SpaceX Super Heavy: Difference between revisions
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Super Heavy is the first stage of the SpaceX Starship super heavy-liftlaunch vehicle.
Design
Super heavy is composed of four general sections: the engine section, the fuel tank, the oxygen tank, and the interstage.
The engine section supports the 33 raptor engines during flight. The engines are arranged in three concentric rings. The outer ring of 20 engines are of the "Raptor Boost" configuration with gimbal actuators removed to save weight and a modified injector with reduced throttle performance in exchange for greater thrust.[1] The oxygen tank has four chines attached. These protect the various COPVs, onboard, as well as providing lift during flight.[2]
The fuel tank is separated by a common bulkhead, similar to that used on the S-II and S-IVB stages on the Saturn V rocket.
The interstage is equipped with four electrically actuated grid fins, each with a mass of 3 t (6,600 lb). Adjacent pairs of grid fins are only spaced sixty degrees apart instead of being orthogonal (as is the case on Falcon 9) to provide more authority in the pitch axis. Also, unlike Falcon 9, the grid fins do not retract and remain extended during ascent.[3]
The interstage also has hardpoints which protrude through the hull, alloing the booster to be lifted or caught by the launch pad.
- ^ Bergin, Chris. "Super Heavy Booster 3 fires up for the first time". Super Heavy Booster 3 fires up for the first time. NASAspaceflight. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
- ^ Beyer, Jack. "How SpaceX is Rapidly Iterating Starship". NASAspaceflight. Retrieved 4/26/23.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|access-date=(help) - ^ Sesnic, Trevor. "Starbase Tour and Interview with Elon Musk". Starbase Tour and Interview with Elon Musk. Everyday Astronaut. Retrieved 12 October 2021.