{"id":10102,"date":"2024-05-25T22:43:36","date_gmt":"2024-05-25T14:43:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/spacex-details-learnings-from-starship-flight-3-sets-june-5-as-target-launch-date-for-flight-4\/"},"modified":"2024-05-25T22:43:36","modified_gmt":"2024-05-25T14:43:36","slug":"spacex-details-learnings-from-starship-flight-3-sets-june-5-as-target-launch-date-for-flight-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/spacex-details-learnings-from-starship-flight-3-sets-june-5-as-target-launch-date-for-flight-4\/","title":{"rendered":"SpaceX details learnings from Starship Flight 3, sets June 5 as target launch date for Flight 4"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Onboard cameras on the Starship upper stage flown during Flight 3 (Starship IFT-3) show the vehicle surrounded by plasma as it reenters the atmosphere on March 14, 2024. Image: SpaceX<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

SpaceX is preparing to launch its massive Starship rocket on its fourth flight test from its Starbase facilities in southern Texas as soon as June 5. The target launch date comes a little less than three months after Flight 3 on March 14.<\/p>\n

In a pair of posts on its website, SpaceX outlined the learnings from Flight 3, the mission objectives for Flight 4 and the differences between the timing of everything between these two pieces of the development campaign.<\/p>\n

The Flight 4 launch window is set to open on June 5 at 7 a.m. CDT (8 a.m. EDT (1200 UTC). However, as SpaceX points out, they are still waiting on regulatory approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).<\/p>\n

In this latest go-around, SpaceX isn\u2019t going to attempt some of the additional flight items it tried during Flight 3, like operating the payload bay door or reigniting the vacuum engines on the upper stage.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fourth flight test turns our focus from achieving orbit to demonstrating the ability to return and reuse Starship and Super Heavy,\u201d SpaceX said in a statement. \u201cThe primary objectives will be executing a landing burn and soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico with the Super Heavy booster, and achieving a controlled entry of Starship.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lessons learned<\/h4>\n

In a blog post, SpaceX outlined a number of items from Flight 3 that went according to plan and others that led to the mishap. Among the successes was completing a propellant transfer demonstration, \u201cmoving liquid oxygen from a header tank into the main tank.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis test provided valuable data for eventual ship-to-ship propellant transfers that will enable missions like returning astronauts to the Moon under NASA\u2019s Artemis program,\u201d SpaceX said in a statement.<\/p>\n

As with Flight 2, Flight 3 also saw a successful ascent of the rocket through stage separation. Building on that second flight, the most recent go around also saw the Starship upper stage make it through a full-duration ascent burn.<\/p>\n

However during Flight 3, SpaceX said a blocked filter \u201cwhere liquid oxygen is supplied to the engines\u201d on the Super Heavy booster caused \u201ca loss of inlet pressure in engine oxygen turbopumps.\u201d It said this is likely the root cause of an early shutdown for six the 13 Raptor engines used during the boostback burn.<\/p>\n

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SpaceX\u2019s Starship rocket launches for a third time in program history on Thursday, March 14, 2024. Image: Adam Bernstein\/Spaceflight Now<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When it came time for the landing burn, the six engines that prematurely shut down were disabled and of the seven remaining engines, only two were determined to have successfully achieved \u201cmainstage ignition.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe booster had lower than expected landing burn thrust when contact was lost at approximately 462 meters in altitude over the Gulf of Mexico and just under seven minutes into the mission,\u201d SpaceX explained.<\/p>\n

SpaceX said more hardware improvements within the oxygen tanks are coming for the Flight 4 Super Heavy booster and those beyond it \u201cto further improve propellant filtration capabilities.\u201d They will also add new hardware and software \u201cto increase startup reliability of the Raptor engines in landing conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n

During its reentry from space, the Starship upper stage suffered from a lack of attitude control, seen as the rocket began rolling unintentionally, leading to \u201cthe ship seeing much larger than anticipated heating on both protected and unprotected areas.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most likely root cause of the unplanned roll was determined to be clogging of the valves responsible for roll control,\u201d the company said. \u201cSpaceX has since added additional roll control thrusters on upcoming Starships to improve attitude control redundancy and upgraded hardware for improved resilience to blockage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Timeline adjustments<\/h4>\n

In addition to some of the alterations on the hardware and software, eagle eyed observers of the mission timelines will also pick up on some other key differences. One of the notable pre-launch changes involves the fueling process.<\/p>\n

During Flight 3, SpaceX began by loading the Starship upper stage with liquid oxygen first at T-53 minutes, followed by loading liquid methane on the Ship two minutes later. Flight 4 flips that around and stars with liquid methane first at T-49 minutes and then liquid oxygen two minutes after that.<\/p>\n

Similarly on the Super Heavy booster, Flight 3 started with liquid oxygen loading at T-42 minutes and then liquid methane a minute later. Flight 4 begins with liquid methane at T-40 minutes and then liquid oxygen three minutes after that.<\/p>\n

SpaceX did not state a reason for the reversals in the fueling process, but they have been doing quite a bit of work to modify the storage tanks for both the liquid oxygen and liquid methane in the tank farm near the pad. The vertical tanks were replaced with horizontal ones over the past several months as part of the work on the ground systems.<\/p>\n

All told, the timing for fueling Starship is set to be about four minutes shorter than the last flight. It\u2019s also only about 11 minutes longer than it takes to fully fuel a Falcon 9 rocket.<\/p>\n