SpaceX's Starship rocket as it rises to the skies during IFT-4. Image: SpaceX/X

SpaceX 的星舰火箭在 IFT-4 期间升入天空。图片：SpaceX/X

In a live stream on X this weekend, Elon Musk continued to share details for SpaceX's fourth Starship test flight and future missions. Starship is the world's largest rocket, and its full stack lifted off for the fourth time in Texas last week. This was the fourth Starship test flight, and it was also the most successful test to date since both the booster and the upper stage spacecraft were able to softly splashdown in the ocean. According to Musk, ahead of flight five, SpaceX will add beefier heat shield tiles on the rocket, and the next flight could take place as soon as next month.

在本周末的 X 直播中，埃隆·马斯克继续分享 SpaceX 第四艘星舰试飞和未来任务的细节。星舰是世界上最大的火箭，其全组火箭上周在德克萨斯州第四次升空。这是星舰的第四次试飞，也是迄今为止最成功的一次测试，因为助推器和上级飞船都能够在海洋中轻轻溅落。据马斯克称，在第五次飞行之前，SpaceX 将在火箭上添加更坚固的隔热瓦，下一次飞行最快可能在下个月进行。

SpaceX Is Adding Beefier Heat Shield Tiles On Starship Ahead Of Flight 5 Says Musk

The fourth Starship test flight was the second such launch in 2024, and it sped up the turnaround time between launches. SpaceX had to deal with the devastating impact of the first test on the launch pad last year, which resulted in a detailed regulatory process that delayed the second flight. Now, with these hurdles behind it, the firm can rapidly conduct test flights to test its technologies and gather data.

马斯克表示，SpaceX 将在第 5 次飞行之前在星舰上添加更坚固的隔热板第四次星舰测试飞行是 2024 年的第二次此类发射，它加快了发射之间的周转时间。 SpaceX 不得不应对去年发射台上第一次测试的毁灭性影响，这导致了详细的监管流程，导致第二次飞行推迟。现在，克服了这些障碍，该公司可以快速进行试飞来测试其技术并收集数据。

Consequently, Musk believes that the fifth Starship test flight will take place in a month. Speaking with viewers on an X livestream, the executive shared that the "next launch, Starship launch is probably in about a month." A key reason behind this long timeline is Starship's heat shield. As is the case with other spacecraft, Starship's heat shield is one of its most complex components. SpaceX uses thousands of tiles to build the heat shield. According to Musk, before the next flight SpaceX will upgrade the rocket's heat shield tiles.

因此，马斯克相信第五次星舰试飞将在一个月内进行。这位高管在 X 直播中与观众交谈时表示，“下一次发射，Starship 可能会在一个月左右发射。”这么长的时间背后的一个关键原因是星舰的隔热罩。与其他航天器一样，星舰的隔热罩是其最复杂的部件之一。 SpaceX 使用数千块瓷砖来建造隔热罩。据马斯克透露，在下次飞行之前，SpaceX 将升级火箭的隔热板。

One regular problem that Starship has faced throughout its testing history is the heat shield tiles falling off. These tiles come loose during flight and while the rocket is on the ground. Musk shared that SpaceX plans to add an additional layer under the tiles to keep the ship safe during re entry in case its tiles fall off.

Starship 在整个测试过程中遇到的一个常见问题是隔热板脱落。这些瓷砖在飞行过程中和火箭在地面上时会松动。马斯克透露，SpaceX 计划在瓷砖下方添加一层额外的层，以确保飞船在重返过程中的安全，以防瓷砖脱落。

The Super Heavy as it descends to the water for its soft splashdown. Image: SpaceX/X

超级重型飞机下降到水中进行轻柔的溅落。图片：SpaceX/X

"We have to take, we're gonna replace the whole heat shield on the ship. So the new heat shield tile is about twice as strong as the ones that were on the last flight," shared Musk. "So, um, and we wanna put an. .an ablative secondary structure, like basically ablative protection behind the tiles so that if a tile cracks or come loose, it doesn't cook the rocket," he added.

“我们必须采取行动，我们将更换船上的整个隔热板。因此，新的隔热板瓦的强度大约是上次飞行中的隔热板的两倍，”马斯克分享道。 “所以，嗯，我们想放置一个……烧蚀的二级结构，就像在瓷砖后面提供基本的烧蚀保护，这样如果瓷砖破裂或松动，它就不会煮火箭，”他补充道。

The new tiles are "about twice as strong, or hopefully half as likely to crack or come off," and SpaceX tested the secondary ablative material in the fourth flight in the areas where the heat shield tiles were deliberately removed. This material is "like a silicone, felt ablative," which is not "good for reuse" but keeps the ship and its inhabitants safe in case the tiles fall off during or before reentry.

新瓷砖的强度“大约是原来的两倍，或者说破裂或脱落的可能性是一半”，SpaceX 在第四次飞行中在故意移除隔热板瓷砖的区域测试了二次烧蚀材料。这种材料“像硅胶一样，感觉会烧蚀”，不“适合重复使用”，但可以保证飞船及其居民的安全，以防瓷砖在重返大气层期间或之前脱落。

According to Musk, his plans to build a self sustaining city on Mars need to get to a point were "if the ships from Earth stop coming for any reason, that the Mars city does not die out." As for the first flight to Mars, "within three years" is a reasonable estimate.

根据马斯克的说法，他在火星上建造一座自给自足的城市的计划需要达到一个目标：“如果来自地球的船只因任何原因停止到来，火星城市不会消失。”至于首次飞往火星，“三年内”是一个合理的估计。

Since Earth and Mars only align every two years, a viable option could be to "send a few ships on the first Mars rendezvous" to "confirm that they can land well, and then crank it up from there, then, you know go to I don't know twenty or thirty ships in the second rendezvous, a hundred on the third and try to get to a thousand ships going to Mars every rendezvous, every two years as quickly as possible," speculated Musk.

由于地球和火星每两年才对齐一次，一个可行的选择可能是“在第一次火星交会时派遣几艘飞船”，以“确认它们可以很好地着陆，然后从那里开始加速，然后，你知道去我不知道第二次会合时有二十艘或三十艘飞船，第三次会合时有一百艘，并试图尽快让每两年一次有一千艘飞船前往火星，”马斯克推测道。

As for the fifth flight, Musk reiterated that SpaceX plans to catch the booster with the launch tower. "I think Mechazilla's got a decent chance of catching the rocket, probably I don't know 50% chance," he said. Elaborating on the booster's return profile, he revealed that when "the booster will come back, it will have an impact point that's out to sea. So it'll have to steer itself towards the tower with the catch arms, and, uh, if anything is, if the booster detects that anything's wrong, it'll suicide itself into the ocean. If things are looking good, it'll steer over to the tower and the arms should be able to grab it."

至于第五次飞行，马斯克重申，SpaceX 计划用发射塔接住助推器。 “我认为 Mechazilla 有很大的机会抓住火箭，可能我不知道 50% 的机会，”他说。在详细阐述助推器的返回轮廓时，他透露，当“助推器返回时，它将有一个出海的撞击点。因此，它必须用捕获臂将自己转向塔，而且，呃，如果无论如何，如果助推器发现有什么问题，它就会自杀到海里，如果情况看起来不错，它就会转向塔，手臂应该能够抓住它。”