SpaceX Starship SN-09: test flight 1 (test flight)

[UtwigMU]

With rockets re-usability labour is probably the most expensive as you need to assemble lots of custom parts into engines and triple check them. Materials are expensive but probably less so relative to engineer labour.

When rocket has flown and landed, you still need to go over all pipes, pumps, turbines... and check them before they can be reused. You are saving on materials but labour intensive checks still need to be done. With today's tech, you could add 100s-1000s of cheap sensors to automate some of that. There is point in rocket reusability but it's not so clear cut as with cars or planes.

[Dr Mordrid]

SpaceX vehicles are bristling with redundant sensors, cameras in the tanks, etc.

Getting the plumbing right for that last flip and the header tank hand-off will create a few craters.

SN-10 flies in 2-4 weeks, with more test vehicles in prep.

[Dr Mordrid]

Oh, My...pedal to the metal.

Michael Baylor @nextspaceflight
SpaceX may resume Starship testing on Thursday with a road closure scheduled between 9 am and 6 pm Central time. Unclear if this testing will be for SN7.2 or SN10.
Starship
Keep up to date with all of the Starship action.
nextspaceflight.com
|
Doitwrightrv @doitwrightrv
According to a SpaceX security officer we spoke to today who was overseeing the cleanup, SN10 sustained no damage. They intend to push for launch within the next 1-2 weeks! So my money is definitely on SN10

https://twitter.com/doitwrightrv/status/1357113860927467520