There are constructing this second stage test article right out in the open in a matter of weeks.
Posted on 01/04/2019 7:42:19 AM PST by Moonman62
The SpaceX Starhopper seems like the fastest development of a prototype rocket outside of a wartime rocket program. The purpose of the inexpensive testing is to have the first flight tests of the new Raptor engine. Three of the engines have been placed in a row and the tests will allow control software to be tested and the throttling of the engines to be tested.
The Starhopper rocket should be stacked and welded into one piece within a few days or weeks. The Texas launch pad is still being built and is still piled dirt.
The work on the rocket and the launch pad will come together over the next 60 days and then the rocket will be moved to the launch pad for a first flight in March or April 2019.
SpaceX is getting the regulatory license to fly to about 5000 meters and to go faster than the speed of sound.
SpaceX wants to build and fly to orbit with the full orbital version of the Super Heavy Starship in 2020. This would be with seven raptor engines for the new top stage of a full two vehicle.
The first orbital version may not have the full windows and cockpit of the completed rocket. It would likely also be a more complete prototype.
(Excerpt) Read more at nextbigfuture.com ...
Interesting! It looks like all the information for that article came from twitter. People like to diss twitter but for breaking news not covered by legacy media twitter is where it’s at. If you don’t have twitter then you are days/weeks behind and get only what the secondary sources reporting off twitter want you to see. Twitter is becoming a great primary news source.
Interesting! It looks like all the information for that article came from twitter.
...
Yep. Local SpaceX fans are going out to the SpaceX facility east of Brownsville everyday to take pictures.
SpaceX hasn’t had much to say about it and when they do it’s on Twitter. The few professional news stations that have done stories are also taking their information from the local fans.
That image isn’t showing up. Which one were you trying to post?
Sure it's not showing up for you? I usually "refresh" my preview, and that normally shows when a website doesn't allow hotlinking of images.
Nope. The image is probably in your cache which is why it shows up for you.
Yep, and my hitting 'refresh' on the browser when previewing a post usually causes the image to either go away or be replaced with a "no image hotlinking" message from the website. Sorry it didn't work this time.
My bad, it’s a browser thing. Even my link doesn’t work in Internet Explorer, but works fine in Chrome.
“The SpaceX Starhopper seems like the fastest development of a prototype rocket outside of a wartime rocket program.”
That’s what I admire about Musk. He does things in one tenth of the time it takes most other people and especially government agencies.
Here's what the hopper is supposed to look like when finished, but I don't think it will be that smooth. This is only the second stage and this hopper is only about three quarters of the height of the production stage.
First flight should be in 8 to 10 weeks.
I've read that the company doing the structural work builds water tanks. That's one way to save money.
“I’ve read that the company doing the structural work builds water tanks. That’s one way to save money.”
Musk is one tightwad SOB. As such, he has managed to drastically cut the cost of launching satellite. He’s a force of nature.
If you get a chance read his biography. He’s like Steve Jobs on steroids.
I read the biography about a year ago. I used to follow Jobs. I wasn’t a fan, but I found him an entertaining representative of the tech world. Plus I told a friend that Apple was a good by when Jobs returned. I wish I would have listened to myself.
When Jobs died I wondered who would fill the void, and then there was Musk. I’d already followed SpaceX casually for some time. Ever since they were destroying rockets out in the Pacific.
I also think that Musk and Trump have a lot in common.
“I also think that Musk and Trump have a lot in common.”
I agree,especially when it comes to style. They’re both doers and don’t suffer fools easily.
That’s the image I tried to post. It looks like someone took the photos of the three sections (base, mid, and nose) and stuck them together in Photoshop, the put an artist’s rendering of what the final product may look like.
Thanks for finding a linkable version.
Thanks Moonman62. The most interesting vid I've seen about it was Scott Manley's. Uh, I think this is it:
What's Going On With SpaceX's Stainless Steel Starship?
A couple tons of Bondo, a lot of sanding, and she'll be smooth as you know what. Then a few thousand cans of this and it will be perfect.
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