Posted on 07/14/2026 5:46:33 PM PDT by Robert A Cook PE
From the web:
SpaceX is targeting Thursday, July 16, 2026, for the 13th test flight of its Starship megarocket. The 90-minute launch window opens at 6:45 p.m. EDT (5:45 p.m. CT / 22:45 GMT) at the company's Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas.
Launch Details & Objectives: Mission: Starship Flight 13Vehicle: Version 3 (V3) Starship
Key Milestone: The test flight aims to test fixes to anomalies from the previous flight and will attempt to deploy the first batch of upgraded Starlink Version 3 satellites.
Viewing: SpaceX will host a live webcast of the flight test beginning about 30 minutes before liftoff, which you can watch on the SpaceX Launches page or via X (formerly Twitter) @SpaceX.
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Yay!!👏👏
There is a recent SpaceX video that included the 30 second static fire test of all 33 rocket engines on the SuperHeavy Booster.
The SuperHeavy Booster is 27 stories high. It pushes the equally huge Starship into space.
During the static fire test, the SuperHeavy Booster is locked down on the launch pad. The video shows the inside of the SpaceX mission control room. The entire building is shaking from the monstrous force of all 33 engines. Amazing.
Space X is where Musk shines.
There is one statistic which tells all and needs repeated, over and over: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20200001093
Space X puts something in orbit for 5% the cost of NASA.
NASA: $54,500/kg
Space X: $2,720/kg
= 0.0499082568807339 or ~ 5% the cost by mass.
Let me say that again a different way. NASA costs (((20 TIMES))) as much to put the same weight into orbit compared to Space X.
Space X is like a Shamwow commercial, “but wait, there is even more!”
https://www.elonx.net/spacex-statistics/
Launch success rate?
97.3%
1/20 the cost with 1/2 the launch failures (all NASA and Space X combined, not only the manned missions where NASA did have a very good statistic of >98% 133 shuttle launches made it, 2 didn’t).
If someone said to you, I’ll take you to space for 3 days and you can do up there as you please (space tourist).
But there is a 2% chance you’re going to die.
Would you go?
Wish Trump would do his tv time from the launch site! Maybe a few Dems would stroke out! Just kidding!
Oh, ABSOLUTELY! I would go.
(Then everybody in the nearest 30 feet would regret my attendance since I cannot clear my eardrums from differential pressure even to the bottom of a 4 foot swimming pool. And get deathly seasick when pitching and heaving and going to negative g’s. )
There’s actually a 100% chance you’re going to die.
Question is, how much do you want to live first, and what do you want to experience?
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