SpaceX declares Starship ready for orbit, sets launch date next week

SpaceX 宣布星舰已准备好进入轨道，定于下周发射

Pending regulatory approval, SpaceX said today it intends to launch its 14th Starship mission as early as September 22. This flight is notable, as it will be the first time that SpaceX attempts to launch the experimental vehicle into orbit. 在等待监管部门批准的同时，SpaceX 今日表示，计划最早于 9 月 22 日执行第 14 次星舰（Starship）任务。此次飞行意义重大，因为这将是 SpaceX 首次尝试将该试验飞行器送入轨道。

The company set a target liftoff time of 7:15 am local in Texas (12:15 UTC), with a 75-minute launch window. Sunrise in Brownsville, Texas, is 7:17 am CT, so the launch could make for some striking imagery. The super heavy lift rocket will be carrying 26 of the larger V3 Starlink satellites into an orbit 275 km above the Earth. 公司设定的目标发射时间为德克萨斯州当地时间上午 7:15（世界标准时间 12:15），发射窗口期为 75 分钟。德克萨斯州布朗斯维尔的日出时间为中部时间上午 7:17，因此此次发射可能会呈现出令人震撼的画面。这枚超重型运载火箭将携带 26 颗更大的 V3 星链（Starlink）卫星进入距离地球 275 公里的轨道。

In an update on its website, SpaceX said the Starship upper stage will seek to complete six orbits around the Earth before completing its mission after about 10 hours. Reaching orbit would mark a significant milestone in the company’s Starship development campaign, which conducted its first test flight on April 20, 2023, and has since made progress in fits and starts. SpaceX 在其网站的更新中表示，星舰上面级将尝试绕地球飞行六圈，并在约 10 小时后完成任务。进入轨道将是该公司星舰研发计划的一个重要里程碑；该计划于 2023 年 4 月 20 日进行了首次试飞，此后进展时断时续。

With the upcoming mission, SpaceX continues to make modifications to the Starship vehicle as it seeks to improve the third iteration of the Super Heavy booster and Starship upper stage. After recent successes, the company appears to be closer to developing a fully reusable, super heavy lift rocket. 通过此次即将到来的任务，SpaceX 继续对星舰飞行器进行改进，旨在优化第三代超重型助推器和星舰上面级。在近期取得成功后，该公司似乎距离研发出完全可重复使用的超重型运载火箭更近了一步。

First-stage modifications

第一级改进

During the most recent Starship test flight on July 24, the vehicle’s first stage performed nominally during ascent. However, after a successful boostback burn, the vehicle experienced problems during the return through Earth’s atmosphere. 在 7 月 24 日最近的一次星舰试飞中，飞行器的第一级在上升过程中表现正常。然而，在成功完成助推返回点火后，飞行器在重返地球大气层的过程中出现了问题。

“In the terminal phase of the burn, the three center engines showed signs of ice clogging, which triggered an early end to the maneuver,” SpaceX said in its update on Tuesday. “The booster went on to attempt a landing burn, with 8 of the 13 planned engines reigniting before the booster made a hard splashdown in the Gulf. The Super Heavy on this upcoming flight has hardware modifications to improve filtering to the engines and software changes to enhance relight reliability.” “在点火的最后阶段，三个中心发动机出现了结冰堵塞的迹象，导致机动动作提前结束，”SpaceX 在周二的更新中表示。“助推器随后尝试进行着陆点火，在 13 台计划点火的发动机中有 8 台重新点燃，随后助推器在墨西哥湾进行了硬着陆。此次飞行所使用的超重型助推器在硬件上进行了改进，以改善发动机过滤系统，并在软件上进行了调整，以提高重新点火的可靠性。”

Accordingly, this first stage will not attempt to return to the launch site. Rather, it will attempt to make a controlled landing in the Gulf of Mexico. If successful, this could set up a first-stage catch on the subsequent flight of Starship. 因此，本次第一级助推器将不会尝试返回发射场，而是尝试在墨西哥湾进行受控着陆。如果成功，这将为星舰后续飞行中的第一级回收（捕获）奠定基础。

Second stage will again be ocean-bound

第二级将再次落入海洋

During the upcoming test flight, the upper stage will attempt to reach orbit for the first time and deploy operational payloads. These Starlink satellites, significantly more capable than V2 mini Starlink satellites launched on a Falcon 9 mission, will then use onboard propulsion to raise their orbits. 在即将到来的试飞中，上面级将首次尝试进入轨道并部署有效载荷。这些星链卫星比猎鹰 9 号任务中发射的 V2 迷你星链卫星性能更强，它们随后将利用自带的推进系统提升轨道。

Despite a largely successful ocean landing of the Starship upper stage during the July test flight, this mission will not attempt a return of the upper stage to the launch site in Texas. Instead, SpaceX plans to gather more data about heat shield performance. 尽管 7 月份的试飞中星舰上面级在海洋上的着陆基本成功，但本次任务不会尝试让上面级返回德克萨斯州的发射场。相反，SpaceX 计划收集更多关于隔热罩性能的数据。

The company said it had made several upgrades since the mission two months ago, based on data gleaned from the vehicle both in flight and once recovered in the Indian Ocean, largely intact. 该公司表示，基于从飞行中以及在印度洋回收（基本完好）的飞行器上获取的数据，自两个月前的任务以来，他们已经进行了多项升级。

“[The upgrades] include additional retention mechanisms added to tiles in areas deemed to be at highest risk of falling off during ascent, addressing recently discovered areas that offer flow paths behind tiles for plasma, and flying multiple areas with a curved tile design that has shown the ability to reduce heating in the gaps between tiles,” the company said. “（升级内容）包括在上升过程中被认为最容易脱落的区域的隔热瓦上增加了额外的固定机制，解决了最近发现的等离子体通过隔热瓦后方缝隙的路径问题，并在多个区域采用了弧形隔热瓦设计，这种设计已被证明能够减少隔热瓦缝隙间的热量积聚，”该公司表示。

Additionally, two tiles recovered from Ship 40 are planned to be reflown on Ship 41, marking the first tile reuse for Starship. 此外，从 40 号星舰（Ship 40）上回收的两块隔热瓦计划在 41 号星舰（Ship 41）上再次飞行，这将标志着星舰隔热瓦的首次重复使用。