User:Spookywooky2/sandbox

Canadarm3 is a robotic system that will be used on the Lunar Gateway to repair, maintain, and relocate modules and payloads. It comprises a large, 8.5-metre-long arm, a smaller arm, and a a tool and on-orbit replaceable unit caddy. They will work together in combination to help astronauts during spacewalks, enable science in lunar orbit, and catch berthing spacecraft visiting the Gateway. The arm will be shorter and lighter than Canadarm2, and is planned to be much smarter and more efficient. In December 2020, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) awarded Canadian space technology company MDA a contract to build Canadarm3, with the involvement of several Canadian companies involved in its development. MDA previously worked on predecessors Canadarm for the Space Shuttle and Canadarm2 for the ISS.

The arm is currently slated to be delivered to Gateway no earlier than 2028, putting it on track to launch for Artemis 4.

Development
In June 2020,

IFT-4’s mission profile was similar to that of IFT-3, but omitted the propellant transfer demonstration, payload bay door demonstration, and Raptor engine relight demonstration to prioritize surviving reentry and reigniting the engines for splashdown. A temporary design change involved jettisoning Super Heavy’s hot-stage ring after the boostback burn shutdown, likely to improve the booster's center of gravity, aerodynamics, and to reduce mass during descent. [starship survives reentry...] The ring, which allows the hard exhaust generated by Starship to be safely directed away before separation, was equipped with heavy shielding, and Booster 11 was reinforced, increasing its weight. Longer term, the hot-staging ring is intended to be redesigned for lighter weight and tight integration with the booster and will not be jettisoned. Unlike previous tests, which aimed for hard landings, Starship was to attempt a landing flip and burn maneuver, followed by a powered splashdown instead of a hard splashdown.

IFT-4 launched from the SpaceX Starbase facility at Boca Chica, along the South Texas coast, at 7:50 am CDT. One of the 33 Raptor engines on Booster 11 failed to stay lit during the initial burn, and one of the thirteen used for the landing burn failed to light. Neither engine failure affected the outcome of the flight because of redundancy in the multiple-engine design.[starship survives...] The launch tower was operated after launch to check for damage. _

After the successful stage separation, B11 performed a backflip and began the boostback burn with minimal propellant remaining. During its descent, grid fins maintained control, and B11 hit peak speed at an altitude of 26 km. 12 out of 13 engines later reignited, with debris emerging from the failed engine. The booster then reduced to 3 engines for the final landing burn and successfully conducted a powered vertical landing over the Gulf of Mexico, splashing down into the ocean. SpaceX later released aerial and sea footage of the splashdown.

Meanwhile, on Ship 29, the 3 Raptor Vacuum engines shut down at T+8:08, followed by the 3 sea-level Raptors at T+8:37, completing S29’s engine burn to an orbital energy trajectory. At T+12:02, public camera footage was lost, although Elon Musk stated that telemetry and 11 internal cameras continued transmitting while the external cameras did not. Video resumed from T+36:56 onwards as S29 passed over Southern Africa and later Madagascar. Above the Kármán line, an initial glow of plasma was seen as the tenuous atmosphere began to compress the ship. At an altitude of 90 km, S29 reached peak acceleration and began to feel atmospheric drag. The plasma became visibly denser and changed colors.

Just as on IFT-3, connection to Starlink satellites enabled real-time telemetry and live video, making Starship the first vehicle to send footage live through re-entry plasma, which typically blocks radio transmission. Spacecraft such as the Space Shuttle could receive telemetry but not live video. The fins moved to maintain control as drag intensified, causing sparks and material to come off the ship. Hot gas was seen passing through the hinge on the right flap. Despite parts of the flap starting to come apart and the stainless steel disintegrating, S29 maintained attitude control. Vaporized metals coated the camera lens, structural elements glowed red-hot, and a number of heat shield tiles were lost. Although only the view of the right flap was shown publicly, Musk stated that the “left flap also got very hot, but less damaged”.

Following its hypersonic descent through the atmosphere, S29 reoriented from a nose-down position into the “belly-flop” position. Its engines then reignited as the flaps and fins moved, performing the flip and land maneuver for a powered vertical landing above the ocean. The ship slowed down, shut off its engines, and then fell over before splashing into the Indian Ocean, northwest of Australia, during the night. Musk said that the ship maintained subsonic control but landed approximately 6km away from the target splashdown location.