NASA managers tasked with humanity’s next journey into deep space spoke positively about Starship’s recent test flight, the info gathered, and the resulting design changes that shall be incorporated into the subsequent test launch.
While launch site repairs proceed at Starbase ahead of the continuation of the test campaign that’s targeting an orbital success this 12 months, SpaceX is predicted to launch numerous Starships before entering the human landing system (HLS) contract, involving quite a few tanker vehicles and a crewed lander.
SpaceX was awarded the HLS Option A contract in 2021, which calls for an illustration of the varied elements of the system.
This includes docking the lander to the Orion spacecraft, transferring the crew from Orion to the lander in lunar orbit, conducting an extravehicular activity after landing on the lunar surface, and returning the crew and other materials from the surface.
Option A included each uncrewed and crewed demonstration missions.
This contract was followed by SpaceX winning HLS Option B in late 2022, which covers the Artemis IV mission to the Moon. NASA is about to announce a second HLS lander option “to develop a sustainable human landing system for the Artemis V Moon mission,” on Friday.
The present NASA schedule calls for the uncrewed lunar demo mission to be launched in 2024, ahead of 2025’s Artemis III mission.
The person missions would require each the lunar Starship and multiple Starship tanker launches to permit for the previous to be refilled on orbit ahead of its trip to the Moon. Nonetheless, the precise variety of launches needed for refueling stays unclear.
Ahead of the HLS missions, Starship has an ambitious test series in work, now finally underway because of the launch of Booster 7 and Ship 24.
Amit Kshatriya, deputy associate administrator for the Moon to Mars program within the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters, updated the NASA Advisory Council Human Exploration and Operations this week.
“[There is] loads of hardware moving through the Starbase. In fact, you all know that they had a flight test. They got as much as about 39 kilometers when it comes to apogee before the top of the mission,” noted Kshatriya.
“We got a ton of knowledge out of that mission, and people guys are looking forward to the subsequent ship and booster when it comes to getting them together and incorporating design changes.”
Booster 9 and a yet-to-be-confirmed ship are set to fly that next mission, with the previous already known to sport numerous improvements in comparison with the previous booster.
![](https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/NSF-2023-05-17-01-28-26-192-scaled.jpg)
Booster 9 and friends on the Production Site. (Tredit: Chris Kleindl (@chrisk_91) for NSF/L2)
“There are such a lot of improvements from Booster 7 to Booster 9, literally a whole lot, some major ones,” noted Musk during a recent Twitter Spaces. “We’ve moved from hydraulic TVC to electric from Booster 7 to Booster 9. Your complete heatshield structure on the bottom is totally redesigned.”
Booster 9 currently resides contained in the mega bay at Starbase’s production site, together with additional boosters and ships, all waiting their turn.
The launch site is the important thing focus of ongoing work to organize for the subsequent test. Nonetheless, one item of note is the recertification of the flight termination system (FTS), required after Booster 7 refused to die when the FTS was activated after it began to tumble uncontrolled late during first stage flight.
A test that was likely related to this effort took place at SpaceX’s Masseys test site this week, with the B6 test tank successfully split open throughout the test.
![](https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/NSF-2023-05-17-01-25-38-924.jpg)
B6 following its likely FTS-related test. (Credit: Chris Kleindl (@chrisk_91) for NSF/L2)
“We’ve got a few team members within the HLS program which might be engaged with the FAA and SpaceX,” noted Kshatriya, before adding they’re mostly observing and reporting that SpaceX’s team already knows what they’re doing. “I mean, they’re very, superb. And in order that they understand sort of incorporate their data.”
Providing the launch site modifications allow for a pad turnaround without the requirement for a lengthy period of repairs, SpaceX could potentially launch several flights from Starbase before the 12 months is out.
This is able to pave the best way for a refilling test to occur ahead of entering the HLS demo.“They’re working through a leak and boil-off and the way that affects the sort of propellant aggregation phase of the mission. So I don’t need to go too far down the road when it comes to, you realize, talking about that until they choose their engineering side,” added Kshatriya, adding work is well underway on the crew version of Starship, per a reference to the life support system.
“SpaceX is an integral partner. I spent 12 hours with the team at Hawthorne and got to see what’s happening there. I mean, when it comes to Raptor production and all their ECLSS [Environmental Control and Life Support System] and other development for Starship.”
“I’ll let you know is that we [NASA] are fully partnered with them when it comes to how they’re interpreting the info. I’m very confident that SpaceX is open to our input and conversely.”
On the Raptor side, one other milestone was achieved recently, when “Raptor v3” achieved 350 bar chamber pressure, leading to 269 tons of thrust, on the tripod test stand at SpaceX’s McGregor test stand.
Can Raptor 3 generally is a drop-in substitute for Raptor 2, or will the vehicles require changes to cater for Raptor 3 engines?
Here’s the total firing from the raw pull out of https://t.co/Eh5oaibOBY pic.twitter.com/u3GP4O2pvh
— Chris Bergin – NSF (@NASASpaceflight) May 13, 2023
Starship currently flies with Raptor v2 engines, with additional modifications — similar to electric TVC — coming online from Booster 9 onward. Nonetheless, Musk has already noted there’s one other upgrade to return, often cited as Raptor 2.5, before noting the “v3” designation for this latest milestone test.
The primary challenge for the HLS program pertains to multiple agencies and vendors aligning with the Artemis schedule. Musk previously insisted that HLS Starship won’t be the pacing item. Nonetheless, NASA officials cited the Apollo Program, where the lunar lander wasn’t ready, leading to launches without that element.
“Due to the dependence on that [schedule], you realize, we’re taking a look at all options, and we’ve asked all of our contractors to bring their production in as much as they will because, in fact, we actually, actually need to fly this mission the best way we’ve got designed it. But the opposite necessary thing, from an insurance standpoint, is to maintain flying.”
“So, we’re asking everyone to aggregate as much hardware as they will for us. After which, depending on where we’re with the remaining of the production, identical to they did during Apollo, where they downloaded, they usually flew missions when the Lander wasn’t available, we are going to select those missions based on the hardware that’s available.”
“That’s sort of our overarching strategy, and that, from a production standpoint, we predict it’s very necessary to speak to all of our vendors, including SpaceX.”
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