FAA Starship Approval: Why It's A Big Deal For SpaceX!
Summary
TLDRThe video discusses recent SpaceX Starship progress and investigations into the rocket's second test flight failure. It explains theories about what caused issues with the booster and ship, highlighting a potential engine explosion and procedural complications. Updates are provided on preparations for the third test flight, Starship's launch license approval, and ambitious 2024 launch goals. The script also covers a new SpaceX Crew Dragon mission to the ISS, developments with Rocket Lab's Electron rocket and forthcoming medium-lift Neutron rocket, and introductions of new satellite platform naming conventions.
Takeaways
- ๐ The FAA has closed its investigation into Starship's second test flight, clearing the way for future launches
- ๐ SpaceX aims to launch 9 more Starships in 2024, a massive increase, but faces regulatory and infrastructure challenges
- ๐ฉโ๐ Crew Dragon will soon take 4 astronauts to the ISS on the Crew-8 mission for a handover with Crew-5
- ๐ Rocket Lab made big progress on Neutron in 2023 and plans to launch reused Electron boosters and many satellites
- ๐ฎ An engine explosion likely caused Super Heavy's failure in the test flight due to a filter blockage allowing combustion instability
- โ๏ธ SpaceX modified Starship's propellant system and switched to electric thrust vector control actuators after the last failure
- ๐ LC-3, Neutron's future launch site, is now under construction with tanks and engines in production
- ๐ Despite a launch failure, Rocket Lab completed a record 10 Electron launches in 2023 and already 2 more so far this year
- ๐ฌ Janette Epps finally gets to fly to space after waiting since she trained for Expedition 56 in 2018
- ๐ Rocket Lab continues to grow its satellite manufacturing business, unveiling a new naming scheme for its Photon buses
Q & A
What caused the pressure drop in Super Heavy's oxidizer pump during the boostback burn?
-SpaceX found that a filter blockage at the oxygen intake to the engine caused the pressure drop, disrupting the fuel to oxidizer balance and resulting in an engine explosion.
How many Starship launches is SpaceX hoping to conduct in 2024?
-SpaceX is discussing with the FAA the possibility of launching nine more Starships in 2024.
What upgrades need to happen at the Starbase launch site to support a monthly Starship launch cadence?
-Achieving a monthly launch cadence could require some major upgrades to the launch infrastructure itself (referred to as Stage Zero), although the specifics are not provided.
Who makes up the crew for the Crew-8 mission to the ISS?
-The crew consists of Commander Matthew Dominic, Pilot Michael Barrett, and Mission Specialists Janette Epps and Artem Ginzburg.
What is Rocket Lab's Neutron rocket and what is its status?
-Neutron is Rocket Lab's new medium-lift reusable rocket under development to compete with SpaceX's Falcon 9. Major components like tanks and engines are now in production, targeting first launch in late 2024.
What changes were made to Starship after the investigation into its second test flight failure?
-Changes include modifications to the tank filtration system, measures to minimize propellant sloshing, transitioning to an electric TVC system, and eliminating pre-second engine cutoff propellant dumps.
What is Rocket Lab's new satellite naming scheme?
-The new scheme names satellites Photon, Pioneer, Explorer, or Lightning based on factors like mission duration and capability.
Why does the FAA need to investigate failures of Starship test flights?
-Under an experimental launch license, any deviation from the pre-approved flight plan automatically triggers an investigation by the FAA before further licenses can be granted.
How was Rocket Lab able to launch 10 Electron rockets in 2023?
-Rocket Lab launched 10 Electron rockets in 2023, surpassing their previous record of 9 launches set in 2022.
What is Rocket Lab's goal for Electron launches in 2024?
-With 10 launches already in 2023 and momentum continuing into 2024, Rocket Lab is aiming to launch 15 or more Electron rockets this year.
Outlines
๐ฐ๏ธ Investigating Starship's Crash and Preparing for Next Flight
Paragraph 1 summarizes the investigation findings into the crash of Starship's second test flight. It explains SpaceX leads the investigation and submits analysis to the FAA. The FAA agreed with SpaceX's conclusions, clearing the way for future Starship launches. The root causes were an engine explosion likely due to a blocked filter causing combustion instability in the booster stage, and an oxygen leak and data link severance in the ship stage.
