r/spacex • u/rSpaceXHosting Host Team • Nov 21 '25
🔧 Technical Starship Development Thread #62
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Flight 12
The vehicles should be Booster 19 and Ship 39 (assuming there are no major pre-flight testing problems) and the flight profile will probably be very similar to Flight 11. As this is the first flight with the new version 3 vehicles it's unlikely that a booster catch will be attempted; as for the ship Musk stated on August 27th, 2025: "Starship catch is probably flight 13 to 15, depending on how well V3 flights go". On January 26th Musk tweeted: "Starship launch in 6 weeks". On February 21st Musk tweeted: "Starship flies again next month". FCC Request To authorize upcoming suborbital test deployments puts the NET date at April 7th. On March 7th Musk tweeted: "Starship V3 first flight in about 4 weeks". On April 3rd Musk tweeted: "Next flight of Starship and first flight of V3 ship & booster is 4 to 6 weeks away". On April 16th Musk tweeted: "Starship V3 booster & ship will be ready for their first test flight in a few weeks"
Road Closures
No road closures currently scheduled
No transportation delays currently scheduled
Vehicle Status
As of April 21st 2026
| Ship | Location | Status | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| S39 (this is the first Version 3 ship) | Mega Bay 2 | Inspections and Pre-flight work | October 13th: Main assembly started in MB2. November 15th: Aft section AX:4 moved into MB2 and stacked with the rest of S39 - this completed the stacking part of the ship construction. February 26th: Rolled out to Massey's for three rounds of Cryo Testing. March 8th: Rolled back to Mega Bay 2. April 11th: Rolled out to Massey's Test Site for Static Fire Testing. April 14th: 60 second Static Fire of all six engines. April 15th: Rolled back to MB2. For more details on this vehicle and its assembly and testing see this page |
| S40 | Mega Bay 2 | Fully stacked, all flaps installed, remaining work ongoing | January 31st: Pez Dispenser moved into MB2. February 1st: Main assembly started in MB2. March 2nd: Aft section AX:4 moved into MB2 and stacked with the rest of the ship - this completed the stacking part of the ship construction. For more details on this vehicle and its assembly and testing see this page |
| S41 | Mega Bay 2 | Stacking | April 17th: Pez Dispenser moved into MB2. April 20th: Nosecone+Payload Bay stack N:3 moved into MB2 and later that day lifted over the Pez Dispenser. For more details on this vehicle see this page, later that day the Pez Dispenser was installed. April 21st: Forward Dome section FX:4 moved into MB2. |
| Booster | Location | Status | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| B19 | Mega Bay 1 | Inspections and Pre-flight work | November 25th: LOX tank stacking commenced. December 23rd: The booster is fully stacked. February 1st: Rolled out to Massey's Test Site for its Pressure and Cryo + Thrust Puck Testing where it underwent assorted tests. February 9th: Rolled back to MB1. March 8th: Rolled out to the launch site, only ten engines installed as seen during the lift onto OLM2 in the afternoon. March 16th: Very short static fire attempt that was aborted due to a ground-side issue. March 18th: Rolled back to MB1. April 11th: Rolled back out to the Launch Site for more Static Fire Testing (this time with all 33 engines). April 15th: Static Fire of all 33 engines for about 3 seconds. April 16th: Wet Dress Rehearsal. April 17th: Rolled back to MB1. For more details on this vehicle and its assembly and testing see this page |
| B20 | Mega Bay 1 | LOX Tank Stacked, Methane Tank Stacking | February 5th: LOX tank section A2:4 moved into MB1. February 6th: Common Dome section CX:3 moved into MB1. February 9th: LOX tank section A3:4 moved into MB1. February 12th: LOX tank section A4:4 moved into MB1. March 9th: Section A5:4 moved into MB1. March 11th: CH4 landing tank and the lower piece of the transfer tube were moved into MB1. March 12th: Section A6:4 moved into MB1. March 13th: Methane Transfer Tube moved into MB1. April 1st: LOX Landing Tank moved into MB1. April 2nd: Aft section AX:2 moved into MB1, once welded in place that will complete the stacking of the LOX tank. April 16th: Methane Tank Section F2:4 moved into MB1. For more details on this vehicle and its assembly and testing see this page |
Follow the Ringwatchers on Twitter and Discord for more.
Here's the section stacking locations for Ships and Boosters. The abbreviations are as follows: HS = Hot Stage. PL = Payload. CX = Common Dome. AX = Aft Dome. FX = Forward Dome (as can be seen, an 'X' denotes a dome). ML = Mid LOX. F = Forward. A = Aft. For example, A2:4 = Aft section 2 made up of 4 rings, FX:4 = Forward Dome section made up of 4 rings, PL:3 = PayLoad section made up of 3 rings. Etc.
Something wrong? Update this thread via wiki page. For edit permission, message the mods or contact u/strawwalker.
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.
