The Astronomy Thread

Static fire today... the guys on stream are talking about reports that SpaceX has an internal target of getting Starship to orbit by 7/1.

That'd be incredible, but is likely not doable since BN-1 hasn't even started ground testing.

Looking forward to SN15 and learning more about the upgrades to the SN15+ prototypes.

BN-3 + SN20 may be the first stacked test.

Isn't most of what the booster relies on being tested now with the SNs?

LachiusTZ said:

Isn't most of what the booster relies on being tested now with the SNs?

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Some. They need to hash out flight profile, landing, and managing 30+ Raptors per booster. The Raptors themselves are still under active development, too.

Yeah those engines seem to be blowing themselves up pretty often.

Tuco said:

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And it's not even going to fly; it's just there to test everything (and maybe, as Scott Manley said, it will fly by pure accident during an engine firing test or something)...

Meanwhile, in NASA land...

It looks like a shitty Photoshop filter, but apparently we're able to measure polarized light and eek out information about the magnetic fields.

Sometimes you learn the oddest stuff, like the existence of Suitsat-1:

SN11 appeared to RUD on engine relight. Remains to be seen who has any footage of it happening due to the heavy fog.

Has that ever happened?

Seems odd

On to SN15.

Araxen said:

How many more of these things can they afford to blow up?

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However many it takes