Elon Musk Reveals Next Step before Starship Flight 12 Launch. NASA’s Artemis 2 Sooner...REPLAY#69

Описание: Elon Musk Reveals Next Step before Starship Flight 12 Launch. NASA’s Artemis 2 Sooner...REPLAY#69
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#greatspacex #spacex #spacexlive #starship
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00:00: Intro
00:34: Flight 12’s launch date
05:26: Upcoming tasks
07:59: NASA’s preparations for Artemis 2
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Elon Musk Reveals Next Step before Starship Flight 12 Launch. NASA’s Artemis 2 Sooner...REPLAY#69
What are you anticipating?
Many would likely say Starship Flight 12. After a series of setbacks and extended preparations, its launch timeline has grown increasingly uncertain.
However, Elon Musk has now unexpectedly shared hints regarding the launch date, and those hints are already fueling widespread discussion.
So when will Starship Flight 12 launch, and how could it affect the broader schedule?
Let us find out on today’s episode of Great SpaceX.
Let’s summarize.
Last year, following the success of Flight 11 in October, many expected the V3 debut flight to launch in late 2025. That expectation changed when the schedule was later pushed to January.
Then the B18 incident occurred, which caused additional delays. Optimism returned when SpaceX completed Booster 19 in just 28 days, raising hopes for a January or February launch window.
Elon Musk Reveals Next Step before Starship Flight 12 Launch. NASA’s Artemis 2 Sooner...REPLAY#69
Now, both of those expectations appear to be incorrect.
In Elon Musk’s latest update on January 26th, he stated, “Starship launch in 6 weeks.” Six weeks from that statement places the launch in early March.
So why is the flight so late?
As of now, neither piece of Flight 12 hardware, Ship 39 and Booster 19, has rolled out, even though both vehicles have been completed for some time. Based on rare images of the bay doors opening and observations during visits by government officials, it appears that both vehicles are still undergoing inspections. For example, Ship 39 was previously surrounded by a large scaffolding structure, which may have been related to heat shield testing.
So why are these preparations taking so long?
Elon Musk Reveals Next Step before Starship Flight 12 Launch. NASA’s Artemis 2 Sooner...REPLAY#69
The explanation likely comes down to two main factors.
First, SpaceX still has several issues to resolve. The B18 incident caused significant disruptions and may have revealed a design flaw. More recently, the B18.3 test tank also encountered unexpected problems during testing, although many believe this may have been intentional on SpaceX’s part.
As a result, extensive testing and improvements are required on both stages. The ship, in particular, will be inspected more thoroughly because it takes longer to build. SpaceX cannot afford a repeat of a previous incident that could cause the company to go through the first half of the year without a launch.
After these preparations, SpaceX will move into the testing phase. In addition to vehicle readiness, SpaceX must also complete test tank and support structure testing on the test pad. After that, the ship and booster will be rolled to Massey for testing. Transport stands for both pads have already arrived at the Sanchez site.
Testing will begin with cryogenic tests. After those are complete, both vehicles will return to the production site to receive their engines. The ship will then return to Massey for static fire testing, while the booster will conduct its static fire on the launch pad. Once these tests are complete, both vehicles will return to the production site for final launch preparations.