Starliner

The Boeing Starliner (yikes?) is going to launch, finally, May 6 at 9:34pm Central time. Everyone cross your fingers so we don't have to rely exclusively on that megalomaniac Elon Musk. The docking is scheduled for late Tuesday night, 11:46pm Central. Can Boeing break their losing streak?

NASA Sets Coverage for Boeing Starliner’s First Crewed Launch, Docking

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft approaches the International Space Station. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will launch aboard Starliner on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket for NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test.

Credits: NASA

NASA will provide live coverage of prelaunch and launch activities for the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test, which will carry NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to and from the International Space Station.

Launch of the ULA (United Launch Alliance) Atlas V rocket and Boeing Starliner spacecraft is targeted for 10:34 p.m. EDT Monday, May 6, from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

The flight test will carry Wilmore and Williams to the space station for about a week to test the Starliner spacecraft and its subsystems before NASA certifies the transportation system for rotational missions to the orbiting laboratory for the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.

Starliner will dock to the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module at 12:46 a.m., Wednesday, May 8.

The deadline for media accreditation for in-person coverage of this launch has passed. The agency’s media credentialing policy is available online. For questions about media accreditation, please email: ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov.

Monday, May 6

6:30 p.m. – Launch coverage begins on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.

10:34 p.m. – Launch

Launch coverage on NASA+ will end shortly after Starliner orbital insertion. NASA Television will provide continuous coverage leading up to docking and through hatch opening and welcome remarks.

Tuesday, May 7

12 a.m. – Postlaunch news conference with the following participants:

• NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free
• Ken Bowersox, associate administrator, NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate
• Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
• Dana Weigel, manager, NASA’s International Space Station Program
• Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager, Commercial Crew Program, Boeing
• Gary Wentz, vice president, Government and Commercial Programs, ULA

Coverage of the postlaunch news conference will air live on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.

NASA+ will resume coverage and NASA Television’s public channel will break from in-orbit coverage to carry the postlaunch news conference. Mission operational coverage will continue on NASA Television’s media channel and the agency’s website. Once the postlaunch news conference is complete, NASA+ coverage will end, and mission coverage will continue on both NASA channels.

Media may ask questions in person and via phone. Limited auditorium space will be available for in-person participation. For the dial-in number and passcode, media should contact the Kennedy newsroom no later than 10:30 p.m., Monday, May 6, at ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov.

10:15 p.m. – Arrival coverage resumes on NASA+, the NASA app, and YouTube, and continues on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

Wednesday, May 8
12:46 a.m. – Targeted docking to the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module

2:35 a.m. – Hatch opening

3:15 a.m. – Welcome remarks

4:15 a.m. – Post-docking news conference at Johnson with the following participants:

• NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free
• Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
• Dana Weigel, manager, NASA’s International Space Station Program
• Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager, Commercial Crew Program, Boeing

Coverage of the post-docking news conference will air live on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.

All times are estimates and could be adjusted based on operations after launch. Follow the space station blog for the most up-to-date operations information.

Audio Only Coverage

Audio only of the news conferences and launch coverage will be carried on the NASA “V” circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240 or -7135. On launch day, “mission audio,” countdown activities without NASA Television launch commentary, will be carried on 321-867-7135.

Launch audio also will be available on Launch Information Service and Amateur Television System’s VHF radio frequency 146.940 MHz and KSC Amateur Radio Club’s UHF radio frequency 444.925 MHz, FM mode, heard within Brevard County on the Space Coast.

Live Video Coverage Prior to Launch

NASA will provide a live video feed of Space Launch Complex-41 approximately 48 hours prior to the planned liftoff of the mission. Pending unlikely technical issues, the feed will be uninterrupted until the prelaunch broadcast begins on NASA Television, approximately four hours prior to launch. Once the feed is live, find it here: http://youtube.com/kscnewsroom.

NASA Website Launch Coverage

Launch day coverage of the mission will be available on the agency’s website. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning no earlier than 6:30 p.m., May 6 as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff.

For questions about countdown coverage, contact the Kennedy newsroom at 321-867-2468. Follow countdown coverage on the commercial crew or the Crew Flight Test blog.

Attend the Launch Virtually

Members of the public can register to attend this launch virtually. NASA’s virtual guest program for this mission also includes curated launch resources, notifications about related opportunities or changes, and a stamp for the NASA virtual guest passport following launch.

