SN9 Stories January 5
The Federal Aviation Administration has granted a temporary flight restriction (TFR) for Brownsville, Texas, that gives the correct clearance for SpaceX to attempt its second-ever Starship 12.5 km flight. Starship serial number 9 (SN9) is set to fly — and potentially even land in one piece — as soon as Friday, January 8.
SN9 Stories January 4
SpaceX is working hard to get Starship SN9 ready to fly the next 12.5 km flight early this month, but there are still a few tests that need to be done prior to the next milestone.
Production at SpaceX’s Starship facility in Boca Chica, Texas, has increased with SN10 receiving its nose cone and SN11 having all of its fuel tanks stacked. Alongside the progressing next vehicles to fly are scattered ring sections ready to be assembled into SN12 and beyond. SpaceX seems to have no shortage of Starships to continue testing after SN9’s flight — even if it doesn’t survive the landing again.
SN9 Stories December 11, 2020
Morgan Stanley published a research note this week following the first high-altitude test flight of SpaceX’s Starship vehicle. The investment firm describes the test flight of SpaceX’s Starship serial number 8 prototype rocket as “a major leap forward in the U.S. space program” for at least three reasons:
