SpaceX StarHopper is in One Piece and could fly in 4 weeks – NextBigFuture.com

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SpaceX StarHopper is in one piece. SpaceX is targeting a first flight in four weeks if all goes well.

SpaceX put it together with surprising speed.

StarHopper will test the technology that will be incorporated into the second stage, Starship. Starship is a second reusable launch vehicle with an integrated payload section and the ability to operate as a long-range spacecraft on flights in and beyond the Earth's orbit.

It will be built in at least three versions:

Spacecraft: A large, long-lasting spacecraft capable of transporting passengers or cargo to interplanetary destinations, to LEO, or between destinations on Earth.

Tanker: A cargo-only propulsion tanker to support refueling of propellants in the Earth's orbit. The tanker will allow the launch of a heavy spacecraft into interplanetary space as the spacecraft to be replenished can use its tanks twice, first to reach the LEO and then out of Earth's orbit. This project achieves a Delta-v similar to the three stage rockets without needing the corresponding large mass fractions.[citation needed]

Satellite delivery spacecraft: A vehicle with a large cargo compartment door that can open in space to facilitate the placement of spacecraft into orbit, or the recovery of spacecraft and space debris.

There will be transfers of orbiting propellers from Starship tankers to Starship spacecraft or cargo spacecraft.

A spacecraft and its payload will be able to transit to the Moon or fly to Mars after loading in orbit propulsion.

Stainless steel structure and tank construction. Its strength / mass ratio is comparable to or better than the previous design alternative of carbon fiber composites at predicted temperature ranges from cryogenic to high atmospheric reentry temperatures.

Some parts of the rocket will be constructed with a stainless steel alloy that has cryogenic treatment. The metal is cold formed in cryogenically treated steel. It will be dramatically lighter and more wear-resistant than traditional hot rolled steel.

The heat shields will be reusable. The same stainless steel alloy used to construct the vehicle's structure and tank, when not painted and polished to a mirror finish, has a very high reflectivity, facilitating atmospheric entry with much less thermal protection than would be required for the previous design of carbon fiber .

Kimi Talvitie has created an image that looks like StarHopper and StarShip from SpaceX, based on reference images and other information.

StarHopper is the first prototype to test three Raptor engines. He will fly a series of jumps that can start later this month. It is released to fly up to 5000 meters.

Starship is what used to be called the Big Falcon Space Ship. It is the upper stage of what was the BFR. It will have seven Raptor engines and could reach orbit as early as 2020.

The Super Heavy Starship will be fully reusable.

Grasshopper and Falcon 9 Reusable Development Vehicles (F9R Dev) were reusable experimental flight test rockets that performed vertical takeoffs and landings.

The Grasshopper was announced in 2011 and began landing / landing tests at low altitude and low speed in 2012. The initial vehicle of the Grasshopper test was 32 feet high and made eight successful test flights in 2012 and 2013 before retire. A second prototype of the Grasshopper Class was the largest and most capable Falcon 9 Reusable Development Vehicle based on the Falcon 9 v1.1 launch vehicle. It was tested at higher altitudes and was capable of a much higher speed, but was never tested at high speeds.

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