Ship 39 and Booster 19 Roll out for Static Fire Testing

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Following the successful return of Orion, attention for the Artemis program has now shifted to SpaceX and Blue Origin to prepare a crewed lander in time for Artemis III.

For SpaceX, this means getting Starship Block 3 flying and fully operational so that teams can begin building and launching the Human Landing System (HLS) variant. To that end, Ship 39 and Booster 19 — the first Block 3 stack — have rolled out to Masseys and Pad 2, respectively, to complete engine testing.

Booster 19

Booster 19 has once again rolled out to Pad 2 for additional engine testing following the completion of a set of tests in mid-March.

Booster 19 spent 10 days at the launch site and underwent several tests to activate Pad 2 and test the booster itself.

During the testing campaign, SpaceX mounted and demounted the booster twice to refine the booster and pad-stacking systems. In addition, crews conducted several pressure tests and four tanking tests, three of which involved engine firings.

To begin with, SpaceX needed to test the new stacking systems for both the booster and the launch pad. Previously, crews had to attach a pair of stabilizers to keep the booster properly aligned — not only with the transport stand, but also with the mount — so the engine bells would not strike the sides and to ensure the clamps could line up correctly.

To replace this system, SpaceX designed a ball-and-socket alignment setup on the booster and used position sensors.

Booster 19’s aft during its first engine test campaign

The first few stacks have been relatively slow; it will likely take SpaceX several attempts to significantly speed up the process. A new feature at the pad allows Starbase cameras to detect whether the clamp arms are open or closed by monitoring the arm covers, which protrude above the launch deck.

Once mounted on the launch mount, SpaceX performed a few pressure tests and moved the new grid fins for the first time. Following these initial tests, crews then did a tanking test to kick off the testing.

It was thought that SpaceX would take it a bit slow and start with smaller propellant loads, which would then build up to a static-fire load.

This was not the case, as crews had been testing this new tank farm on and off for months on end and went straight into the new loading sequence on the first try.

In the past, on Pad 1, SpaceX had only four Liquid Oxygen (LOX) Pumps and six subcoolers, and three Liquid Methane (LCH4) Pumps with three subcoolers. This setup allowed SpaceX to start booster load at T-41:15 on Flight 11.

Pad 1 Tank Farm During a September Flyover

On Pad 2, SpaceX has five pumps and about 10 subcoolers worth of capacity on the LOX side, and four pumps alongside about six subcoolers worth of capacity on the LCH4 side.

With these upgrades, along with larger supply lines, SpaceX can now load a full booster within 30 minutes, and each LOX ring takes only about 90 seconds to load. This now means SpaceX can load the Superheavy booster faster than a Falcon 9 and carry over 10 times the propellant.

The first test was a static fire load with a deluge activation; the second test was a static fire load with what appears to be a spin prime of all 10 engines at the end. It was hard to tell how powerful the new Detonation Suppression System (DSS) is on Pad 2. The third test was another static fire load of propellant and what appeared to be an igniter test.

Launch Site Tank Farm During a February Flyover

This wasn’t like an igniter test seen in the past, as it produced a decent flash even through the DSS. It also sounded much different than the torch igniters that SpaceX has used in the past.

These igniters may be acoustic igniters, which have no moving parts internally, using a nozzle with a central component tuned to the correct resonance so that, when high-velocity gaseous oxygen and methane are fed through it, the nozzle resonates, increasing the temperature and igniting the propellants.

This would align with SpaceX’s desire to innovate and eliminate unwanted components, such as an electric spark igniter.

As for the last test before Booster 19 rolled back to Mega Bay 1, SpaceX performed a static fire of all 10 engines. This static fire lasted only about one second and was cut short due to a ground support issue, according to SpaceX. However, even with the static fire cut short, crews appeared to be satisfied with the data gathered.

This brings us to where Booster 19 is now: out at Pad 2, getting ready for a full 33-engine test campaign. This Block 3 booster now has a brand-new set of 33 Raptor 3 engines installed, which should be the flight engines, barring any swaps after testing. 

Based on the set of testing Booster 19 completed in its first round, the testing will likely include a spin prime, igniter test, and at least a 33-engine static fire. It is also possible that, due to the new plumbing, SpaceX could complete a 13-engine static fire using the new LOX landing tank plumbing.

Once Booster 19 has completed its second round of testing, it has to return to Mega Bay 1 once again for final checks and work before rolling out again to perform full-stack testing with Ship 39.

Masseys During a February Flyover

Ship 39

Along with Booster 19 rolling out for another round of static fire testing, its other half, Ship 39, also rolled out, but this vehicle went to Masseys for its static fire testing. Ship 39 had been inside Mega Bay 2 since March 8, when it came back from cryo-proof testing, flap stress testing, and chopstick squeeze testing.

This was all done using the new truss structure built over the flame trench at Masseys. Since that testing with Ship 39, much of the hardware has been removed, as this round of testing will be focused on the ship’s six Raptor 3 engines.

When Ship 39 first rolled out for cryo-proof testing, several parts were not yet complete. After spending over a month in Mega Bay 2, SpaceX has made significant progress on finishing the ship and has even added some interesting tile patches to the leeward side. The raceways, which were fully exposed during the last rollout, are now covered with large aero covers.

The most interesting additions are the several tile patches on the leeward side of the ship’s tanks and the aft flaps, which are nearly covered with tiles.

Ship 39 starting its rollout to Masseys

These new patches are not pinned tiles but appear to use the newer purple adhesive to test attachment strength. And the locations aren’t random, as each large spot is in a negative-pressure area during reentry, which will help test whether the tiles get pulled off.

It is unknown exactly how many tests Ship 39 will perform, but if the first round of testing for Booster 19 was any indication, the ship will likely perform a tanking test to commission the new methane tank farm. Then it will likely perform a six-engine spin prime, igniter test, single-engine static fire to simulate a deorbit burn, and finally a six-engine static fire.

An interesting note for Ship 39: with the engines installed and SpaceX getting ready to static-fire the ship, this means its thrust puck and aft will not be thrust simulated and tested, as every other Ship has in the past.

The only other time SpaceX did this with a flight vehicle was with Booster 9, because crews did not have a stand to perform such a test. To compensate for this, teams are putting S39.1 the test tank through its paces.

Ship 39 already completed a tanking test, which might have also been a spin prime, just 18 hours or so after arriving at Masseys on April 10.

S39.1 Being Tested at Masseys

Once engine testing is complete, Ship 39 will roll back to Mega Bay 2 for final checks and likely payload integration before rolling out for full-stack testing.

Featured Image: Booster 19 leaving Mega Bay 1 – via SpaceX)

The post Ship 39 and Booster 19 Roll out for Static Fire Testing appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.



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