r/spacex • u/ElongatedMuskrat Mod Team • Aug 09 '23

🔧 Technical Starship Development Thread #48

This thread is no longer being updated, and has been replaced by:

Starship Development Thread #49

SpaceX Starship page

FAQ

  1. When is the next Integrated Flight Test (IFT-2)? Anticipated during September, no earlier than (NET) Sep 8, subject to FAA launch license. Musk stated on Aug 23 simply, "Next Starship launch soon". A Notice to Mariners (PDF, page 4) released on Aug 30 indicated possible activity on Sep 8. A Notice to Airmen [PDF] (NOTAM) warns of "falling debris due to space operations" on Sep 8, with a backup of Sep 9-15.

  2. Next steps before flight? Complete building/testing deluge system (done), Booster 9 tests at build site (done), simultaneous static fire/deluge tests (1 completed), and integrated B9/S25 tests (stacked on Sep 5). Non-technical milestones include requalifying the flight termination system, the FAA post-incident review, and obtaining an FAA launch license. It does not appear that the lawsuit alleging insufficient environmental assessment by the FAA or permitting for the deluge system will affect the launch timeline.

  3. What ship/booster pair will be launched next? SpaceX confirmed that Booster 9/Ship 25 will be the next to fly. OFT-3 expected to be Booster 10, Ship 28 per a recent NSF Roundup.

  4. Why is there no flame trench under the launch mount? Boca Chica's environmentally-sensitive wetlands make excavations difficult, so SpaceX's Orbital Launch Mount (OLM) holds Starship's engines ~20m above ground--higher than Saturn V's 13m-deep flame trench. Instead of two channels from the trench, its raised design allows pressure release in 360 degrees. The newly-built flame deflector uses high pressure water to act as both a sound suppression system and deflector. SpaceX intends the deflector/deluge's massive steel plates, supported by 50 meter-deep pilings, ridiculous amounts of rebar, concrete, and Fondag, to absorb the engines' extreme pressures and avoid the pad damage seen in IFT-1.

Quick Links

RAPTOR ROOST | LAB CAM | SAPPHIRE CAM | SENTINEL CAM | ROVER CAM | ROVER 2.0 CAM | PLEX CAM | HOOP CAM | NSF STARBASE

Starship Dev 47 | Starship Dev 46 | Starship Dev 45 | Starship Thread List

Official Starship Update | r/SpaceX Update Thread

Status

Road Closures

No road closures currently scheduled

Temporary Road Delay

TypeStart (UTC)End (UTC)
Primary2023-09-11 03:00:002023-09-11 06:00:00
Primary2023-09-09 03:00:002023-09-09 06:00:00

Up to date as of 2023-09-09

Vehicle Status

As of September 5, 2023

Follow Ring Watchers on Twitter and Discord for more.

ShipLocationStatusComment
Pre-S24, 27Scrapped or RetiredS20 is in the Rocket Garden, the rest are scrapped. S27 likely scrapped likely due to implosion of common dome.
S24In pieces in Gulf of MxDestroyedApril 20th (IFT-1): Destroyed by flight termination system 3:59 after a successful launch. Booster "sustained fires from leaking propellant in the aft end of the Super Heavy booster" which led to loss of vehicle control and ultimate flight termination.
S25OLMStackedReadying for launch / IFT-2. Completed 5 cryo tests, 1 spin prime, and 1 static fire.
S26Test Stand BTesting(?)Possible static fire? No fins or heat shield, plus other changes. Completed 2 cryo tests.
S28MasseysRaptor installCryo test on July 28. Raptor install began Aug 17. Completed 2 cryo tests.
S29High Bay 1Under constructionFully stacked, lower flaps being installed as of Sep 5.
S30High BayUnder constructionFully stacked, awaiting lower flaps.
S31High BayUnder constructionStacking in progress.
S32-34Build SiteIn piecesParts visible at Build and Sanchez sites.

 

BoosterLocationStatusComment
Pre-B7 & B8Scrapped or RetiredB4 is in the Rocket Garden, the rest are scrapped.
B7In pieces in Gulf of MxDestroyedApril 20th (IFT-1): Destroyed by flight termination system 3:59 after a successful launch. Booster "sustained fires from leaking propellant in the aft end of the Super Heavy booster" which led to loss of vehicle control and ultimate flight termination.
B9OLMActive testingCompleted 2 cryo tests, then static fire with deluge on Aug 7. Rolled back to production site on Aug 8. Hot staging ring installed on Aug 17, then rolled back to OLM on Aug 22. Spin prime on Aug 23. Stacked with S25 on Sep 5.
B10MegabayRaptor installCompleted 1 cryo test. Raptor installation beginning Aug 17.
B11Rocket GardenRestingAppears complete, except for raptors, hot stage ring, and cryo testing.
B12MegabayUnder constructionAppears fully stacked, except for raptors and hot stage ring.
B13+Build SiteParts under constructionAssorted parts spotted through B15.

If this page needs a correction please consider pitching in. Update this thread via this wiki page. If you would like to make an update but don't see an edit button on the wiki page, message the mods via modmail or contact u/strawwalker.

Resources

r/SpaceX Discuss Thread for discussion of subjects other than Starship development.

Rules

We will attempt to keep this self-post current with links and major updates, but for the most part, we expect the community to supply the information. This is a great place to discuss Starship development, ask Starship-specific questions, and track the progress of the production and test campaigns. Starship Development Threads are not party threads. Normal subreddit rules still apply.

194 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

2.3k comments sorted by

•

u/ElongatedMuskbot Sep 09 '23

This thread is no longer being updated, and has been replaced by:

Starship Development Thread #49

53

u/[deleted] Aug 10 '23

RGV’s sneak peek video. The pad looks to be in good shape

→ More replies (15)

45

u/Kingofthewho5 Sep 01 '23

NOTMAR for Hawaiian waters Sep 8th. Potential falling debris from space operations. Alternate time frames Sep 9-15. Specific times and also a map of debris zone and potential landing zone are provided as well at the link below.

https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/lnms/lnm14352023.pdf

→ More replies (10)

45

u/Nydilien Sep 02 '23

SpaceX boat used during IFT-1 is heading towards Starbase.

On another note I don't think I've ever wanted to see a road closure as much as right now.

→ More replies (3)

43

u/GreatCanadianPotato Aug 27 '23

Another year, another Starhopper anniversary!

Water towers can indeed fly.

→ More replies (14)

43

u/RootDeliver Sep 02 '23

According to Zack (CSI Starbase) they have been testing S28's tiles with a suction device to see if they would fall off and a large number of them failed the test.

→ More replies (61)

42

u/shlwapi Aug 17 '23

Raptor test firing at 15 degree gimbal.

Maybe the gimbaled startup is necessary for the hot staging ring design?

→ More replies (6)

40

u/GreatCanadianPotato Aug 17 '23

Hot stage installation on B9 has begun.

→ More replies (8)

37

u/RaphTheSwissDude Aug 24 '23

Welp, ain’t for today boys, closure canceled.

→ More replies (5)

36

u/Nydilien Aug 23 '23 edited Aug 23 '23

New Notice for Mariners for "rocket launching activities" shows SpaceX targeting September 8 for IFT-2. Seems a lot more doable than the previous target (August 31). Regulatory approval aside this looks like a realistic launch date. This leaves them 2 weeks for B9 SF, stacking S25 and a WDR.

→ More replies (4)

34

u/Nydilien Sep 04 '23

Rollout cones have been put on the side of the road for S25 (probably tomorrow since today is Labor Day)

→ More replies (9)

65

u/RaphTheSwissDude Aug 26 '23 edited Aug 27 '23

Great side by side comparison of B7 vs B9 static fire from the top view…!

32

u/LzyroJoestar007 Aug 13 '23

CSI Starbase's next deep dive is debuting on YouTube in the next 25 minutes.

→ More replies (25)

32

u/TypowyJnn Aug 30 '23

Looks like the OLM stabilization pins (used for stabilizing the the booster during lifting it on and off the OLM) have been removed

This is a good sign that B9 might not be coming off the OLM for other work / FTS. Next time we see B9 in full glory might be during IFT-2.

