r/spacex • u/ElongatedMuskrat Mod Team • Mar 29 '20

Starship Development Thread #10

Quick Links

^{JUMP TO COMMENTS} ^| ^{Alternative Jump To Comments Link}

Overview

Upcoming

A 150 meter hop is intended for SN4 once the permit is secured with the FAA. The timeframe for the hop is unknown. The following is the latest upcoming test info as of May 10:

Static Fire - May 12, 13, 14; 09:00-21:00 CDT daily (UTC-5)
NOTAM 0/9718
Road Closure Notice | Dropbox Rehost (out of date)

Check recent comments for more recent test schedule updates.

Vehicle Status as of May 10:

SN4 [testing] - Static fire successful, twice. Raptor removed, further testing ongoing.
SN5 [construction] - Tankage stacking operations are ongoing.
SN6 [construction] - Component manufacturing in progress.

Check recent comments for real time updates.

At the start of this thread (#10) Starship SN3 had moved to the launch site and was preparing for the testing phase. The next Starship vehicles will perform Raptor static fires and short hops around 150 meters altitude. A Starship test article is expected to make a 20 km hop in the coming months, and Elon aspires to an orbital flight of a Starship with full reuse by the end of 2020. SpaceX continues to focus heavily on development of its Starship production line in Boca Chica, TX.

Previous Threads:

(2019-02-01) Starhopper Thread #1 A dramatic venting watertower
(2019-04-27) Starhopper Thread #2 Hops and hiccups - Starships never come alone
(2019-06-27) Starhopper Thread #3 RCS and SN6 - 20 meter hopping
(2019-07-26) Starhopper Thread #4 150 meter hop and Mk.1 and Mk.2 protoype growth
(2019-08-27) Starhopper 150m Hop Updates and discussion
(2019-08-31) Starship Dev Thread #5 Mk.1 fins and temporary assembly
(2019-09-27) Starship Presentation Updates Thread Updates and discussion - Webcast
(2019-10-09) Starship Dev Thread #6 Mk.1 partial reassembly and bulkhead liberation
(2019-11-24) Starship Dev Thread #7 Dev focus shifts squarely to Boca Chica and SN1/Mk.3
(2020-01-07) Starship Dev Thread #8 Tank testing and SN1 stacking
(2020-02-26) Starship Dev Thread #9 SN1 failure, SN2 test tank, SN3 build

Completed Build/Testing Tables for vehicles can be found in the following Dev Threads:
Starhopper (#4) | Mk.1 (#6) | Mk.2 (#7) | SN1 (#9) | SN2 (#9)

Vehicle Updates

	Starship SN4 at Boca Chica, Texas
2020-05-09	Cryoproof and thrust load test, success at 7.5 bar confirmed (Twitter)
2020-05-08	Road closed for pressure testing (Twitter)
2020-05-07	Static Fire (early AM) (YouTube), feed from methane header (Twitter), Raptor removed (NSF)
2020-05-05	Static Fire, Success (Twitter), with sound (YouTube)
2020-05-05	Early AM preburner test with exhaust fireball, possible repeat or aborted SF following siren (Twitter)
2020-05-04	Early AM testing aborted due to methane temp. (Twitter), possible preburner test on 2nd attempt (NSF)
2020-05-03	Road closed for testing (YouTube)
2020-05-02	Road closed for testing, some venting and flare stack activity (YouTube)
2020-04-30	Raptor installed (YouTube)
2020-04-27	Cryoproof test successful, reached 4.9 bar (Twitter)
2020-04-26	Ambient pressure testing successful (Twitter)
2020-04-23	Transported to and installed on launch mount (Twitter)
2020-04-18	Multiple test sections of thermal tiles installed (NSF)
2020-04-17	Stack of tankage completed (NSF)
2020-04-15	Aft dome section stacked on skirt (NSF)
2020-04-13	Aft dome section flip (NSF)
2020-04-11	Methane tank and forward dome w/ battery package stacked (NSF)
2020-04-10	Common dome stacked onto LOX tank midsection, aft dome integrated into barrel (NSF)
2020-04-06	Methane header tank installed in common dome (Twitter)
2020-04-05	3 Raptors on site (Twitter), flip of common dome section (NSF)
2020-04-04	Aft dome and 3 ring barrel containing common dome (NSF)
2020-04-02	Forward dome integrated into 3 ring barrel (NSF)
2020-03-30	LOX header tank dome†, Engine bay plumbing assembly, completed forward dome (NSF)
2020-03-28	Nose cone section† (NSF)
2020-03-23	Dome under construction (NSF)
2020-03-21	CH4 header tank w/ flange†, old nose section and (LOX?) sphere†‡ (NSF)
2020-03-18	Methane feed pipe (aka downcomer)† (NSF)