๐งโ๐ Modifications to Prevent Future Starship Failures
Paragraph 2 details the corrective actions SpaceX is taking for both Starship and Super Heavy before the next test flight. This includes changes to prevent propellant sloshing issues, upgrading to an electric thrust vector control system, eliminating potential leak sources in the ship, and modifying procedures around engine shutdowns and propellant dumps.
๐ Optimistic Plans for Many 2024 Launches
Paragraph 3 discusses SpaceX's ambitious goal of launching 9 Starships in 2024 and the regulatory and infrastructure challenges involved. It notes the need for launch site upgrades and faster environmental approvals to achieve a high flight cadence. Even 5 launches in 2024 would be a major increase.
๐ Rocket Lab's Electron and Neutron Updates
Paragraph 4 covers Rocket Lab's latest news around their Electron rocket and new medium-lift Neutron rocket. It details their record 2023 launch numbers, progress on rocket reusability, updates on Neutron development, expanded satellite production capabilities, and infrastructure works underway for the new launch pad LC-3.
๐ซ Wrapping up the Latest Space Updates
Paragraph 5 provides concluding thoughts, urging viewers to like, subscribe and buy merchandise to support the channel. It also previews potential topics for the next video.
Mindmap
Keywords
๐กStarship
๐กRaptor engine
๐กFAA investigation
๐กLaunch cadence
๐กFlight termination system
๐กRapid unscheduled disassembly
๐กWet dress rehearsal
๐กFlight hardware
๐กPad infrastructure
๐กSatellite constellation
Highlights
SpaceX just completed a massive step in obtaining the launch license for Starship
Closing an investigation after a failed launch is required to obtain future launch licenses
SpaceX found an engine explosion was the direct cause of the Super Heavy booster failure
A filter blockage disrupted the fuel-oxidizer ratio, causing an engine to explode
SpaceX plans to make modifications to prevent issues like propellant sloshing
The upcoming Starship flight will transition thrust control from hydraulic to electric
The next step towards the launch license is a full dress rehearsal
SpaceX discussed launching 9 more Starships in 2024, presenting regulatory challenges
Achieving monthly Starship launches could require major infrastructure upgrades
SpaceX Crew Dragon is launching 4 astronauts to the ISS on the Crew-8 mission
Rocket Lab plans to launch Electron rockets powered by 9 reused engines
Rocket Lab aims to launch the maiden flight of the Neutron rocket by late 2024
Rocket Lab is building a new launch complex for Neutron rockets
Rocket Lab introduced a new satellite naming scheme - Photon, Pioneer, Explorer
Rocket Lab continues ambitious growth, aiming to become the 'second SpaceX'
Transcripts
the FAA is done starship's second flight
investigation closed what happened is
the way clear for if3 ship 28 conducts a
spin Prime what is next another Dragon
will visit the ISS soon and Rocket lab
releases a massive electron and neutron
update my name is Felix welcome to what
about it let's Dive Right In Starship
updates SpaceX just completed a massive
step in obtaining the launch license
Things Are are picking up momentum want
to know what exactly this means follow
me the contrast between starship's first
and second flight was striking so much
has improved between these two launches
for a second it even looked like
everything would go perfectly on the
second try and yet despite achieving
several key objectives during the second
integrated flight test both rocket
stages ultimately met a catastrophic end
it's important to note that under an
experimental launch license any
deviation from the FAA pre-approved
Flight Plan plan automatically triggers
an investigation you can't skip this
step however there is a widespread
misconception about who actually
conducts these investigations contrary
to what some might think SpaceX itself
leads the mishap investigation for
Starship the company is responsible for
Gathering evidence and developing a
hypothesis to explain the outcome of the
launch the faa's role is to review
spacex's findings and then either agree
with the conclusions and close the
investigation or demand them to dig
deeper to pinpoint the root cause
closing such an investigation is a big
deal as it is required to obtain future
launch licenses this is why mishap
investigations are a top priority for
the launch provider after a launch goes
south on February 26th the FAA
officially concluded the investigation
into starship's second flight based on
spacex's detailed analysis so the FAA is
happy with spacex's analysis in return
this closure gives us some official
theories about what went wrong wrong
let's focus on the super heavy booster
first spacex's investigation pinpointed
the attempted boost back burn as the
beginning of the complications this
maneuver was supposed to allow super
heavy to return to a designated landing
area which for this flight was the Gulf
of Mexico however the Boost back quickly
got out of control some engines failed
to ignite while others shut down
prematurely then Parts began to detach
from the F section and suddenly super
heavy turned into a massive Fireball but
why was it the flight termination system
here's the twist not necessarily the
team found out that an engine explosion
