Big News from FAA for SpaceX Starship Launching in Starbase: Breakthrough Revolutionary!

Unstoppable with a surge of new launches powerful vehicle upgrades and exciting expansions at Starbase Starship is on the brink of a revolutionary era the latest updates from the FAA are pushing the boundaries of what's possible for this game-changing rocket meanwhile the Starliner spacecraft has yet to make a triumphant return and despite several attempts future missions face growing uncertainty get ready to dive into these thrilling developments on today's episode of great SpaceX that's right Starship is set to play a pivotal role in our future whether it's landing on the moon or colonizing Mars but to make these ambitious goals a reality Starship must continue to advance following four successful flights and the impressive achievement of two stage Landings progress is well underway on July 12th the FAA made a significant announcement revealing that they were considering a proposal to increase the number of launches and landings for Starship and super heavy at Bach chica Texas the mecca of reusable spacecraft in the form of Starbase the update outlined necessary upgrades to the vehicle and Landing site and hinted at a future Target of 25 launches and landings then on July 29th the FAA provided another update inviting public input they announced on X we we want to hear from you the FAA released a draft environmental assessment for spacex's proposal to increase the number of operations of its Starship SL super heavy vehicle in Bach chica Texas in addition to the announcement the FAA released a comprehensive 154 page document titled draft tiered environmental assessment for SpaceX Starship SLS superheavy vehicle increased Cadence at the SpaceX Bach chica launch site in Cameron County Texas this document outlined four key updates firstly regarding the number of launches spacex's proposal aims for 25 launches and 50 Landings per year makes sense right because when it launches it's just one item but when it lands it's two this ambitious Target highlights the continued importance of achieving successful two-stage Starship Landings for the company this proposed Cadence aligns with the faa's recent update and marks a significant increase from the faa's 2022 programmatic en environmental assessment or pea report which initially permitted only five missions per year to date SpaceX has already launched two Starship missions last year and two more this year with a potential fifth Mission or flight five on the horizon in the coming months looking ahead as SpaceX Works towards critical goals such as developing the refueling system successfully catching both stages with the mechazilla arm and advancing the human Landing system or hls for NASA Artemis moon mission the need for a higher frequency of launches becomes evident the 25f flight license will be essential to meet these ambitious objectives and support the future of space exploration following the updates on launch frequency SpaceX has also announced some impressive upgrades to their rockets in the 2022 programmatic environmental assessment Starship was described as a 50 m tall vehicle 9 m in diameter with six engines capable of carrying 1500 metric tons of fuel and generating 12 12 Mega of thrust super heavy on the other hand was 71 M tall also 9 m in diameter with 37 engines and 3700 metric tons of fuel producing a formidable 74 Mega Newtons of thrust now SpaceX is taking things to the next level the new starship will grow to 70 m in height keeping the same 9 M diameter but with an increased number of engines nine in total it will carry 2,650 metric tons of fuel and generate a powerful 28.7 meons of thrust with these upgrades the combined height of the Starship and super heavy will reach 150 M these advancements represent a substantial boost in performance aligning closely with the specifications outlined in the faa's environmental impact statement for future operations now let's turn our attention to the Starbase expansion the recent FAA layout provides detailed insights into both the current and future development areas at the site it highlights the existing facilities including the current launch structures which align with the starbases present configuration and the expansion for the second launch Tower looking forward the faa's plan outlines significant growth the launch S will expand further west extending beyond the current suborbital tank farm system this expansion is likely aimed at enhancing the fuel infrastructure to support the new launch Tower under construction the layout also introduces new structures marked in a notable violet color which could include additional fuel tanks warehouses and fuel lines overall these developments are geared towards boosting spacex's capabilities to meet their ambitious goal of up to 25 launches annually the FAA document also details new potential Landing areas in addition to the Gulf of Mexico new Landing zones are planned in the Pacific Ocean specifically in the Northeast Pacific near the California coast and the southeast Pacific off the west coast of South America there's also a proposed area in the Indian Ocean spanning from Eastern Madagascar to the western coast of Australia avoiding inhabited Island regions regarding the Indian Ocean it's notable that this is where Starship s29 landed during flight 4 in the future SpaceX might explore Landing options closer to the Australian coast the plan could involve star of making a controlled landing on a drone ship followed by Towing the vehicle to the mainland similar to the current falcon9 operations this approach not only offers logistical convenience but also strengthens cooperation between SpaceX and Australia in various aspects the faa's current proposal is still undergoing a thorough review process including a public meeting scheduled for August following this there are several additional steps before the proposal can receive final approval despite these ongoing reviews the significant updates of the FAA draft tiered environmental assessment indicate positive progress the faa's conclusion underscores this optimism the FAA has determined that the modification of spacex's existing vehicle operator license for Starships superheavy operations aligns with prior environmental documentation consistent with the data in the 2022 paa there are no significant environmental changes and all pertinent conditions and requirements of the previous approval have been met or will be met in the current action if the faa's current step is successfully resolved the path ahead will likely be smooth the dawn of a new era for Starship is fast approaching where larger Starships will be launched more frequently from Advanced facilities and land in diverse locations are you excited about this if so comment here we go below then don't forget to like share and subscribe to our channel to keep up with spacex's development Journey next let's turn to the latest updates on Starliner as previously mentioned Boeing's team planned to conduct a test of Starliner propulsion system on July 27th this test involved the spacecraft reaction control system or RCS thrusters a critical step in preparing for an upcoming review to assess the spacecraft's Readiness for landing NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunni Williams expected in August provided all goes as planned Boeing recently shared the results of this test according to their blog post the new RCS test aimed to confirm the performance of each Thruster through brief bursts of up to 1.2 seconds each out of the 28 thrusters one was excluded from the test due to previous issues the remaining thrusters demonstrated Peak thrust ranging from 97% to 102 confirming their performance within the expected range Boeing also noted the helium system remains stable however Wilmore and Williams did did not directly Engage The thrusters during the test instead they stayed on board Starliner observing and Reporting back to Ground Control both are seasoned US Navy test pilots with extensive experience in developmental Aerospace programs recent ground tests revealed a critical issue with the cfts RCs specifically when the thrusters are fired repeatedly particularly alongside the orbital maneuvering and control system or omac thrusters the insulated Bay housing the RCs thrusters also known as dog houses tend to overheat this overheating causes the Teflon insulation on the thrusters seals to degrade according to NASA and Boeing this problem could not have been anticipated during ground testing before the CFT flight unfortunately this development doesn't bring an end to the Starliner delays NASA officials stated on X teams will evaluate the results of the test firings over the next few days as they work through overall studies ahead of an ageny this review both NASA and Boeing are still determining how to address these Starliner issues whether through design modifications or changes and operational procedures for astronaut Thruster engagement consequently Starliner 1's mission has been postponed to August of next year a shift from the previously expected early winter launch before they can even think about Starliner 1 however NASA and Boeing must first address the ongoing CFT Mission originally slated for a 10day duration the mission has now extended to nearly 55 days in space that's almost 2 months the astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunni Williams are currently relying on resered supplies aboard the ISS which were pre-positioned for unforeseen circumstances the prolonged delay is beginning to affect both current and future missions raising concerns about when Butch and Sunni will return and whether they will be able to do so safely at this point one might wish for a dragon to rescue them and bring them home regarding Starliner one previously we asked whether crew 10 or Starliner 1 would launch first now with crew 10 being replaced by crew 11 which do you think will launch first let me know with either one or 11 in the comment section down below well folks that's about it for today's episode thank you so much for tuning in and as always this has been Kevin from great SpaceX until next time keep looking up