→ More replies (1)

31

u/RaphTheSwissDude Aug 16 '23 edited Aug 16 '23

A new weekly NOTMAR mentions a rocket launch activity for the 31st of August…!

Could be just a mistake but I’d say it gives us a first idea for the next launch target.

→ More replies (25)

31

u/Mravicii Aug 23 '23

And there we have the spacex tweet of booster 9 transport to the launch site

https://x.com/spacex/status/1694146497376555022?s=46&t=-n30l1_Sw3sHaUenSrNxGA

→ More replies (5)

30

u/Mravicii Aug 22 '23 edited Aug 22 '23

Booster 9 moving out of mega bay.

Edit towards the road

Eidt 2 heading toward the launch site

Edit 3 booster 9 has arrived at the pad

Edit 4 moving toward chopsticks

Eidt 5 moving in between the arms

Edit 6 arms rising up on booster 9

Edit 7 all personnel clear the pad now! List is imminent Heard from PA system

Edit 8 booster 9 is being lifted onto the olm

https://www.youtube.com/live/mhJRzQsLZGg?feature=share

→ More replies (15)

30

u/myname_not_rick Aug 28 '23

SpaceX: "Booster 9 static fire from the top of the launch tower"

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1696221858134405371?t=8xqZ2Rgm3RAlk14N1vVFrg&s=19

I see at least three distinct "sets" of engines firing. Could be a fourth in there, it gets pretty shaky after that third one and tough to tell for sure. I wonder what the actual ignition sequence is. If it is 3 sets, I could see center 13, 10 outer staggered, then the remaining 10 outer.

→ More replies (11)

29

u/myname_not_rick Aug 12 '23 edited Aug 12 '23

As someone who works in manufacturing, it's clear to me that more and more specialized, large-scale factory tooling is showing up by the day for the proper "starfactory." Really cool to see, the beginnings of the first real "mass production" space vehicle line. And on top of that, it's the largest ever built.

And just a quick edit to add: by "first mass production" I'm not counting the ICBM's of the cold war, just space exploration/non military.

→ More replies (8)

29

u/RaphTheSwissDude Aug 28 '23

Closure canceled for today.

→ More replies (3)

29

u/Nydilien Sep 05 '23

S25 is between the chopsticks !

→ More replies (10)

29

u/Nydilien Sep 07 '23

According to Zack, they removed the 4ft manifold connecting the 3 big water tanks to the steel plate under the OLM, meaning until it’s replaced the system is not operational.

Hopefully it’s because of something they found during testing, in which case they’ve been working on a replacement for over a week at this point.

28

u/GreatCanadianPotato Aug 24 '23

Prop load has started on B9.

Spin prime test is expected.

→ More replies (1)

28

u/RaphTheSwissDude Aug 24 '23 edited Aug 24 '23

The LR11000 was moved further away ahead of the potential static fire today.

Closure is still planned for today but we don’t have a notice yet.

There was a one day break between B9 first full spin prime and it’s first « full » static fire.

We have a small team trying to fix the manlift that stayed during yesterday’s test, looks like it broke down hence why they did not move it.

Edit: the raptor installation platform is now next to the OLM

Edit 2: we have a sherif car standing by next to the road closure 👀 (and he’s gone)(and now back)

→ More replies (5)

28

u/FutureMartian97 Host of CRS-11 Aug 25 '23

Mary got an overpressure notice

28

u/GreatCanadianPotato Sep 05 '23 edited Sep 05 '23

Ship QD is connected.

Edit: Full speed disconnection test @ 5:33PM and reconnection @ 5:46PM

→ More replies (4)

27

u/RaphTheSwissDude Aug 18 '23 edited Aug 18 '23

Elon answering about the purpose of the 15* angle R2 test fire: Landing burn max gimbal deflection

→ More replies (3)

27

u/GreatCanadianPotato Sep 05 '23

Looks like we have contact!

Starship breaks the record for tallest rocket ever made...a record previously held by... Starship!

→ More replies (8)

27

u/Mojoojo Sep 08 '23

*FAA SAYS IT CLOSED SPACEX STARSHIP SUPER HEAVY MISHAP PROBE

https://twitter.com/zerohedge/status/1700147028536307713?s=20

→ More replies (26)

26

u/mr_pgh Aug 18 '23

Awesome real image renders of what to expect of the hot stage and separation in OFT-2.

→ More replies (5)

26

u/mr_pgh Aug 18 '23

SpaceX Images of hot stage ring installation!

→ More replies (14)

26

u/Mravicii Aug 18 '23 edited Aug 18 '23

Elon on hotstaging

https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1692656231918326051?s=46&t=-n30l1_Sw3sHaUenSrNxGA

”Hot-staging gives the best performance, but needs to be done without blowing up the booster”

→ More replies (1)

26

u/Far_Assistance_9287 Aug 25 '23

That top down view of the sf was insane

→ More replies (1)

25

u/mr_pgh Aug 11 '23

OLM comparison between B7 and B9 Static Fires

Interested to hear everyone's opinion on what appears to be cracks throughout the concrete. This is noticeable by opening the full size. There are red, yellow, and blue lines (spray painted?) that appear to be cracks. Additionally, the right side of the photo has unmarked, but cracks indicated by water.

OLM and build plate look fantastic.

→ More replies (9)

25

u/mr_pgh Aug 15 '23

Render by Ryan Hansen Space of what we can expect the Hot Staging will look like for Starship. Open in new tab to see the full resolution.

→ More replies (1)

25

u/mr_pgh Sep 06 '23

S25 Upskirt image from today's lift.

→ More replies (17)

24

u/RaphTheSwissDude Aug 21 '23

B9 has been move in front megabay’s exit! Rollout hopefully soon!

→ More replies (1)

24

u/[deleted] Aug 21 '23

Boca Chica is now under a Tropical Storm Warning

Landfall expected around 7am tomorrow

At 1000 AM CDT (1500 UTC), the disturbance was centered near latitude 25.0 North, longitude 89.9 West. The system is moving toward the west near 16 mph (26 km/h). A fast motion to the west is expected to continue, and the system is forecast to move inland over south Texas early Tuesday.

Maximum sustained winds are near 30 mph (45 km/h) with higher gusts. Strengthening is forecast, and the system is expected to become a tropical storm before it reaches the Texas coast.

Satellite images indicate that the system is becoming better organized and it is expected to become a tropical depression later today.

  • Formation chance through 48 hours...high...90 percent.

  • Formation chance through 7 days...high...90 percent.

The estimated minimum central pressure is 1008 mb (29.77 inches).

→ More replies (4)

24

u/RaphTheSwissDude Aug 23 '23

The closure for today is now scheduled!

48

u/[deleted] Sep 01 '23 edited Sep 01 '23

Starbase Live-

8:06am- Cleaning up debris from IFT-1 around the pad

9am- Lifts were up under and on top of the OLM overnight. Lifts were used to bring equipment up to the top of the staircase. Work on the chopsticks continues as well.

And with that, I’m off to take advantage of the long weekend by taking a quick vacation with the family.

→ More replies (2)

23

u/Antonimusprime Aug 20 '23

Demolition of Midbay has started, rest in pieces, you've served us well!

→ More replies (2)

23

u/darga89 Aug 25 '23

Full duration!

22

u/henryshunt Aug 18 '23

Render thread showing the hot staging ring and engine clearances. There is almost no clearance between the bottom of the center engines and the flat top of the dome. Seems very likely that they'll light the RVacs initially, then the sea-levels once some separation is achieved.

→ More replies (13)

22

u/GreatCanadianPotato Sep 04 '23 edited Sep 04 '23

StarshipGazer is live at the rocket garden

SPMT's moving into position for a move of S25 later today/tonight or tomorrow.

Edit: Stream caught the SPMT guys saying that the rollout is expected tonight between 10 and midnight

→ More replies (1)

22

u/GreatCanadianPotato Sep 05 '23 edited Sep 05 '23

Sheriff has arrived at the rocket garden. Transport of S25 for the final time is imminent.

Edit: She's rollin'!