was the direct cause of the booster
failure now you might be wondering why a
raptor would blow up weren't they
supposed to be reliable yes but there is
one thing an engine can't beat
combustion instability Raptors operate
on liquid methane as a fuel and liquid
oxygen as an oxidizer for thrust to be
generated safely without risking engine
failure a precise fuel to oxidize a
ratio IO of 3.6 to1 must be maintained
at all times even a small deviation from
this ratio can quickly escalate to
catastrophic events aka Big B boom in
the best case scenario the engine might
simply shut down and refuse to work in
the worst case an imbalance can lead to
overheating culminating in the engine
consuming itself and exploding engine
Rich exhaust not what you want to see on
a flying booster SpaceX found that
during the Boost back maneuver there was
a pressure drop in the oxidizer turbo
pump disrupting the fuel to oxidizer
balance resulting in an explosion the
cause of this pressure drop a filter
blockage at the oxygen intake to the
engine this is where the official
explanation ends and we enter the
speculative territory a filter blockage
might result from foreign object debris
or fod which is fancy speak for
something that doesn't belong there this
could be literally anything such as a
tool Left Behind or a rock that somehow
made its way inside the tank although
rigorous pre-launch inspections are
conducted to prevent fod no one's
perfect someone could have missed
something another possibility is that
the filter was blocked by something that
was originally a part of the rocket
itself that is my favorite Theory we
suspect that during the Boost back
propellant slush caused some issues
perhaps the force with which the
oxidizer hit the SLO be installed inside
the tanks managed to dislodge one
blocking the filter in return what do
you think does this s plausible to you
please let me know in the comments
interestingly spacex's statement did not
address whether the flight termination
system on the booster was activated
previous updates hinted at this
possibility but the recent findings
suggest that this time we saw a genuine
rapid unscheduled disassembly triggered
by the engine explosion hopefully we
won't see more rods in the future as a
result of the investigation seven
corrective actions were pinpointed for
the booster it includes modifications to
the tank filtration system and measures
to minimize sloshing this might confirm
our suspicions that the welding marks
observed on booster 10's liquid oxygen
tank were indeed related to the addition
of extra anti-slash baffles SpaceX may
also consider adjusting the Boost back
maneuver itself possibly to make it
slightly less aggressive so much for the
booster turning our attention to the
ship the sequence of events leading to
its failure is quite an interesting one
despite a promising start to the
starship's upper stage flight all
engines unexpectedly shut down leading
to an FTS trigger and the vehicle's
destruction Elon Musk has previously
disclosed that the second flight carried
more propellant than necessary for the
intended flight profile this was done to
simulate how Starship would react to
real payload on board however for safety
purposes there is a limit to the maximum
amount of propellant remaining upon ship
splash down although the likelihood of
ship 25 successfully re-entering and
achieving splash down was slim if it did
this this propellant would turn it into
a massive BMB to mitigate this a
decision was made to vent the Surplus
liquid oxygen before engine shutdown
unfortunately this procedure created a
leak in the F section sparking an
onboard fire that destroyed the data
link between the flight computers this
deviation from the planned flight
profile led to the automatic activation
of the flight termination system
rupturing the Rockets tanks this
incident reminds me of the loss of
booster 7 where an onboard fire
similarly severed engine communication
with the flight computers in light of
these findings SpaceX has identified 10
additional corrective measures to be
addressed before the third flight can
proceed some of these changes aim to
enhance the ship's reliability by
eliminating all possible leak sources
One update is the introduction of three
new pipes in the a section of the ship
speculated to offer a way to get rid of
oxygen if necessary another interesting
point is the planned elimination of
pre-second engine cutof propellant dumps
this phrasing raises some eyebrows it
could imply a general strategy for all
future missions yet the specific mention
of a second engine cut off hints at the
possibility of the third Starship
reaching true orbit this definitely
wasn't in the second Flight Plan finally
a significant technological shift for
ship 28 involves transitioning from a
hydraulic to an electric thrust vector
control or TVC system Believe It or Not
ship 25 used in the second flight still
operated with a hydraulic power unit
relying on pistons for engine gimal the
upcoming flight will see both the ship
and the booster equipped with electric
actuators these not only promise greater
reliability but also remove another
potential source of fire as most
hydraulic fluids are flammable these
changes were sufficient for the FAA to
Mark the investigation as concluded well
done SpaceX however it is important to
