The FAA last week cleared the Spacex spacecraft to fly again after completing its review of the previous flight, which ended in an explosion, and the next test could now take off as soon as Tuesday. Spacex is watching on May 27 for the Starships ninth flight test, with a launch window at 7:30 pm et (6:30 pm local time for the Texas Star base). This launch will mark the first time that Spacex reuses a super heavy reinforcement; The reinforcement for flight nine flew prevently with the seventh Starship flight test earlier this year. While single -sex pieces have replaced the leg, Spacex says it is Giant 29 or 33 Raptor engines of The Booster.
As always, spectators at home can look tuning live broadcast, starting about 30 minutes before the spacecraft is launched. That will be available on the Spacex website and in a transmission on its X profile.
Spacex made Starships eighth flight test in March, but the vehicle had some problems a few minutes after the launch. The Super Heavy Booster was onable to return to the launch site apter separation from the upper stage and be Successully Caught by the Tower’s “ChopStick” Arms, But as for the Ship Itelf, severe raptor engines shut off, causing it to tumble and utsble and tumble and tumble and tumble and tumble and tumble and tumble Tumble and Tumble and Tumble and Tumble and Tumble and Tumble and Tumble and Tumble and Tumble and Tumble and Tumble and Tumble and Tumble and hit and fall, fall and fall, fall and fall and fall and fall and fall and fall and fall and fall, fall and fall.
Spacex says that the problem was probably due to “a hardware failure in one of the Raptor Center engines of the upper stage that resulted in the mixture and ignition of advertising propens.” Since then, he has made some changes to prevent that from happening again. Spacex said in an update on May 22 that “the engines in the upper stage of Starships will receive additional preloads in the key joints, a new nitrogen purge system and improvements in the propellant drainage system.”
For flight nine, the Super Heavy reinforcement won the return to the launch site, but in its place it will splash in the ocean. The Starship Upper Stage will try to implement eight fictitious Starlink satellites, and Spacex is looking for this flight to try “several experiments focused on allowing spacecraft on the top site of the launch.”