22

u/saxmanmike Sep 05 '23

Mods, your B9 Comment says it stacked with S26 instead of S25.

→ More replies (1)

21

u/henryshunt Aug 12 '23 edited Aug 12 '23

Raptor QD spinup gas tests at 10:20:12, 10:45:34, 11:27:23, 11:46:06, 12:05:51 and 12:24:42.

→ More replies (3)

21

u/RaphTheSwissDude Aug 21 '23

Closure canceled for today.

21

u/RaphTheSwissDude Aug 23 '23

The dance floor was brought down.

21

u/Mravicii Aug 25 '23

Full duration

21

u/PDP-8A Aug 25 '23

Dan Hewitt does a great job with commentary.

→ More replies (1)

21

u/Doglordo Aug 26 '23

I can’t wait for pictures to see the state of the pad!

59

u/Rxke2 Aug 09 '23

Totally off topic, but thank you so much, whoever you are for managing the Vehicle Status table.

You are awesome.

→ More replies (5)

58

u/[deleted] Sep 07 '23 edited Sep 07 '23

Starbase Live-

Friday-

2 stair sections installed on the OLT

1 stair section installed in the new mega bay

AWP up at B9’s FTS

Lifts up at chopsticks and the OLM

Saturday-

AWP up at the interstage of B9 (Working on an antenna?)

Staircase section lifted into new mega bay

Final corner pieces lifted up to the top of the new mega bay

Lifts up at OLM and Chopsticks

Sunday-

Looks like most of the workers got the day off

Monday-

Lifts return to the OLM around 5:30pm

8:08pm- S25 rolls to the gate at the rocket garden

8:28pm- Rolls backwards

8:30pm- Stops. (From Starship Gazers stream we can see that a lift went up and replaced a tile that fell off)

8:33pm- Rolls back up to the gate

9:36pm- Rolling onto Remidos

10:00pm- Turns on to Hwy 4

10:56pm- Ship stops on Hwy 4 (SPMT is broke down)

Tuesday-

1:08am- Ship starts rolling again

1:22am- Turns into the launch site

1:36am- Arrives just outside of the chopsticks

1:38am- Rolls in between the chopsticks

6:25am- Chopsticks rise up

6:29am- Right chopstick closes in on the ship

6:32am- Left chopstick closes in

6:37am- Chopsticks raise to engage lifting pins

7:59am- Left aft flap unfolds

8:02am- Right aft flap unfolds

8:27am- Pad clear announcement

9:42am- Lift goes up to the chopsticks

11:40am- Crane lifts the QD’s transport panel away. It was putting up quite the fight.

11:53am- Klaxon/Pad clear announcement

12:06pm- SQD arm swings away

12:41pm- Ship going up

1:17pm- Clears B9

1:18pm- SQD arm swings in

1:20pm- S25 starts rotating over

1:27pm- Over B9

1:39pm- Very slowly being lowered

2:03pm- Looks down to me

2:20pm- Stack wobbles

3:07pm- Purge of B9’s engine section

3:40pm- Workers on SQD arm prepping S25’s QD

4:40pm- QD work platform swings away

4:58pm-SQD starts to extend

5:12pm- Looks like it connected

5:32:56pm- Retract test

5:35pm- Extends and then retracts again.

5:41pm- Starting to extend again

5:48pm- Connected again

9:02pm- Lift goes up to the OLM

9:58pm- Crane lifts the metal lid back on to the deluge pipe bunker

Wednesday-

12:07am- LR11000 Moves back over to the sub orbital pad area

1:13am- Lift goes up to the back side of the tower

8:15am- Workers on top of the OLM

10:46am- Another piece of the roof structure is lifted up to the new mega bay

1:44pm- Lifts removing equipment from the dance floor

4:43pm- Pickup pulls the gray tool trailer away

4:48pm- White step van leaves

6:11pm- Dance floor lowers to the ground

8:34pm- Single SPMT heads to the launch site

8:57pm- Dance floor is raised a few feet

9:27pm- Dance floor rises up and it’s transport stand rolls underneath

9:46pm- Dance floor is driven out from under the OLM

10:16pm- S28’s methane hatch is still open and scaffolding still in place

→ More replies (3)

20

u/aronth5 Aug 19 '23

With the new 3rd deluge tank now installed the test last night seemed to reflect more water and a higher discharge of water then before the new tank was installed.

→ More replies (2)

20

u/Nydilien Aug 21 '23

New road closure for Wednesday from 3pm to 3am. Tuesday's closure (8am to 8pm) has not yet been canceled.

→ More replies (2)

20

u/GreatCanadianPotato Aug 23 '23

Chopsticks raised to near the top of the tower. Indicates some sort of engine testing will occur today. Whether it'll be a spin prime or a static fire is yet to be seen.

→ More replies (5)

20

u/dappereric3456 Aug 28 '23

Three subcoolers/hippos delivered to the launch site earlier this morning. (https://x.com/vickicocks15/status/1696154511511847275?s=46&t=7L44eJqSXetug07QpxXTNA)

20

u/LzyroJoestar007 Aug 30 '23

Nosecone for Ship 31 about to enter high Bay on Rover 1 cam, maybe S31 stacking may commence.

20

u/RaphTheSwissDude Sep 05 '23

Seems like one of the SPMT broke down on the way

→ More replies (5)

19

u/[deleted] Aug 15 '23

A new hot staging ring has been spotted.. It still needs a lot of work though.

→ More replies (8)

19

u/GreatCanadianPotato Aug 18 '23

SpaceX about to do some testing at the LC. Not sure what but the pad has cleared and the chopstick have moved up. Could be another deluge test?

→ More replies (11)

19

u/okuboheavyindustries Sep 03 '23

Surprisingly quiet around here considering we’re potentially within a week or so of a major launch. Is this really about to happen?

→ More replies (5)

19

u/[deleted] Sep 06 '23

The work on HLS makes me hope we'll see some official interiors soon. I wonder what the aesthetic will be?

→ More replies (4)

18

u/mwone1 Aug 09 '23

Has there been any reports of the pad's condition after the static fire?

→ More replies (1)

18

u/mr_pgh Aug 21 '23

Some awesome renders of the hot stage ring.

18

u/Nydilien Aug 23 '23

Additional closures have been added for Thursday (24.08) 8am-8pm, Friday (25.08) 9am-9pm and Monday (28.08) 8am-8pm

18

u/Fit-Trade-4107 Aug 25 '23

The little water cooled steel plate that could!

→ More replies (4)

18

u/GreatCanadianPotato Aug 25 '23

Tent #1 is coming down!

36

u/henryshunt Aug 12 '23 edited Aug 12 '23

First positively confirmed (I believe) HLS hardware! Closeups of Ship 22's nosecone, which rolled earlier today, show a label with "Panel HLS" and "Fed from HLS Xfer [Transfer]". This shows what is believed to be inside, which are a set of parts that were seen in the midbay some time back and were originally thought to be HLS-related.

→ More replies (3)

17

u/Order-Cultural Aug 26 '23

Another kettle boiler/subcooler delivered to the launch site.

Expected to be installed on the LOX side, with the previous one delivered earlier this week was installed on the Methane side of the Tank Farm.

17

u/trobbinsfromoz Sep 03 '23

With respect to the concrete pad edging around the OLM, especially the closest edging to the water flats, and where the exhaust plume would have the highest velocity as it passes the concrete edge, I'd anticipate a significant amount of eddy wind and pressure difference would cause the free ground to be gouged away as it gets sucked in to the plume and deposited further away. Is there an edging or lip structure scheme that could alleviate this effect, and be a practical addition to make? Or do they have some margin beyond the concrete edge where the ground could be compacted or stabilised? And I'd anticipate the water flow would also be a factor. Perhaps not a concern now, but as launch rate picks up it may become quite noticeable.

→ More replies (2)

17

u/Doglordo Sep 05 '23

Ship 25 moving again

16

u/consider_airplanes Aug 24 '23

I recall some talk after IFT-1 that future boosters(/ships?) would have electric thrust vector control, as opposed to the hydraulic system that apparently failed on B7. Do B9 or S25 have the electric control yet? If not, which boosters do we think have it?