note that a positive investigation
outcome doesn't automatically Grant
SpaceX the license for the upcoming
flight flight did you know that the next
step towards securing that license
involves conducting a full dress
rehearsal an event that could be very
close just a few days back as discussed
in our previous update ship 28 made its
way to pad B while booster 10 was
returned to Mega Bay for further work
the anticipation was high for a static
fire test to let the Raptors Roar one
last time before the launch however
things took an unexpected turn on
February 26th the road at Starbase was
finally closed signaling that testing
activity was around the corner shortly
after liquid oxygen began flowing into
ship 28's locks tank several dozen
minutes later plumes of white Vapor
began escaping from the ship's skirt
that was the spin Prime test this
process involves using a small amount of
propellant to spin the Raptor turbo
pumps ensuring they operate correctly
typically aesthetic fire test would
follow a few days after this procedure
yet in an interesting plot twist a ship
transport stand and the LR 11000 crane
made their way to Pat be B suggesting
that the static fire wasn't on the table
anymore literally instead it appears
that chip 28 will be moved and stacked
on top of booster 10 speaking of the
issues this prototype faced seem to have
been minor after a brief 8 Days stay in
the mega Bay the booster was transported
back to the launch site in the early
hours of February 28th as captured by
our photographer John if I had to guess
we should see a fully stacked Starship
even before this video airs followed by
a full wet dress rehearsal then the FAA
would have all the necessary data to
issue a launch license right now I'd say
that we are around 2 weeks away from a
launch if everything works out but Felix
shouldn't they take things slower not if
your goal is to launch nine more
Starships this year Yes you heard
correctly SpaceX is discussing with the
FAA the possibility of launching nine
Starships in 2024 there are a few issues
however firstly the rapid iteration of
Starship designs presents a regulatory
issue each new starship version
introduces hundreds of modifications
from its predecessor under the current
regulations obtaining a single license
for a vehicle that under goes so many
changes between flights is not feasible
moreover the existing environmental
assessment permits a maximum of five
flights annually to exceed this
frequency a new environmental impact
statement could be required a process
that would take over a year to complete
you see where this is going then there
is the launch infrastructure itself
stage zero isn't ready for Rapid
reusability yet although SpaceX
constantly upgrades the launch site to
support more frequent flights achieving
a monthly launch Cadence could require
some major upgrades while the prospect
of nine Starship launches in 2024 is
thrilling you should lower your
expectations still even managing to
conduct let's say five launches would be
a massive increase from 2023 so what are
your thoughts how many Starship launches
do you believe SpaceX will conduct in
2024 and does the FAA need a reform
leave your thoughts in the comments now
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to Felix with more space news going
going back to the news we begin with
another crude space flight that's right
I'm talking about Crew 8 following the
success of the axium 3 private mission
in January space access dragon is once
again taking humans to the International
Space Station unlike its predecessor
this mission is not privately funded
it's another installment in NASA's
commercial crew program or CCP this
program has proven to be one of NASA's
wisest Investments particularly looking
at spacex's side of the deal let's not
talk about that other capsule right now
the crew for this Mission consists
mostly of individuals new to space
leading the team as spacecraft Commander
is Matthew Dominic who before his 2017
induction into NASA served as a Navy
Commander this Mission marks his
inaugural journey into space offering
him his first taste of space fight
serving as the mission pilot is space
fight veteran Michael Barrett who has
already locked 21 days in orbit
including two spacewalks notably he was
a crew member of St s133 the final
mission of the Space Shuttle Discovery
this mission is his fourth voyage to
space next is Janette EPS one of the two
Mission Specialists who joined NASA with
a PhD in aerospace engineering she was
initially slated to join Expedition 56
to the ISS in 2018 but was replaced just
before launch for undisclosed reasons
this Mission provides her with the long
awaited opportunity to fulfill her dream
of space flight bon voyage the second
mission specialist slot is filled by Al
alander gin as part of a collaborative
agreement between NASA and Ros Cosmos to
include at least one member from the
others Agency on their flights renin who
has a background in the Russian Air
Force before joining the Cosmonaut Corp
is making his first trip to space
besides the crew the mission will
transport cargo and supplies to the ISS
including various experiments their stay
aboard the station will be quite
eventful not only are they expected to
welcome the astronauts from on the
starina crude flight test but also the
