Starship SN9 Flight Test No.1 Launch Discussion & Updates Thread [Take 2]
[](/# MC // section intro)
Welcome to the r/SpaceX Starship SN9 High-Altitude Hop Official Hop Discussion & Updates Thread (Take 2)!
Hi, this is u/ModeHopper bringing you live updates on this test. This SN9 flight test has experienced multiple delays, but appears increasingly likely to occur within the next week, and so this post is a replacement for the previous launch thread in an attempt to clean the timeline.
Quick Links
Starlink-17 Launch Thread
Take 1 | Starship Development | SN9 History
| Live Video | Live Video | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPADRE | LIVE | LABPADRE | PAD - NERDLE | |
| EDA | LIVE | NSF | LIVE | |
| SPACEX | LIVE | Multistream | LIVE |
Starship Serial Number 9 - Hop Test
Starship SN9, equipped with three sea-level Raptor engines will attempt a high-altitude hop at SpaceX's development and launch site in Boca Chica, Texas. For this test, the vehicle will ascend to an altitude of approximately 10km (unconfirmed), before moving from a vertical orientation (as on ascent), to horizontal orientation, in which the broadside (+ z) of the vehicle is oriented towards the ground. At this point, Starship will attempt an unpowered return to launch site (RTLS), using its aerodynamic control surfaces (ACS) to adjust its attitude and fly a course back to the landing pad. In the final stages of the descent, two of the three Raptor engines will ignite to transition the vehicle to a vertical orientation and perform a propulsive landing.
The flight profile is likely to follow closely the previous Starship SN8 hop test (hopefully with a slightly less firey landing). The exact launch time may not be known until just a few minutes before launch, and will be preceded by a local siren about 10 minutes ahead of time.
| Test window | 2021-02-02 14:00:00 — 23:59:00 UTC (08:00:00 - 17:59:00 CST) |
|---|---|
| Backup date(s) | 2021-02-03 and -04 |
| Weather | Good |
| Static fire | Completed 2021-01-22 |
| Flight profile | 10km^† altitude RTLS |
| Propulsion | Raptors ?, ? and SN49 (3 engines) |
| Launch site | Starship launch site, Boca Chica TX |
| Landing site | Starship landing pad, Boca Chica TX |
^(† expected or inferred, unconfirmed vehicle assignment)
[](/# MC // section events)
Timeline
| Time | Update |
|---|---|
| [](/# MC // row 0) 21-02-02 20:27:43 UTC | Successful launch, ascent, transition and descent. Good job SpaceX! |
| [](/# MC // row 1) 2021-02-02 20:31:50 UTC | Explosion. |
| [](/# MC // row 2) 2021-02-02 20:31:43 UTC | Ignition. |
| [](/# MC // row 3) 2021-02-02 20:30:04 UTC | Transition to horizontal |
| [](/# MC // row 4) 2021-02-02 20:29:00 UTC | Apogee |
| [](/# MC // row 5) 2021-02-02 20:28:37 UTC | Engine cutoff 2 |
| [](/# MC // row 6) 2021-02-02 20:27:08 UTC | Engine cutoff 1 |
| [](/# MC // row 7) 2021-02-02 20:25:25 UTC | Liftoff |
| [](/# MC // row 8) 2021-02-02 20:25:24 UTC | Ignition |
| [](/# MC // row 9) 2021-02-02 20:23:51 UTC | SpaceX Live |
| [](/# MC // row 10) 2021-02-02 20:06:19 UTC | Engine chill/triple venting. |
| [](/# MC // row 11) 2021-02-02 20:05:34 UTC | SN9 venting. |
| [](/# MC // row 12) 2021-02-02 20:00:42 UTC | Propellant loading (launch ~ T-30mins. |
| [](/# MC // row 13) 2021-02-02 19:47:32 UTC | Range violation. Recycle. |
| [](/# MC // row 14) 2021-02-02 19:45:58 UTC | We appear to have a hold on the countdown. |
| [](/# MC // row 15) 2021-02-02 19:28:16 UTC | SN9 vents, propellant loading has begun (launch ~ T-30mins). |
| [](/# MC // row 16) 2021-02-02 18:17:55 UTC | Tank farm activity his venting propellant. |
| [](/# MC // row 17) 2021-02-02 19:16:27 UTC | Recondenser starts. |
| [](/# MC // row 18) 2021-02-02 19:10:33 UTC | Ground-level venting begins. |
| [](/# MC // row 19) 2021-02-02 17:41:32 UTC | Pad clear (indicates possible attempt in ~2hrs). |
| [](/# MC // row 20) 2021-02-02 17:21:00 UTC | SN9 flap testing. |
| [](/# MC // row 21) 2021-02-02 16:59:20 UTC | Boca Chica village is expected to evacuate in about 10 minutes |
| [](/# MC // row 22) 2021-02-02 11:06:25 UTC | FAA advisory indicates a likely attempt today. |
| [](/# MC // row 23) 2021-01-31 23:09:07 UTC | Low altitude TFRs posted for 2021-02-01 through 2021-02-04, unlimited altitude TFRs posted for 2021-02-02, -03 and -04 |
| [](/# MC // row 24) 2021-01-29 12:44:40 UTC | FAA confirms no launch today. |
[](/# MC // section viewing)
[](/# MC // section stats)
[](/# MC // section mission)
[](/# MC // section landing)
[](/# MC // section resources)
Resources
- Starship Development Thread #17
- Spadre.com Starship Cam | Channel
- LabPadre 4k Nerdle Cam | Channel
- LabPadre Launch Pad Cam | Channel
- NSF Texas Prototype(s) Updates Thread | Last Post
- NSF SN9 Test Campaign Thread | Last Post
- Alex Rex's 3D Boca Chica Build Site Map | Launch Site Map | Channel
- Hwy 4 & Boca Chica Beach Closures (May not be available outside US)
- TFR - NOTAM list
- SpaceX Boca Chica on Facebook
- SpaceX's Starship page
- Elon Starship tweet compilation on NSF | Most Recent
- Starship Test Article Wiki Page | r/SpaceX
- Starship Users Guide (PDF) Rev. 1.0 March 2020 | SpaceX
- Starship Models | AXM
[](/# MC // section participate)
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[](/# MC // section END)
[](/# MC // let time = 1599155280000) [](/# MC // let launch = null) [](/# MC // let video = Z72Au8Px7mM)
Posted Jan 29, 2021, 10:21 AM UTC · edited