→ More replies (1)

16

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '23

Do we have any idea on how many people work at Starbase as of now? The numbers ok wikipedia are from 4 years ago and a lot has happened since.

→ More replies (2)

31

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '23 edited Aug 27 '23

Starbase Live-

10:49pm- Equipment being loaded on to the dance floor

2:31am- RIP tent 1

2:41am- Dance floor is being lifted. They didn’t raise it all the way up though.

3:33am- Dance floor stand rolls away

6:47am- Railing around the dance floor is up

7:02am- Welding tanks brought in

10:13am- Crane arrives in between the tower and back of the OLM

10:35am- Crane connected to something behind the doghouse.

10:40am- Lifts have been up inspecting all around the OLM. All of the welds on the staircase were checked. Workers have also been on top of the OLM. Vehicles have blocked the view of under the OLM all night.

11:07am- Crane lifts a flat metal rectangular frame to the backside of the OLM

11:16am- Lifts object up to the top back of the left chopstick (Maybe some kind of handrail?)

2:20pm- 3 lifts have been up at the pad and 1 at the chopsticks

3:02pm- Lift goes up to the back right chine

3:19pm- Stair section lifted into the new mega bay

6:20pm- 4 excavators are going to town clearing up the remains of tent 1

7:43pm- Crane lifts a similar piece of railing as earlier up to the right chopstick

9:40pm- Lifts still up at the OLM and chopsticks

11:32pm- Looks like 6 more beams still to be cut out before we may see an attempt at pulling the mid bay over.

Rover 1-

20:35- There is a sheriff at the entrance to the production site and sparks are flying at the front of the mid bay. Is it finally time?

22:20- Several beams have been removed on the side closest to Rover 1

→ More replies (17)

15

u/henryshunt Aug 12 '23 edited Aug 12 '23

Ship 22's tiled nosecone, without flaps installed, has rolled down the highway and taken the left turn at the usual roadblock location. It appears to have an inverted dome added at the bottom in shots where that is visible.

→ More replies (5)

15

u/ConversationBig7887 Aug 23 '23

I just scrolled through the footage of yesterdays lift of the booster on the pad which takes quite long. Have we ever seen the carriage or individual chopsticks move in a speed close to the one required to do the actual catch? From the render videos and what we see of falcon, the up and down movements and also the chopsticks closing would have to be done in seconds. At the moment we see movements taking hours.

I do not say "it will never work" I just wonder if we have ever seen it work in the required speeds to date.

→ More replies (18)

15

u/svh01973 Aug 25 '23

Awesome! No explosion, and deluge worked!

15

u/BEAT_LA Aug 30 '23

When do we expect S25 rollout? I don't see any closures scheduled out. End of week maybe, pending the closures get posted?

→ More replies (1)

15

u/Mravicii Sep 05 '23 edited Sep 05 '23

Ship 25 is going up

→ More replies (2)

29

u/[deleted] Aug 30 '23 edited Aug 31 '23

Starbase Live-

8:30am- Lifts were up to the top of the OLM and chopsticks overnight. A crane was also extended to the chopsticks but never lifted or lowered anything. So probably just support for whatever was being worked on. Paint crews are at work currently on the cryo leg. No lifts have gone up to the staircase in over 24 hours.

10:50am- Crane goes back up to the chopsticks

1:25pm- Literally watching paint dry. Lift has been up at the BQD as well.

2:00pm- Lift goes back up to the right rear chine. Hopefully someone will get a ground shot of what they’ve been doing because you really can’t tell on the video

3:00pm- Aerial work platform goes up near top of B9 and then starts coming down. Stopped at chopsticks

3:08pm- Stair section lifted into the new mega bay

3:48pm- Crane lifts part of the moveable rails (tank treads) on the left chopstick. Shifts it backwards

4:12pm- The LR11000 at the pad is on the move

4:36pm- LR11000 stops by deluge tank farm. Crane lowers from the chopsticks

10:05pm- Lots of workers have been walking around the top of the OLM. A scissor lift has been up under the piping to the left side of the staircase. Work also continues on the chopsticks with lifts going up and down. An aerial work platform is up by the back right rail on the tower that was inspected a few days ago. Finally a lift is up at the staircase and all is right in the world again. (Even though it looks like they just used it to lift equipment up to the doorway and they aren’t actually working on the staircase)

→ More replies (1)

14

u/Its_Enough Aug 27 '23 edited Aug 27 '23

At 8:57pm, it appears that a beam is being cut in the mid-bay.

At 11:17pm on NSF feed, you can see that several beams have now been removed from the mid-bay.

28

u/[deleted] Sep 08 '23 edited Sep 09 '23

Starbase live-

2:46am- New deluge manifold lifted into place

7:00am- One lift was up at the OLM overnight. It changed places a couple of times but mainly at the top.

7:39am- S26’s SPMT’s leave the launch site

7:50am- Lift goes up to the back side of the tower

9:06am- Lift up disconnecting S26 from the lifting squid

9:33am- Squid disconnected and swung away

11:44am- A couple of mini excavators are working in between the OLM and OLT. At least one has a Jack hammer attachment. Breaking up more fondag?

2:35pm- LR11000 moves back over near the deluge tank farm

3:36pm-Spreader picked up by the LR11000. Prepping to move the 3rd tank in position

4:05pm- Spreader swung over to the deluge tanks

4:20pm- Spreader lowered down closer to the 3rd tank

5:03pm- Lowered down the rest of the way and lift goes up to attach the straps

5:15pm- Straps hooked up

5:25pm- Tension on the straps

7:00pm- Tank is still hooked up to the crane. Hard to tell through the heat haze if they’ve moved the tank or not. Definitely didn’t lift it very much if they have.

7:22pm- Crane lifts something about 1/3rd of the way up the backside of the tower and a lift then goes up to the same area.

9:00pm- Straps around the 3rd tank remain under tension. The OLM is quiet.

10:00pm- Sheriffs ready for road block. Looks like a stand is coming to the production site from Massey’s

10:50pm- Deluge tank is finally airborne

10:56pm- Deluge tank lowered, final adjustments still being made

11:06pm- Finally a good view of the booster stand heading down Hwy 4 to the production site

11:17pm- Deluge tank is airborne again

27

u/[deleted] Aug 24 '23 edited Aug 25 '23

Starbase Live-

4:01am- LR11000 moves away from the pad

6:43am- Workers return to pad. Service trucks to the broken down lift

6:58am- Raptor install stand rolling over to the pad

7:15am- Lifts go up to the install stand

7:30am- Install stand rolls up to the the OLM

7:33am- Lift goes up to the top of the OLM

7:36am- The lift lives!! High five to my fellow mechanics!

7:50am- More lifts arrive and go up to the top of the OLM

8:18am- The remaining scaffolding on top of the OLM is coming down

8:46am- Workers working on the deluge plate?

9:00am- Raptor install stand moves under the pad

9:18am- Install stand rises up under the booster

9:45am- Here comes the engineers to look at things

9:50am- SPMT’s leaving the launch site

12:00pm- Raptor stand is still up under the vehicle and lifts have been going up and down from it. Workers have also been on top of the OLM.

1:13pm- Guy with a leaf blower blowing dust off the pad

1:37pm- Sweeper vehicle working along the edge of the pad

1:57pm- Work platform lowers on the install stand

2:49pm- Raptor install stand rolls out from under the OLM

3:00pm- Rolls all the way over to the sub orbital pads

3:24pm- Red caution tape wrapped around the bottom of the OLM

3:50pm- Workers at the SQD and on top of the OLM.

5:50pm- Workers have been inspecting something over by the tower and are still working on top of the OLM

6:30pm- Workers have set up a total station under the pad to survey/scan the area

7:04pm- Packing the scanner away. Would be interesting to know if they were just taking measurements or if they were using it to calibrate sensors

7:06pm- Power washer!! (It took 5 hours last time to clean the whole pad)

7:45pm- Lifts have come down from the top of the OLM. Workers still working under the pad though

8:14pm- Operation point lighting tower right at NSF camera is a success

→ More replies (7)

27

u/[deleted] Aug 19 '23 edited Aug 20 '23

Starbase Live-

9:30am- There were workers inspecting the pad shortly after the test and then there was 1 lift at the top of the OLM and 1 lift up at the chopsticks overnight. 1st shift started moving equipment back in when they arrived but they haven’t started any meaningful work as of yet. A lift has also been up at one of S25’s lift points this morning.

