SpaceX releases a Payload User's Guide for its Starship rocket:
SpaceX has released the first edition of a Payload User's Guide for its Starship launch system, which consists of a Super Heavy first stage and the Starship upper stage. The six-page guide provides some basic information for potential customers to judge whether a launch vehicle meets their needs for getting payloads into space.
The new guide is notable because it details the lift capabilities of Starship in reusable mode, during which both the first and second stages reserve enough fuel to return to Earth. In this configuration, the rocket can deliver more than 100 metric tons to low-Earth orbit and 21 tons to geostationary transfer orbit.
The killer application, however, is the potential to refuel Starship in low-Earth orbit with other Starships, enabling transportation deeper into the Solar System for 100 tons or more. "The maximum mass-to-orbit assumes parking orbit propellant transfer, allowing for a substantial increase in payload mass," the document states. SpaceX has yet to demonstrate this technology—which has never been done on a large scale in orbit—but the company's engineers have been working on it for several years and partnered with NASA last summer.
The user's guide also provides information about the size of the payload fairing in the cargo configuration of the vehicle, with a width of 8 meters and an extended volume capable of encompassing payloads as long as 22 meters. This would be, by far, the largest usable payload volume for any rocket that exists today or is in development. For human flights of up to 100 people, according to the document, "The crew configuration of Starship includes private cabins, large common areas, centralized storage, solar storm shelters, and a viewing gallery."
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Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:
[Editor's note: SN3 is SpaceX parlance for "Serial Number 3"; Elon Musk is not just working on building rockets, he's building an assembly line and plans to build one Starship a week. This helps explain the use of serial numbers. --martyb]
For almost a year now, SpaceX has been building a series of Starship prototypes that will test how the system fares when launched to orbit.
[...] Musk recently shared images of the components for the SN3 prototype undergoing assembly.
Shortly after these images were shared, the assembled components were seen on their way to the company's test facility at Boca Chica, Texas, on the morning of March 29th. They were then seen being transferred to the launch pad by roll-lift and crane as of late afternoon. Footage of both these events was captured by the LabPadre and shared via Twitter.
SN3 pic.twitter.com/bM1wzzd4Zg
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk)
Like its predecessors, the next step for the SN3 will be cryogenic loading trials in which the spacecraft's methane and oxygen tanks will be filled with a cryogenic liquid (most likely liquid nitrogen).
[...] In a previous statement, Musk announced that the SN3 would be used for static fire tests and short flights, whereas longer test flights will wait for the SN4. [...] There is [...] documentation that indicates that SpaceX will be conducting tests as early as next week.
The documents, which were shared on NASASpaceFlight, reference a permit issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the "Starhopper" vehicle, which is valid until June 2020. They further suggest that a static fire of the SN3's engines could take place between April 1st and 3rd, followed by a 150-meter (500 ft) hop test between April 6th and 8th. This was the maximum height achieved by the Starship Hopper.
[...] Once the Starship is finished and integrated with the Super Heavy booster, Musk hopes to begin conducting payload runs to the moon by 2022, followed by crewed missions to the surface by 2024. In between, Musk also intends to conduct the first lunar tourism mission (#dearmoon), which will involve sending a crew of artists around the moon in 2023.
-- submitted from IRC
Previously:
(2020-04-01) SpaceX Releases a Payload User's Guide for its Starship Rocket
(2020-03-10) Another Starship Prototype Explodes, but SpaceX Isn't Stopping
(2020-02-19) SpaceX Announces Partnership to Send Four Tourists Into Deep Orbit
(2020-01-18) Elon Musk Discloses Details for SpaceX Mars Mega-Colony
[20200420_144755 UTC: Update: According to this comment to the thread at NASASpaceflight, the RollLift (which would transport SN4 to the pad) has not finished being assembled. Looks like it will still be a while before testing commences. --martyb]
[20200420_162536 UTC: Corrected timelines and costs; see linked comment. --martyb]
NASASpaceflight has continuous updates of activities at the Boca Chica SpaceX site with many pics and videos, too. The last time I checked, SN4 (SpaceX's 4th Starship prototype: Serial Number 4) is nearing completion of construction and is soon to be transported to the testing platform. Historically, next would be pressurization tests, e.g. with liquid nitrogen, to see if the rocket can handle the temperatures and pressures. Prior testing failures have been... impressive. Should all go well with these tests, next up would be testing of SN4 with liquid methane and liquid oxygen. If successful, static fire tests with the rocket tethered and, ultimately, with a powered hop for a very limited duration and distance.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has set a goal of building a new Starship rocket each week. SN4 has been under construction for less than a month. By comparison, the SLS (Space Launch System) has been under development for many years, has cost billions of dollars per year, and has never (not even once) been launched. (Please see this comment for clarification.)
