SpaceX prepares fourth Starship test flight, launches more Starlink satellites, shows EVA suit for commercial space walk

SpaceX 準備第四次 Starship 試飛，發射更多 Starlink 衛星，展示商業太空行走的 EVA 套裝

SpaceX said its Starship launch system may be headed for its fourth test flight in three to five weeks, after the company launched 23 more of its Starlink communications satellites.

SpaceX 表示，在該公司又發射了 23 顆 Starlink 通訊衛星後，其 Starship 發射系統可能會在三到五週內進行第四次試飛。

“Objective is for the ship to get past max heating or at least further than last time,” said SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk on X, formerly Twitter, which he also owns.

SpaceX 執行長 Elon Musk 在他也擁有的 X（前身為 Twitter）上表示：“目標是讓飛船超過最大加熱溫度，或至少比上次更進一步。”

After its most recent launch on 14 March, Starship completed nearly an entire test flight through space, but disintegrated on its return to Earth.

3 月 14 日最近一次發射後，Starship 幾乎完成了整個太空試飛，但在返回地球時解體。

The system is composed of the Super Heavy first-stage booster rocket and the 165-foot-tall Starship upper stage, designed for flights to the Moon or Mars.

該系統由超重型第一級助推火箭和 165 英尺高的星際飛船上級組成，專為飛往月球或火星而設計。

Starship test

The full system has launched three times to date, in April and November 2023 and again on 14 March.

Starship 測試迄今為止，完整系統已啟動三次，分別於 2023 年 4 月和 11 月以及 3 月 14 日啟動。

Each of those flights originated at Starbase, SpaceX’s launch facility in southern Texas, with each lasting longer and achieving more milestones than the last.

每一次飛行都源自於 SpaceX 位於德克薩斯州南部的發射設施 Starbase，每次飛行的持續時間都比上一次更長，並實現了更多的里程碑。

SpaceX plans to eventually carry out Starship launches from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida, where it already carries out launches of Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets.

SpaceX 計畫最終從佛羅裡達州 NASA 甘迺迪太空中心 (KSC) 的 39A 發射場進行星艦發射，該公司已經在那裡發射了獵鷹 9 號和獵鷹重型火箭。

 

 

Time-lapse image showing exhaust from SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on 12 May, 2024. Image credit: SpaceX

延時影像顯示 2024 年 5 月 12 日 SpaceX 獵鷹 9 號火箭排出的廢氣。

The company is currently planning up to 44 Starship launches from LC-39A per year and also wants to land the Super Heavy reusable booster at the site, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently said, plans that require an in-depth environmental impact statement (EIS) before the company can be issued a vehicle operator’s license.

美國聯邦航空管理局(FAA) 最近表示，該公司目前計劃每年從LC-39A 發射多達44 次星艦，並希望將超重型可重複使用助推器降落在該地點，該計劃需要深入的環境影響報告（EIS）後方可向公司核發車輛經營許可證。

On Sunday SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station carrying the latest 23 Starlink satellites in the 49th orbital mission of 2024 for the company.

週日，SpaceX 從佛羅裡達州卡納維爾角太空部隊站發射了一枚獵鷹 9 號火箭，運載著該公司 2024 年第 49 次軌道任務中最新的 23 顆星鏈衛星。

SpaceX’s EVA suit. Image credit: SpaceX

SpaceX 的 EVA 套裝。圖片來源：SpaceX

Starlink satellites

Thirty-three of the previous 48 launches were dedicated to Starlink, which currently consists of about 5,900 operational satellites.

星鏈衛星 之前的 48 次發射中有 33 次專門用於星鏈，目前由約 5,900 顆運行衛星組成。

SpaceX has permission for 12,000 of the devices in low Earth orbit and has applied for approval for another 30,000.

SpaceX 已獲得在近地軌道上運行 12,000 個設備的許可，並已申請批准另外 30,000 個設備。

The firm is also planning the first commercial spacewalk as early as this summer in the Polaris Dawn mission, the first of three planned Polaris Programme launches.

該公司還計劃最早在今年夏天的北極星黎明任務中進行首次商業太空行走，這是計劃中的三個北極星計劃發射中的第一個。

SpaceX showed images of the Extravehicular Activity (EVA) suit participants in Polaris Dawn are to use, saying the suit uses new materials, fabrication processes and joint designs for use in unpressurised scenarios.

SpaceX 展示了北極星黎明號參與者將使用的艙外活動 (EVA) 套裝的圖像，稱該套裝採用新材料、製造工藝和聯合設計，可在非加壓場景下使用。

Image credit: SpaceX

圖片來源：SpaceX