SpaceX targeting Feb. 28 for Flight 8 of Starship megarocket

[Admin]

SpaceX plans to launch the eighth test flight of its Starship megarocket on Friday (Feb. 28), company founder and CEO Elon Musk says.

SpaceX targeting Feb. 28 for Flight 8 of Starship megarocket : Read more

 

[Unclear Engineer]

This article repeats that StarShip "broke apart", but the next article says that it was intentionally "broken apart" by autonomous initiation of the flight destruction system. That was apparently due to multiple early engine shutdowns due to a fire, and, (I am guessing) deviation from the programmed flight path.

That is a little better news than having it simply break apart from flight forces.

 

[jan.wolitzky]

Why do you persist in calling Starship "fully reusable"? In none of its seven flights to date has the vehicle ever been recovered, no less reused. And there's no indication that this eighth flight will be any different. Never achieved orbit, never been recovered, never been reused.

 

[Unclear Engineer]

It is a development program designed to result in a "fully reusable" upper and lower stage. So far, only one of the attempts to recover some part of the system has failed (aborted catch attempt for boost in flight #6). The rest of the tests were not planned to demonstrate recovery, but rather to test aspects such as staging, heat shield and airframe design, and flight control software that all need to be developed before attempting to bring the stages back for landings at their points of launch.

Nobody else in the world is anywhere near as close to achieving those goals as SpaceX is right now.

So, why you persist in portraying development test as "failures" is the real question.

 

[DrJamesLong]

Why do you persist in calling Starship "fully reusable"? In none of its seven flights to date has the vehicle ever been recovered, no less reused. And there's no indication that this eighth flight will be any different. Never achieved orbit, never been recovered, never been reused.

I guess you missed the purpose of Starship?

 

[davein berlin]

Who knows? If Musk puts up enough rocketry and satellite debris, the resulting high altitude aerosols might slow down climate change.

 

[DrRaviSharma]

When I worked on the Apollo Program, we accomplished more on each Saturn V development.
The SpaceX model is rapid fire and thus measure of incremental success is smaller and we do not yet have an orbital reliability of the STARSHIP.
It is necessary for SpaceX to narrow the gap in becoming the orbital reliable option especially since the new NASA options on Artemis might be affected.
As maintained, in my opinion we need two reliable capabilities of reaching Moon.

Wishing SpaceX a success to orbit whether they catch the falcon back on launchpad so focus is on SHIP reaching orbit.
Thanks,
Ravi
NASA Apollo Achievement Award

 

[FilFil]

Who knows? If Musk puts up enough rocketry and satellite debris, the resulting high altitude aerosols might slow down climate change.

Scientists fear that all that vaporized aluminum oxide can act as a catalyst in a rapid chain reaction of ozone decomposition.
What happens when 50K satellites die? | CBC News

Deport Elon Musk as an illegal immigrant. Nationalize SpaceX and Starlink.

 

[MicchaelL65]

Here's hoping for a big boom.

 

[DrRaviSharma]

The recent pushback by 3 days to March 3 still does not aim at SHIP completing earth Orbits?
SpaceX teams - please achieve full earth orbits with STARSHIP to further qualify it for trip to Cislunar space and eventually may be a less heavy version for Crewed qualification, timeline is not like typical SpaceX!
Do not get hung up on recovery which should be slightly lower concern than achieving stable orbits.
Thanks.
Ravi