Another great write up Chris. I think the main takeaway from Starship flights it this: the basic architecture works.
Catching the booster is, frankly a genius move. It reduced mass, reduce parts, eliminates failure points. It also puts the booster right where it needs to be to fly again.
It’s also caught from the top, rather than the bottom, because as we know, the metals are stronger in tension than in compression.
Speaking of metal, stainless steel is turning out to be a good choice. It’s far cheaper than composite, faster to build with, and proving very durable. In both of the last flights, heat shield flows saw significant burn-through, and yet Starship still made a soft landing.
For some reason, I thought Raptor V3 would be used on Starship V2. Is my memory wrong?
Sure Raptor 3 is going to be tested on Starship 2, because engines will be ready in 2025. The final version of Starship (version 3) should be flight ready in 2026, with Raptor 3 engines fully tested and produced in quantity.
Another great write up Chris. I think the main takeaway from Starship flights it this: the basic architecture works.
Catching the booster is, frankly a genius move. It reduced mass, reduce parts, eliminates failure points. It also puts the booster right where it needs to be to fly again.
It’s also caught from the top, rather than the bottom, because as we know, the metals are stronger in tension than in compression.
Speaking of metal, stainless steel is turning out to be a good choice. It’s far cheaper than composite, faster to build with, and proving very durable. In both of the last flights, heat shield flows saw significant burn-through, and yet Starship still made a soft landing.
For some reason, I thought Raptor V3 would be used on Starship V2. Is my memory wrong?
Sure Raptor 3 is going to be tested on Starship 2, because engines will be ready in 2025. The final version of Starship (version 3) should be flight ready in 2026, with Raptor 3 engines fully tested and produced in quantity.
I thought Starship 3 was using Raptor 4?