{"id":23948,"date":"2024-10-12T22:17:15","date_gmt":"2024-10-12T14:17:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/spacex-catches-a-super-heavy-booster-during-a-milestone-flight-5\/"},"modified":"2024-10-12T22:17:15","modified_gmt":"2024-10-12T14:17:15","slug":"spacex-catches-a-super-heavy-booster-during-a-milestone-flight-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/spacex-catches-a-super-heavy-booster-during-a-milestone-flight-5\/","title":{"rendered":"SpaceX Catches a Super Heavy Booster During a Milestone Flight 5"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Flight 5<\/p>\n<p>Ship 30 and Booster 12 lifted off at 7:25 am Central Time on Oct 13. The liftoff and ascent was flawless with all 33 engine running on Booster 12 all the way to hot-staging. Ship 30 then ignited its six engines and went on its way to the Indian Ocean.<\/p>\n<p>Booster 12 then reignited the middle ring of 10 engines for its boost back burn which was just as flawless as its ascent. However Booster 12 was not done, following its boost back burn Booster 12 made its way back to the launch site. With one kilometer to go it ignited its center 13 engines for the landing burn to quickly slow down then switching to the center three.<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-1\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: static; visibility: visible; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=Ryan%20Weber%40rweb11742&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-1&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1845442658203734384&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasaspaceflight.com%2F2024%2F10%2Fstarship-flight-5-catch%2F&amp;sessionId=2bc0fcb348ec65339bc07edbf38af052cb63d326&amp;siteScreenName=NASASpaceflight&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-14=\"true\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-21=\"true\" data-tweet-id=\"1845442658203734384\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i1783494054789715997=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&#8220;Good, our first catch of the day!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>OMG! pic.twitter.com\/eoLFDu8uMj<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Chris Bergin \u2013 NSF (@NASASpaceflight) October 13, 2024<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Booster 12 then translated over to get in between the chopsticks and was successfully caught by the tower. This is a massive milestone for the Starship program and now comes the question of what SpaceX will do with Booster 12.<\/p>\n<p>Ship 30 then coasted to reentry to test its new heat shield configuration. The new heat shield fared far better than Ship 29\u2019s configuration, however there was still some burn through on at least one of the forward flaps. Despite this Ship 30 made it to flip and landing burn and a soft splashdown in the Indian ocean before exploding after tipping over captured by a buoy at the landing zone. This means that SpaceX hit the mark on Ship landing.<\/p>\n<p>Overall SpaceX hit every single milestone and objective for Flight 5 and who knows what they will do for Flight 6.<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-2\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: static; visibility: visible; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=Ryan%20Weber%40rweb11742&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-2&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1845457555650379832&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasaspaceflight.com%2F2024%2F10%2Fstarship-flight-5-catch%2F&amp;sessionId=2bc0fcb348ec65339bc07edbf38af052cb63d326&amp;siteScreenName=NASASpaceflight&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-14=\"true\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-21=\"true\" data-tweet-id=\"1845457555650379832\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i1783494054789715997=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Splashdown confirmed! Congratulations to the entire SpaceX team on an exciting fifth flight test of Starship! pic.twitter.com\/FhCGznq9RO<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 13, 2024<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Technology News<path d=\"M7.59009 18.59L9.00009 20L17.0001 12L9.00009 4L7.59009 5.41L14.1701 12\" style=\"animation: initial !important; background: initial !important; border: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; color: inherit !important; cursor: inherit !important; direction: inherit !important; display: inline !important; fill: currentcolor !important; filter: initial !important; float: none !important; margin: 0px !important; opacity: initial !important; outline: 0px !important; overflow: initial !important; padding: 0px !important; stroke: initial !important; transform: initial !important; vertical-align: initial !important; visibility: inherit !important;\"><\/path>Space Shuttle<path d=\"M7.59009 18.59L9.00009 20L17.0001 12L9.00009 4L7.59009 5.41L14.1701 12\" style=\"animation: initial !important; background: initial !important; border: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; color: inherit !important; cursor: inherit !important; direction: inherit !important; display: inline !important; fill: currentcolor !important; filter: initial !important; float: none !important; margin: 0px !important; opacity: initial !important; outline: 0px !important; overflow: initial !important; padding: 0px !important; stroke: initial !important; transform: initial !important; vertical-align: initial !important; visibility: