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Starship SN15 prepares for flight following major NASA vindication April 18, 2021 Starship SN15 is expected to undergo a Static Fire test as early as Tuesday to clear the path for a test flight no earlier than Wednesday as SpaceX’s rapidly reusable interplanetary launch and landing system gained a massive sign of NASA approval – and a ton of government cash to boot. SpaceX was the sole winner of NASA’s initial Human Landing System (HLS) award worth in total more than $2.9 billion, meaning the human return to the Moon’s surface will be via Starship. Starship SN15: Classed as the next e...

Starship SN11 prepares to fly as SpaceX pushes for Orbital flight this summer March 15, 2021 Starship SN11 will re-attempt a Static Fire test Thursday – following a scrub on Monday – ahead of a potential flight as early as the weekend or the start of next week. Forever subject to change due to numerous considerations – ranging from weather, hardware parameters, and paperwork approval – SN11 will mark the final test of this iteration of Starship before the program moves into the next phase of testing. Following SN11’s flight, SpaceX will move on to SN15, 16, and 17, alongside testing...

Starship SN11 arrives at Pad B as SpaceX plans for the future March 7, 2021 Just days after SN10 completed the first – albeit hard – Starship prototype landing, SN11 rolled out to the launch site for its own attempt. Incremental progress is being made with the test flights, with another tweak to the landing sequence set to be implemented, based on data gained from SN10. Meanwhile, the first Super Heavy prototype continues stacking operations while parts for up to Starship SN20 are being staged at the Production Site. These future vehicles are set to take up residence at a launch site Spac...

A far cry from the 150-meter hops of SN5 and SN6, observers were somewhat spoilt by the achievements of Starship SN8, which completed numerous firsts during its 12.5 km high launch. SN9 mirrored most of the tasks before suffering an engine issue during the pre-landing flip. Those tasks will continue to be refined as SN10 rose into the South Texas skyline, initially under the power of her three Raptor engines. During ascent, one engine shut down, followed by a second, before the final remaining engine reoriented the ship for its belly-flop descent before it too shut down. For SN8 and SN9, both...

However, after the test, Elon noted that an engine swap would be required. One of the engines is suspect, so we’re swapping it out This required a second Static Fire test to be conducted ahead of setting a new launch target. With the engine swap conducted in record time, Thursday saw SN10 fire up again – this time successfully (albeit without any official confirmation). However, with roadblocks canceled and TFRs pointing to a launch opportunities on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday next week – all appears to be back on track. Setting the launch date requires data from testing being fed in...