Small Space News Story Roundup 14

Starbase Boca Chica Tested Boosters 9 and 10 

Last Friday, 7/21, I covered that Booster 9 had been rolled back to the launch facility and then lifted onto the Orbital Launch Mount. Since Cameron County was listing a road closure for Sunday July 23 from 8AM to 8PM along with backup dates, it seemed like we might see testing resume at Starbase aiming for the next Starship flight test.  Perhaps even as soon as Sunday.

Indeed we did.  On Sunday, we saw the first fueling tests on Booster 9 atop the OLM.  Everything appeared to go nominally.  Both the LOX (bottom) and methane tanks (top) were filled.  It appeared that no other tests were attempted.

Booster 9 on Sunday, seeming to be fully fueled. In the background, Ship 25 awaits its turn for more tests.

Of course, this is the first time the OLM has been used as intended since the flight test on April 20 and the massive rebuilding that has been going on since the dust settled on that flight.  There were many questions about how soon they'd reach this level.  At 13 weeks and three days since April 20, they certainly accomplished a great deal; it's just not the two months Elon was expecting.  

Also within the last week, SpaceX moved Booster 10 to Massey’s Test Facility for its own cryogenic proof test, partially filling the tanks. Once the test was completed the booster was moved back to the shipyard.  At the shipyard, Ship 28 was attached to a thrust simulator and then moved to Massey’s.  This pairing seems to imply that once Flight Test 2 with B7 and S25 is completed, Flight Test 3 could be B10 with S28.  

Space Coast prepares for Falcon Heavy launch

The next Falcon Heavy mission is scheduled for Wednesday night, July 26, at 11:04 PM EDT.  This will be the launch of the Jupiter 3/Echostar XXIV communications satellite and will be from the historic pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center (as all Falcon Heavy launches have been). 

This satellite will be the heaviest payload ever launched to geostationary transfer orbit. The satellite, built by Maxar, weighs in at 9,200 kg (20,282 lbs) and features 14 solar arrays that, once deployed, will span 127 feet. The satellite will be able to handle 500+ gigabytes of capacity and provide speeds up to 100 megabytes per second. The satellite’s final orbit will be at 95 degrees west latitude and 22,300 miles above the equator over the Americas.  [The source really said "west latitude", but that's longitude.  The latitude is 0 degrees, the equator.  - SiG]

For the heaviest payload ever to be launched to the geosynchronous orbit, it seems to call for the heaviest lift rocket in the world.  While SLS may have a greater payload capacity, it's not exactly in production with one flight to its name and with the entire production capability of SLS rockets allocated until about 2030, that seals the requirement to use the Falcon Heavy.