After a successful Starship Flight 10, SpaceX is now gearing up to quickly fly Starship Flight 11. Just ten days after Flight 10, the firm has shipped the Super Heavy booster to the launch pad for an expected static fire test. The Flight 10 booster's performance was mostly nominal, apart from an engine out during liftoff and apparent problems with the grid fins as it approached the water. SpaceX is yet to provide a detailed Starship Flight 10 update, and depending on the pace of the pre-flight tests, Flight 11 could fly in October at the earliest.
SpaceX Speeds Up Starship Testing To Build On Flight 10's Success
Starship Flight 11 will likely be the final flight for SpaceX's second-generation boosters and ships. While the boosters have performed smoothly during their multiple flight tests, the upper stage ships' performances have been far from satisfactory. Flight 10 was the first successful flight of the ship, where it managed to softly splash down in the Indian Ocean.
After it made major progress with Flight 10, it appears that SpaceX is eager to fly the next flight as soon as possible. Footage from local media shows that the firm has shipped the Flight 11 booster to the launch pad for a static fire test.
The Starship Flight 11 Super Heavy static fire could occur tomorrow. It will see SpaceX reuse a rocket booster for the second time after Flight 7, which had reused the booster that flew on Flight 7. Flight 11 will reuse the booster which flew on Flight 8.
However, during Flights 7, 8 and 9, the ship failed to either enter its suborbital trajectory or re-enter the Earth's atmosphere. Starting from Flight 7, vibrations within the ship led to a propellant leak, which caused a premature engine shutdown. Flight 8 was more dramatic, as an engine failure saw the rocket spin out of control.
SpaceX later asserted that all debris from the ship fell within designated areas and did not create risks to either life or property on the ground.
Starting from Flight 7, SpaceX had ambitious goals for the second-generation ship as it planned to deploy Starlink simulator satellites, relight a Raptor engine in space and test new heat shield tiles. However, the failures meant that the ship did not enter a suborbital trajectory during the two test flights for SpaceX to conduct the tests.
Starship Flight 9 marked some progress as the ship entered suborbital trajectory. However, this was the extent of its success, as its inability to enter the atmosphere meant that SpaceX couldn't test its heat shield, and during flight, neither did the Starlink simulators deploy, nor did the Raptor engine relight itself in space.
Therefore, Starship Flight 10 was a resounding success. The ship successfully separated from the booster and cruised to deploy the Starlink simulators and relight the Raptor engine. Then, following the usual fantastic plasma views during entry, Starship successfully splashed down in the Indian Ocean.
Since Flight 10 was the first test where the ship entered the atmosphere, its heat shield tiles were also covered with orange and white residue at splashdown. Elon Musk later clarified that the residue was due to metallic tiles and certain regions where SpaceX left out tiles to evaluate the material under them.
Since Flight 11 will likely be the last with the second-generation booster and rocket, SpaceX can fly its third-generation Starships on Flight 12. Whether this flight will occur in 2025 is uncertain; however, footage from local media shows that the firm is manufacturing the rockets.
Footage from local media shows that SpaceX has finished building the forward section of its third-generation Super Heavy booster. The forward, or the top section of the rocket, houses the interstage at the top end, which is responsible for diverting the ship's thrust away from the booster's internals during stage separation.
The redesigned interstage for the booster is a key upgrade for the third-generation rockets, according to Musk. In a presentation earlier this year, he shared that the new interstage will be more efficient at diverting the thrust.
With its recent Starship test flights, SpaceX has started to increase its focus on efficiency. To make the Super Heavy booster more efficient, SpaceX blocked some interstage vents on Flight 9 to reduce its fuel consumption and increase its range.
Additionally, in previous flights, the booster had flown at a higher angle of attack to increase the air resistance it encountered and reduce the fuel the engines used to cut its speed before splashdown.
SpaceX redesigned the booster's grid fins for the third-generation Starship rockets. These fins are an iconic feature of the firm's rockets, and the new fins are designed specifically for a higher angle of attack. According to SpaceX, the new grid fins are larger, which allows for greater booster control, and they will be placed lower on the rocket to place their internal components inside the rocket's tank.
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