Commentary immediately after the firing indicated it was the full planned duration. Nothing has been said so far as to how many engines fired. The ten second countdown starts at 7:53 in the video.
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Here are multiple views of the static firing. In the close-up views. some flying debris is visible but nothing like the “concrete storm” of the first flight test.
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Given the way it took out the fence, we should call it Mayorkas.
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Full thrust of Super Heavy with current Raptor 2 engines is stated as 7590 tonnes force, so this firing was around 47% of maximum thrust. With no payload, they may be able to perform the second orbital flight test with that liftoff thrust.
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I have renamed this post “SpaceX Starship Second Orbital Flight Test”. It will be used for all matters related to the test.
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Here is video of stacking Starship 25 on Super Heavy booster 9 on 2023-09-05.
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The FAA has closed the SpaceX Starship Super Heavy mishap investigation. The final report cites multiple root causes of the April 20, 2023, mishap and 63 corrective actions SpaceX must take to prevent mishap reoccurrence. Corrective actions include redesigns of vehicle hardware to prevent leaks and fires, redesign of the launch pad to increase its robustness, incorporation of additional reviews in the design process, additional analysis and testing of safety critical systems and components including the Autonomous Flight Safety System, and the application of additional change control practices.
The closure of the mishap investigation does not signal an immediate resumption of Starship launches at Boca Chica. SpaceX must implement all corrective actions that impact public safety and apply for and receive a license modification from the FAA that addresses all safety, environmental and other applicable regulatory requirements prior to the next Starship launch.
The FAA letter to SpaceX [PDF] closes with the paragraphs:
Launch license VOL 23-129 for Starship authorized SpaceX to conduct one launch. SpaceX is required to apply for a modification to the VOL 23-129 license to allow for subsequent launches. When SpaceX applies for this modification, it will need to demonstrate compliance with 450.173(f) by evidencing the implementation of corrective actions adopted in response to its April 20, 2023 mishap. If FAA approves the modification, SpaceX will be required to conduct licensed activities in accordance with the representations made in its application (450.211). Failure to do so is grounds for enforcement. Once the FAA determines SpaceX has implemented the corrective actions directly tied to public safety, the agency will consider SpaceX to be in compliance with 450.173(f).
Further, the FAA’s closure of the mishap investigation does not predetermine the results of any ongoing or future environmental reviews associated with Starship operations at Boca Chica.
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Is the “SpaceX Starship Orbital Test Flight 1 Final Mishap Investigation Report” secret?
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Among the trash articles reporting the report SpaceX submitted to the FAA on 2023-08-21, only one went so far as to say the contents of that report had not been disclosed.
On the Wikipedia page “SpaceX Starship Integrated Flight Test”, this was just added today:
On September 8, 2023, the FAA announced in September 2023 that it identified 63 “corrective actions” SpaceX would need to take before another Starship launch would be allowed. The FAA also announced that the full investigatory report would not be released due to confidential contents including export control information.
That, in turn, cites this as the source.
So, I guess it’s secret. There’s never a Wikileaks when you need one.
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Somewhere, we had a pool on when the next launch would be.
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An interesting question is – How many corrective actions has SpaceX undertaken as a result of the problems with the initial launch?
As the owner of the rocket and launch pad, SpaceX has tremendous incentive to learn & apply every possible lesson from the first launch. I would guess that the real number of corrective actions which SpaceX has already taken is significantly more than 63.
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Elon Musk has posted the list of 63 items referred to in the FAA mishap investigation report about which TechCrunch reports:
The FAA didn’t release the full mishap report, citing “proprietary data and U.S. Export Control information,” but it did specify that the closure of this investigation “does not signal an immediate resumption of Starship launches at Boca Chica.”
Here is his post to đť•Ź. I have edited the images of the list to eliminate duplication due to the way they were clipped in the original post.
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C8 disallowed certain seal reuse.
Easy to accommodate in the short run, but reuse may be necessary in the long run.
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I suppose all of the “certain”s in this list are to avoid disclosing proprietary/ITAR information as to which components were specified.
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MSN reports, via Bloomberg, “SpaceX’s Starship Still Needs Wildlife Agency Review to Resume Launch”:
(Bloomberg) – US Fish and Wildlife officials have yet to begin a formal review of SpaceX’s upgrades following Starship’s April explosion, which could push back the next launch window for Elon Musk’s space company by months.
The agency still needs to review SpaceX’s plans to operate a water deluge system during the next launch of its Starship rocket — a process that could take anywhere from 30 to 135 days, the FWS said in an email to Bloomberg News on Monday.
However, that review process has yet to formally begin, the FWS said, which could further delay SpaceX’s plans to launch Starship on its second test flight from South Texas. The US Federal Aviation Administration cannot give SpaceX a new launch license until the consultation with the FWS is complete, the FWS added.
The FWS said it doesn’t have all the information it needs from the FAA to update its original opinion about how SpaceX’s launch facility, called Starbase, will impact endangered species and critical habitats surrounding the site — what’s known as a biological assessment.
“Once the Service reviews FAA’s final biological assessment and deems it complete, consultation will be re-initiated and we will have 135 days to issue a final biological assessment,” Aubry Buzek, a Fish and Wildlife Service public affairs specialist, said in an email Monday.
“At any time FAA and the Service can agree to extend that time if for some reason we need to gather further information or new information is presented,” Buzek said.
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Right. Bureaucracy’s found a way to stymie him.
Should probably cross-post this reply to the “Elon, you emigrated to the wrong country” thread.
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I note the FDA has ignored the judge’s ruling as to the legality of prescribing ivermectin, and kept its warnings on their website. Maybe it’s time others availed themselves of the same ethos of lawlessness and start ignoring the lawless bureaucracies.
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Elon Musk will give a (virtual) keynote speech at the 74th International Astronautical Congress in Baku, Azerbaijan at 13:45 UTC on 2023-10-05. The talk will be live streamed on the @iac2023 𝕏 account. BoobTube provides no way to post the stream in advance. If you want to watch, you’ll need to go to that account shortly before it’s scheduled to start and look for the stream to appear.
A stream of the full day’s events may be found on the International Astronautical Federation Live page. The stream containing Elon Musk’s talk will go up at the start of the afternoon session.
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Courtesy of The Launch Pad YouTube channel, here is an embedded version of Elon Musk’s fireside chat at the IAC Baku meeting on 2023-10-05.
The audio levels are a bit flaky at the start, but get better before long.
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