable of launching humans to Mars.
Originally Published 1 year ago — by NASASpaceflight.com
SpaceX is ramping up preparations for Starship launches at Kennedy Space Center's Pad 39A, with significant construction activity observed, including a new orbital launch mount design. The Roberts Road facility is expanding, potentially becoming a new Starship production site. Meanwhile, SpaceX's Falcon 9 continues its high launch cadence, and other companies like Stoke Space and Relativity are advancing their launch site developments in Florida, aiming for future launches.
Originally Published 2 years ago — by Digital Trends
NASA and Canoo Technologies have showcased the electric vehicle (EV) that will transport the Artemis II astronauts to the launchpad at the Kennedy Space Center for their lunar mission. The EVs will transport the astronauts from the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building to Launch Pad 39B, where the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft will be waiting. The Artemis II mission is a flyby mission that will last 10 days and confirm the capabilities of the Orion spacecraft's crew support system, paving the way for Artemis III, which aims to put the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface in 2025.
Originally Published 2 years ago — by Interesting Engineering
SpaceX is testing a powerful water deluge system at its South Texas Starbase facility to mitigate the fiery force of its Raptor engines during the second orbital launch attempt of its Starship. The test, captured in new footage, shows thousands of gallons of water shooting out from the orbital launch mount.
Originally Published 2 years ago — by Cryptonews
Tornado Cash experiences a dip of nearly 35% due to an unidentified attack, while Pepe secures the second-highest gainer position on Binance USDT pairs with a remarkable over 10% increase in the last 24 hours. DREP coin emerges as the top gainer on Binance, and Web3 coins like IDEX, DeeLance, and Launchpad gain traction in the crypto market.
Originally Published 2 years ago — by Los Angeles Times
SpaceX needs to repair and renovate its damaged launch site in Texas before attempting to send its Starship rocket into orbit again. The company is planning to add a pair of massive steel plates with pressurized water to dampen the effects of as many as 33 Raptor engines igniting during takeoff. However, industry experts are unsure if this will be enough to prevent another "rock tornado" like the one that destroyed the launchpad during the last attempt. The gold standard in the launch industry has been to build a flame trench, which SpaceX did not use. SpaceX has not yet applied for any modifications to its permit to add a steel plate structure or a flame trench.
Originally Published 2 years ago — by Bloomberg
SpaceX needs to repair and renovate its damaged launch site in Texas before attempting to send its Starship rocket into orbit again. The launch attempt on April 20 caused significant damage to the launchpad structure, and it remains unclear if the design changes SpaceX is planning will be sufficient to prevent a similar incident from occurring in the future.
Originally Published 2 years ago — by The Wall Street Journal
SpaceX plans to repair the damage to the launchpad caused by its first Starship flight and aims to launch a second rocket by early summer, according to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. The inaugural Starship flight on April 20 caused a hole in the launchpad.
Originally Published 2 years ago — by The Daily Beast
The FAA has grounded SpaceX's Starship program after the recent explosion that caused extensive damage to the launchpad and surrounding areas. The lack of a flame diverter underneath the launchpad caused chunks of concrete to fly into nearby buildings and infrastructure, as well as a car parked nearby. The explosion also caused debris and particulate matter to fly into the ocean and a nearby wildlife sanctuary, dredging up tensions with SpaceX and environmental activists. SpaceX's move-fast-and-break-things ethos might now do them more harm than good as they seek to take more people into space and run missions at a vastly increased pace.
Originally Published 2 years ago — by Yahoo! Voices
SpaceX's Starship rocket caused significant damage to its launchpad during liftoff, leaving a large crater beneath the circular launch mount in Boca Chica, Texas. The damage has raised questions about when Starship will be able to attempt another orbital launch. The rocket exploded minutes after lifting off, failing to make it into orbit. The cause of the explosion is still unknown. SpaceX is optimistic about the launch, but it's unclear when Starship will fly again.
Originally Published 2 years ago — by The Washington Post
SpaceX's Starship rocket launch scattered debris for hundreds of yards, leaving a crater under its launch mount, dents in nearby storage tanks, and questions about the extent of the repairs and when SpaceX might be able to attempt to launch again. Videos showed shrapnel striking the nearby beach and pummeling the shoreline, making it seem like a war zone. The FAA said that no one was hurt and no public property was damaged. SpaceX had been hoping to launch another Starship within “a few months,” but that will depend on how widespread the damage is and how quickly SpaceX can repair it.
Originally Published 2 years ago — by Yahoo! Voices
Elon Musk expressed concern that the launchpad could melt if SpaceX's Starship rocket "fireballed" during takeoff, which would be a "very bad day." The launch is scheduled for Monday, but Musk warned of possible delays and said it would take several months to rebuild the launchpad if it exploded. Despite the risks, Musk said he was excited about the launch and the potential for Starship to fly to the moon and Mars.