SpaceX_Starship_integrated_flight_test_2

This article is about the second attempt at near-orbital flight. For other flights, see SpaceX Starship flight tests.
Starship's second integrated flight test
Starship vehicle in flight during IFT-2
Mission typeFlight test
OperatorSpaceX
Mission duration~8 minutes, 06 seconds (achieved)
90 minutes (planned)
Orbits completed<1 (planned)
Not achieved
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftStarship S25, Super Heavy B9
Start of mission
Launch dateNovember 18, 2023, 13:02:50 (2023-11-18UTC13:02:50) UTC
RocketStarship
Launch siteStarbase
ContractorSpaceX
Orbital parameters
RegimeTransatmospheric Earth orbit (planned)
Periapsis altitude50 km (31 mi) (planned)
−1,740 km (−1,080 mi) (reached)[1]
Apoapsis altitude250 km (160 mi) (planned)
149 km (93 mi) (reached)[2][3]
← IFT-1
IFT-3 →
 

On November 18, 2023, SpaceX performed the second integrated near-orbital flight of its Starship rocket.[4] The mission's primary objectives were for Starship to enter transatmospheric orbit, re-enter the atmosphere above the Pacific Ocean, and make a splashdown near Kauai.[5][6][7]

The rocket successfully lifted off under the power of all 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy booster and made it through stage separation. The booster was planned to land on the Gulf of Mexico, but had multiple engine failures and exploded after beginning its boostback burn. The Starship second stage continued to fly for over 8 minutes, reaching an altitude of 148 km (92 mi) before being destroyed by the flight termination system.[8][9][10]

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a statement confirming that an anomaly had occurred and that there are no reports of public property damage or injuries.[11] The FCC has considered the launch as a failure.[12] Shortly after the launch, SpaceX made a statement on their website saying that "success comes from what we learn" from a "test like this".[13]

Background

Further information: SpaceX Starship First Integrated Flight Test § Aftermath

After the first test flight in April 2023, which ended in the destruction of the entire Starship vehicle,[14] significant work was done on the launch mount to repair the damage it sustained during the test and to prevent future issues.[15]

Meanwhile, following Starship's first flight failure, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) required SpaceX to conduct an investigation on the mishap, grounding Starship pending the outcome of their investigation.[16][17] The FAA closed the investigation on September 8, 2023.[18][19] The FWS concluded its environmental review on November 14,[20] and the FAA gave its approval for launch shortly after.[21][22]

Investigation prior to launch

FAA investigation

This section is an excerpt from SpaceX Starship integrated flight test 1 § FAA investigation.[edit]

Following Starship's first flight failure, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) required SpaceX to conduct an investigation on the mishap, grounding Starship pending the outcome of their investigation.[23][24] The FAA would oversee the investigation, a standard practice when a vehicle was lost in flight.[25] The agency grounded Starship flights during the investigation, also a standard practice,[24][26] and said that "a return to flight of the Starship/Super Heavy vehicle is based on the FAA determining that any system, process or procedure related to the mishap does not affect public safety" and that there were no reports of injuries or public property damage.[27][28] The FAA also announced that it would monitor the cleanup, which included the standard removal of launch debris from "sensitive habitats".[29] On May 15, SpaceX filed a request for FCC approval for a second flight between June 15 and December 15, using Booster 9 and Ship 25.[30] In August, SpaceX submitted an initial mishap report to the FAA for review and approval.[31][32]

The FAA stated in September 2023[23][33]

Following the launch, the FAA [...] required SpaceX to conduct a mishap investigation in accordance with its approved mishap plan under FAA oversight. The FAA conducted a final review of the mishap report, dated August 21, 2023 . The primary focus of this review was to ensure [...] the identification of root cause(s) and implementation of corrective actions to avoid a recurrence of the event. The FAA has been provided with sufficient information and accepts the root causes and corrective actions described in the mishap report. Consequently, the FAA considers the mishap investigation that SpaceX was required to complete to be concluded. The final mishap investigation report[a] cited a total of sixty-three (63) corrective actions for SpaceX to implement. These included actions to address 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.[23]

