Can a BROKEN SpaceX Starship actually fly to Space? + CRS-27 Launch Report!

Can this fly into

space

? My name is Felix and I'm the host of today's episode of What About It. Today we will try to answer the question of whether SpaceX's first

space

craft to fly into space will

actually

be able to do it. Does it even make sense to release it? And wouldn't it completely destroy the

launch

pad? We'll also take a fascinating look at CRS-27, SpaceX's latest visitor to the ISS! Stay tuned and let's dig in! Starship Updates I recently received inside information about SpaceX's orbital flight test that I won't be able to talk about in today's episode, of course.

But if you read between the lines, you should know more, so look carefully. Starbase is at a turning point and this is what it looks like. The Starship orbital

launch

pad is overrun by SpaceX workers working day and night shifts to finish stage zero before the launch attempt. This footage is from the Chief's WAI camera and from March 13th. Shows the day shift finishing the outer armor of the launch table. And no, we are not at the 95th edition of the Oscars. Those blankets are hung around the inside of the table to prevent sparks and other debris from landing on the delicate ring of motor quick disconnects inside the OLM.

This footage is from March 14 and you can see how those blankets follow the progress of the work. How many workers can you see just in this small part of the OLM? I counted 13 of them. And they mostly seem to be busy with shielding. Everything else seems to be done already. Work on the upper quick disconnect also continues with the addition of a small access platform. We have seen this process for some time now. The original design did not have many walkways or railings for ground personnel to access the structures to safely carry out work and inspections.

Adding them will make the work of SpaceX staff faster and safer. This is a minor change with a big effect. And while SpaceX is busy implementing the latest hardware upgrades to Starship's launch and integration tower and the orbital launch stand itself, they're still just as busy on Booster 7. The hydraulic pressure units, located on the sides of the section of the engine and responsible for providing the necessary hydraulic pressure to the engine driveshaft, still appears to need some attention. A day later, we can see well under the protective cover with a little help from the boss's WAI Cam.

The COPVs mounted under the pipe are responsible for the pressure. A better solution has already been found and this will be the last booster that uses them. The future is electric. Not just at Tesla. These are minor details. It almost seems like SpaceX is simply using the remaining time they have left. The same goes for Ship 24, technically the other half of Orbital Flight Test 1. It's ready, parked in the rocket yard to free up space at the launch site and make final fixes to the heat shield. Musk said that he estimates the chances of this Starship reaching orbit to be around 50%.

Reaching orbit has nothing to do with Ship 24's heat shield. However, if it manages to enter orbit, the heat shield becomes much more important for possible re-entry. The boss has been keeping an eye on the heat shield on Twitter for a few days now. What can easily be seen in these images is that the tiles are still far from being in perfect condition. Some places seem to be more difficult than others. The placement is not perfectly aligned. In addition to the hexagonal tiles on the front flaps, the custom-shaped tiles on the aero covers also look riotous.

It's a prototype. It will be unmanned, and Musk said rapid and complete reusability could take years to discover for the SpaceX crew. Simply put, this heat shield won't be perfect on launch day. Don't expect it to change. That's all. This is Ship 24 and this is how it will fly. Imperfect and the first orbital test flight. Guaranteed excitement. A wind of change is blowing in the air at Starbase. A new piece of equipment can be seen elevated to the Mega Bay. Probably for a welding table. And while complete and rapid reuse may still take a while, mass production will not.

Many Starships will fly in the coming years despite not being reusable. SpaceX is drilling again and everything seems to be ready for another big building. More space for more production capacity? This looks a lot like another Upper Bay. Maybe even another Mega Bay. Why would SpaceX build this if Ship 24's heat shield doesn't look like it can withstand reentry? The answer is simple. It is not planned from the beginning. The spaceships will not go into service once everything is working perfectly. They will enter service as soon as they are able to safely launch and deploy payloads.