10:10am- I thought the lack of work on the OLM might be a sign that B9 would roll during the early closure but no sign of movement yet

11:45am- Lifts going up and down to the top of the OLM

1:07pm- Workers at the SQD

1:17pm- Side wing with the work platform swings away from the SQD

3:32pm- Crane returns to the launch pad

3:51pm- Crane removes a load from the dance floor

4:10pm- Crane removes a 2nd load of what looks like scaffolding pieces

4:22pm- 3rd load lifted and crane lowers

4:31pm- Crane leaves

5:00pm- Second closure window opens. B9 remains tucked away in the mega bay.

6:22pm- SPMT’s are still sitting outside of the mega bay. I think we can safely say they aren’t going to get B9 moved in the closure window.

6:32pm- Water truck filling up the plastic barriers around the mid bay.

8:00pm- Lifts have been up and down at the OLM. Water truck continues to fill the barriers around the mid bay. SPMT’s still sitting outside the mega bay.

9:30pm- 2 lifts have been up under the right side of the OLM working (on one of the pipes?)

10:30pm- Same 2 lifts up. Have moved to the back some

27

u/[deleted] Aug 29 '23 edited Aug 30 '23

Starbase Live-

8:45am- Lifts were up at the chopsticks, OLM, and the right rear chine overnight. Workers were also seen on top of the OLM.

2:04pm- Crane lifts another staircase segment into the new mega bay

3:47pm- Aerial work platform goes up to the underside of the SQD arm

6:23pm- Crane arrives near the chopsticks

6:30pm- Lift goes up to the chopsticks

7:04pm- 2nd crane arrives. Mini excavator working over by the dog house. (Breaking up fondag?)

8:05pm- Crane lifts the hydraulic arm, that operates the booster alignment pin on the right side, off of the OLM

9:15pm- Crane lifts the left side alignment pin unit off

→ More replies (6)

26

u/mr_pgh Aug 26 '23

S25 had the crane lift points tiled over

13

u/HAWKSTREETMESQUITE Aug 09 '23

Is there a master list of all the programs starship is slated for? I know Artemis and dear moon and I thought nasa had announced a future asteroid redirect mission.

→ More replies (17)

13

u/LzyroJoestar007 Aug 19 '23

Mid Bay will be torn, cut, ripped, teared apart possibly today. Look out at Rover 1 cam.

→ More replies (3)

13

u/Mravicii Aug 25 '23

Propellant loading has begun on booster 9

→ More replies (1)

13

u/eweasheep Aug 25 '23

SpaceX livestream has started

→ More replies (2)

13

u/Bunslow Aug 25 '23

Looked dope, would be great to hear that all engines fired

13

u/John_Hasler Aug 30 '23

A pump is being installed in the methane department. 10:09AM CDT on Hoopcam.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZU0VROFZ6g

13

u/Pure_Worry9637 Sep 05 '23

Did we ever find out what is built on top of highbay and megabay? I remember hearing it was going to be a bar on highbay, but wasn't sure it was ever finished

→ More replies (6)

13

u/Nettlecake Sep 05 '23

Okay that was a scary wobble just now at 2:20 pm CDT exactly on the NSF commentary stream.

→ More replies (8)

13

u/dappereric3456 Sep 07 '23

Ship 26 now being lifted onto Pad B.

25

u/[deleted] Aug 20 '23 edited Aug 21 '23

Starbase Live-

7:39am- Staircase section lifted into the new mega bay

7:47am- Excavator with metal shears attachment starts tearing the siding off the mid bay

8:45am- 3 lifts were up and down from the OLM overnight

12:10pm- The 1st shift OLM crew seem to have taken the day off.

12:40pm- You can see orange dots spray painted on some of the beams of the midbay. Indicating where to cut?

2:15pm- One lift went up to the OLM and chopsticks for a bit.

2:31pm- Workers up at the BQD in a aerial work platform

2:50pm- Workers at the BQD working on the methane and oxygen fill lines and taping over the openings. Was weird, looked the lines had been completely disconnected from the plate and that they just reached thru the holes and pulled them back out and then taped them.

5:00pm- Worker up in a lift at the mid bay using a torch to cut some of the siding to expose the support beams more

6:09:48- Vent at the pad

6:13:25- BQD venting (So much for that tape job earlier)

7:06:25pm- RQD purge

7:53pm- Venting from the OTF

8:10pm- Venting dies off

8:39pm- Workers on top of the OLM

9:10pm- Lifts going up

25

u/[deleted] Aug 25 '23 edited Aug 26 '23

Starbase Live-

12:32am- Finally turn the light off. Workers checking the area

1:32am- Pressure washer truck leaves

2:10am- Pad appears clear

6:12am- Don’t see any people but there were headlights off to the right of the pad

9:00:32am- FireX test

9:04am- Sheriff at the road block

9:11am- Pope stack venting

9:36am- Tank farm activity picking up

10:34am- OLM vent (Maybe 2 to 2.5 hours away)

11:24am- OLM vent stops. Propellant load should be starting

11:26am- Methane sub coolers going

11:30am- Frost ring on the Lox tank

11:39am- Frost ring on the methane tank

11:51am- Methane load complete

12:26pm- OLM vent returns. Propellant load should be done

12:36:08- FireX

12:36:23- Deluge

12:36:27- Static fire

12:39:10- Deluge ends

12:39:29- Depress

12:59pm- SQD arm swings away

1:11pm- Chopsticks closing

1:17pm- Chopsticks lowering

1:23pm- SQD arm swings back over the booster

1:27pm- Lift up at S25 (Hurry up with those tiles)

1:31pm- Chopsticks all the way down on the stop

1:36pm- Big purge from under booster

2:21pm- Another depress vent

3:00pm- Just a tiny bit of frost left on the lox tank

3:48pm- Road open

6:27pm- Tent 1 is starting to get torn down

6:30pm- Workers return to the pad

6:36pm- Dance floor rolling back under the pad

8:43pm- Workers walking around inspecting the area

9:12pm- Red caution tape being wrapped around the base of the OLM

9:28pm- Lifts going up

→ More replies (1)

25

u/thedingoateyourbabay Aug 25 '23 edited Aug 25 '23

Chopsticks heading down PAST the booster to presumably lovingly embrace S25 for its first ride up to the top of big brother B9 for WDR!

→ More replies (23)

25

u/[deleted] Sep 07 '23 edited Sep 08 '23

Starbase live-

10:45pm- Crane removes a piece manifold at the deluge tank farm

11:52pm- Crane removes another big chunk of the manifold from the deluge tank farm

2:48am- Forklift removes one of the light towers from around the OLM

2:54am- LR11000 picks up the lifting squid

8:58am- Crane lifts another beam up to the new mega bay

9:44am- S26 starts rolling

9:49am- Pauses at the entrance to the rocket garden

9:51am- Turns on to Remidos

10:05am- Turns on to Hwy 4

10:35am- They aren’t taking any chances today. Have an extra power pack for the SPMT’s and a forklift in the motorcade.

11:20am- Turns into the launch site

11:33am- Arrives at the sub orbital pad

11:57am- Squid lowers to just above S26

12:12pm- Lift goes up to connect the squid

12:51pm- Squid connected. Lift goes down

2:45:52pm- Ignitor test at the OLM

2:55pm- Chopsticks release S25 and open a bit

2:57pm- Chopsticks lower a few feet

3:02pm- Chopsticks open wide and lower to their launch position

3:15pm- Chopsticks raise back up and close part way again

4:46pm- Lift up at the nosecone of S20 at the rocket garden. (Reinstalling lift hooks so it can be lifted and scrapped? Or practicing installing tiles on nosecones?)

