That was the most boring blow job I have ever watched
Pretty sad that the coolest part of the whole video is what user effi on the NSF forum spotted:
Even in the Raptor room behind the Mega bay they watch NSF :D .A Screenshot from 46:14:
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=60962.0;attach=2294746;image
I love that everyone from Starship engineers to Starliner CAPCOM watches NSF.
There was very little new information in the video, unfortunately. It was interesting to see that SpaceX weren’t confident in the fin heat shields ahead of the last launch though.
The majority of the video was “wow, rocket factory is big and empty”.
I guess other important piece is confirmation that they use gases after preburner for tank pressurisation.
TL;DW highlights:
- 01:15 Current Starfactory designed to produce 100 ships per year.
- 02:30 Aiming for 200 tonnes to orbit with full reusability
- 11:20 Starlink missions on Starship are not a priority for 2024
- 15:00 Currently design not able to cope with the loss of a single tile on the pressurized tank portion. Future designs incorporating a backup ablative layer underneath tiles.
- 17:30 Mass savings of passive vs active heat shield might not be as much as they originally thought, since the mass of the ceramic heat shield has grown. Elon still confident that passive shield is best for reentry from interplanetary transfer.
- 21:30 Linear-adjacent flow (assembly line) for vehicle production.
- 27:20 IFT-3 loss of ship control. Valves got clogged by ice. Elon confirms that they are tapping off the preburner for ullage gas to repressurize the oxygen tank. They’ve added better “ice strainers” and will add redundant valves in the future.
- 33:45 Reducing number of grid fins is not a high priority.
- 36:00 Still several thousand changes between each vehicle. Primary payload on these test flights is data.
- 42:00 Future raptor versions will have cooling circuits integrated into various parts, reducing the total number of parts, bolted joints, welded joints, and the need for engine heat shields
- 47:30 Long-term goal for raptor thrust is 330 tonne-force.
- 50:00 Separate propellant depot likely not needed for Artemis, just dock tankers directly to Starship HLS.
- 54:30 Tile attachement points
- 56:45 Ship header tank
- 57:45 Pez door test on IFT-3 “had some issues”.
- 1:00:45 Tesla drive units are still used for actuating the booster grid fins and ship flaps. Striving to eliminate all hydraulics on the vehicle.
Side note at 01:40 on Falcon 9 upper stage production: Close to 200 this year, likely over 200 next year.
