BFR Developments

[Yazata]

The Coast Guard just put this out:

[Image: GqMqKYxWgAA7dDA?format=jpg&name=large]

And the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency put out this:

[Image: GqMp8k8W8AAk9Zs?format=jpg&name=large]

nsNS

[Yazata]

The FAA has just approved up to 25 launches/year from Starbase.

[C C]

The FAA has just approved up to 25 launches/year from Starbase.

The Biden era is surely turning over in its grave (wherever some of those former FAA folk are working at now).

[Yazata]

The latest of Zack's in-depth (super depth) investigations. Zack Golden is an engineer and a gifted engineering explainer, and he really throws his heart into his videos which are labors of love with him.

This one reveals what Zack thinks is wrong with the Version.2 ships, both of which failed at the same point in flight near the Turks and Caicos islands: Pogo oscillations!

(Wikipedia says) "Pogo arises fundamentally because you have thrust fluctuations in the engines. Those are normal characteristics of engines... Now, in turn, the engine is fed through a pipe that takes the fuel out of the tanks and feeds it into the engine. That pipe's length is something like an organ pipe so it has a certain resonance frequency of its own and it really turns out that it will oscillate just like an organ pipe does. The structure of the vehicle is much like a tuning fork, so if you strike it right, it will oscillate... If the oscillation is left unchecked, failures can result."

Put simply, the engines vibrate. If the vibrations match the resonant frequency of the feed plumbing, especially if the vibrations impact fuel flow creating a positive feedback loop, then the vibrations can grow until they rupture the lines and cause fuel/oxidizer leaks, fires (even in space if LOX leaks) and loss of mission.

It's a known problem that NASA faced with its Titan and Saturn rockets.

Zack says don't be surprised if Flight 9 fails the same way that 7 and 8 did. SpaceX probably has it loaded with sensors to identify which changes in the Version.2 propellant feed system are experiencing destructive vibrations. So Flight 9 might be intended to recreate conditions that can't be duplicated on the ground so as to provide data to enable future design changes.

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/GkqWhHvfAXY

[Yazata]

Recent photo (by RGV Aerial) showing the Pad B Flame Trench nearing completion. The water-cooled Launch Mount (a massive 1,200 ton structure constructed of heavy armor plate) has been moved from the Sanchez work area to the launch site (it's that square thing with the round hole in the upper left). Two dual yellow cranes spent today preparing to lift and place it atop the middle of the trench tomorrow.

[Image: GqtTVTdWgAA05hq?format=jpg&name=4096x4096]

[Yazata]

Big day at Starbase!

The Pad B launch mount has been lifted into position.

Ship S35 (the flight 9 ship) performed what appeared to be a successful 60 second static fire at the Masseys test site.

Previously flown booster B14-2 (the flight 7 and flight 9 booster) is preparing to roll to Pad A tonight.

And a test tank for the next generation boosters rolled to Masseys where a crane placed it inside the new structural test cage for some pushing, pulling and twisting with hydraulic cylinders

(Photo by Carlos Nunez)

[Image: Gqx7PfCXcAEIpwO?format=jpg&name=small]

(Photo by Starship Gazer)

[Image: GqwfP_CWMAAJp2R?format=jpg&name=small]

[Yazata]

SpaceX photos of yesterdays Ship 35 Static Fire

[Image: Gq2YilBXIAAFPzm?format=jpg&name=4096x4096]

[Image: Gq2YhwjWgAAhcZ9?format=jpg&name=4096x4096]

The booster test tank inside the structural test cage (the "can crusher") at Masseys

[Image: Gq3IVxWXUAArZNl?format=jpg&name=small]

nsNS

[Yazata]

New FAA Notam has Flight 9 NET (no earlier than) May 21, with lots of backup days

[Image: Gq7urY8WkAAfS0v?format=jpg&name=small]

[Yazata]

The FAA put this out today:

[Image: GrBlTLVWQAAJRF4?format=png&name=medium]

The space nuts are talking about the fact that SpaceX only submitted their Flight 8 mishap report yesterday, a week before Flight 9's tentative date.

It might mean that the mishap report submitted yesterday was the final mishap report that addresses the FAA's last remaining concerns and closes out the last remaining questions.

[Yazata]

https://www.faa.gov/media/94826

An interesting detail is that Booster 14.2, the first reflown Superheavy booster, won't be attempting a second tower catch, but instead will be soft landing expendably in the Gulf of America.

[Image: GrE0yhzW8AAlsQs?format=png&name=900x900]

nsNS