Starship's Hot Stage Ring Recovery Revealed. New HSR V2 Coming...

full reusability achieving full reusability has always been spacex's ultimate goal for Starship this ambitious Vision requires every part of the system to be recoverable and reusable while much focus is placed on the reusability of the super heavy booster and the Starship itself another critical component garnering significant attention is the hot staging ring recently SpaceX made a surprise recovery effort for this key part signaling a potential breakthrough and making it reusable in future missions so how are these recovery efforts progressing what upgrades is SpaceX planning for the system in the future let's dive into these questions on today's episode of great SpaceX hot staging is one of the most unique and impactful features of spacex's Starship creating spectacular moments while enhancing the efficiency of the two-stage separation process introduced during Flight 2 hot staging has played a critical role in Mission success however starting with flight four SpaceX implemented a key modification called hot staging jettison this approach involves discarding the hot staging section during flight rather than retaining it on top of the superheavy booster this method has been utilized since flight 4 and may be employed again in the upcoming flight 7 this change surprised many observers to address questions about this approach SpaceX has been actively recovering these discard Ed components postflight this effort bore fruit recently when the recovery ship H ridgewind was spotted retrieving the hot staging ring from the Gulf of Mexico this is the same ship that previously returned the AFT section of booster 11 to Star base remarkably the hot staging ring appeared largely intact despite spending days underwater although slightly deformed likely from the force of hitting the water or stress of Separation it remains a valuable artifact its retrieval provides SpaceX with an essential sample for analysis enabling the company to make improvements for future missions however the reality is that reusing a discarded ring in its current state is challenging this limitation highlights a drawback of the jettison approach if the ring could be returned with the booster it might be more readily reusable so why did SpaceX decide to discarded in the first place the decision traces back to flight three when booster 10 nearly reached the water before a last minute issue disrupted The Landing this incident prompted SpaceX to make a change for flight 4 the problem lies in the mass of the hot staging ring and its impact on the landing process the super heavy boosters dry mass is around 250 tons with only 20 tons of fuel remaining during Landing the hot staging ring weighs roughly 10 tons small but significant enough to affect the mass to fuel ratio and complicate Landing Dynamics by guarding the hot staging ring SpaceX reduced the booster's mass simplifying The Landing process this adjustment proved effective all three flights employing this method achieved controlled Landings culminating in a precise catch by the mechazilla arm during flight 5 still jettisoning the hot staging ring is not a long-term solution ocean exposure compromises the component reusability to fully optimize reusability the ring must be retained with the booster this will necessitate design upgrades and guess what SpaceX has already outlined one such upgrade during an April presentation at Starbase musk revealed a revamped design for the hot staging system referred to as V2 the new version features significant changes including a longer and wider ring that more closely resembles the hot staging design of the Soviet N1 rocket this extended structure combined with a repositioning of the grid fins is expected to minimize interferences between between the starship's engines and the booster navigation systems the V2 design also incorporates wider vents to more effectively release heat and pressure an increasingly important feature as the starship's thrust capacity grows in future iterations Additionally the redesigned ring is simpler and lighter optimizing its mass and reducing its impact on the booster Landing performance if successful this upgraded design could become the standard for future Starship missions spacex's V3 version which will debut in in later iterations reportedly built on the principles established in V2 for now the V2 hot staging design is not yet in use flight 7 will feature booster 14 a V1 model it's likely that the first V2 hot staging system will debut with booster 15 or 16 aligning with spacex's plans to enhance the reusability of both the booster and the ship this timeline is consistent with spacex's broader goals the company is aiming to execute its first successful ship catch early next year potentially during flight 7 or 8 which will utilize boosters 15 and 16 respectively achieving this Milestone combined with upgrades to the super heavy catch capabilities would Mark a transformative moment in spacex's Journey full reusability long Cornerstone of Elon musk's vision would enable unprecedented launch frequency and drastically lower costs Paving the way for larger scale space exploration and colonization looking ahead the development of the hot stageing system and related technologies will play a critical role in spacex's ability to meet these ambitious objectives each flight represents a step closer to achieving the dream of making space travel as routine and economical as air travel so which flight do you think will Mark the debut of the V2 hot staging system share your predictions in the comments section down below and don't forget to like And subscribe to our channel for more updates on spacex's groundbreaking Journey indeed to achieve full full reusability all systems must be operational and ready for the task ahead after the successful catch of super heavy and flight 5 a repeat of this feat is expected in flight 7 maintaining this capability is critical as it hinges on the precise coordination of the git fin system and engine control as SpaceX upgrades to the V2 variant these systems May undergo changes but their fundamental capability must remain intact successfully Landing the Starship is perhaps the most challenging aspect of achieving full reusability unlike super heavy the ship must endure a much longer Journey including the demanding re-entry process during re-entry the heat shield and flap systems are critical upgrades to these components have shown promise particularly the heat shield as evidenced by recovery images from flight 6 with the V2 version further enhancements are expected especially to the flap system on the ground the chopck system must also be prepared for the demanding catch Mission if the ship catch Mission takes place in January the current launch Tower will require extensive preparation especially since it must handle super heavy only an hour prior rapid refurbishment and lifting of the booster will be essential alternatively if the timeline extends launch Tower B scheduled for completion by late January might join the operations while hot staging may seem less critical than other components it remains a vital piece pie of the puzzle for achieving full recovery and reusability spacex's efforts to optimize this aspect will be closely watched as they continue refining their systems meanwhile the United States space force or the ussf is also navigating a rapidly evolving space environment on December 7th at the Reagan National Defense Forum in California General David D Thompson the usf's vice chief of space operations highlighted the growing challenge posed by China's advancements in space technology the adversary is quickly shrinking that Gap and we have got to change the way we approach space pretty rapidly today that capability Gap is in our favor but if it goes negative on us it's going to be a really bad day General Thompson warned while he did not outline specific actions by China his comments alluded to a range of activities including satellite jamming anti-satellite weapons development cyber attacks and the deployment of drones Thompson described these activities as very unsafe and unprofessional the general also acknowledged the space Force's limitations in addressing these challenges he emphasized the importance of collaboration with commercial and international Partners in the past we didn't believe we could count on our commercial partners and international Partners during times of Crisis that has completely changed he noted he added we're trying with very limited resources to get after an enormous demand signal coming out of our Joint Force to bridge this Gap the commercial augmentation space Reserve or casr program has been proposed under this initiative private companies would commit to providing essential systems for military use during emergencies at a costeffective rate the proposal has garnered support from lawmakers such as Republican Rob Woodman it shouldn't just be about satellite services we have to make sure it includes launch Vehicles we have to make sure that our Reserve is there to where if called upon tomorrow we could respond at the speed of relevance wman emphasized the general concluded we must act now to ensure that the capability Gap doesn't shrink to zero or Worse go negative these demands inevitably draw attention to SpaceX with its reliable launch Vehicles Advanced satellite systems and Rapid pace of innovation SpaceX is uniquely positioned to meet the space Force's needs as traditional Aerospace giants like Boeing and Ula face challenges spacex's role becomes even more critical this growing Reliance is both a significant honor and a responsibility for SpaceX the company must balance its technological advancements with a commitment to ensuring peace and security on a global scale spacex's efforts in achieving full reusability and meeting National Security needs underscore its pivotal role in the evolving space industry AS Global competition intensifies the coming months will reveal how SpaceX and its Partners rise to the the challenge let's watch closely to see what unfolds in this exciting new chapter of space exploration and defense in any case that's about it for today's episode thank you so much for tuning in and as always this has been Kevin from great SpaceX until next time keep looking up