inherit !important;\"><\/path>Astronomy<path d=\"M7.59009 18.59L9.00009 20L17.0001 12L9.00009 4L7.59009 5.41L14.1701 12\" style=\"animation: initial !important; background: initial !important; border: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; color: inherit !important; cursor: inherit !important; direction: inherit !important; display: inline !important; fill: currentcolor !important; filter: initial !important; float: none !important; margin: 0px !important; opacity: initial !important; outline: 0px !important; overflow: initial !important; padding: 0px !important; stroke: initial !important; transform: initial !important; vertical-align: initial !important; visibility: inherit !important;\"><\/path>\n<p>     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/p>\n<p><b>How to watch the flight:<\/b><\/p>\n<p>NSF Starbase Live \u2013 24\/7<br \/>\nNSF Flight 5 Stakeout Stream \u2013 from 6 pm Central<br \/>\nNSF Flight 5 LIVE \u2013 YT \u2013 from 4 am Central<br \/>\nNSF Flight 5 LIVE \u2013 X \u2013 from 4 am Central<\/p>\n<p>Flights 1-4<\/p>\n<p>So far, SpaceX has made tremendous strides from flight to flight in the Starship Program. Flight 1 was all about getting off the pad and getting data on booster performance. Even though the stack only got to 40 km, SpaceX achieved at least clearing the tower and getting booster data.<\/p>\n<p>Flight 1 paved the way for Flight 2 to make it to stage separation using a new method for Starship,&nbsp; hot staging, and almost got the Ship to engine cutoff. However, Booster 9 was lost during boost back, and Ship 25 was lost near the end of its burn.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-96487\" class=\"size-full wp-image-96487\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Starship-in-flight.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1140\" height=\"1140\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Starship-in-flight.jpg 1140w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Starship-in-flight-350x350.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Starship-in-flight-768x768.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1140px) 100vw, 1140px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-96487\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Starship Flight 1 B7\/S24 (Credit: Max Evans for NSF)<\/p>\n<p>Taking the lessons learned from Flight 2, Flight 3 was a huge step forward. Booster 10 made it past the boostback burn but was lost during the landing burn. Ship 28 made it into space but lost roll control during the coast phase and started to tumble. This resulted in the heat shield not facing the atmosphere constantly, and Ship 28 burned up on reentry.<\/p>\n<p>Then came Flight 4, which saw our first engine out on the accent with the booster since Flight 1. However, Booster 11 completed its boostback burn and its landing burn before tipping over and exploding. According to SpaceX Vice President for Build and Flight Reliability Bill Gerstenmaier, when referring to Booster 11\u2019s landing accuracy, \u201cWe landed with half a centimeter accuracy in the ocean.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-100335\" class=\"size-full wp-image-100335\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/entry.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1684\" height=\"942\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/entry.png 1684w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/entry-350x196.png 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/entry-626x350.png 626w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/entry-768x430.png 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/entry-1170x654.png 1170w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1684px) 100vw, 1684px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-100335\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A then-live view of Ship 29 during atmospheric reentry, provided by SpaceX\u2019s Starlink constellation. Credit: SpaceX on X<\/p>\n<p>During the Ccoast phase, Ship 29 didn\u2019t do any of the extra testing that Ship 28 did and just coasted into reentry. With a perfect attitude and full control, Ship 29 reentered. During reentry, plasma got into the port-side forward flap hinge, nearly melting it off. However, Ship 29 maintained control and completed a flip-and-burn with a soft splashdown in the Indian Ocean.<\/p>\n<p>These achievements and milestones now prepare the Starship program for its biggest test yet: catching the booster.<\/p>\n<p><b>Timeline and Trajectory<\/b><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"widget-title penci-border-arrow\">See Also<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>SpaceX Starship Section<\/li>\n<li>L2 SpaceX<\/li>\n<li>Click here to Join L2<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Flight 5 is slated to be relatively the same in terms of the timeline for propellant load and flight; however, there are some differences.<\/p>\n<p>Overall, the propellant load is about 50 seconds slower, with Ship Liquid Methane (LCH4) load starting at T-49:50 rather than T-49:00. However, Booster Liquid Oxygen (LOX) load is 2 minutes and 57 seconds faster than Flight 4.<\/p>\n<p>A few other timing changes exist. These are most likely just SpaceX refining the propellant loading for the Starship and Booster.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-102489\" class=\"size-full wp-image-102489\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Flight-5-Timeline.