SpaceX Demo-1: Falcon 9 static fire test [Crew Dragon/Dragon 2]

YouTube (Credit: SpaceX/Elon Musk) ^ | January 25, 2019 | posted on YT by SciNews

[SunkenCiv]

SpaceX conducted a static fire test of the Demo-1 Falcon 9 launch vehicle at the Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on 24 January 2019. The Demo-1 mission is SpaceX’s first uncrewed flight test of the Crew Dragon spacecraft, designed to transport astronauts to the International Space Station.

[SunkenCiv]

SpaceX Demo-1: Falcon 9 static fire test [Crew Dragon/Dragon 2]

[SunkenCiv]

SpaceX is closing in on the goal of returning NASA to the actual launching of astronauts.

[Moonman62]

Normally there’s only a few days between static fire and launch.

This static fire is also notable because the payload (capsule) was on top. SpaceX hasn’t done that since they had one blow up during a static fire test.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/video/2016/sep/02/spacex-rocket-explodes-on-the-launch-pad-at-cape-canaveral-video

[Moonman62]

Notice how the tower has been modified since it was used for the Shuttle. It also has a SpaceX access arm and is now painted in SpaceX colors of black and white.

[SunkenCiv]

Yeah, they were using the tower with some legacy (obsolete) hardware that the Shuttle had required. Perhaps the explosion was a blessing in disguise. :^)

[SunkenCiv]

Not earlier than February 23.

Eric Berger, Senior Space Editor at Ars Technica
https://twitter.com/SciGuySpace/status/1088585930494169093

[SunkenCiv]

SpaceX Reveals Potential Launch Date For Its Next Falcon Heavy Rocket
Jonathan O’Callaghan Contributor
Jan 29, 2019, 08:12am
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanocallaghan/2019/01/29/spacex-reveals-potential-launch-date-for-its-next-falcon-heavy-rocket/

[snip] In the filing on Monday January 28, SpaceX says it is aiming for no earlier than Thursday March 7, 2019 for the launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida... taking the Arabsat-6A spacecraft for Saudi Arabia to geostationary orbit. Weighing 6,000 kilograms (13,000 pounds), this satellite will provide communications services to the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. Rumours suggest that the boosters on this launch could be flown again weeks later on a third Falcon Heavy flight. SpaceX is apparently considering a rapid turnaround of the boosters, having them ready to launch again in 60 days. This will be for the launch of the United States Air Force’s (USAF) Space Test Program 2 (STP-2), launching more than two dozen satellites for the US military. [/snip]

(besides the unmanned test flight of the Crew Dragon, in February a Falcon 9 will send a lunar lander to the Moon for the Israeli company SpaceIL)

[SunkenCiv]

Last night Elon Musk posted a pair of low resolution images showing the new Raptor engine getting ready for testing at the Mcgregor, Texas facility. Raptor is a next generation design using full flow staged combustion cycle, a design which has never been successfully flown, but offers superior performance and reusability.

SpaceX's Full Size Raptor Rocket Engine Revealed By Elon Musk | Scott Manley | Published on Feb 1, 2019

[SunkenCiv]

There is video “footage” of the preliminary test — from the past few days — of the flight engine that will help launch the big-assed booster.

http://www.google.com/search?q=raptor+engine+boca+chica

[SunkenCiv]

SpaceX’s Huge Falcon Heavy Rocket Will Launch On Its 2nd Flight in March
By Mike Wall, Space.com Senior Writer | January 31, 2019 12:32pm ET
https://www.space.com/43189-spacex-falcon-heavy-launch-march-2019.html

(no-earlier-than March 7)

[Moonman62]

It appears to have been a success, except there was some green in the flame which could indicate that some metal was burning. There’s been no official word yet. The burn was for two seconds at 60% throttle and produced 106 metric tons of force.

[SunkenCiv]

Musk attributed that to a bit of copper. There are some internal parts which use ablative shielding. The proof of concept prototype was much smaller but the burn was much longer. They're probably shaking it down, checking it out, and will have a few more of these before a test burn that lasts the same period of time that an actual launch lasts.

[Moonman62]

I read on the SpaceX Reddit forum that the first Merlin engines also burned some copper. I guess the engineers have to be aggressive to save weight, and they don’t know if it will work until they do a real test.

I just hope it doen’t take too long to make adjustments, because I find the whole SpaceX program entertaining.

[Moonman62]

The Raptor has achieved enough thrust to be operational. The burned copper doesn’t seem to be a concern:

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/07/elon-musk-spacex-raptor-engine-achieved-power-needed-for-starship.html

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks mm62.