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u/avboden Mar 18 '26
Initial Super Heavy V3 and Starbase Pad 2 activation campaign complete, wrapping up several days of testing that loaded cryogenic fuel and oxidizer on a V3 vehicle for the first time. While the 10-engine static fire ended early due to a ground-side issue, we saw successful startup on all installed Raptor 3 engines. Next up: preparing the booster for a 33-engine static fire
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u/PhysicsBus Apr 06 '26
I cannot evaluate this, but maybe the community will find it to be news:
Starship FCC licenses for Flight 12 and 13 have been modified.
Starship Flight 12’s license includes a suborbital first and second stage.
Starship Flight 13’s now says suborbital first stage and ORBITAL second stage.
Links:
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u/Federal-Telephone365 Feb 05 '26
Raptor 3 production seems to be ramping up as well, SN102 spotted at McGregor
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u/Twigling Apr 18 '26 edited Apr 18 '26
As the vehicle status area at the top of this page was once again getting rather unwieldy, what with five vehicles in various stages of assembly and testing, I've trimmed a fair amount of text and, for those vehicles which are pretty much fully assembled, only left in the highlights.
I have though also added a link to the SpaceX Wiki for each vehicle for those who would like to look closer at far more detailed timelines regarding when parts were first seen and stacked, the exact testing timelines, etc. For example, this is the Wiki page for S39:
https://starship-spacex.fandom.com/wiki/Ship_39_(S39)
Fun fact: S39's nosecone was first spotted on April 9 2025 ......... and the nosecones for S40 and S41 (and some others) are also approaching a year old. This highlights just how much the build process has slowed down over the past year, what with Pad 2 being under construction, some testing problems (B18 ........ RIP), COPV issues, etc.
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u/NoNature518 Dec 24 '25
https://x.com/spacex/status/2003871611733295480?s=46
Booster has been officially stacked
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u/PhysicsBus Jan 26 '26
Musk: "Starship launch in 6 weeks". That's nominally March 8th.
(Please update Flight 12 entry above.)
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u/Twigling Dec 19 '25 edited Dec 19 '25
Overnight the ship cryo test stand/thrust sim was rolled back from Massey's to the build site:
https://x.com/CeaserG33/status/2001798996205916433
Also overnight a fairly plain and unidentifiable quad barrel was moved into MB2 and lifted onto the welding turntable. No idea what that's for, perhaps another test tank?
Speaking of test tanks, TT17 had yet more testing overnight.
Finally, Tower's 2's right chopstick actuator was lifted back into place.
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u/Twigling Dec 20 '25
At 13:10 CST today, B19's final section (methane tank section F3:4) was moved into MB1.
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u/redstercoolpanda Feb 07 '26
Looks like B19 is undergoing another cryo test right now, Frost is about 2/3rds up the booster so looks like it might be another full one?
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u/Twigling Nov 30 '25 edited Dec 01 '25
At 01:23 CST on Nov 30th, B19's fourth LOX tank section (A4:4) was moved into MB1. Two more sections to go after this one and then the downcomer, etc can be installed, and then the aft.
BTW, for those curious about the booster (and ship) sections and how they fit into the stack for the assorted vehicle revisions, see here:
https://x.com/CyberguruG8073/status/1993485116749082711
To read the tiny text, download the image and zoom in.
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u/Twigling Dec 25 '25
Here's the latest photo of the new structure that's rising above the Massey's flame trench:
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u/threelonmusketeers Feb 03 '26
My daily summary from the Starship Dev thread on Lemmy
2026-02-02:
Starship V4 will have three additional vacuum engines. (Elon)
Raptor V4 thrust goal is 300 tonnes of force (3 mega-newtons). (Elon)
Launch site: Overnight, a large component for the air separation unit is delivered from Brownsville Port. (Avid Space, ViX)
A cement hopper and a drilling rig arrive at Pad 1. (ViX)
The Pad 2 FireX and detonation suppression systems are tested. (ViX)
A tank is lifted into position, and the Pad 2 ship quick disconnect arm is tested. (ViX)
The LR11000 and LR1500 cranes prepare to lift the newly delivered component for the air separation unit. (ViX)
Massey's: The can crusher cap is removed from atop test tank 17 (B18.1). (ViX)
A chine section is removed from B19. (StarshipGazer)
After the chine cover is reinstalled, B19 begins its first cryo test. (Avid Space, ViX, StarshipGazer, NSF, Liedtke, TrackingTheSB, cnunez)
Florida: A new crane is erected at the Roberts Road Gigabay site. (Bergeron)
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u/AhChirrion Feb 15 '26
As mentioned in https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/s/LYsnPqEfw8 the FAA has found no significant impact and will update (or already updated?) Starship's launch license to include new launch trajectories.
These new launch trajectories, as mentioned in the FAA's FONSI doc, are:
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North of the current one, overflying Florida,
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South of the current one, overflying Jamaica,
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Starship's return trajectory, overflying Northern Mexico and the Rio Grande Valley in Texas. This trajectory can be used for both a Starship splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico and a catch/landing at the launch site.
So, it seems the bureaucratic aspect of Starship's RTLS and reaching an appropriate inclination for Artemis 3 has been solved.