Watch and Engage on Social Media

Let people know you’re following the mission on X, Facebook, and Instagram by using the hashtags #Starliner and #NASASocial. You can also stay connected by following and tagging these accounts:

X: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @NASASocial, @Space_Station, @ISS_Research, @ISS National Lab, @BoeingSpace, @Commercial_Crew

Facebook: NASA, NASAKennedy, ISS, ISS National Lab

Instagram: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @ISS, @ISSNationalLab

Coverage en Espanol

Did you know NASA has a Spanish section called NASA en Espanol? Check out NASA en Espanol on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for additional mission coverage.

Para obtener información sobre cobertura en español en el Centro Espacial Kennedy o si desea solicitar entrevistas en español, comuníquese con Antonia Jaramillo: 321-501-8425; antonia.jaramillobotero@nasa.gov; o Messod Bendayan: 256-930-1371; messod.c.bendayan@nasa.gov.

NASA’s Commercial Crew Program has delivered on its goal of safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station from the United States through a partnership with American private industry. This partnership is changing the arc of human spaceflight history by opening access to low-Earth orbit and the International Space Station to more people, science, and commercial opportunities. The space station remains the springboard to NASA’s next great leap in space exploration, including future missions to the Moon and, eventually, to Mars.

For NASA’s launch blog and more information about the mission, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

Starship update

From NasaSpaceFlight.com (NSF)

It looks like Elon Musk and SpaceX will be launching the 4th Starship flight within a week or two. The excitement is building.

But I can wait. Our house on South Padre Island is about 6 miles, as the crow flies, from the SpaceX Starship launch facility at Boca Chica here in deep South Texas. There are many other homes on this island that are a mile or two closer to SpaceX than I am. The first 3 launches of Starship shook the holy hell out of our house. No telling what is going on inside the walls while this house is shaking like that, but a couple of cracks have developed. Musk says he wants to launch 10 more times before the end of the year. Ultimately, however, he has said he wants to launch 2-3 times PER WEEK!!

I noticed on Google Maps that the closest residential area to Cape Canaveral's famed Launch Pad 39A was a full 11 miles. Here, we are 4-8 miles from the Launch Pad. Here, Musk is building the most powerful rockets ever, with 33 Raptor engines producing 7,590 ton-force of thrust. 

I'm sure we'll be fine.

(There are a few more graphics than are shown below. They can be seen at the Original link at the bottom of this post.)

NASA Updates on Starship Refueling, as SpaceX Prepares Flight 4 of Starship

written by Adrian Beil April 28, 2024

In a recent update to the NASA Advisory Council Human Exploration and Operations Committee, the agency provided updates on several key aspects of the Artemis I through IV missions. This included updates on Starship timelines and efforts as SpaceX readies to conduct the final tests of the fourth Starship Flight Test.

NASA Advisory Briefing

Amit Kshatriya, Deputy Associate Administrator of NASA’s Moon to Mars program, elaborated on the agency’s observed progress of the Human Landing System (HLS) efforts undertaken by SpaceX.

Starship is contracted to be the designated landing system for the Artemis III mission. The planned mission for September 2026 aims to return humans to the surface of the Moon and would be the first crewed lunar landing since Apollo 17 in December 1972.

In March 2024, the company conducted another test flight of the Starship system as part of its development program to move Starship to operational status. NASA noted they have been encouraged by the progress made on Flight 3. Advisory Briefing

“They (SpaceX) conducted their third integrated flight test and successfully completed a full-duration burn during ascent. So that was a significant milestone.

“In addition, SpaceX and NASA recently performed full-scale qualification testing of the docking system that will connect the Starship human landing system with Orion and, later in future missions, with Gateway on those missions.”

The docking system is a critical element that will be utilized to dock with the crewed Orion capsule after it is launched by an SLS rocket to bring the crew down to the surface of the Moon.

Regarding future flights of Starship, NASA indicated that SpaceX has already analyzed the data from the March test flight and implemented numerous corrective measures to Flight 4’s stack of Ship 29 and Booster 11.

This launch is planned for as early as May but no later than the end of May.

Kshatriya then expanded the discussion beyond the next few Starship flights and talked about the required technologies for a fuel depot in orbit and the in-orbit capabilities needed to transfer fuel.

“We need an instance of the ship that is essentially long, has the endurance to stay in orbit long enough for the sequence to work.

