Starship is stacked on prime of the Tremendous Heavy Booster. The tallest rocket ever constructed

By On Aug 8, 2021

Things are in full swing again at SpaceX’s South Texas Launch Facility, just outside the village of Boca Chica, Texas. For the past few weeks, the aerospace community has been excited about the rollout and static fire test of the Super Heavy Booster 3 (B3) prototype. This was the first time a booster has been tested that will be responsible for launching the Starship into space in the near future. Since then things have only increased a little.

First there was the announcement on August 2nd that the fourth Super Heavy prototype (the BN4) would receive a full complement of 29 Raptor engines and grid fins. It was followed on August 3 by the news that BN4 had been relocated to the launch pad and that the SN20 Starship prototype received a full six Raptor engines. On August 6th, the breakup came with the stacking of both prototypes, resulting in the tallest rocket in space travel history!

Together, the integrated Starship was about 120 meters (390 feet) high and 145 m (475 feet) high with the added orbital launch stand – which is taller than the Giza Pyramid (138.5 m; 454 feet). The stacking marked the first time Starship and Super Heavy were fully integrated, a major milestone for the company that brings them one step closer to an orbital flight test.

The integration was part of an expedited work order nicknamed “Warp 9”. This also included bringing hundreds of employees from other locations across the country to support the operation. By Friday, August 6th, the two elements had been integrated just long enough to get a feel for how they would hold up on flight day; and of course, so that the observers can take millions of pictures, shoot videos and tweet the event live!

They were then unstacked and the SN20 returned to the High Bay, while the BN4 remained on the orbital launch stand. Next, the two items are expected to go through a series of floor tests, which will likely include static fire tests for the BN4 booster. This will allow the company to complete and integrate the final elements of the spacecraft at the Orbital Launch Site (OLS), from where it will conduct the orbital test flight.

While a date has not yet been set for this crucial milestone (although it is expected before the end of the year), Musk stated on Twitter that he and his company had four big goals for the next two weeks. These include adding the final heat shield tiles to the Orbital Starship element, adding thermal shields to the booster engines, adding ground fuel storage tanks, and a quick disconnect arm (QD) for the system.

This last element is vital for flight tests as it connects power and fuel lines from the launch facility to the missile prior to launch. It is also clear at this point that the orbital flight test will be carried out with the prototypes BN4 and SN20. This was demonstrated by equipping the BN4 with 29 Raptor engines, which is what the final design specifications call for (the static fire test on the B3 consisted of only three).

Similarly, the SN20 has been equipped with six Raptor engines, three of which are optimized for thrust at sea level (identical to the 29 engines on which the Super Heavy relies) and three of which are optimized for thrust in space vacuum. In all previous flight tests, the prototypes were equipped with only three engines that were optimized for sea level thrust as they completed a limited flight test (10 km; 6.2 miles altitude) and flew exclusively in the earth’s atmosphere.

This is known as the Karman Line, which is approximately 100 km (62 miles) above sea level and marks the boundary between Earth and space. Another clue is the way grid fins were installed on the BN4 which is the first prototype to receive them. These are essential for a controlled descent and landing for all SpaceX boosters, which shows that the ground crews hope to find them again later.

Based on the flight plan that SpaceX submitted to the FCC back in May, the mission will disconnect the booster element from the spaceship about 170 seconds after the flight. The booster will then make a partial return and spray gently about 32 km (20 miles) offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. The Starship will then enter orbit before making a targeted gentle splash about 100 km (62 miles) off the coast of the Hawaiian island of Kauai.

Based on previous statements, the flight is also likely to have an upper limit of 200 km (~ 125 mi) above sea level. If this test goes as planned, SpaceX will be ready to launch its first commercial flights, which include a moon flyby scheduled for 2023. Known as the #dearMoon campaign, Japanese billionaire art collector Yusaku Maezawa and a crew of eight artists will fly around the moon on this flight, known as the #dearMoon campaign.

Given the recent rumors about Branson and Bezos, it’s possible Musk might want to go on a flight! Also check out this video of the SN20 and BN4 stacked together, courtesy of NASA Spaceflight:

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