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posted by takyon on Monday April 17, @12:15PM   Printer-friendly

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Starship_orbital_test_flight

The Starship Orbital Flight Test is the planned first spaceflight of the SpaceX Starship launch vehicle. The planned launch site is Boca Chica, Texas. SpaceX plans on using Starship prototypes Ship 24 (second stage) and Booster 7 (first stage). The Starship second stage will enter a transatmospheric Earth orbit with a negative Earth perigee, allowing Ship 24 to reenter the atmosphere after completing most of one orbit without having to restart its engines for a deorbit maneuver. The earliest launch opportunity is currently scheduled for April 17, 2023 at 08:00 CDT (13:00 UTC).

SpaceX stream. NASASpaceFlight stream.


Original Submission

Related Stories

SpaceX Starship Launch Countdown to Thursday 19 comments

SpaceX Starship launch countdown: all of the news on its first test flight:

Elon Musk's stated goal of putting humans on Mars relies heavily on the development of a next-generation reusable spacecraft, and Starship (formerly known as Big Falcon Rocket or BFR) is ready for its first orbital test flight. It's not the "six months" goal Musk projected in 2019, but after a number of suborbital tests that included some terrific successes and fantastic, fiery failures, the big day is finally almost here.

With just over five minutes to go before its first scheduled launch attempt Monday morning, SpaceX announced that due to a pressurization issue with the first stage, the attempt became a "wet dress rehearsal," and the countdown ended with 10 seconds to go. SpaceX now says it's targeting April 20th for another attempt, with a launch window between  8:28AM CT (9:28AM ET) and 9:30 AM CT (10:30AM ET).

If all goes according to plan, the Starship will fly to orbital velocity after separating from its Super Heavy booster rocket about three minutes into the trip, then splashdown in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii.

The entire trip should take about 90 minutes to complete, and SpaceX is livestreaming the events on its YouTube channel.

Previously: SpaceX's First Orbital Test Flight of Starship Imminent [Scrubbed]


Original Submission

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  • (Score: 2) by nostyle on Monday April 17, @12:45PM

    by nostyle (11497) on Monday April 17, @12:45PM (#1301806) Journal

    From www.space.com article:

    For its debut launch, SpaceX's Starship will lift off from its Starbase pad, but not attempt to land. Instead, the Super Heavy booster will separate about 3 minutes into flight and aim to make a soft landing and splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.

    The Starship vehicle, meanwhile, is expected to reach a near orbital velocity that will carry it around the world toward a targeted splashdown point in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Hawaii. The entire Starship test flight should last about 90 minutes, SpaceX has said.

    --
    "Ground Control to Major Tom"

  • (Score: 2) by stormreaver on Monday April 17, @01:18PM (8 children)

    by stormreaver (5101) on Monday April 17, @01:18PM (#1301812)

    The article title here says the flight has been scrubbed, but SpaceX's steaming site is still counting down. We're at T-2 minutes.

    • (Score: 3, Informative) by EvilSS on Monday April 17, @01:20PM

      by EvilSS (1456) Subscriber Badge on Monday April 17, @01:20PM (#1301813)
      It is scrubbed. Some issue with the first stage. They are running through the countdown as a practice at this point. They will hold at T -10 seconds.
    • (Score: 2) by stormreaver on Monday April 17, @01:20PM

      by stormreaver (5101) on Monday April 17, @01:20PM (#1301814)

      Nevermind. The SpaceX stream has just said the flight has indeed been scrubbed.

    • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 17, @01:24PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 17, @01:24PM (#1301816)

      IIUC, scrub was called due to pressurization issue, but countdown was continued to T-10 seconds for purpose of practice.

      -nostyle

    • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Monday April 17, @01:44PM (3 children)

      by JoeMerchant (3937) on Monday April 17, @01:44PM (#1301820)

      Still scrubbed:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eN57x2a_waw [youtube.com]

      --
      Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
    • (Score: 2) by takyon on Monday April 17, @07:23PM

      by takyon (881) <takyonNO@SPAMsoylentnews.org> on Monday April 17, @07:23PM (#1301855) Journal

      They scrubbed about 10 minutes before launch but continued to make it into a full wet dress rehearsal.

      --
      [SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
  • (Score: 1) by nostyle on Monday April 17, @02:19PM (3 children)

    by nostyle (11497) on Monday April 17, @02:19PM (#1301825) Journal

    Here is some detail on the launch scrub [usatoday.com]

    --
    Rockets are hard but they're all we've got. I does not seem possible to golf anything useful into orbit.

    • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Monday April 17, @02:21PM (2 children)

      by JoeMerchant (3937) on Monday April 17, @02:21PM (#1301826)

      >I (sic) does not seem possible to golf anything useful into orbit.

      No, but...

      https://www.spinlaunch.com/ [spinlaunch.com]

      --
      Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 17, @03:09PM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 17, @03:09PM (#1301832)

        spinlaunch

        Good luck with that. I don't believe that fancy golf club will help - if ever they get it to work.

        -nostyle

        --
        Let me say it again (properly): It does not seem possible to golf anything useful into orbit.

        • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Monday April 17, @04:44PM

          by JoeMerchant (3937) on Monday April 17, @04:44PM (#1301836)

          Payloads from Earth would seem to be ... challenging ... to overcome the dizzying problems. Sittin' on the moon, chuckin' rocks at the Earth, one of those could be worth a whole bunch of H-bombs on ICBMs, oh, and it might also deliver useful payloads to space from the lunar surface, too.

          --
          Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
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