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| Plans to change LC-39A to support StarShip too. | ||
| 2019-08-02 | ||
[Twitter]
"SpaceX plans to launch the Starship/Super Heavy up to 24 times per year from LC-39A. A static fire test would be conducted on each stage prior to each launch."
Starship LZ-1 at first. Pad inside the fence at 39A still under evaluation! Discussion at NASAspaceflight.com The document is talks about sonic booms and shows a peak overpressure contour around 2.0 psf near Orlando. I can hear F9 landing booms in Orlando just fine I am curious how it will compare to Super Heavy / Starship. Starting on page 88 is a list of facilities used by various commercial entities. This is probably of interest to some folks: Table 1: Raptor Nozzle Characteristics Throat Radius (in) The older rockets: "SpaceX plans to increase the Falcon launch frequency to 20 launches per year from LC-39A and up to 50 launches per year from LC-40 by the year 2024." | ||
| Posted by:3dc |
| #12 Combining 1500t fuel with the "6.9km/s deltaV for a fully fueled Starship in orbit with 100t payload" tweet would imply a dry mass for Starship of ~180t assuming vac Raptors at 380s, or ~130t assuming sl Raptors at 350s as listed in the EA. Either seems reasonable enough given how little we know of the recent design changes. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2019-08-02 16:57 |
| #11 Page 7 lists Starship propellant capacity as "up to 1,500 MT" and Super Heavy with "up to 3,500 MT". For reference the previous Starship propellant capacity was 1,100 MT. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2019-08-02 16:51 |
| #10 Thank you 3d! |
| Posted by: Woodrow 2019-08-02 14:33 |
| #9 Senior Member ***** Posts: 2162 USA StormSurgeMedia StormSurgeMedia Liked: 1540 Likes Given: 668 Re: Draft Environmental Assessment for the SpaceX Starship/Super Heavy at KSC « Reply #76 on: Today at 03:35 pm » We're going to need another 39A Update thread for the SH/SS modifications. The optics of even just the prototype Starship taking off from 39A and landing at LZ-1 will be....... This is the tipping point. NASA didn't just welcome a fox into the hen house, they let a Raptor in. And then gave it the keys. How many more Think Tank hit pieces will start to flow now that the true scope of this effort has been publicly disseminated? « Last Edit: Today at 03:36 pm by rcoppola » |
| Posted by: 3dc 2019-08-02 14:23 |
| #8 It looks like Boca Chica TX is getting a direct connect to the Port of Brownsville - LINK |
| Posted by: 3dc 2019-08-02 13:04 |
| #7 Once the dead-end Senate Launch System is cancelled, NASA can free up pad 39B for Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket. Also SpaceX was just selected by NASA to start research on orbiting fuel stations, and space-to-space refueling operations. |
| Posted by: The peanut gallery 2019-08-02 12:56 |
| #6 Fabrication and assembly of launch vehicle components would occur at existing SpaceX facilities located on KSC and CCAFS. These facilities could include Area 59 and the Payload Processing Facility (PPF) on CCAFS, the Falcon Hangar at LC-39A, and the soon to be constructed KSC SpaceX Operations Area on Roberts Road. SpaceX would also perform fabrication, assembly, and integration operations at the Mobile Service Station (MSS) Park Site Property and on the Crawlerway area. No modifications to the Crawlerway are expected from transport or operational use of Starship and Super Heavy. Staging and temporary fabrication tents could be used on the Crawlerway to support operations. SpaceX would coordinate through EIAP with USAF and the KSC Environmental Checklist with NASA if any new facilities were needed to support Starship/Super Heavy. Starship or Super Heavy components would be delivered over roadways on a mobile transporter similar to the transports performed for Falcon. Most manufacturing of vehicle components would occur at the SpaceX facility in Hawthorne, CA. Additional facilities being considered for manufacturing and assembly include Boca Chica, TX, and a facility in the Cidco Industrial Park, Cocoa, FL. Large vehicle components would be transported by barge utilizing the KSC Turn Basin, then transported to LC-39 area as the final delivery point. The area of the Turn Basin SpaceX intends to use to offload vehicle components would be the wharf just southeast of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). This area was used for arrival and offloading of vehicle components during the Shuttle Program.The rocket would be integrated vertically on the pad at LC-39A using a mobile crane. This would involve the booster being mated to the launch mount followed by Starship being mated to the booster. Initial flights would use a temporary or mobile crane, with a permanent crane tower constructed later. The height of the permanent crane tower would be approximately 120 to 180 m. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2019-08-02 12:54 |
| #5 SpaceX is testing a Starship prototype “hopper” at SpaceX’s site in Cameron County, TX. In the future, SpaceX may develop and launch the Starship/Super Heavy from its facility in Cameron County, TX. This action would analyzed in a separate NEPA document. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2019-08-02 12:23 |
| #4 The Super Heavy Booster reaches an altitude of about 425,000 feet and then on descent reaches hypersonic speeds above Mach 6 before slowing to subsonic speeds, below 25,000 feet, prior to landing on a drone ship. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2019-08-02 12:17 |
| #3 receive the Vulcan ambassadors It's Florida, i.e. the Mirror Universe. |
| Posted by: Glomosh Munster6010 2019-08-02 08:20 |
| #2 only 44 years left to make the KSC fit for Zephrm Cochrane's Warp launch (April 5 2063) and then to receive the Vulcan ambassadors |
| Posted by: lord garth 2019-08-02 01:05 |
| #1 Note for the older rockets that's up to 70/year from the East Coast. Currently, quite a few less than that are on the manifest. one SpaceX manifest link |
| Posted by: 3dc 2019-08-02 00:31 |