Elon Musk says SpaceX Starship Flight 4 will be in about 2 weeks.The primary goal is getting through max reentry heating. It is worth noting that no one has ever succeeded in creating a fully reusable heat shield. Shuttle required over 6 months of rework.
Starship Flight 4 in about 2 weeks.
Primary goal is getting through max reentry heating.
Worth noting that no one has ever succeeded in creating a fully reusable heat shield. Shuttle required >6 months of rework. https://t.co/4ffEHSLRbu
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 20, 2024
Tests had the Starship pretty ready last month but we had to wait for the FAA investigation and clearances.
Wow. Just wow, 22 days after IFT3, 2 days after rollout and we have a Booster 11 static fire.
April IFT4 is definitely a possibility at this rate. pic.twitter.com/Dp8KHwubJS
— Chibound (@planechasin) April 5, 2024
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
Known for identifying cutting edge technologies, he is currently a Co-Founder of a startup and fundraiser for high potential early-stage companies. He is the Head of Research for Allocations for deep technology investments and an Angel Investor at Space Angels.
A frequent speaker at corporations, he has been a TEDx speaker, a Singularity University speaker and guest at numerous interviews for radio and podcasts. He is open to public speaking and advising engagements.
SpaceX successfully completed its first video call using Starlink Direct-to-Cell satellites from unmodified mobile phones, marking a significant step towards global internet coverage. The call was facilitated through the X platform, and SpaceX plans to launch this service commercially with T-Mobile later this year. This achievement has generated excitement and optimism about the future of global connectivity, with many users expressing enthusiasm for the potential of Starlink to revolutionize internet access worldwide.
https://x.com/DimaZeniuk/status/1792929445361185090
Shuttle didn’t require six months of re-work for the heat shield. Fastest turn around of an orbiter was 54 days for Atlantis.
“Tests had the Starship pretty ready last month but we had to wait for the FAA investigation and clearances.”
Says it all, really. At this point the biggest obstacle SpaceX faces isn’t physics, it’s the FAA.
FAA gotta help BO and China catch up.
It is frustratingly unfair that SpaceX gets to moan about the FAA in public all they like while the FAA is forbidden from defending themselves. “Pretty ready” isn’t ready. It’s important that whatever causes the deviation from the approved flight plan be resolved before launching again.
Moreover, the FAA is awarding an extraordinary amount of flexibility to a company launching massive, difficult to control ballistic missiles within 10 km of a densely populated region.
I’ve had a lot of interaction with FAA personnel and leadership for the last year. They are helpful, informative and excited about Starship.
My emails to SpaceX, by contrast, asking for further details are generally ignored.
[ would be interesting having an ir camera with that flight(?) ]