Tag: OLS
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Ship 20 begins path to Static Fire test milestone
Despite the lack of hops over recent months, SpaceX Starbase continues to be a hive of activity with preparations ongoing for both the upcoming orbital test flight of Booster 4 and Ship 20 and the future acceleration of launch cadence with follow-on vehicles. Most of the recent focus has been directed at the Orbital Launch…
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Ship 20 primed for pre-flight testing amid future refinements
Following the iconic first view of a fully integrated Starship stack during fit checks on the Orbital Launch Site (OLS) mount, both Ship 20 and Booster 4 are being prepared for testing ahead of the milestone orbital launch attempt. Ship 20 has returned to the launch site, taking up suborbital Pad B ahead of proof…
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Super Heavy Booster 3 fires up for the first time
Following a rigorous test campaign with the Starship prototype vehicles, SpaceX has turned its immediate attention to the booster that will loft its interplanetary spacecraft to new heights. Booster 3, the first prototype Super Heavy to roll to the launch site, conducted a three-engine Static Fire test on Monday. The testing at the suborbital site…
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Super Heavy Booster 3 fires up for the first time
Following a rigorous test campaign with the Starship prototype vehicles, SpaceX has turned its immediate attention to the booster that will loft its interplanetary spacecraft to new heights. Booster 3, the first prototype Super Heavy to roll to the launch site, conducted a three-engine Static Fire test on Monday. The testing at the suborbital site…
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Booster 3 opens Super Heavy test campaign as orbital vehicles prepare to stack
Following a test campaign focused on SpaceX’s Starship vehicle, the Super Heavy booster is now taking up the mantle of testing at the Starbase launch site. Booster 3 rolled out of the High Bay on Thursday, taking the trip down Highway 4 before being placed on suborbital Pad A’s modified mount for a series of…
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Orbital Demo the goal amid potential SN16 hypersonic test
As the Launch Integration Tower at the Orbital Launch Site (OLS) continues to grow, Elon Musk has intimated a potential interim test with Starship SN16. As SN16 was rolled out of the High Bay towards the scrapyard, most believed that confirmed that the next vehicle to roll down Highway 4 to the launch site would…
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Starship SN15 patiently awaits a decision – The Road to Orbit
Following its successful launch and landing, Starship SN15 has been placed back onto a launch mount for inspections and a potential re-flight. The upcoming test schedule will be focused on providing a green light for an orbital attempt that has already been filed with the FCC (Federal Communications Commission). Starship SN15: SpaceX finds itself in…
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Following Starship SN15’s success, SpaceX evaluating next steps toward orbital goals
SpaceX is considering numerous options for the upcoming Starship test schedule as the goal of reaching orbit by the summer becomes increasingly realistic. Following Starship SN15’s successful test, options include reflying the vehicle to achieve key reusability objectives, launch SN16 to a higher altitude, or push straight through to orbital testing on Super Heavy. Starship…
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Starship SN15 conducts smooth test flight and nails landing
Starship SN15 proved out a number of upgrades that resulted in a smooth touchdown on the Boca Chica landing pad on Wednesday. The successful test took place amid ongoing groundwork for the push to orbit is taking place both at the Orbital Launch Site and elsewhere in Texas as a new dual-bay Raptor test stand…