Here are the dates and times of upcoming road and beach closures (and alternates) as announced by Cameron County, Texas coinciding with planned testing by SpaceX:
- April 20, 2020: 0800-0900 (Primary Date)
- April 23, 2020: 0900-1000 (Primary Date)
- April 26, 2020: 0900-1159 (Primary Date)
- April 27, 2020: 0900-1159 (Alternate Date)
- April 28, 2020: 0900-1159 (Alternate Date)
(All times are Central Daylight Time; add 5 hours to get the corresponding date/time in UTC .)
Previously:
(2020-04-18) SpaceX Offers NASA a Custom Moon Freighter
(2020-04-03) SpaceX Loses its Third Starship Prototype During a Cryogenic Test
(2020-04-03) SpaceX Almost Ready to Start Testing SN3 -- The Third Starship Prototype
(2020-04-01) SpaceX Releases a Payload User's Guide for its Starship Rocket
(2020-03-10) Another Starship Prototype Explodes, but SpaceX Isn't Stopping
(Score: 2) by takyon on Thursday April 02 2020, @04:48AM
They are still saying "100+ tons" instead of 150 for "Expected Starship Performance".
Payload fairing is only 8 meters wide internally:
Only two launch sites at first, Boca Chica, Texas and Kennedy Space Center, Florida. No California launches.
They are still talking about putting up to 100 people on the crewed configuration. In practice, probably a lot less? They also mention a solar storm shelter, presumably near the center:
Satellite capture:
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 02 2020, @05:24AM
RESIST ID2020.
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 02 2020, @05:44AM
Snatched up for secret blackops missions.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 02 2020, @06:10AM (3 children)
Oh STOP! You had me at killer...
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Thursday April 02 2020, @03:43PM (2 children)
Has SpaceX announced an anticipated price per lunch?
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by takyon on Thursday April 02 2020, @05:09PM
Elon Musk says SpaceX’s Starship could fly for as little as $2 million per launch [techcrunch.com]
Inside Elon Musk’s plan to build one Starship a week—and settle Mars [arstechnica.com]
$5 million to build, $2 million to fly, $900,000 for the fuel. Even if the first two go up by 10x (fuel estimate should be accurate since that's based on volume), it still undercuts Falcon Heavy and competing rockets while delivering more to orbit.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 02 2020, @07:15PM
And has Elon given a schedule for when they'll be offering trips to the Restaurant at the End of the Universe?
(Score: 2) by EETech1 on Thursday April 02 2020, @11:37AM (4 children)
What happens when one of them blows up in space during refueling?
(Score: 3, Insightful) by takyon on Thursday April 02 2020, @12:09PM
The same thing that happens to anything else in low Earth orbit.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Thursday April 02 2020, @03:46PM (1 child)
Doesn't fuel require oxidizer? What if the twain shall never meet, except in the combustion chamber of an engine? Or could an explosion happen due to pressure vessel flailing?
Have signs, like at a Kick Twip:
or
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(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday April 02 2020, @05:15PM
The propellant storage designs I've seen, have both at the same location. Or they use a monopropellant that could energetically decompose.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 03 2020, @09:05AM
I'd expect fuel transfers would be safer in space than on terra firma: near 0 kelvin ambient temperature meaning PV = nRT is much less oppressive. And then there's 0 gravity also alleviating a number of issues.