newest resupply capsule from Sierra
space the Dreamchaser with a launch
scheduled for March first crew H should
be en root to the ISS by the time you're
watching this episode now space is
mostly about building and launching
satellites one constantly growing player
in this industry is rocket lab let's
take a look at what they've been up to
as a publicly traded company they
provide quarterly investor updates which
are always filled to the brim with
information regarding their future PL
this time is no exception let's begin
with their main focus the electron
rocket in 2023 rocket lab launched 10
times surpassing the previous record of
nine launches set the year before the
company has maintained this momentum
into the current year with two launches
already completed and two more planned
for March given a launch failure last
September which slowed them down for 2
months I wouldn't be surprised if they
will aim for 15 or more electron
missions this year they definitely have
a lot of payloads to launch as in 2023
alone they secured contracts for 25
missions 18 for electron and three for
their suborbital vehicle haste it's
basically electron with a modified kick
stage the main focus for their rocket in
2024 will definitely be reusability
rocket lab has already demonstrated this
capability by refly a rather for engine
that was previously in space now they
plan to launch an electron powered
entirely by nine reused engines this
Mission Could Happen really soon the
ultimate goal is to reuse and entire
booster the one recovered at the end of
January is reportedly in such excellent
conditions that rocket lab is
considering launching it again however
electron is just the beginning Peter has
some big plans cooked up in New Zealand
behind the scenes the company is also
developing its medium lift rocket
Neutron announced in 2021 Neutron wants
to compete with space access Falcon in
2023 the company showcased significant
progress producing parts for fuel tanks
and successfully completing a cryogenic
test for the second second stage tank
according to the presentation Peter
Beck's company is already producing
actual flight Hardware the booster's
tank production line is nearing
completion and moreover the flight
capable version of the second stage is
almost ready it will undergo extensive
testing throughout the year additionally
one of Neutron's most Innovative
features the reusable hippo fairing
along with the entire interstage is
expected to be ready by the second
quarter of 2024 finally the Archimedes
engine which Powers the rocket saw its
pre-burn tested with the engines for the
inaugural flight already in production
given Neutron's larger Dimensions rocket
lab is building a brand new Launchpad
lc3 at NASA's wups Flight Facility busy
as a be foundation work has begun
focusing primarily on essential
infrastructure such as water tower
propellant and gas storage ground
support equipment tanks are anticipated
to arrive by the end of the third
quarter with a pad projected to be fully
operational by the end of no November
originally Neutron was scheduled to
launch in 2024 while the company remains
optimistic about meeting this timeline
realistically they don't even have a
single fully assembled engine yet it
will be a miracle if the rocket makes it
to the pad before the end of this year
though I'd love to be proven wrong now
some people may not know this but a
significant chunk of Rocket lab's
Revenue actually comes from satellite
manufacturing the company recently
scored an insane contract to build 18
satellites for the space development
agency a deal worth a whopping $515
million they're also working on a
constellation of 17 spacecraft for
Global star designed to provide voice
and internet connectivity around the
world most of their satellites are
utilizing a photon bus an advanced
kickstage that doubles as a power and
communication platform for customer
payloads a very capable small spacecraft
Photon played a crucial role in NASA's
first emis mission known as Capstone and
also was the base for varda's
pharmaceutical manufacturing capsule
additionally two photons are slated for
NASA's Escapade Mission aimed at
exploring Mars later this year despite
having widely different goals and
Designs all these satellites can
basically be called a photon which can
cause some confusion those two are
unlike any spacecraft we've ever built
before so we decided to call these um
well phon this is why rocket lab decided
to introduce a new naming scheme under
the new classification Photon will
continue to support smaller satellites
launched aboard electron Pioneer can be
used for Missions that require the
capability to return payloads to Earth
they can also be launched on different
rockets for example Falcon 9 Explorer is
designated for long duration missions to
other planets at the same time lightning
represents the largest class recommended
for communication and imaging satellites
that will stay in space for years
potentially more than a decade it is
great to see they finally did something
something with the naming I cannot wait
to see what else rocket lab will
surprise us with in 2024 so far aside
from Firefly it's the only small
satellite launch company that can
continue to grow hopefully one day
becoming the second SpaceX that's it for
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