23.02.2025
Starship Flight 8 vehicles prepare to join forces at Pad A
SpaceX has completed the engine test campaigns for both Ship 34 and Booster 15, which are slated to fly on Starship Flight 8. However, the Mishap Investigation for Flight 7 is still open and needs to be closed before Flight 8 can be approved to launch. Despite this requirement, SpaceX appears confident of approval by next week at the latest, after documentation showed launch opportunities opening on Feb. 26.
Last week, Ship 34 completed its engine testing campaign with a long-duration static fire. This static fire was nearly a minute long, and according to SpaceX: “The extended firing tested new hardware and cycled the six Raptor engines through multiple thrust levels to recreate different conditions seen within the propulsion system during flight. Data from the test will inform upgrades to the ship’s hardware and flight profile ahead of the next launch.”
The new hardware that SpaceX tested was likely related to the anomaly that occurred during Flight 7 and resulted in the loss of Ship 33. This could’ve been a leak in the Liquid Oxygen and Liquid Methane supply lines to the engines, which could’ve been the source of the fire seen during Ship 33’s ascent burn. However, there is no official confirmation from SpaceX regarding the actual cause of the failure.
This test was also done to inform of other upgrades to the vehicle and possible changes to the flight profile, so it is likely that SpaceX still has modifications to be made on Ship 34. It is unclear what these modifications could be or how long it will take SpaceX to implement them on Ship 34.
This long-duration static fire is the longest SpaceX has ever fired a Starship or Booster on the ground, and it can do this because of the flame trench at Masseys. It is unclear if this will be a one-time test, or if crews will do longer-duration static fire in the future.
Firstly, there are the dummy Starlinks which were loaded into Ship 33, a new batch of them was seen in Starfactory to be presumably loaded on Ship 34 just before rollout to the launch site. SpaceX might use the new Starlink loader box that was built inside High Bay, rather than the Tray Loader used on Ship 33.
As for the other items expected to be added to Ship 34, there is the actively cooled tile for testing as well as the catch pins. These catch pins are likely to be just bolted on as SpaceX does not intend to catch Ship 34. Lastly, crews will likely remove all of the tiles that were removed on Ship 33 to help understand the limits of losing a tile in certain places during reentry.
An interesting note about Ship 34’s engine testing campaign, is it took SpaceX 72 hours to roll it to Masseys, Static Fire it, and then roll it back to Mega Bay 2. This is a record compared to every other Ship in the past
Booster 15 was static fired on Feb. 9, and it was just the normal 10-second static fire with all 33 engines. With this out of the way, SpaceX rolled the Booster back into Mega Bay 1 for final checkouts and has since received its hotstage ring. SpaceX completed the rollout, mount on the Orbital Launch Mount, and rollback of the Booster in just over 61 hours, which is a new record for Boosters.
This Booster doesn’t have any major outside changes that are noticeable, but it was the first Booster to have the added tanks on the landing tank. But, older boosters were likely retrofitted with this upgrade.
Orbital Pad A and Regulatory
The final two pieces of the puzzle for Flight 8 are the launch pad and the regulatory side. First, SpaceX has finally found a rhythm with refurbishing Orbital Launch Pad A, which takes about two to three weeks to refurbish for a Booster static fire. Then, we will have another few weeks to get it ready for launch again.
The second piece is waiting for the mishap investigation to be completed, so far there is no indication of when this might be completed. However given the post SpaceX made after the long duration Ship 34 static fire, the final part of that investigation could be nearing a close. The next thing to watch out for is a SpaceX post detailing the anomaly’s cause and the fixes they are implementing.
The Federal Aviation Administration will also likely post about approving Starship for return to flight after the completed investigation. If SpaceX follows the same trajectory and splashdown locations, the license that is currently issued for Starship should still be current. Currently there is a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) for Mexican Airspace for Feb 26, with a window of 6:30 pm to 8:09 pm Central Standard Time (CST).
With the release of this notice it is likely more will show up soon. However SpaceX still has a lot of work to do to launch Flight 8 in less than a week.
At time of publication, no road closures have been posted for the rollout of either the Booster of the Ship, likely meaning a rollout won’t be expected until early next week. SpaceX may no longer require a Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR), which will allow SpaceX to move into launch day preps a lot sooner than previously achieved.
Quelle: NSF