Starship Flight 11: End of an era, but the beginning of a new one

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After 10 flights, many static fires, tanking tests, cryogenic proof tests, and a few wet dress rehearsals, Flight 11 will be the final time Pad 1(A) will be used for the Starship program in the current configuration. SpaceX is aiming for the final Block flight to provide a positive push for the Starship program into the next era of Block 3, Raptor 3, and a next-generation pad design.

Final Flight from Pad 1(A)

With Flight 11 comes the end of Starship flight tests out of Pad 1(A), and it is the final Block 1 or 2 vehicle to fly for the program. This send-off might be bittersweet, as these past 10 flights have held many memories, and Pad 1(A) has played a crucial role in advancing this program to this point.

This launch pad has had several different forms over the past few years. It started as a booster test stand, allowing SpaceX to conduct cryogenic tests on Booster 4 and Booster 7, as well as static fire tests on Booster 7. Unfortunately, Booster 4 never got to static fire on this pad because SpaceX didn’t really clean out their lines before cryogenic testing Booster 4, which damaged the already installed engines and plumbing.

Flight 1 of Starship with Booster 7 and Ship 24 (Credit: Max Evans for NSF)

Pad 1(A) suffered severe damage during Flight 1, as SpaceX had yet to install the water-cooled steel plate and was only using concrete under it. This resulted in a volcano-like explosion of concrete when the engines dug a hole into the foundation.

The pad would go on to host a few more launches until Flight 5, when the chopsticks caught Booster 12, an event that will be remembered forever in spaceflight. It would go on to catch two more boosters, Booster 14 and Booster 15, and host their reflights. Lastly, Pad 1(A) even hosted a pair of Ship static fires after Masseys was severely damaged due to Ship 36’s explosion.

Overall, Pad 1(A) has had its issues and has certainly given engineers and technicians headaches at times, but the Starship program wouldn’t be where it is today without it. So, farewell, Pad 1(A), thanks for your service.

Flight 10 with Booster 16 and Ship 37 Liftoff (Credit: Jack Beyer for NSF)

Booster 15-2 and Ship 38

The vehicles for this flight are Booster 15-2 and Ship 38, and as stated above, these are the last Block 2 Starship vehicles to fly for this program. Block 2 has been a hit and miss for SpaceX; the booster has performed nearly perfectly with Boosters 14, 15, and 16, all of which completed their missions. Notably, Booster 14 has been reflown, and Booster 15 is slated to refly on this flight.

Block 2 of the ship has had a checkered past, to say the least. Ships 33, 34, 35, and 36 all suffered failures in different ways, and Ship 36 didn’t even make it to flight. However, Ship 37 redeemed Block 2 of the ship with a very successful mission on Flight 10. The hope is that Ship 38 can continue this success and help bring this era of the program to an end on a high note. 

Ship 38 Rollout for Flight With Missing Tile Patches (Credit: Gage (Rough Riders Show) for NSF)

Ship 38 doesn’t have many significant external differences compared to Ship 37, except for the patches of missing tiles used for testing, and separate tiles on the leeward side of the aft flaps for extra testing.

Booster 15-2 hasn’t changed much compared to Booster 16 and is on its second flight. This booster first flew on Flight 8 with Ship 34 and was caught completing a near-perfect mission. For this mission, Booster 15-2 will have 24 flight-proven Raptor engines; it is unclear whether these Raptors were used on Booster 15’s first flight or if some are from Booster 14 on Flight 7.

Booster 15-2 on the Pad for Flight 11 (Credit: Ceaser for NSF)

Mission Objectives, Timeline, and Launch Windows

The mission objectives for this mission are unchanged from the last four flights, except for an extra test goal for the ship and booster. Booster will complete its ascent, hotstaging, and boost back burn as usual. Once at the landing burn, Booster 15-2 will start up the normal 13-engine landing burn before down-selecting to five engines and then eventually down to three.

This will be a test of the landing burn that is slated to be used on Block 3 of Booster. The reason for this is to provide additional engine redundancy in the final part of the landing burn, where the booster makes fine-tuning adjustments to its landing profile. Once those adjustments are done, it will then downselect to three engines before shutting off in a hover above the Gulf, then dropping into the water.

Booster 14 on its final three engine landing burn (Credit: BocaChicaGal for NSF)

 

The ship will attempt to complete the same objectives that SpaceX has set for all Block 2 ships: reach coast phase, deploy dummy Starlinks, execute a quick in-space burn, and attempt a splashdown in the Indian Ocean.

As usual, SpaceX has removed tiles from specific areas on the heat shield to test what would happen if they were to be lost in flight. However, this time it’s a bit different; the missing tiles are patches of four on the right or starboard side of the ship, and the left side is nearly a completed heat shield.

SpaceX aims to determine how many missing tiles would lead to a tank wall failing and result in the loss of a ship during reentry. Lastly, during the subsonic portion after reentry, SpaceX will have Ship 38 perform a dynamic banking maneuver, which is designed to test subsonic guidance algorithms before the landing burn.

This could be a way to try to bleed off more speed by performing banking turns and increasing the drag on the ship, or it’s a test of the lineup maneuver SpaceX will have to execute to line the ship up with the tower before the flip and burn.

Flight 11 in Flight Timeline (Credit: SpaceX)

 

The timeline for propellant load and in flight activities hasn’t changed much since Flight 10 with only a few second differences in some places and vehicle propellant load times moving around as over the last several flights.

Currently, SpaceX is targeting Oct 13, at 6:15 pm CDT for the 11th flight of Starship. The window is 1 hour and 15 minutes long, and if SpaceX can not make the 13th, there are backup windows on Oct 14 – 19, all at 6:15 pm CDT. Unlike on Flight 10, the weather currently looks excellent for launch, with Starbse set to be Sunny with a high of 87°F and low winds, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

This flight will be bittersweet as Pad 1(A) will be used for the last time in this configuration; however, the future is bright for Starship with two new pads of the upgraded design slated to come online sometime next year.

Lead Image Max Evans. Full sets of photos (100s of hi-res photos added each week) are available to all L2 Members.

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