Posted on 03/14/2024 12:02:29 AM PDT by linMcHlp
March 14 Starship • Orbital Flight Test 3 (OFT-3)
Launch time: 7:00 a.m. CDT (8:00 a.m. EDT, 1200 UTC) for 110-min. window
Launch site: Starbase, Boca Chica Beach, Texas A SpaceX Super Heavy booster and Starship vehicle will make a third fully-integrated test flight during a 110-minute launch window.
The plan is for the Starship to achieve near-orbital before reentering the atmosphere and splashing down in the Indian Ocean.
The Super Heavy booster will target a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.
I’d call that a 90+% successful launch. Only problem was failure during the landing burn for the booster. Hopefully Starship will complete the in flight tests and have successful de-orbit burn and splash down.
“problem was failure during the landing burn for the booster”
Looked to me, that the booster had basic aerodynamic problems. It is not exactly a flyer. Likely to encounter winds aloft that it has to be better able to negotiate.
If the data on the link I was watching is correct, the booster hit the ocean at over 600 MPH in the up right position.
Congratulations to the SpaceX Team and all involved.
According to call outs, propellant transfer and cargo door tests completed successfully.
Early guesses are the not all the engines re-fired on the deceleration burn...
Should be interesting to see what happens during de-orbit and splashdown in the Indian Ocean...
Looks like that is in progress at this time..
36 second loop of the end of countdown and the liftoff.
Elon Musk, not takin’ no for an answer.
https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1768267464062943676
De-orbit burn should happen shortly.
That is quite a bit of progress since the last launch..
Yup. Looking good so far.
Turns out they weren’t planning a de-orbit burn...didn’t need it. They skipped the relight tests for some reason. Seeing heating during re-entry right now.
Telemetry on the feed I was watching cut off when it was a bit over 65km up and still cooking along at over 25,000 kmh...
That’d make a bit of a splash...
Looks like the starship might have been lost. That is why they planned to dumped the booster in the gulf and the starship in the Indian ocean. That is still a lot of progress..
They skipped the relight because the computer did not receive the info it needed to go ahead.
Lost tracking and receiving sat, as well as Starlink at same time. Neither booster and ship were intended to be recovered. But big win and congratulations to the SpaceX team.
Flight 4 will be something to see when it happens.
Somebody in boat on the Indian Ocean, is going to be surprised and swear up and down, that THE ALIENS have landed.
Around an hour of flight time... successful orbit, successful tank transfer (for future orbital refueling), and quite a few other milestones...
Amazing amount of data they are going to be combing through in preparation for IFT-4...
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