Following SpaceX's final report, the FAA closed the investigation on September 8, 2023.[33][34] In the same statement, FAA officials emphasized that "The closure of the mishap investigation does not signal an immediate resumption of Starship launches at Boca Chica."[33][35] And that SpaceX first had to "implement all corrective actions that impact public safety" and applied for a "license modification from the FAA" that addresses the FAA's "safety and other environmental regulatory requirements".[33][36] The FAA also announced that the full investigatory report would not be released due to confidential contents including export control information.[36]

FWS review

By September 2023, the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) had not yet started a formal review of SpaceX's modifications, and based on the 135 day review period, the launch could have been postponed to NET 2024.[37][38] The Federal Aviation Administration received the final biological assessment from the FWS.[citation needed] William H. Gerstenmaier, SpaceX's Vice President of Build and Flight Reliability, called on the FAA to increase licensing staff.[39][40] On October 19, 2023 the FWS surveyed the area around Starbase and the consultation with the FAA has been extended into November.[41][42] The FWS reviewed the changes to the launch pad, especially the water deluge system.[43] By October 31, 2023, the FAA had concluded the safety review portion of the launch license.[44][45]

Conclusion

The FAA closed the investigation on September 8, 2023.[18][19] The FWS concluded its environmental review on November 14,[20] and the FAA gave its approval for launch shortly after.[21][22]

Changes from the previous flight

After the first test flight in April 2023 ended in the destruction of the Starship vehicle,[14] significant work was done on the launch mount to repair the damage it sustained during the test and to prevent future issues.[15] The foundation of the launch tower was reinforced and a steel water deluge flame deflector was built under the launch mount.[15] Ship 25 was rolled to the suborbital launch site in May 2023 and underwent spin prime and static fire testing ahead of flight.[46] Once that was completed, Booster 9 was rolled to the launch site to undergo cryogenic proof testing, spin primes and static fires of its set of engines. By November 15, 2023 Ship 25 was stacked onto B9 for launch.[47]

On November 14, 2023, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) concluded its environmental review.[22] The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted the flight its launch license on November 15, 2023.[48]

Significant changes implemented by SpaceX compared to the previous flight include an expansion of the Super Heavy's fire suppression system in order to mitigate any potential engine bay fires.[49] SpaceX re-qualified their autonomous flight safety system,[49] which had malfunctioned during the first flight.[50]

Other changes unrelated to the previous flights include a hot stage separation system in which Starship's second-stage engines ignite while Starship is still attached to the booster, pushing the two apart.[49] SpaceX replaced the hydraulic systems of Super Heavy Raptor engines with thrust vector control driven by electric motors, citing fewer potential points of failure and more energy efficiency.[49]

The orbital launch mount and pad system was reinforced in a way that, according to SpaceX, should prevent a recurrence of the pad foundation failure observed during the first flight test.[49] SpaceX also added, and tested, a flame deflector for the launchpad.[49]

Flight profile

The spacecraft flight plan was to lift off from SpaceX's Starbase facility along the south Texas coast, then conduct a partial orbit around Earth.[51] The Super Heavy had a planned boostback burn followed by a soft water landing in the Gulf of Mexico, similarly to a Falcon 9 performing a return to launch site landing (RTLS).[52] The Starship spacecraft was then to re-enter the atmosphere and perform a water landing in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii, without performing a landing burn.[52][51]

