The Starship SN8 prototype during landing when one of its engines burns again. Re-inflammation was an important test parameter that was successfully achieved during the prototype’s test in December last year. Image: SpaceX / Twitter
In an interesting experimental authorization request it submitted to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) earlier this week, Space Exploration Technologies Corp (SpaceX) asked the regulatory body to give it the power to operate a Starlink user terminal on top of ‘ n Starship. prototype. SpaceX is currently testing its next generation launch platform, called Starship, in Boca Chica, Texas. The request submitted to the FCC is the first of its kind for both Starship and Starlink, which is currently the satellite-based Internet service of SpaceX which is currently in beta testing phase.
Automated Starlink dish that can switch off if the power output threshold is exceeded will be tested on Starship SN15
The first important detail that SpaceX’s submission offers us is a tentative launch date for Starship SN15. The final prototype test of the launch system, which took place late last month, ended with a spectacular explosion in the sky described by SpaceX’s narrator John Insprucker as ‘exciting’. After Starship SN11, SN15 will not take to the air before the 20th of this month, using SpaceX as follows:
The authority sought herein will be severely curtailed: SpaceX requests to operate only 60 days under this STA from April 20, 2020 *, or the date on which the STA is requested herein is granted, whichever is later.
SpaceX also explicitly states in its application that it requires the authority to test the user terminal while it is on the ground and during or during test flights. The company also requested the authority to manage the terminal experimentally at ‘altitudes not exceeding 12.5 km’, indicating that the court will be operational while Starship SN15 is in the air.
The second proof that it will be Starship SN15 that Starlink tests during the test ‘hop’ is a set of images by amateur photographer Carter Goode. Goode, who goes to the Twitter account @ CarterGoode6, shared several images of SN15 in a Google Drive – two of which we shared with you below.
Both these images and several others in Drive show what a Starlink user terminal on SN15 is. The reason why SpaceX was tested for the prototype of the prototype is not certain, but it may include testing the dish to monitor its effectiveness in accelerating the signal.
The broadcast and reception frequencies of terminal SpaceX have requested temporary testing authorities for compliance with those using its Starlink rights.
If the terminal exceeds the equivalent power fluid density (EPFD) and the power current density (PFD) that SpaceX maintained in its Starlink authorization, it will stop until it has corrected the reason for the violation.
In addition to the FCC’s request to allow it to test a user terminal aboard a rocket prototype, SpaceX has also requested authority to operate the service on moving vehicles. Starlink has already been tested on aircraft by the U.S. military, with SpaceX requesting the FCC for several experimental authorizations.
Despite being completely different, Starship and Starlin are now interconnected, as SpaceX plans to use the profits of its Internet service to fund its launch system. Unlike the Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon, which can only send humans into Low Earth Orbit (LEO), SpaceX Starship plans as a one-stop solution that can not only replace the Falcon series, but also humans to the moon take and Mars.
The details provided by SpaceX chief, Mr. Elon Musk, shared, revealed that SN15 will be a major overhaul of its predecessors. SpaceX must leave a prototype intact after landing, as pressure problems for the prototypes have made it difficult for the company to generate the exact pressure levels required for smooth operation.
According to Musk, Starship SN11 failed its landing due to a fuel leak. The CEO, who in the upcoming test shared his optimism for solving the problem, also expressed his hope that his company will reach a track with Starship sometime this year. On this front, SpaceX needs a prototype in the upper stage and a first phase booster. The company has not yet tested a prototype of the boosters, as it expects to launch its first workable vehicle to the launch site soon.
*2020 appears to be a typo, as in the request form SpaceX mentions the correct date, 20 April 2021.