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1217\" height=\"832\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Flight-5-Timeline.jpg 1217w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Flight-5-Timeline-350x239.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Flight-5-Timeline-512x350.jpg 512w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Flight-5-Timeline-768x525.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Flight-5-Timeline-1170x800.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1217px) 100vw, 1217px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-102489\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Flight 5 Timeline Credit: SpaceX<\/p>\n<p>Flight 5 will have different milestone timings, including an interesting element for the flight director. The Most Engines Cutoff (MECO) is eight seconds earlier than on Flight 4, occurring at T+02:33. This makes the hot stage ring jettison and the boostback burn a bit earlier in the timeline as well.<\/p>\n<p>This is likely related to trying to bring the booster back to the launch site.<\/p>\n<p>As stated, this flight will also have a hot stage ring jettison like Flight 4, which will likely be a mainstay for many upcoming launches, ahead of the Flight 4 note that the HSRs will eventually become an integrated part of the booster.<\/p>\n<p>For this flight\u2019s big milestone, T+06:56 is labeled Super Heavy landing burn shutdown and Catch Attempt. This will not be an automatic piece of software directing the booster to make a catch attempt.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sxcontent9668.azureedge.us\/cms-assets\/assets\/SPACEX_STARSHIP_INFOGRAPHIC_FLIGHT_5_WEB_2_f74808fc8f.png\" alt=\"Infographic detailing sequence of events for Starship's Fifth Flight Test\" width=\"10834\" height=\"5659\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Trajectory Graphic provided by SpaceX for Flight 5 of Starship Credit: SpaceX<\/p>\n<p>To get the booster to return to the launch site for a catch, the Flight Director will have to send a manual command to the booster before the boostback burn is completed. This will then tell Booster 12 to attempt a catch and land at the Launch Site.<\/p>\n<p>However, the software will auto-abort the catch attempt if either the booster or the chopsticks find something unhealthy with any system deemed required for a catch.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-102434\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/IFT5_Forum_Thread_Ad.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1030\" height=\"220\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/IFT5_Forum_Thread_Ad.png 1030w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/IFT5_Forum_Thread_Ad-350x75.png 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/IFT5_Forum_Thread_Ad-630x135.png 630w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/IFT5_Forum_Thread_Ad-768x164.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1030px) 100vw, 1030px\"><br \/>\nIf this were to occur, Booster 12 would perform a soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico if, by design, it is early enough in the landing profile.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Besides trying for a catch attempt, the flight profile aims to end with a splashdown in the Indian Ocean with Ship 30, the same as Flight 4. SpaceX will try for a better reentry with Ship 30, which may be possible due to the new heat shield.<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-3\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: static; visibility: visible; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=Ryan%20Weber%40rweb11742&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-3&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1799458854067118450&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasaspaceflight.com%2F2024%2F10%2Fstarship-flight-5-catch%2F&amp;sessionId=2bc0fcb348ec65339bc07edbf38af052cb63d326&amp;siteScreenName=NASASpaceflight&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-14=\"true\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-21=\"true\" data-tweet-id=\"1799458854067118450\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i1783494054789715997=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Super Heavy landing burn and soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico pic.twitter.com\/lnjCSk2Cz6<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 SpaceX (@SpaceX) June 8, 2024<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><b>Launch License<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has released a Launch License revision for Flight 5 of Starship, which was required because of the catch attempt. It dropped on Saturday, Oct 12.<\/p>\n<p>The main elements that allow this are the new designation of the stack\u2014just calling it the Starship-Super Heavy vehicle\u2014and including the SpaceX Boca Chica Launch Complex as the endpoint for the flight.<\/p>\n<p>The new revision also states that SpaceX must inform the FAA within 15 days of any notice of violations of local, state, or federal environmental laws as they may pertain to the launch license. The license also explains what the content of such notices should entail.