posted 04-20-2023 04:04 PM               

Yes, I am aware much data and experience was learned but the vehicle exploded unintentionally (that is a failure).

posted 04-20-2023 05:08 PM               

SpaceX said from the start that "mission success" for this test flight was just clearing the pad. Anything that happened after was just "gravy," adding to the data they collected from the launch. So in that sense, the test flight was a success.

Why SpaceX chose this flight to resume patch sales is unknown. Given they also released several Starship products this week, I suspect it was because they saw the increased interest from the public in this particular flight.

posted 04-21-2023 07:57 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by J Blackburn:
Yes, I am aware much data and experience was learned but the vehicle exploded unintentionally (that is a failure).

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posted 04-21-2023 08:26 AM               

There was a mission goal and that goal was documented. According to Space.com the goal was and I quote, "The goal was to get Starship to a maximum altitude of about 145 miles (233 km), then bring it barreling back into Earth's atmosphere for a trial-by-fire reentry, ending with a hard splashdown in the Pacific Ocean not far from the Hawaiian island of Kauai about 90 minutes after liftoff."

I do not think any cigars were lit after yesterday's test.

So, with that said I guess SpaceX has for now changed their direction from their recent patch production history and is now a space swag company. From a post a few years ago on this forum as I remember Elon Musk was quoted of making a statement he did not want to become a "space swag" company. I love space related patches as a collector but do not like when a company in their prime decides to stop selling patches only to start up again after dozens of missions are not available and collections go incomplete.

posted 04-21-2023 09:01 AM               

SpaceX does produce and sell collectibles for both their employees and the public, so they recognize the desire that exists. It just may have been there wasn't as a large demand for, say, CRS-23, as there was for Starship Flight Test 1. (That doesn't exactly answer the lack of patch sales for the Crew Dragon flights, but maybe SpaceX figures it is being respectful to the crew's own patch by keeping its own design in-house.)

posted 04-25-2023 01:58 PM               

On Thursday, April 20, 2023, the SpaceX Starship full stack made it's maiden flight. Like many flights of this type, the milestones were generous and it achieved several before veering out of control and terminating its flight over the Gulf of Mexico. This patch notes several of the milestones that the test flight did achieve and shows the six Raptor engines that failed along the way.

The patch is 4" in diameter. Delivery expected mid-May.

posted 03-19-2024 03:47 PM               

This patch commemorates three of the milestores accomplished by Starship S28: the payload door opening, the propellant transfer test and partial reentry.

posted 04-10-2024 07:27 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by J Blackburn:
The web store shows "Coming Soon" with a "Notify me" tab.

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posted 06-06-2024 07:38 AM               

Here is SpaceX's image of the patch, to compare with the leaked version above:

posted 06-06-2024 01:48 PM               

We have got away from "official" patches and now look at each different patch of the same design as a "different version" which most are not. Instead of calling them a different version if it cannot be determined to be authentic then they are fraudulent, stolen, etc. and should be labeled that way.

posted 06-06-2024 03:35 PM               

Initially I designed the patch to highlight the booster soft-landing. After watching the launch, the clear universal highlight was "The Little Flap That Could": the incredibly resilient forward flap that still performed it's tasks despite the substantial damage due to thermal tile loss on re-entry.

I decided to go with the original design as this was the original major milestone of this flight test, as it paves the way to actual booster capture and recovery at the launch tower. The patch depicts Booster 11's steamy water landing while Starship 29 continues its flight downrange (there's some artistic license here).

The patch will be 4 inches tall and delivery is expected mid-July 2024.

posted 10-14-2024 05:27 PM               

History was made again with the Starship Heavy program on October 13, 2024 when the Starship booster returned to base and was captured by the enormous "chopsticks" on its launch tower. Millions watched in awe as a 17-story object landed precisely and safely captured for reuse. This patch from Retrorocket Emblems is a bit different than previous offerings and goes with a bold Japanese style with literal chopsticks gripping Booster 12 with the text that translates to "SPACE IS DELICIOUS!".

The patch will be 4 inches tall and delivery is expected mid-November 2024.

posted 11-22-2024 02:27 PM               

On Nov. 19, 2024, SpaceX launched the sixth integrated flight test of the Starship-Super Heavy stack. The milestones of this mission were another tower catch and atmospheric reentry stress-test on the Starship spacecraft.

The tower landing was aborted, but the booster and Starship landed at sea in controlled burns. The Starship used previous generation tiles and had more exposed skin areas to test their exposure to heat.

This patch depicts a stress gauge that is pegged out to max and shows a stylized representation of the Starship heat shields after the test with missing and broken tiles, which were expected for this flight.

Patch will ship at the beginning of January 2025.

posted 01-17-2025 11:21 AM               

On Jan. 16, 2025, SpaceX completed it's seventh integrated flight test of the Starship Super heavy booster and Starship.

Originally, this patch would commemorate other milestones from this flight including the deployment of 10 Starlink simulation satellites and the first reflight of a Raptor engine, #314, which is also the first three digits of pi. However, the failure of the Starship led to a last minute change in the design of the patch. Instead it depicts the dramatic breakup of S33 over Turks and Caicos. I hope in the future I can redo the artwork for the Starlink simulator deployment.

The patch is 4 inches wide and should delivery in late-February 2025.