Going to the moon in 2024

[Justin]

Construction on the 2nd SpaceX prototype for the super-heavy lift StarShip is continuing.

https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/in...pic=48895.1680

They're talking about doing a 20km test hop in the next few weeks.

[Justin]

Space News has posted up an article of 20 space-related predictions for 2020:

https://spacenews.com/20-space-indus...ions-for-2020/

20 space industry predictions for 2020
by SpaceNews Staff — February 26, 2020
This article originally appeared in the Jan. 20, 2020 issue of SpaceNews magazine. It was updated Feb. 26 to reflect OneWeb and SpaceX launches that have happened since.



In 2019, the U.S. Space Force was formally established, NASA received a 2024 deadline for returning Americans to the moon, and private companies the world over raised billions of dollars for everything from rockets to antennas. This year shows no signs of a let up in space-sector momentum. Here are 20 predictions for 2020 as seen by SpaceNews reporters and correspondents.

[Gman]

I bet this wasn't one of their predictions. ;-)

SpaceX Starship prototype explodes during test in Texas

Getting to space is hard, and SpaceX is working through some kinks early in the process of developing its next-generation Starship that it hopes will eventually take legions of humans to Mars.

Video from sources with a view of the company's Boca Chica, Texas development facility showed Starship prototype "SN1" apparently exploding during a pressure test Friday.

NASASpaceflight reports that the partial rocket failed during a cryogenic pressure test after one of its tanks filled with liquid nitrogen.

An earlier, more basic prototype dubbed "Mk1" popped its top during a pressurization test at Boca Chica last year.

This latest anomaly -- as explosions tend to be called in the space business -- appears to be doing little to set back Starship's development. Elon Musk showed off the company's stockpile of nose cones at Boca Chica last month, and prototype SN2 continued to come together on one side of the site this weekend, even as the remains of SN1 were being cleaned up nearby.

SpaceX did not immediately return a request for comment.

The company is still working toward the next test flight of Starship in the coming months, which will aim to send it to serious altitude for the first time, up to about 12.4 miles (20 km).

[Justin]

I bet this wasn't one of their predictions. ;-)

SpaceX Starship prototype explodes during test in Texas

Rapid, Unplanned Disassembly is always an option.

The video is quite dramatic:

[Gman]

At least mankind has learned to cryogenic pressure test with nitrogen.

I wonder how far away the top of the vessel launched after falling to the ground?

[Aloha_Shooter]

Meh, this is why you do testing on the ground. In the movie "First Man", Neil Armstrong (as portrayed by Ryan Gosling) says, "We need to fail. We need to fail down here so we don’t fail up there." I don't know that the quote is exact but I think it was typical of the attitude in Apollo. This test didn't cost any lives and I suspect (hope) SpaceX learned a lot from the failure.

[Justin]

SpaceX probably learned quite a bit from this failure if their past development cycles on things like Falcon 9 are any indication.

One thing that's noteworthy about Starship is that they're not only trying to just build a heavy lift vehicle, but they're trying to nail down a design for a heavy lift vehicle that can be manufactured at low cost and churned out from an assembly line.

[Gman]

[Irving]

Have you watched the entire thing yet? I haven't taken the time myself. It's on the list though.

[Gman]

I'm more than halfway through, but got interrupted. They go into a lot of info. I just got past the part where they show their huge plating shop and how they anodize the aluminum parts after machining and roll shaping.