<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-4\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: static; visibility: visible; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=Ryan%20Weber%40rweb11742&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-4&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1845143827755012306&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasaspaceflight.com%2F2024%2F10%2Fstarship-flight-5-catch%2F&amp;sessionId=2bc0fcb348ec65339bc07edbf38af052cb63d326&amp;siteScreenName=NASASpaceflight&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-14=\"true\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-21=\"true\" data-tweet-id=\"1845143827755012306\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i1783494054789715997=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">FAA license for Starship Flight 5:https:\/\/t.co\/lRC3NXhsMZ pic.twitter.com\/3EPuG4t5HH<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Chris Bergin \u2013 NSF (@NASASpaceflight) October 12, 2024<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>It also included news that the approval covers Flight 6 of Starship, which is expected to involve Booster 13 and Ship 31.<\/p>\n<p>However, it does not include Flight 7, which is slated to have Ship 33 fly. As this is a new ship configuration, SpaceX will need a new launch license.<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-5\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: static; visibility: visible; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=Ryan%20Weber%40rweb11742&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-5&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1845153328210018448&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasaspaceflight.com%2F2024%2F10%2Fstarship-flight-5-catch%2F&amp;sessionId=2bc0fcb348ec65339bc07edbf38af052cb63d326&amp;siteScreenName=NASASpaceflight&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-14=\"true\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-21=\"true\" data-tweet-id=\"1845153328210018448\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i1783494054789715997=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The @FAANews confirms the go-ahead for flight 6 as well:@NASASpaceflight pic.twitter.com\/NY2LSTs7u0<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Adrian Beil (@BCCarCounters) October 12, 2024<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><b>Ship 30 and Booster 12 Changes<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Ship 30 will fly as the second stage for this mission and has been significantly upgraded over Ship 29, specifically with a new heat shield construction.<\/p>\n<p>Due to the issues Ship 29 suffered during Flight 4, SpaceX replaced almost all of the tiles on Ship 30 with newer and stronger tiles. This will allow the tiles to withstand reentry and flight better.<\/p>\n<p>The most significant change is the new secondary heat shield, an ablative material added under most pinned tiles in the most heat-affected areas. On ships like Ship 29, the setup used to be from bottom to top, felt, mesh, and then tiles. The new design is felt, mesh, ablative material, and then tiles.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-100789\" class=\"size-full wp-image-100789\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Ship-30-Nose-Cone-Tile-Work-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Ship-30-Nose-Cone-Tile-Work-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Ship-30-Nose-Cone-Tile-Work-350x233.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Ship-30-Nose-Cone-Tile-Work-525x350.jpg 525w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Ship-30-Nose-Cone-Tile-Work-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Ship-30-Nose-Cone-Tile-Work-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Ship-30-Nose-Cone-Tile-Work-1170x780.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Ship-30-Nose-Cone-Tile-Work-585x390.jpg 585w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Ship-30-Nose-Cone-Tile-Work-263x175.jpg 263w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-100789\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ship 30 Nose Cone Tile Work (Credit: Sean Doherty for NSF\/L2)<\/p>\n<p>The felt is an insulator that helps close any gaps between the tiles. The mesh helps hold down the felt, making it easier to install the tiles. The ablative material is believed to be pryon, a carbon composite-like material. This will act as a secondary heat shield should the tiles fail.<\/p>\n<p>Another addition is using more gap filler material around the flaps and flap fairings to prevent what happened to Ship 29 from happening again.<\/p>\n<p>Other additions include four new cameras that look directly at the flaps and cameras in the flap hinge that look directly at the point of failure for Ship 29\u2019s forward flap.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-102491\" class=\"size-full wp-image-102491\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Booster-12-changes-with-Ship-30-being-destacked-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Booster-12-changes-with-Ship-30-being-destacked-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Booster-12-changes-with-Ship-30-being-destacked-350x233.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Booster-12-changes-with-Ship-30-being-destacked-525x350.jpg 525w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Booster-12-changes-with-Ship-30-being-destacked-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Booster-12-changes-with-Ship-30-being-destacked-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Booster-12-changes-with-Ship-30-being-destacked-1170x780.