SpaceX do it differently
In the last 18 months, we’ve been treated to four Starship test flights. During these, we’ve seen crowds of excited SpaceX employees cheer as vehicles prematurely explode in the sky, or communication is otherwise lost. Why? Because they know that the payload is the data.
Credit: SpaceX
Traditional aerospace design is slow and costly. For a topical example, we need look no further than Boeing’s Starliner. Costing billions of dollars in production, it eventually embarked on its first crewed flight, years behind schedule, only to be hit by a series of problems that have resulted in two astronauts being effectively stranded in space, while concerns about the safety of the vehicle abound.*
SpaceX’s rapid iterative development approach showcases a radical alternative. They put flight hardware in a flight environment in order to learn as quickly as possible. Prototypes are built fast, tested, the data analysed, and improvements immediately implemented on subsequent designs.
This continuous feedback loop of test, analyse, improve, repeat has been at the heart of SpaceX’s Starship program since the days of the much-loved Starhopper (the earliest test vehicle). Data from each and every test is rigorously analysed - and improvements, from the tiniest tweaks to the complete overhaul of a heatshield over 18,000 tiles strong, are swiftly actioned.
The methodology is bold and dynamic. Progress is fast and measurable. We’ve seen tangible results during the first fully-integrated Starship test flights.
Advancements are also illustrated in recently released pictures of Raptor 3, the third generation Raptor engine designed to power Starship. The images show a sleek and simplified machine that is a far cry from the spaghetti junction of plumbing and wiring of Raptor 1. This latest version has significantly superior thrust capabilities, yet weighs much less.
Credit: SpaceX
The bottom line with this agile approach is that there are no failures, only lessons to be learnt. Crucially, SpaceX is surging forward, towards a rapidly reusable future, and achieving ground-breaking milestones. They first did this with Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy, and they are well underway with the huge Starship that will hopefully one day transport humans to Mars.
Next up is Flight 5. The main aim of this one is to attempt to catch the Super Heavy booster with the launch tower’s “chopstick” arms. Excitement will, yet again, be guaranteed!
Written by Niki Whewell, 17th August 2024
* Update: NASA have decided, as of 24th August 2024, to return Starliner uncrewed. The two astronauts will return to Earth onboard a SpaceX Dragon.