Everything else will come later in a gradual process. Falcon 9 did not even have landing capability during its first years of service. First released on June 4, 2010, it shipped the first standard model of Dragon. It landed for the first time on April 8, 2016 with CRS 8. That's almost 6 years of expendable Falcon 9 rockets. It's hard to imagine that back then we didn't even miss a landing. If all of this is the case, would the only thing left to prevent SpaceX's launch be? Good. The FAA. Everything now indicates that SpaceX will have to wait again to obtain a license. Moving on to the Starbase launch site and stage zero again, I want to delve a little deeper into our idea with the deluge system from last episode.

There were a lot of questions in the comments and since I always take the time to read your thoughts, I'll try to explain the idea as best as possible. This is the view of the site from RGV Aerial Photography, and you can already see a lot of work on the ground. Pressure vessels and water tanks are located on site. These could even later be connected to the water tank of the orbital tank farms to make life easier. There is already a connection from the park through the blast barrier that separates OLM from the large GSE tanks.

Trenching would need to be made through the concrete foundation. That's all. More importantly, we can already see a general direction of what is happening here. The route of the water pipes is becoming more and more evident. It will lead from the water tanks to the tower and then turn inward to the OLM. There is also a retention area set up for the system, so that you can also see the direction the exhaust is supposed to take. But if there is a direction, there must be a flame diverter. Otherwise, the explosion would go in all directions, as we have seen in static fires.

And that's the whole idea. Although this is highly speculative, we increasingly believe that the platform could have a flame diverter system after all. It is already believed that it is a new engine maintenance station. Everything needed to replace the engines and take a good look at everything under the engine skirt so that the platform currently used under the OLM is no longer necessary. The engine maintenance station could be placed right next to the OLM. There's an open spot there... ...since the booth that was there will probably be moved here. In return, this would free up space under the OLM.

It would be a change of plans, but there is already evidence. The Sanchez site is where SpaceX is building many parts connected to the deluge system right now. And if we zoom in, you can find these rectangular and triangular parts. It seems they are connected to the deluge system. They are thick and have outlets that fit perfectly in these parts here. This type of piping can be found on many pads. And they are always connected to an actual diverter and not simply a deluge system placed in the ground. Owe and I are already working on a render to show it better.

Again, this is speculation based on observation. Basically, imagine a double-sided flame diverter below the OLM, connected to the deluge system. These plates would form the diverter ramp beneath the OLM. Again, it's not flat on the ground but an actual ramp. What do you think? Please let Owe and I know in the comments! We are reading them and greatly appreciate your thoughts! Keep it up! And while you're at it, leave us a like if you liked the idea, consider subscribing, and maybe even becoming a patron or channel member for more behind-the-scenes information. We continue with a launch

report

!

CRS 27 performed a spectacular night launch with many new and exciting experiments for the ISS! With an instant release window of 8:30 p.m. ET on March 14, NASA and SpaceX have accomplished another flawless commercial resupply mission to the ISS. More than 6,000 pounds of science and supplies were packed into Cargo Dragon C209, which has already made its third flight after CRS 22 and 24, both in 2021. It was SpaceX's second Dragon mission for this month, the 17th launch of this year and mission number 216 in total. As a curious fact, if SpaceX maintains the launch cadence during the rest of the year, this would be equivalent to approximately 84 launches.

By comparison, SpaceX had 61 launches in 2022 and announced that it may even reach 100 launches total this year. Booster B1073 made its seventh flight in total. Among other missions, it is responsible for pushing the Hakuto-R lunar lander into space in December of last year. A shortfall of Gravitas remained in the Atlantic Ocean for the 178th recovery of a Falcon 9 booster. Even the Recovery team received recognition. An exclusively female team. Well done SpaceX! There should be many more all-female teams! SpaceX showed off some incredible, never-before-seen footage of this all-female recovery team breaking lines with the unmanned ship in the Atlantic Ocean.