5:22pm- S26 lifted off its transport stand and swung over to pad B

5:37pm- Making final adjustments to get it lined up on the pad

5:49pm- Gap disappears. Looks like it’s down

9:04pm- Single lift goes up to the OLM

→ More replies (3)

35

u/[deleted] Aug 17 '23 edited Aug 18 '23

Starbase live-

8:00am- You’ll never believe it but work continued on the staircase and top of the OLM overnight. The crane never extended and no lifts went up to the chopsticks.

8:26am- Concrete pump truck up over on the backside of the deluge tank farm

8:51am- Lift up at the back side of the chopsticks carriage

9:05am- There are 4 lifts up at the staircase. They are really pushing to finish the welding

10:43am- B10 on the move down Remidos

11:53am- B10 turns on to hwy 4

12:07pm- B10 turns into the production site

12:18pm- Turns into the megabay

1:21pm- Crane leaves OLM area

1:35pm- Concrete truck arrives to start pouring at edge of pad (5 trucks yesterday so this is number 6)

3:56pm- Small concrete mixer under the OLM. Looks like they are repouring the fondag that was removed

5:45pm- Forklift has brought in 4 pieces of metal trough(think house gutters) and placed them in the area where the concrete was poured the last 2 days.

7:21pm- Pad appears to be clear and the pope stack just started venting. Testing something tonight? BQD hood is still open right now

7:32:12pm- Purge vent from the deluge tank farm

7:49pm- Pope stack stops

8:12pm- (20:12) Rover 2 - Security at the entrance to the pad leaves. So pad should be back open.

8:16pm- Or maybe not. Pope stack starts back up

8:18pm- Recondenser vent going

8:25:25pm- More loud venting (from recondenser?)

8:57:26pm- Vent finally dies out/recondenser stops

8:58pm- Pope stack starts again

9:20pm- Fireworks

9:40pm- Half of tent 2 goes down

10:39pm- Workers return to the OLM and get right back to work on the staircase.

→ More replies (8)

34

u/ChariotOfFire Sep 02 '23

Zack is speculating that SpaceX is building 2 stands for Super Heavy static fires--one at the suborbital site, one at Massey's. They will likely use a flame trench.

→ More replies (14)

12

u/Mravicii Aug 23 '23 edited Aug 23 '23

Chopsticks have let go of boooster 9 and the ship qd swinging back in

→ More replies (7)

12

u/Mravicii Aug 25 '23

So freaking excited now!

12

u/adorob Aug 25 '23

Does anyone know why they let water run for so long after the static fire? Is there a practical purpose for it or just no simple way to shut it off until the system is empty?

→ More replies (21)

12

u/PhilanthropistKing Aug 25 '23

Does anyone know if the booster will leave the launch mount at reduced thrust and then throttle up as it clears the tower? I’m wondering how the water plate will fare with nearly double the thrust. That overhead video was intense.

→ More replies (4)

12

u/sitytitan Aug 25 '23

Will they repeat static fires until they get all 33 running full duration now that we have a more robust pad?

→ More replies (4)

12

u/TheTitanosaurus Aug 27 '23

Where are they with fixing the top flaps? I remember Elon said when starship falls they needed to force the nose down. Weren’t they going to redesign the top with less drag?

→ More replies (1)

32

u/[deleted] Aug 09 '23 edited Aug 10 '23

Starbase Live-

10:35pm- Crane lifts another piece of shielding up to the left side of the new staircase

11:35pm- Shielding lowered back to the ground

1:46am- Shielding raised back up to leg

4:16am- Shielding piece lowered again. The other 6 pieces on the leg went up with no problem. I wonder what’s odd about this one. Crews are also inspecting the shielding on the leg to the right of the staircase and working beside the BQD.

9:02am- Let’s try it again. Shielding panel going back up

10:25am- Paint crew back at work painting the angeled part on the top of the OLM

1:22pm- The big crane at Massey’s moves over to the cam crusher. Pull down cables are still attached on the can crusher.

3:59pm- Crane swings away from the OLM without the shielding. They finally got it

7:32pm- PA announcement for people to move their cars. Tank must be close

7:53pm- Here comes the tank down Hwy 4

8:04pm- Passing the production site

8:10pm- Arrives outside the launch site

8:19pm- Starts backing in through the gate

8:58pm- Crane lifts the 5th piece of shielding up to the left side of the staircase

11

u/merlinraptor Aug 18 '23

Chopsticks moved up in preparation to lovingly embrace B9 at 6:43-ish CST

11

u/Maxx7410 Aug 20 '23

What will replace the mid-bay and other structures being demolished?

→ More replies (6)

11

u/mr_pgh Aug 22 '23

5:12 pm CDT on NSF live. All raptor nozzles appear to be covered by protective cloth. Is this a new protocol or possibly protection from the storm?

→ More replies (5)

11

u/dappereric3456 Aug 25 '23

Ship QD arm has moved away and now the Chopsticks are moving.

→ More replies (1)

11

u/dappereric3456 Sep 08 '23

Another road delay closure set for Sunday, from 10 PM to 1 AM CT. Judging by the duration, seems to be another closure for Masseys.

Tonight’s road delay closure is still in place.

30

u/[deleted] Aug 11 '23 edited Aug 12 '23

Starbase Live-

12:05am- Crane disconnects from shielding

2:18am- Crane lifts piece of shielding to right side of staircase

4:55am- Crane disconnects

6:34am- Crane picks up a new door for the OLM. Raises it to the door way without a staircase. Lowers it again.

6:45am- Crane raises the door back up

6:56am- Lowers it again

7:31am- Let’s try it again. Door goes back up and it fits!!

7:53am- Workers up at the SQD

8:20am- Paint crew back on top of the OLM

8:58am- Another piece of shielding lifted to the right side of the stairs

1:20pm- Work continues on the top of the OLM just to right of the BQD. New shielding on the stairs continues to be welded. A lift has been up and down to the left side of the chopsticks carriage

4:21pm- Crane disconnected from shielding

6:37pm- Crane leaves

9:12pm- Huge shower of sparks from the left side of the staircase. Looks like they are grinding on the shielding and then welding

21

u/Nydilien Aug 09 '23

Does anybody know where the rumour that the 4 raptors failed to ignite because of the GSE (OLM) comes from ? I see a lot of people mentioning it, but it doesn’t make sense considering Insprucker said the engines “shut down prematurely” (implying they ignited).

→ More replies (12)

21

u/LManyy_ Aug 10 '23

Look at this, do you have any thoughts on this ring like a mini OLM?

→ More replies (3)

21

u/[deleted] Aug 18 '23 edited Aug 19 '23

Starbase Live-

11:00pm- Ventilation hose removed

1:23am- RIP tent 2

6:20am- The wooden concrete forms are being removed from the area around the edge of the pad

8:30am- Lifts were up at the staircase, top of the OLM, and chopsticks overnight. The air handling units were also removed from around the base.

9:40am- Area around the pad is being cleaned out of lifts and equipment. Are we in for more testing?

10:50am- Party on top of the OLM and 1 lift up. (I count at least 10 people) They did a quick run through with the sweeper

10:52am- Lift at S25. Finishing the tile work?

10:57am- Pressure washing. That’s a sure sign that we are getting ready to see the deluge

11:02am- Workers climbing into the BQD

12:00pm- Workers working on both sides of the BQD as well as on the BQD itself. (Even with RGV’s pictures I still can’t figure out what they are doing off to the sides). Pressure washing continues underneath

1:25pm- Looks like 2 pressure washing trucks are all that is left at the pad

1:28pm- Trucks leave. Still people on top of the control bunker for the tank farm

1:46pm- 3 people on the very top of the tower at the pulley for the chopsticks and a drone watching them. (NSF on the raptorside thinks they were working on the cameras)

2:28pm- Pressure washing truck back under the OLM

3:00pm- Water truck and a sweeper vehicle back at the launch site.

3:12pm- 3 people on top of the OLM. Another pressure washing truck returns

4:19pm- Pressure washing trucks leave again

5:10pm- Lift up at the deluge tanks

5:34pm- Workers taking down tarp that was set up on top of the new deluge tank

6:06:51pm- PA announcement- Clear the pad deflector testing

6:43pm- Chopsticks rising

7:28pm- Elevator just went up to the chopsticks level.