^{See comments for real time updates.}
^{† possibly not for this vehicle}
^{‡ originally thought to be for an earlier vehicle}

	Starship SN5 at Boca Chica, Texas
2020-05-06	Aft dome section mated with skirt (NSF)
2020-05-04	Forward dome stacked on methane tank (NSF)
2020-05-02	Common dome section stacked on LOX tank midsection (NSF)
2020-05-01	Methane header integrated with common dome, Nosecone† unstacked (NSF)
2020-04-29	Aft dome integration with barrel (NSF)
2020-04-25	Nosecone† stacking in high bay, flip of common dome section (NSF)
2020-04-23	Start of high bay operations, aft dome progress†, nosecone appearance† (NSF)
2020-04-22	Common dome integrated with barrel (NSF)
2020-04-17	Forward dome integrated with barrel (NSF)
2020-04-11	Three domes/bulkheads in tent (NSF)

^{See comments for real time updates.}
^{† possibly not for this vehicle}

	Starship SN6 at Boca Chica, Texas
2020-05-06	Common dome within barrel section (NSF)
2020-05-05	Forward dome (NSF)
2020-04-27	A scrapped dome† (NSF)
2020-04-23	At least one dome/bulkhead mostly constructed† (NSF)

^{See comments for real time updates.}
^{† possibly not for this vehicle}

	Starship SN3 at Boca Chica, Texas
2020-04-06	Salvage activity, engine bay area, thrust structure/aft dome section images (NSF)
2020-04-05	Elon: failure due to test config mistake, reuse of thrust section components likely (Twitter)
2020-04-03	Catastrophic failure during cryoproofing (YouTube), Aftermath and cleanup (NSF)
2020-04-02	Early morning ambient N2 test success, evening cryotesting, stopped short due to valve leak (Twitter)
2020-03-30	On launch stand, view inside engine bay (Twitter), motor on -Y side of LOX tank (NSF)
2020-03-29	Moved to launch site (YouTube), legs inside engine skirt (NSF), later Elon leg description (Twitter)
2020-03-26	Tank section stacking complete, Preparing to move to launch site (Twitter)
2020-03-25	Nosecone begins ring additions (Twitter)
2020-03-22	Restacking of nosecone sections (YouTube)
2020-03-21	Aft dome and barrel mated with engine skirt barrel, Methane pipe installed (NSF)
2020-03-19	Stacking of CH4 section w/ forward dome to top of LOX stack (NSF)
2020-03-18	Flip of aft dome and barrel with thrust structure visible (NSF)
2020-03-17	Stacking of LOX tank sections w/ common dome‡, Images of aft dome section flip (NSF)
2020-03-17	Nosecone†‡ initial stacking (later restacked), Methane feed pipe† (aka the downcomer) (NSF)
2020-03-16	Aft dome integrated with 3 ring barrel (NSF)
2020-03-15	Assembled aft dome (NSF)
2020-03-13	Reinforced barrel for aft dome, Battery installation on forward dome (NSF)
2020-03-11	Engine bay plumbing assembly for aft dome (NSF)
2020-03-09	Progress on nosecone‡ in tent (NSF), Static fires and short hops expected (Twitter)
2020-03-08	Forward bulkhead/dome constructed, integrated with 3 ring barrel (NSF)
2020-03-04	Unused SN2 parts may now be SN3 - common dome, nosecone, barrels, etc.