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Booster-12-changes-with-Ship-30-being-destacked-585x390.jpg 585w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Booster-12-changes-with-Ship-30-being-destacked-263x175.jpg 263w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-102491\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Booster 12 changes with Ship 30 being Destacked (Credit: BocaChicaGal for NSF\/L2)<\/p>\n<p>In terms of Booster 12, there aren\u2019t many noticeable visual changes. It is expected, as always, that teams have made hundreds of small internal modifications on each vehicle. Of the changes that can be seen, SpaceX has upgraded the last two Starlink antennas on the top of the chines, making all four the newer square design. Some new thermal protection was added to the bottom of the engine shielding.<\/p>\n<p>For the catch, SpaceX has added tapered stringers over the chopstick stabilization points on the booster so that the new bumpers can slide up the booster during catch operations. These, plus the tapered stringers just below the lifting pins, have also been painted black so that SpaceX can see how the booster and chopsticks interact should a catch happen.<\/p>\n<p><b>Orbital Pad A Changes<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Along with vehicle changes, Orbital Launch Pad A has also seen changes. Almost all of the changes concern preparations for the catch. The only significant change unrelated to the catch is the removal of the Methane Recondenser vent, as crews continue to simplify the Orbital Tank Farm.<\/p>\n<p>Crews have worked for months to add reinforcements to most of the chopsticks\u2019 major weld lines. These will help strengthen the chopsticks\u2019 structure and carriage assemblies ahead of catch operations.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-101949\" class=\"size-full wp-image-101949\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Crews-Installing-Reinforcements-onto-the-Chopsticks-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Crews-Installing-Reinforcements-onto-the-Chopsticks-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Crews-Installing-Reinforcements-onto-the-Chopsticks-350x233.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Crews-Installing-Reinforcements-onto-the-Chopsticks-525x350.jpg 525w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Crews-Installing-Reinforcements-onto-the-Chopsticks-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Crews-Installing-Reinforcements-onto-the-Chopsticks-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Crews-Installing-Reinforcements-onto-the-Chopsticks-1170x780.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Crews-Installing-Reinforcements-onto-the-Chopsticks-585x390.jpg 585w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Crews-Installing-Reinforcements-onto-the-Chopsticks-263x175.jpg 263w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-101949\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Crews Installing Reinforcements onto the Chopsticks following testing (Credit: BocaChicaGal for NSF\/L2)<\/p>\n<p>Crews have also added newer compressable steel bumpers to the landing rails, replacing the older rubber-style ones that would get damaged during flight operations. Teams have also added shielding around the main chopstick actuators and their valve manifolds and shielding around most of the wiring, pneumatic, and hydraulic lines.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, to make the landing rails capable of handling landing loads, more pistons were added to help cushion the booster as it lands.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-101944\" class=\"size-full wp-image-101944\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Larger-Gusset-Paltes-Installed-at-the-top-of-Tower-A-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1708\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Larger-Gusset-Paltes-Installed-at-the-top-of-Tower-A-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Larger-Gusset-Paltes-Installed-at-the-top-of-Tower-A-350x233.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Larger-Gusset-Paltes-Installed-at-the-top-of-Tower-A-525x350.jpg 525w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Larger-Gusset-Paltes-Installed-at-the-top-of-Tower-A-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Larger-Gusset-Paltes-Installed-at-the-top-of-Tower-A-1920x1281.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Larger-Gusset-Paltes-Installed-at-the-top-of-Tower-A-1170x780.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Larger-Gusset-Paltes-Installed-at-the-top-of-Tower-A-585x390.jpg 585w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Larger-Gusset-Paltes-Installed-at-the-top-of-Tower-A-263x175.jpg 263w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-101944\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Larger Gusset Plates Installed at the top of Tower A (Credit: Jack Beyer for NSF\/L2)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Flight 5 Ship 30 and Booster 12 lifted off at 7:25 am Central Time on Oct 13. The liftoff and ascent was flawless with all 33 engine running on Booster 12 all the way to hot-staging. Ship 30 then ignited its six engines and went on its way to the Indian Ocean. Booster 12 then [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[304,316,739,317],"class_list":["post-23948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-artemis","tag-spacex","tag-starbase","tag-starship"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23948"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23948"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23948\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23948"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23948"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23948"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}