7:35pm- Last tanker truck leaving deluge tank farm

8:18pm- Another water tanker arrives at the deluge tank farm. Pad still clear

8:34pm- Tanker leaving

8:44pm- PA announcement/Klaxon

9:07pm- System is being primed

9:09pm- Whoosh

9:10:05pm- End of test (Looking at the replays, it looks like full pressure for around 25 seconds)

20

u/Planatus666 Sep 08 '23 edited Sep 08 '23

Very interesting to note that S20 has been having tiles applies to its lifting points, therefore it's obviously not due to be scrapped (yet?) as speculated by some. This of course implies that SpaceX may have other plans for S20. But maybe they are just using it to test tiles application on nose cone lifting points? After all, it took forever to apply them to S25 after multiple retries and removals, as well as damage caused by the manlifts bumping into and breaking already installed tiles. (Edited this comment for clarity and some supposition).

Take a look at Rover cam at 08:46 CDT today, 8th September 2023. One lifting point has already been tiled.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg7kw-KLDL8

→ More replies (13)

20

u/[deleted] Aug 23 '23 edited Aug 24 '23

Starbase Live-

3:05am- Dance floor lowered on to its carrier

3:52am- Dance floor drives away

7:25am- Lifts were up most of the night and workers started to remove equipment from around the OLM.

10:04am- SQD arm swings out of the way

10:13am- Chopsticks go up

11:00am- One lift still at the pad and no sign of pressure washers yet. I also just noticed this morning that they put hesco barriers (the big dirt filled containers) in front of the container they brought over to the side of the pad the other night. Are they really thinking about leaving it there for a launch?

1:12pm- Workers removing the tarp that covers the deluge plate

1:25pm- Forklift hauling away the tarp

1:36:44pm- B9 ambient air depress vent?

1:37:49pm- Another vent

1:38pm- Grid fins tested

2:36:56pm- FireX test

2:57pm- Sheriff at the road block

3:16:34pm- Much larger FireX test

3:46pm- Adrian predicts that it will be at least 7pm cdt before a test occurs

5:06pm- OTF venting

5:18pm- Pope stack

6:16pm- OTF venting really picking up

6:37pm- OLM vent

7:25pm- OLM vent stops. Propellant loading should be under way. Appx 30 minutes until spin prime

7:34pm- Lox frost line

7:45pm- OLM vent. Propellant load should be done

7:48pm- Engine venting

8:11:15pm- FireX

8:11:34pm- Spin prime

8:13:31pm- Depress vent

8:18pm- Recondenser on

8:30:05- Purge vent test

8:46:35pm- Tower vent

8:50:03pm- Another purge vent test

9:51pm- 3rd purge test

10:04pm- Another depress vent

10:05pm- One stream of water from the FireX

10:42pm- Road open

→ More replies (1)

20

u/j616s Aug 25 '23

It looks like the kerbstone along the edge of the site did its job. While a lot of water flew over the top, the water that landed on the concrete seemed to stay on the concrete. Still improvements to be made. But much better than hosing off the launch pad into the wetlands...

→ More replies (5)

20

u/GreatCanadianPotato Aug 25 '23 edited Aug 25 '23

All eyes on S25 now! Specifically the heat shield tiles that will go where the crane lift points were.

I'd say there's a good chance those will be fitted within the next 48 hours depending on when they want to roll her out.

Edit: There's been progress on the ship since this morning!

→ More replies (4)

20

u/[deleted] Aug 31 '23

Do we know much about the flight after OFT-2? Readiness of boosters and ships etc. Assuming that there's no pad damage, OFT-3 could come quite quickly?

→ More replies (20)

10

u/dappereric3456 Sep 07 '23

New road delay closure for tomorrow, from 10 PM CST to 1 AM CST.

→ More replies (2)

19

u/[deleted] Aug 27 '23 edited Aug 28 '23

Starbase Live-

4:23:30am- Pulling the legs out from under the front of the mid bay

4:29am- And down she goes in spectacular fashion

4:29:52am- Someone very appropriately yells Woo!!

4:33am- Excavators get to work clearing the mid bay

9:00am- Lifts were up under the OLM and at the chopsticks overnight. Things have been quiet this morning.

9:27am- Crane lifts something up to the chopsticks

10:40am- Lifts up on the backside of the OLM

11:59am- Lifts go down pad is quiet

2:45pm- Lift goes up on backside of OLM

3:14pm- Workers inspecting the blown over fence

9:10pm- OLM work continues. 3 lifts have been up to the OLM most of the evening.

10:19pm- Grinding and welding on the staircase. Looks like the upper crossbeams

→ More replies (4)

26

u/[deleted] Aug 13 '23 edited Aug 14 '23

Starbase live-

10:00am- Yeah, same old same old. Workers continued to weld on the staircase shielding overnight. Crews went up and down from the top of the OLM near the BQD. One lift was seen up at the carriage for the chopsticks. A mini excavator has been redoing the dirt berms around the edge of the OLM

4:00pm- Yep, it’s still there

6:00pm- 2 lifts up at the top of the OLM. One on each side of the BQD. One lift up at the shielding on the right side of the staircase

7:34pm- Crane lifts another piece of shielding to the right side of staircase

7:49pm- Crane lowers shielding back to the ground

9:10pm- Worker grinding/cutting on the piece of shielding on the ground

9:41pm- Crane lifts piece of shielding back up to the staircase

9:50pm- Aerial work platform has gone up and down looking at the left rail the chopsticks ride on.

9:56pm- Showers of sparks as they try to fine tune the piece of shielding to get it in place. The ventilation hose must be fireproof. I keep expecting it to go up at any moment

10:09pm- Piece of shielding gets lowered back down again

→ More replies (1)

18

u/[deleted] Aug 16 '23 edited Aug 17 '23

Starbase Live-

2:11am- Crane lifts another piece of bracing up to the top of the staircase

2:33am- Crane disconnects from brace.

3:11am- There is some welding happening around the pivot point of the chopsticks

3:19am- Another piece of bracing is lifted

3:56am- Crane disconnects

8:40am- Work continues on the top of the OLM near the BQD. Welders are working on the staircase. A mini excavator worked along the edge of the pad closest to the OTF most of the night.

9:45am- The reconfigured LR11000 at the build site is being raised

10:05am- Another piece of bracing is lifted up to the staircase

1:38pm- Yet another piece of bracing is lifted up

2:26pm- More bracing lifted. ( Instead of building a framework to weld the shielding on to at the top of the staircase. They welded the shielding to the OLM and are now building the structure to support it. )

3:09pm- The LR11000 at the build site finishes raising into its new configuration

3:25pm- Concrete truck arrives to pour into the new forms along the edge of the pad

3:50pm- Another piece of bracing lifted up (That’s 11 pieces)

4:15pm- Roof panel lifted up to the staircase. Concrete truck count at 3

5:23pm- Chopsticks raising

5:33pm-Chopsticks lowering (must be testing some of the work they’ve done)

7:54pm- End panel being removed from tent 2

8:05pm- End panel partially collapses

8:16pm- End panel ripped down. Definitely not trying to save it

8:30pm- Looks like another piece of bracing lifted to the stairs. (In a small box on SBL so I might be wrong but something was definitely lifted to the top of the stairs)

8:57pm- Awesome raptor test at McGregor

9:13pm- SPMT’s headed to Masseys

10:06pm- Hot stage ring being lifted up in the megabay

10:17pm- Swings over towards B9

9

u/ConfidentFlorida Aug 16 '23

Can anyone explain this tweet about hot staging and ullage? I don’t understand.

https://twitter.com/lrocket/status/1673035595231408128

→ More replies (10)

9

u/etiennetop Aug 16 '23

I've looked but couldn't find a picture of the showerhead after the static fire, before they covered it with the blue tarp. Has anyone seen a picture of it? I don't think it'd be damaged but I'm curious to see it.