It's amazing to see the SpaceX team doing work that no one else is doing right now. Before we dive into launch and docking on Thursday, 35 hours after liftoff, let's take a look at all the science: CRS-27 launched to the ISS! Cardiac tissues, biofilms and bacteria. Dozens of new experiments. Artificial heart tissue to be tested in microgravity. This will open up new treatments for heart failure therapy. Radio-tolerant organisms are recovered and stored outside the ISS to provide more clues about why they can survive in space and about the origins of life on Earth. Heart tissues are being tested in space to find out why our hearts have reduced function in space.

Carbon dioxide removal systems are undergoing further research to make them more efficient. Researchers will continue to investigate the formation of bacterial biofilms and ways to prevent this from happening. I talked about this before. Most of these experiments are in preparation for us leaving Earth for longer periods of time. Many of them are carried out in direct preparation for future missions to the Moon and Mars. NASA even went all out and implemented a segment called Artemis Moon Minute into the live stream. There couldn't be a bigger sign that NASA is working with all hands to make all of this happen and stay on the Moon longer.

The teams are working towards the launch of Artemis 2. The engine section has been moved to the core stage and the RS25 engines will be mounted next. On April 3 we will find out which four astronauts will travel around the Moon for the first time in decades. Then came T-0. Again, SpaceX has done this many times. Throughout the entire history of the CRS program, there has not been a single failure. CRS-27 did not change the statistic. John Winkopp was there for us and gave us some stellar views of the launch. CRS releases are something special. The first release I saw was CRS-20, so they have a special place in our hearts here at WAI.

John's photographs included some beautiful shots from the stage separation. Fantastic views! Textbook stuff. Falcon 9 works incredibly reliably. And the second stage is on the way, again with some incredible column shots. Sci-fi vibes. And if that's not enough science fiction for you, here's an orbital-class rocket making a target landing on an unmanned ship. Routine at SpaceX. Then came a short coastal phase with beautiful views inside the cargo dragon trunk full of ISS supplies, separation and we headed to the ISS. Fast forward 35 hours. Forward port, Node 2, Harmony module, ISS. The direction of Cargo Dragon C209 for the next month until it returns to Earth full of scientific results.

These are very busy times for the ISS crew, since the window in which many of the experiments must be carried out is from docking to undocking. A month full of tasks and very results-oriented work. It remains fascinating how easy this all seems when SpaceX makes another trip to the ISS. Congratulations to the whole team. We all look forward to welcoming you to Cargo!Dragon again here on Earth! Here's my sponsor for today! Wait, don't skip. Hello Fresco! You can watch me cook! Rule number one. Only accept sponsors whose products you really like. I understand. And boy do I like it!

The package arrived at the door. Quick unpacking. Super simple instructions and that's it. I am one of those cooks who brag about one or two meals that they know how to prepare perfectly, but I am not a good cook by any means. Hello Fresh helped! And this is delicious! Hello Fresh adapts to your schedule! Are you not hungry or are you far from home? Life changes. Hello New changes with you. The plans are flexible. You can change your meal preference, update your delivery day, and even change your address with just a few clicks. They offer vegetarian, Pescatarian and fitness and healthy meals.

Your personal goals are covered. My goal was flavor. That's a great goal for food! Our experience was impeccable. Again, I am not a master chef. Stefanie is doing much better... not just in editing. But that really tasted like restaurant food, the whole family liked it and it took me 15 minutes to prepare! And it keeps coming to your door! Week after week. Now comes the best part! Visit helloFresh.com and use code WHATABOUTIT60 for 60% off plus free shipping! That's helloFresh.com and the code WHATABOUTIT60. Delicious! Is all for today! Be sure to check out our WAI Wear merchandise store!

Full of cool shirts and other items, it's the perfect wardrobe for rocket enthusiasts! And if you want to get even smarter about space and rockets, watch this video below to continue the journey. Thank you so much for watching and we'll see you again in the next episode!