Posted on 05/05/2021 4:12:07 PM PDT by markman46
paceX launches Starship SN15 rocket and sticks the landing in high-altitude test flight By Mike Wall 8 minutes ago
"Landing nominal," Elon Musk says.
Click here for more Space.com videos... SpaceX's SN15 stuck the landing.
The private spaceflight company's latest Starship prototype aced a high-altitude test flight today (May 5), checking every box from takeoff to touchdown for the first time.
"We are down! The Starship has landed," John Insprucker, SpaceX's principal integration engineer, said during live commentary.
Today's uncrewed test came on the 60th anniversary of the United States' first-ever crewed spaceflight, the suborbital jaunt of NASA astronaut Alan Shepard. The historical parallel is coincidental but appropriate, for SN15's success marks a big step forward in SpaceX's plans to help extend humanity's footprint out into the final frontier.
(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...
Oh I don’t put anything past Elon, he is on a mission moon and Mars, just wish I was young enough to go. 😩
I’m getting too old to go, but maybe in 10-15 years if Blue Origin hops get reasonable. The moon/mars will be the future! :)
And it didn’t blow up!!!!! Yay!!!
That was excess methane burning off.
The lander needs a booster to send it to the moon or a parking orbit. The Artemis Program and SLS aren't going to be there for it.
The booster in LEO is already planned for. The refuel in LEO, then take off to the moon for HLS.
Artemis will just be the transport up and down to the gateway. I’m not sure what your issue is.
The legacy aerospace comp, are not even close to SpaceX, the chinks have a long way to go. Not sure just how many manned flights they have. There Mars rover has not landed yet
Boeing is still trying for a Starliner unmanned test after their system nearly crashed at least twice up and down. And for twice the money SpaceX cost.
I’m all for backup systems, but this has been not good.
Boeing didn’t do a software with hardware testing they were lucky to reach orbit at all. I think starliner oft2 is late summer. SpaceX is on crew2.
Starliner will be an unmanned test next, I know that for sure. It’ll be nearly a year after SpaceX’s dragon.
I’m not against 2 options for space, but Boeing needs to be liable I think for all these problems.
7:05 duration — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmRrnyDssZc
And this is called, stickin’ to Jeff Bezos:
[snip] Today’s uncrewed test came on the 60th anniversary of the United States’ first-ever crewed spaceflight, the suborbital jaunt of NASA astronaut Alan Shepard. [/snip]
Ya there are doing the unscrewed test on their dime.. they screwed up
The thing that hits me once in a while is, a couple of years ago, landing prime boosters for reuse became not only possible, but reliable, to the point that it’s unusual when they don’t stick the F9 landings, and even a little boring. :^) Great time to be alive, from that perspective.
Yeah, I’ve had that exact same problem.
Doing things NASA couldn’t have dreamed of 15 years ago, nevermind at the beginning of the space race.
—
Or today. Hidebound bureaucrats they are.
Woke Boeing hit hardest
This is impressive, but its still only 10km, not space flight. As I recall, the rocket equations used in the Apollo days (when most of the physics of space flight were solved) showed that single stage to orbit was not nearly as efficient as multi stage, dumping the useless mass as you go. I would really like to see the math that supports that this single stage to orbit concept will allow for a reasonable payload AND propellant for a soft return to the pad.
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