Posted on 08/08/2021 3:27:33 PM PDT by BenLurkin
Together, the integrated Starship stood around 120 meters (390 feet) tall, while the addition of the orbital launch stand increased that to 145 m (475 feet) – which is taller than the Pyramid of Giza (138.5 m; 454 ft). The stacking was the first time that the Starship and Super Heavy were fully integrated, a major milestone for the company that puts them one step closer to making an orbital flight test.
The integration was part of an accelerated work order that came to be nicknamed the “Warp 9” surge. This included bringing hundreds of employees in from other sites around the country to assist in operations. By Friday, Aug. 6th, The two elements were integrated just long enough to get a sense of how they would hold up on flight day; and, of course, for observers to take millions of pictures, shoot videos, and live-tweet the event!
They were then unstacked, and the SN20 was returned to the High Bay while the BN4 remained on the orbital launch stand. Next, the two elements are expected to undergo a series of ground tests, which will likely include Static Fire tests for the BN4 booster. This will allow the company to complete and integrate the final elements of the Starship at the Orbital Launch Site (OLS), which is where it will launch to conduct the orbital test flight.
(Excerpt) Read more at universetoday.com ...
Watched it live streamed was something to see
The SpaceX rockets have the look of the sci-fi rockets I grew up reading about as a kid. Very cool.
Meanwhile the Boeing SLS is a giant black hole that sucks money.
I have some designs that I gave to Blue Origin that were incorporated into their latest launch vehicles..
Mars Mission Update: June 2021 - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLaUM2XbyJc
Very exciting. I watched the long livestreams of the Starship suborbital tests. It was high drama watching each attempt to stick the landing.
I look forward to seeing these massive beasts being tested the same way.
Now that is a beautiful rocket.
The sclerotic intellects at NASA never could give up their boring white and black paint scheme.
Taller than the Saturn V by a little.
That’s a weird spelling for “jobs program”.
So unexpected that Boeing wouldn’t have an efficient, well managed program. /s
Beautiful outside!
And inside!
I have seen the Saturn V boosters up close in Houston, even driven past the fully stacked/vertical one in Huntsville. Hard to imagine something *bigger* flying...
“The SpaceX rockets have the look of the sci-fi rockets I grew up reading about as a kid. Very cool.”
Yeah, they look like how I imagined rockets in books like “Rocket Rescue”
That is one BFR.
The larger crane is no slouch either.
What is boarding configuration?
Wouldn’t it make more sense to set them directly into their launch seats, and use the “boarding” deck for something else?
Now to see if all that power sends it to Space or shakes it apart
The way I interpret those three levels, is each one can be like any of the others. All three can be boarding, all three can be sleeping, all three can be launch. The seats are upright, reclined, or opened up to make a bed. The artist rendering helps to see what each configuration looks like.
I wondered how many people on board, and how many bathrooms. Time aloft?
still not as tall as the Washington Monument!!!
(Was it racist for me to say that?)
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