Tag: Test Flight

SpaceX Starship Fueled Up Ahead of 4th Test Flight

SPACE reports, “SpaceX just fueled up its giant Starship rocket, checking another box ahead of the vehicle’s fourth test flight. The company performed a ‘wet dress rehearsal’ with Starship at its Starbase site in South Texas today (May 20), filling both of the vehicle’s stages with supercold liquid oxygen and liquid methane in a key prelaunch test.”
Full Story (SPACE)

Crewed Starliner Launch Scrubbed Due to Valve Issue

Space News reports, “Controllers scrubbed the first attempt to launch Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner on a crewed test flight May 6 because of a valve problem with the rocket, delaying the launch by at least four days. The launch director for the Atlas 5 rocket called for the scrub a little more than two hours before the scheduled 10:34 p.m. Eastern launch of the Crew Flight Test mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.”
Full Story (Space News)

Boeing to Launch First Crewed Test Flight Tonight

The Washington Post reports, “A decade after NASA awarded Boeing a contract to fly astronauts to the ISS, Boeing will finally attempt to fly its Starliner spacecraft with people onboard. If all goes to plan, at 10:34 p.m. on Monday, the company is set to fly a pair of veteran astronauts, Sunita Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore, on a mission that will be one of the most significant tests for Boeing’s space division — and for NASA — in years.”
Full Story (Washington Post)

SpaceX Preparing Rapid Turnaround for Next StarShip Launch

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Space News reports, “SpaceX hopes to conduct the next launch of its Starship vehicle as soon as early May, a schedule that will depend on how quickly it can get an amended launch license.” According to the report, SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell said March 19 at the Satellite 2024 conference that SpaceX is “still reviewing the data from the vehicle’s third integrated launch March 14 but expected to be ready to fly again soon.”
Full Story (Space News)

SpaceX Eyes February for Third Starship Test Flight

Space News reports, “SpaceX expects to conduct the third integrated test flight of its Starship vehicle in February as it works to demonstrate key technologies needed to land humans on the moon.” On Tuesday, “Jessica Jensen, vice president of customer operations and integration at SpaceX, said securing an updated Federal Aviation Administration launch license was the key factor driving the schedule for that test flight.” She said, “From a hardware readiness perspective, we are targeting to be ready in January.”
Full Story (Space News)

SpaceX’s Next Starship Flight Expected to Include Propellant Transfer Demonstration for NASA

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CNBC reports, “SpaceX could attempt a key demonstration for NASA during the third test flight of its towering Starship rocket.” According to a NASA official, “the next Starship flight is expected to include ‘a propellant transfer demonstration,’ though an agency spokesperson noted Tuesday the plan is subject to change, as is often the case in the space industry.” NASA spokesperson Jimi Russell said in a statement, “NASA and SpaceX are reviewing options for the demonstration to take place during an integrated flight test of Starship and the Super Heavy rocket. However, no final decisions on timing have been made.”
Full Story (CNBC)

Starship’s Second Launch Spread Less Debris Than its First

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Bloomberg reports that SpaceX’s second test flight “of its massive deep-space Starship rocket spread significantly less debris around the surrounding area than the vehicle’s first flight in April, though the crowds who flocked to the launch site had their own impact on the nearby terrain.” The US Fish and Wildlife Service “conducted an assessment of the Boca Chica, Texas, area after Starship’s launch, which took place from SpaceX’s Starbase launch facility in South Texas on Nov. 18.” The flight “achieved significantly more milestones than the first launch, including keeping the area much cleaner.”
Full Story (Bloomberg)

AIAA Statement on SpaceX Starship Test Flight

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November 18, 2023 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) issued the following statement from AIAA Executive Director Dan Dumbacher:

“Congratulations to the SpaceX team on today’s test flight of Starship from Starbase, Texas. It is exciting to witness a new launch vehicle achieving so many of its test objectives toward reaching orbit. The art and science of engineering requires testing and taking risks to understand the limits of systems and where designs should be improved. This test flight is a valuable learning experience, especially around the performance of its boosters. We look forward to seeing the team’s progress toward enhancing this new space launch capability and flying again.

With Starship, SpaceX is taking a step toward humans living and working off our planet. Flight tests, taking risks, and pushing new technologies that are still in development will lead to this future.

We are excited to see commercial space launch companies advancing technology in the cislunar ecosystem and pushing on to Mars. Expanding the boundaries leads to success.

AIAA recognizes the countless industry professionals who have helped design, build, and test Starship. We applaud AIAA Corporate Member SpaceX for taking this step forward in shaping the future of aerospace.”

AIAA Media Contact: Rebecca B. Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270 cell

About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit aiaa.org, or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.