“So, we need a ship that has at least three to four weeks of endurance in orbit. That endurance is gained through augmented power system capability, augmented battery capacity, full insulation of the cryogenic systems, vacuum jacketing of all the lines, et cetera, to make sure that the cryogens that are being stored or are meant to be stored don’t boil off.”

The challenges of a cryogenic ship in orbit include the need to prevent boil-off from the stack. To facilitate the journey to the Moon’s surface, Starship will have to be refueled. For this, the company plans to refuel a depot in low-Earth orbit (LEO), which would be resupplied by several tanker Starships. The HLS Starship would then dock with this depot before departing for the Moon.

The Starship HLS Prop Transfer Demo is associated with this, a multi-phase operation involving SpaceX and NASA to develop all the needed technologies to conduct such an operation. NASA detailed the steps on a chart.

While the initial “Tipping Point Propellant Transfer Demo” was conducted during the last flight, and a flight system review was conducted afterward, a few more steps are still in progress before refueling can be conducted between Starships. NASA also stated here that the demo that SpaceX conducted on Flight 3, which involved the transfer of liquids between two tanks on the same Starship, was successful by all accounts.

SpaceX is developing docking mechanisms, navigation, disconnects, and hot gas thrusters, all of which are identified on this chart as crucial steps before conducting a Ship-to-Ship propellant transfer demo in 2025.

In this final demo mission, SpaceX would launch two Starship full stacks from Starbase. The target, a demo for the depot, would launch first and enter orbit. The chaser, the second Starship to launch in this demo, would then launch to catch up to the target, perform active navigation to the target, and demonstrate a propellant transfer to it. Both ships would then, after the mission, perform a deorbit burn.

Starbase has already begun the groundwork on a second tower, with the sections already waiting to be stacked.

A render of how Starbase will look with two towers needed for this test. (Credit: Render: Jay Deshelter/NSF Photo: Sean Doherty/NSF)

A SpaceX mission overview was presented, which illustrates the mission flow for this mission. It is likely that such a mission would feature two Starship full stacks on both pads at Boca Chica, Starbase. While one of these pads is already operational, the other is still in early construction and not expected to be finished before the end of the year.

Currently, according to Kshatriya, SpaceX is optimistic that once both ships are docked in such a scenario, all that will be needed is the firing of some settling thrusters, as the pressure difference between the two will then initiate the propellant transfer. However, he also alludes to the possibility that pumps could be required should this not go according to plan.

Preparing for Flight 4

Meanwhile, SpaceX is preparing to conduct the fourth Starship Flight Test. The vehicle’s components, Ship 29 and Booster 11, are currently back at the Starbase Production Site to undergo final work before a potential rollout, integration, wet-dress rehearsal (WDR), and launch.

Ship 29 is currently undergoing ongoing work on its thermal protection system. The tiles are essential to withstand the extreme heat during reentry from LEO. While Starship 28 in the recent flight test reached this stage, the system could not be fully verified as the ship experienced a heavy roll in its flight trajectory, causing SpaceX to lose attitude control, resulting in the loss of the vehicle.

Booster 11 is currently stored in the Mega Bay facility, awaiting its hot staging ring. The hot staging ring allows exhaust to escape during the staging maneuver of Starship. The designated hot staging ring for Booster 11 is stored outside of the production facilities and was spotted by NSF’s Mary (@bocachicagal).

Cameron County also announced several road closures, which could be related to imminent testing activity at Starbase. A rollout and a test closure are scheduled for the upcoming week. On April 29, Highway 4 will be closed between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. local time to allow for the roll of a vehicle to the launch site. The following day, a closure from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. will allow for non-flight testing activities.

While this may, of course, pertain to the upcoming flight stack, given the duration parameters, SpaceX is more likely to want to move the testing of Ship 30 or Booster 12 ahead of the fourth Starship flight campaign.

This is similar to the approach that SpaceX has already taken during the second flight campaign, where Ship 29 was attempted to be tested before the flight of the second stack. This approach resulted in the completion of a Spin Prime test ahead of the flight campaign.

NSF understands that the fourth Starship Flight Test remains on track for the first two weeks of May, with regulatory and technical readiness nearing completion. On the regulatory side, a SpaceX-led mishap investigation into the problems during Flight 3 needs to be concluded before SpaceX can apply for a modification to the launch license needed for Flight 4.

Lead Image: Starship Full Stack – via Mary (@bocachicagal).

Original.