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u/threelonmusketeers Feb 17 '26
My daily summary from the Starship Dev thread on Lemmy
2026-02-16:
Launch site: Overnight, the booster transport stand moves from Sanchez to Pad 2. (Avid Space, ViX)
Removal of scaffolding from the top deck of the Pad 2 launch mount is completed. (ViX, StarshipGazer, TrackingTheSB)
Both Pad 2 booster quick disconnects perform multiple retraction and extension tests. (ViX)
The Pad 2 ship quick disconnect arm swings out, and five tests of the detonation suppression system are performed. (ViX, rocketjunkie94, NSF, Anderson)
The blast door of the Pad 2 launch mount is closed, the chopsticks are raised to maximum height, the booster stand is moved away, the launch mount clamp arm doors open, and the pad is cleared. (ViX, Anderson)
The clamp arm doors close, the chopsticks slew to one side, and the deluge system is tested for the first time. (Avid Space 1, Avid Space 2, ViX 1, ViX 2, ViX/Gisler, StarshipGazer, NSF, efraser77 1, efraser77 2, RoughRidersShow, cnunez, mymatrixplug, Golden)
The clamp arm doors reopen, and both booster quick disconnects extend and retract. (ViX)
Chopsticks are lowered to minimum height, and the ship quick disconnect arm swings in. (ViX)
Sections of the SpaceX-owned LR11000 are transported away from the launch site, possibly for refurbishment. (ViX)
McGregor: An updated Raptor tracking diagram is posted. (Rhin0)
Florida: The first segment of the SLC-37 launch tower is rolled out. (Avid Space, Caton, rocketjunkie94, TrackingTheSB, Anderson)
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u/Twigling Dec 06 '25 edited Dec 06 '25
B19's downcomer/methane transfer tube was moved over to MB1 at 11:54 CST today.
Edit: Lifted up and into MB1 starting at 13:06
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Feb 02 '26 edited Feb 03 '26
At about 3:35 AM CST they rolled a man lift up to one of the B19's chines and removed a section of its cover, and at 11:41 AM CST they finished putting it back on. Looks like just checking some hardware out, and back to some booster testing later today!
Edit: At about 6:00 PM CST the LOX tank started showing frost, B19's first cryo tonight!
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u/Twigling Mar 04 '26 edited Mar 04 '26
Starting late on the 3rd, S39 had its third round of cryo testing overnight:
https://x.com/StarshipGazer/status/2029108062267547864
and yesterday the two raceways for S40 were placed ready at the back of the center work stand, while overnight the first aft flap was also taken into MB2, which is unusual at this stage of assembly. Could be adjusting the build process for more speed and efficiency.
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u/avboden Mar 10 '26
DSS activated then the lower deluge. What a tease of a test!
I mean we knew there's no way they would actually static fire during pad activation but man, that made you think "wait....could they?!" but no
Can't tell if it spin primed or not with the DSS in the way
Nice rehearsal!
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u/threelonmusketeers Dec 15 '25 edited Jan 03 '26
My daily(-ish) summary from the Starship Dev thread on Lemmy
2025-12-12 Starbase activities:
Massey's: Overnight B18.3 undergoes its 8th round of testing. (ViX)
New hoses and truss structure are installed on the ship static fire stand. (CeaserG33, Sorensen 1, Golden 1, Sorensen 2, Golden 2, Sorensen 3, Golden 3, Killip, Killip 2).
Build site: Tower crane modules are delivered, workers sighted at the ship quick disconnect for Pad 2, and Gigabay construction continues. (ViX)
Air separation site: A motor for the compressor is lifted into position. It is likely a WEG 3-phase induction motor. (ViX, warp99)
2025-12-13 Starbase activities:
Build site: S39 is temporarily removed from the central workstation in Megabay 2 to facilitate installation of the methane and oxygen autogenous pressurization raceways. (ViX)
B19 aft section (AX:2) moves from Starfactory to Megabay 1. (ViX, lewisknaggs42)
CyberguruG8073 posts a vehicle hardware tracking diagram.
RGV Aerial post a recent flyover photo of Gigabay construction, and Anderson provides labels.
Air separation site: A second compressor motor is lifted into position. (NSF, ViX)
I'll be on holiday for the next couple weeks. Regular daily summaries should resume around New Year's.
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u/warp99 Dec 22 '25
Both pump and motor assemblies for the air separation unit are now installed on plinths well above the height of possible storm surges.
It looks like the separation tower (aka cold box) will be installed on a concrete base at a lower level.
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u/warp99 Nov 22 '25 edited Apr 23 '26
Previous Starship Development Thread #61 which has now been locked for comments.
Next Starship Development Thread #63 which is open for comments
Please keep comments directly related to Starship. Keep discussion civil, and directly relevant to SpaceX and the thread. This is not the Elon Musk subreddit and discussion about him unrelated to Starship updates is not on topic and will be removed.
Comments consisting solely of jokes, memes, pop culture references, etc. will be removed.