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

SpaceX 准备第四次 Starship 试飞，发射更多 Starlink 卫星，展示用于商业太空行走的 EVA 套装

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，在该公司又发射了 23 颗 Starlink 通信卫星后，其 Starship 发射系统可能会在三到五周内进行第四次试飞。

“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 首席执行官埃隆·马斯克 (Elon Musk) 在他也拥有的 X（前身为 Twitter）上表示：“目标是让飞船超过最大加热温度，或者至少比上次更进一步。”

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 日最近一次发射后，Starship 几乎完成了整个太空试飞，但在返回地球时解体。

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.

该系统由超重型第一级助推火箭和 165 英尺高的星际飞船上级组成，专为飞往月球或火星而设计。

Starship test

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

Starship 测试迄今为止，完整系统已启动三次，分别于 2023 年 4 月和 11 月以及 3 月 14 日启动。

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.

每一次飞行都源自 SpaceX 位于德克萨斯州南部的发射设施 Starbase，每次飞行的持续时间都比上一次更长，并实现了更多的里程碑。

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 计划最终从佛罗里达州 NASA 肯尼迪航天中心 (KSC) 的 39A 发射场进行星舰发射，该公司已经在那里发射了猎鹰 9 号和猎鹰重型火箭。

 

 

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

延时图像显示 2024 年 5 月 12 日 SpaceX 猎鹰 9 号火箭排出的废气。图片来源：SpaceX

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.

美国联邦航空管理局 (FAA) 最近表示，该公司目前计划每年从 LC-39A 发射多达 44 次星舰，并希望将超重型可重复使用助推器降落在该地点，该计划需要深入的环境影响报告（EIS）后方可向公司颁发车辆经营许可证。

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.

周日，SpaceX 从佛罗里达州卡纳维拉尔角太空部队站发射了一枚猎鹰 9 号火箭，运载着该公司 2024 年第 49 次轨道任务中最新的 23 颗星链卫星。

SpaceX’s EVA suit. Image credit: SpaceX

SpaceX 的 EVA 套装。图片来源：SpaceX

Starlink satellites

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

星链卫星 之前的 48 次发射中有 33 次专门用于星链，该卫星目前由约 5,900 颗运行卫星组成。

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

SpaceX 已获得在近地轨道运行 12,000 个设备的许可，并已申请批准另外 30,000 个设备。

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.

该公司还计划最早在今年夏天的北极星黎明任务中进行首次商业太空行走，这是计划中的三个北极星计划发射中的第一个。

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 展示了北极星黎明号参与者将使用的舱外活动 (EVA) 套装的图像，称该套装采用新材料、制造工艺和联合设计，可在非加压场景下使用。

Image credit: SpaceX

图片来源：SpaceX