Posted on 02/23/2023 8:34:55 PM PST by Golden Eagle
SpaceX’s Super Heavy rocket, the most powerful rocket ever built, recently completed a successful ground test of its engines. And now, Elon Musk’s mega rocket is almost ready to take off for its first orbital test flight.
The Super Heavy is a big deal in the space industry. It’s a mega-rocket booster in the same class as NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS)—which recently powered the long-awaited Artemis 1 launch—and is on the list of rockets that could eventually take us to Mars.
And to top it off, it’s built to be reusable, much like SpaceX’s smaller and frequently launched Falcon 9. Reusable rockets are a huge deal in terms of cost, and to have something with the power of the SLS and the reusability of the Falcon 9 would be a huge win for the space industry.
So far, Super Heavy seems to be on track to do what it’s meant to do. This last test—streamed live to over 100,000 people—lasted just a few seconds, but it was enough to satisfy those on the team that the rocket was ready to take its next step.
That’s not to say, however, that the test went off entirely without a hitch. Of the 33 engines incorporated into the Super Heavy, two of them experienced malfunctions, with one shutting down early and one shutting off just before ignition. As a result, many speculated that SpaceX would want to run a second ground test to make sure all engines were firing on all cylinders.
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
I wouldn’t consider the Starship Super Heavy in the ‘same class’ as the SLS.
At 16 million pounds of thrust, it’s more than twice as powerful as the Saturn V or the SLS.
The writer needs to put down the Freud and step away very slowly and carefully.
Did the FAA make a decision?
I for one can’t wait to see it launch
This year SpaceX is going to launch more mass into orbit than the rest of the world by a factor of 3.
He is dominating space.
Now?
Aside from Starlink (probably not making a profit yet) SpaceX launches stuff for all sorts of entities.
3x? Whoa!
Phallic symbols are perfect fine. So long as they are... mighty.
70-80% of global launch business last I saw. That probably includes most USG/DOD launches.
Isn’t this the one they used to call the BFR? Big F***ing Rocket.
I really like his style. If work isn’t fun, you are doing it wrong.
It’s flim flam BS from the Flimflam man:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EOjSGVrMxw
I doubt any test flight will occur this year or even the next. A placeholder date in March has already been scrubbed without comment.
For anyone impressed by spectacle of the 31 engine static fire:
Per Elon the thrust setting on the engines was 50%.
Launch will be 90%.
One of the most interesting questions surrounding the first launch, at least for me, is whether the Orbital Launch Mount and the concrete pad underneath it will survive reasonably intact.
For following the Boca Chica activities, I like the coverage and discussion on the YT channel NasaSpaceflight.
What efforts are being made cy Climate Changers to stop the obvious pollution these huge rockets cause????
Speaking of “Mighty”, did you know the parachute for the latest Mars lander had a coded message in the colored rings of the parachute? It spelled out “Dare Mighty Things” I knew about the “JPL” in Morse code in the tire tracks, but I did not know about the parachute message.
“How does SpaceX make money?”
They had 60 launches in 2022. Most were for money, launching cargo and satellites. They do one a week, but you never hear of them in the news because Elon is not an obedient liberal.
The amount charged per launch is usually $52 million. Their launch schedule can be found here:
https://www.spacelaunchschedule.com/category/spacex/
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