Planned mission timeline[53]
Time Event November 18
−02:00:00 SpaceX Flight Director conducts a poll and verifies go for propellant loading Success
−01:37:00 Super Heavy (booster) propellant load (liquid oxygen and liquid methane) underway Success
−01:17:00 Starship fuel loading (liquid methane) underway Success
−01:13:00 Starship oxidizer loading (liquid oxygen) underway Success
−00:19:40 Booster engine chill Success
−00:00:10 Flame deflector (water deluge system) activation Success
−00:00:03 Booster engine ignition Success
00:00:02 Liftoff Success
00:00:52 Max q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket) Success
00:02:39 Booster most engine cutoff (MECO) Success
00:02:41 Starship engine ignition and stage separation (hot-staging)[54] Success
00:02:53 Booster boostback burn startup 9/10 engines were initially relit with multiple engines failing shortly after
00:03:47 Booster boostback burn shutdown Boostback burn failed due to progressive engine failures, followed by the destruction of the booster at T+3:21
00:06:18 Booster is transonic —
00:06:30 Booster landing burn startup —
00:06:48 Booster splashdown —
00:08:33 Starship engine cutoff (SECO) Burn aborted and vehicle terminated at T+8:05
01:17:21 Starship atmospheric re-entry interface —
01:28:43 Starship is transonic —
01:30:00 Starship Pacific impact —

Launch

On November 11, 2023, SpaceX announced that they were targeting a launch date of November 17, pending regulatory approval.[55] On November 14, the FWS concluded its environmental review, and the FAA gave its approval for launch. [22][48] On November 16, the flight was delayed one day,[56] due to a grid fin actuator needing to be replaced on B9.[57]

The first launch attempt of the second integrated flight test occurred on November 18 at 13:03 UTC (8:03 a.m. EST, 7:03 a.m. CST).[51] Booster 9 and Ship 25 lifted off the pad.[58] The rocket encountered maximum aerodynamic stress (Max q) with no anomalies reported.[54] Starship executed a successful hot-stage separation, powering down all but three of Super Heavy’s Raptor engines and successfully igniting the six second stage Raptor engines before separating the vehicles.[54]

The debris from SpaceX Ship 25 re-entering the atmosphere after the explosion as seen on the National Weather Service's radar's correlation coefficient[59]

Following separation, the Super Heavy booster completed its flip maneuver and initiated the boostback burn, before exploding.[54][60][61] The vehicle breakup occurred more than three and a half minutes into the flight at an altitude of ~90 km over the Gulf of Mexico.[54] Starship's six second stage Raptor engines then all started and powered the vehicle to an altitude of 148 km, above common boundaries of space, and a velocity of ~24,000 km/h, becoming the first Starship to reach outer space and nearly completing its full-duration burn.[54][62]

Near the end of Starship second stage burn, after over eight minutes of flight, prior to engine cutoff, telemetry was lost on the second stage.[54] SpaceX said that a safe command destroyed the second stage[54] prior to achieving its planned orbit or attempting re-entry.[63] According to astronomer Jonathan McDowell, at his predicted re-entry point, NOAA weather radar picked up a debris cloud a few hundred miles north of the Virgin Islands.[59]

Aftermath

SpaceX and Cameron County reopened the road to the launch site a few hours after the launch. This was noted by CNN as a faster reopening than during the first flight attempt, when it remained closed for two days.[8] NASA administrator Bill Nelson congratulated the teams involved in the test flight, and retired Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield called it a "very successful 2nd test flight" in a post on X.[64] SpaceX considered the mission a success.[8]

Elon Musk later stated that the water deluge would not require any refurbishment for IFT-3.[65] According to SpaceX, the water-cooled flame deflector and other pad upgrades performed as expected, requiring minimal post-launch work to be ready for upcoming vehicle tests and the next integrated flight test.[54]

In December 2023 the FCC issued final denial of a $885M Starlink subsidy because all attempted Starship launches "have failed".[12]

A the time of the Bureau’s decision, Starship had not yet been launched. Indeed, even as of today [i.e. over a year later], Starship has not yet had a successful launch; all of its attempted launches have failed. Based on Starlink’s previous assertions about its plans to launch its second-generation satellites via Starship, and the information that was available at the time, the [Wireline Competition] Bureau necessarily considered Starlink’s continuing inability to successfully launch the Starship rocket when making predictive judgment about its ability to meet its RDOF obligations.[12]

See also

References

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  1. ^ submitted by SpaceX in August,[31] as part of the investigation conducted by SpaceX and required by the FAA [23]