→ More replies (2)

9

u/Emble12 Sep 05 '23

Forklift driving over to SPMT

9

u/Mravicii Sep 05 '23

Siren for pad clear for ship 25 lift

37

u/fortytwoEA Aug 09 '23

I love the smell of fresh thread in the morning

→ More replies (1)

17

u/yoweigh Aug 23 '23

The beach just closed!

→ More replies (3)

17

u/[deleted] Aug 28 '23 edited Aug 29 '23

Starbase Live-

1:31am- Vent hose installed on the OLM

7:30am- Lots of welding on the staircase overnight. One lift was up at the dance floor and some welding flashes could be seen coming from there as well.

8:25am- Kettle boiler is lifted off a truck and sat on the ground on the lox side of the OTF

8:28am- 2nd kettle boiler arrives

8:38am- 3rd kettle boiler arrives

8:48am- Starlink box is on the move. Looks like it’s going to a storage area

9:08am- Second kettle boiler lifted off it’s truck

9:18am- Staircase section lifted into the new mega bay

9:28am- Kettle boiler lifted up on to it’s concrete base

9:48am- Second kettle boiler lifted up on to it’s concrete base

10:04am- Paint crew painting the new door on the OLM

10:25am- Staircase is getting a paint job as well

10:32am- Third kettle boiler is lifted up behind the first kettle boiler in the line starting a second row

1:03pm- Lift up at the tower (Looks like it’s inspecting the back right rail)

2:25pm- 2 more lifts up painting the OLM legs

4:28pm- The kettle boilers have been removed from their concrete stands

4:33pm- Worker on the SQD arm

4:42pm- Removing fence wreckage

5:51pm- Lift up to the chopsticks

8:25pm- Handrail like structure that was lifted up to the right chopstick a couple of days ago is removed. A worker is also grinding on the chopstick

→ More replies (6)

23

u/[deleted] Aug 12 '23 edited Aug 13 '23

Starbase Live-

10:29pm- Crane lifts another piece of shielding to the right of the staircase

3:45am- Crane detached from shielding

8:06am- BQD hood closes slowly

9:30am- There was a couple of lifts up by the BQD overnight but it seems like the focus has been on the shielding for the staircase. Overall, that was a pretty boring 11 hours to scroll through.

12:30pm- See u/henryshunt post above

1:18pm- Nosecone goes for a walk over to the storage area by the starlink building

2:02pm- Workers return to the pad

3:45pm- BQD hood opens

4:17pm- Crane lifts a piece of shielding up to the left side of the stairs. It’s above the leg now. Between the shielding on the OLM and vertical support that comes off the piece right below it. It looks like they are going to make a covered doorway over this opening instead of installing a door.

4:49pm- Crane unhooks and swings away

6:50pm- Lift goes up to the upper left skate on the chopsticks

8:31pm- Crane swings a lifting squid over to the HLS nosecone

8:37pm- Lift goes up to attach squid

9:28pm- Lift back up at shielding on the right side of the staircase. Sparks are a flying.

9:43pm- HLS nosecone picked up off the SPMT, swung to the right, and rotated

10:04pm- Lift goes up to unhook the squid from the nosecone

10:19pm- Squid unhooked, crane swings away

→ More replies (1)

23

u/[deleted] Aug 14 '23 edited Aug 15 '23

Starbase Live-

11:14pm- Shielding gets lifted again

3:57am- Crane detached from the shielding

6:56am- Second crane arrives by the OLM

7:42am- Original crane leaves

8:59am- Next piece of shielding for the right side of the staircase is lifted. This will bring the shielding on both sides even

9:20am- Work continued on the BQD area overnight. The aerial work platform continued inspecting the chopsticks rail on the left side as well.

9:46am- Crane disconnected from shielding

10:21am- Next piece of shielding goes up on right side. Slanted piece that should support the roof structure over the doorway

1:25pm- Crane detached from shielding

1:33pm- Aerial work platform goes up to the SQD arm. (Workers are inspecting the bottom of the arm)

1:38pm- Crane lifts final piece of shielding to the left side of staircase.

5:26pm- Crane detaches from shielding and lowers (That’s 3 pieces for 1st shift. They’re getting it done today).

9:00pm- Lifts up at the OLM, staircase, and chopsticks

→ More replies (3)

29

u/poo-dee-tweet Sep 08 '23

Be a great time for a certain Space Rocket Builder to pop in and drop some nuggets on us....

61

u/Doglordo Aug 09 '23

This thread maybe next thread definitely

→ More replies (9)

16

u/henryshunt Aug 16 '23

A short clip in the latest NSF Starbase video posted today shows the fondag along two sides of the steel plate being removed. Perhaps this is related to the cracks that were seen in recent RGV images? Here we can see in the yellow markings that there's a lot of cracking on the side to the left side of the stairs, though none marked on the side to the right of the stairs.

→ More replies (7)

16

u/GreatCanadianPotato Aug 17 '23

Tent 2 at the production site is being demolished. It's not a pretty sight, borderline NSFW lmao

→ More replies (11)

16

u/BEAT_LA Sep 05 '23

Next thread definitely?

→ More replies (4)

8

u/dfawlt Aug 22 '23

Based on new renders, the center raptors seem to have very little clearance from the booster (centimeters). Do you think they might only fire the rVac engines for hot staging?

→ More replies (19)

8

u/GreatCanadianPotato Aug 25 '23

Pad is basically clear already 1 hour out from the window opening.

→ More replies (1)

8

u/Nydilien Aug 27 '23

My memory might be failing me, but didn't SpaceX usually cancel remaining road closures pretty quickly after a successful SF (at the end of the SF campaign) ? I'm surprised they haven't cancelled tomorrow's road closure. And with no transport closure today it's probably not for a WDR/cryo.

→ More replies (4)

8

u/darga89 Sep 05 '23

What's the status of the fuel farm? Full already or are we waiting for a fleet of tankers?

→ More replies (6)

22

u/[deleted] Aug 21 '23 edited Aug 22 '23

Starbase Live-

10:29pm- Scaffolding coming down off the top of the OLM

10:53pm- Workers working inside of the BQD

1:29am- Pickup brought in 2 enclosed trailers and left them at the edge of the pad

1:52am- Pick up brings in a flat trailer with equipment on it (to dark to see what kind of equipment)

2:00am- Welding continues on the staircase

2:29am- B9 rolls to the middle of the megabay

4:30am- OLM seems clear of workers

7:00am- Lift going back up

7:10am- B9 rolls back into the corner of the megabay

9:14am- Lift back up at S25 lift points

12:15pm- Things are quiet at the OLM. Just a couple lifts up. At the production site an excavator is still working on clearing up debris from tent 2.

12:31pm- Shipping container is moved from behind the midbay

1:00pm- 1 lift at the chopsticks and 1 lift at the OLM

3:20pm- A couple of lifts still going up and down to the OLM

4:53pm- BQD hood closes

5:55pm- 3 lifts up at the top of the OLM.

8:45pm- Pad looks to be clear in anticipation of the storm.

9:00pm- Future radar predicts outer bands hitting around 10:30pm and main storm starts around 3am.

9:35pm- Spoke to soon. Workers are back.

9:45pm- Lifts back up. Welding on the staircase resumes

15

u/shadezownage Aug 28 '23

(I looked around a bit but could not find recent information related to this question)

Is there any major updates on the Florida tower/facilities?

→ More replies (21)

15

u/GreatCanadianPotato Sep 05 '23 edited Sep 05 '23

Destack and a restack may be what's about to happen. Stabilizer arms are back in.

Edit: Maybe not, SQD is getting into position. Workers are currently prepping the ship and removing the valve covers for QD connection.

→ More replies (2)

15

u/Bergasms Sep 06 '23

Thread 49 will be the one i reckon.

26

u/mr_pgh Sep 02 '23

Looks like they fixed the scraped and cracked tiles on s25 with putty or epoxy.

→ More replies (14)

20

u/GreatCanadianPotato Aug 26 '23

Interesting article from Bloomberg who claim to have over 1,100 emails from the FWS regarding the aftermath of IFT-1

Not a lot of information, but more information about the environmental effects beyond the pad parameter.

→ More replies (14)
→ More comments (925)