SpaceX Starship critical Design Change Decision & Major Hull Improvements!

How does the Starship and Super Heavy catching Mechazilla come along? Why completely change the design of the Starship flaps? How to improve Starship hull construction? When will orbital Starship tests begin? So many questions! Let’s find out!

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Credit:

⭐SpaceX
⭐NASA
⭐RGV Aerial Photography on Twitter: @RGVaerialphotos
⭐RGV Aerila Photography on YouTube: @RGVAerialPhotography
⭐Mary on Twitter: @bocachicagal
⭐LabPadre on Twitter: @Labpadre
⭐LabPadre on YouTube: @LabPadre
⭐Nick Henning on Twitter: @NickHenning3D
⭐Tony Bela on Twitter: @InfographicTony
⭐ErcX on Twitter: @ErcXspace
⭐SpaceX 3D Creation Eccentric on Twitter: @Bl3D_Eccentric
⭐SpaceX 3D Creation Eccentric on YouTube: @Spacex3DCreationEccentric
⭐Alex Svan on Twitter: @alexsvanart
⭐Caspar Stanley on Twitter: @Caspar_Stanley
⭐Neopork on Twitter: @Neopork85
⭐Corey on Twitter: @C_Bass3d

Editing: Brian Klug
Starman animations by Tashanimation

✔️Twitter: @FelixSchlang

📄Links for this Episode:

[Whataboutit]

What do you think? Will the T-Rex chopsticks receive claws to be able to actually grab the rockets after the catch?

[listerdave]

One major change I think we will see at some point is the heat shield being made a fewer but much larger tiles, pre formed to match the curvature. Tiles are exponentially more difficult to make in larger size but I have a feeling that the bakery will come up with some way to solve that.

[davidcoghill]

The main reason for the change is that the forward flaps generate too much drag, the bottom flaps need to stay at 180deg apart to give the most drag to counteract the weight of the engines. The forward flaps need less drag but still need the same overall surface area for control authority so moving them to the rear achieves better balance.

[jakobfriedrich]

Dein Intro und die CI sind echt perfekt, nicht zu kurz, nicht zu lang, catchy und haben Wiedererkennungswert. Besser geht es nicht

[glitchysoup]

Please use 60fps in 2021. Youtube supports it since 2014.
Very small % of people have 4k screens, but we ALL have 60 and higher fps screens, monitors, TVs etc.

[redpalace]

I'm a longtime fan of Elon and SpaceX, but new to this channel. I loved the specificity when describing the latest developments at Boca Chica. The video and aerial photography of Starbase, along with Felix's narration made it very easy to understand the progress in Texas. You just earned a new fan in upstate New York, Mr. Schlang. Please keep up your very important work.

[ChrisBrengel]

3: 28 amazing photograph! It took me a few seconds until I realized the small colorful things in there were workers!

[mariusmeyer]

Felix, if he forward flap design stays like the proposed concept then it will one day impact the size of the cargo doors.

[TimStCroix]

At first I was dismissive of the 'grab it like a hand grabs a beer can' plan thinking the Starship will be crushed, then I remembered that all rockets I've ever heard of rely on internal pressure for structural integrity so it'll be like grabbing an *_unopened_* beer can.
But now I'm wondering about the tiles. I can't see how grabbing Starship from the sides won't damage them no matter what the orientation.
A while back I made the case for a retractable catcher hook deploying from the nose of Starship that catches an arrestor cable on the tower. I still maintain that's the way to go.
Edit: I just read another comment that said Booster will be caught using hooks below the grid fins. Maybe SpaceX has something like that for Starship, too. Although how that will be integrated with the TPS tiles I can't see. But I'm not a rocket engineer so what do I know?

[briankachelman]

Yo!!! Welcome Luis!!! I can't wait to see what all you bring to channel!!! Good Luck down there in South Texas!!! I know how bad the heat and humidity get down there. Do your best to stay safe and cool!!!

[hypethefox]

Hey man I just wanna say I adore your content and somehow find it so interesting compared the many other space channels, you rock!!

[sinepilot]

I remember when Elon first threw out the idea of catching the booster with the tower instead of landing it on it's tail. "What a ludicrous idea!" I thought.

How far we've come where LANDING A ROCKET ON IT'S TAIL is considered the safer, tried & true option.

[petecomps]

The "chopsticks" must also have the ability to move the booster / ship horizontally (toward or away from the tower) to be able to place them precisely onto the launch ring or for stacking. In other words, the chopsticks will be far more complex.

[PiDsPagePrototypes]

Quick Disconnect at Starship, vs Orbital Refueling - The pipework that could join ship-to-ship with the raptor bay to raptor bay arrangement, could also be used to feed fuel in to the Super Heavy on the launch platform, instead of needing a separate fuel feed for the booster.

[brunovlaminck]

I watched 100% of the content of this video in watching 60% of this video!
You rock!

[paulbrunton]

Hope that the video links to the Starship will stay in sync with ground control, it will be one of the best viewing of a Starship in orbit and back home and hopefully land on a floating landing platform, best wishes to you all and at Space X.

[hillzachary]

Hell yeah Felix! You rock!

Thanks for telling us about such an awesome website. I'm always looking for ways to help fight back! Glad to hear you're in as well.

Can't wait for your next video!

Edit: I'm not smart, used the wrong name

[rossburns]

Loving WAI Felix, thanks for your constant updates

[slowercuber]

Catching the steel booster is one thing, but it seems to me that the tiles on the Orbital Starship could be easily damaged when caught.

[tripleb]

Thank you for telling me about Starship your update are well made a super informative YOU ROCK