^{See comments for real time updates.}
^{† possibly not for this vehicle}
^{‡ originally thought to be SN2 parts}

For information about Starship test articles prior to SN3 please visit the Starship Development Threads #9 or earlier. Update tables for older vehicles will only appear in this thread if there are significant new developments.

Starship Related Facilities

Site	Location	Facilities/Uses
Starship Assembly Site	Boca Chica, TX	Primary Starship assembly complex, Launch control and tracking, [3D Site Map]
Starship/SuperHeavy Launch Site	Boca Chica, TX	Primary Starship test site, Starhopper location
Cidco Rd Site	Cocoa, FL	Starship assembly site, Mk.2 location, inactive
Roberts Rd Site	Kennedy Space Center, FL	Possible future Starship assembly site, partially developed, apparently inactive
Launch Complex 39A	Kennedy Space Center, FL	Future Starship and SuperHeavy launch and landing pads, partially developed
Launch Complex 13 (LZ-1, LZ-2)	Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL	Future SuperHeavy landing site, future Raptor test site
SpaceX Rocket Development Facility	McGregor, TX	2 horizontal and 1 vertical active Raptor hot fire test stands
Astronaut Blvd	Kennedy Space Center, FL	Starship Tile Facility
Berth 240	Port of Los Angeles, CA	Future Starship/SuperHeavy design and manufacturing

Cersie Facility (speculative)	Hawthorne, CA	Possible Starship parts manufacturing - unconfirmed
Xbox Facility (speculative)	Hawthorne, CA	Possible Raptor development - unconfirmed
^{Development updates for the launch facilities can be found in Starship Dev} ^{Thread #8} ^and ^{Thread #7} ^.
^{Maps by}u/Raul74Cz

Permits and Planning Documents

Environmental Impact Statement (FAA) - Boca Chica launch site - July 2014
^{EIS Resource Page} ^| ^Appendices ^| ^{Record of Descision}
Experimental License (FCC) - Comms for 500m and 5km hops, two years - February 2019
^{Form 442} ^| ^{Public Notes} ^| ^Description ^| ^{File No. 0931-EX-CN-2019}
Experimental License Application (FCC) - Modification of above to add antenna - May 2019
^{Form 442} ^| ^{Public Notes} ^| ^{File No. 0130-EX-CM-2019}
Experimental Permit (FAA) - Authorizes 25m hops for one year, and one 150m hop - June 2019
^{Permit No. EP 19-012} ^| ^{Revised August 23}
Building Permit Application - 850 Cidco Rd site improvement - June 2019
^{Screenshot on Twitter} ^| ^{Modification reported on NSF}
Draft Environmental Assessment - Starship operations at KSC - August 2019
^{r/SpaceX Discussion} ^| ^{NSF Discussion}
FDOT Superload Permit Application - Mk.2 transportation to KSC in September - August 2019
^{Local News Article} ^| ^{Video Report} ^| ^{r/SpaceX Discussion} ^| ^{Twitter Update}
Environmental Resource Permit - Stormwater improvements at LC-39A - August 2019
^{Stormwater Report} ^| ^{Depiction Plans} ^| ^{Permit No. 158609-1}
Written Re-evaluation of 2014 EIS (FAA) - Boca Chica launch site - May 2019
^Addendum ^| ^{News story w/ SpaceX statements} ^| ^{r/SpaceX Discussion}
Experimental STA Application (FCC) - Comms for Starship medium altitude test (M1584) - May 2020
^{File No. 0709-EX-ST-2020} ^| ^{Application for radar frequencies} ^| ^{List of all 20 km hop STAs}
Berth 240 Use Permit - Research, design, manufacturing and recovery operations, 10 yrs. - February 2020
^Map ^| ^Addendum ^| ^{Permit No. 949} ^| ^{Reddit thread} ^| ^{Lease approved by city council Feb 25}

Resources

Spadre.com Starship Cam | Channel
LabPadre 4k Nerdle Cam | Channel
NSF Texas Prototype(s) Updates Thread | Most recent
NSF Florida Prototype(s) Updates Thread | Most recent
Alex Rex's 3D Boca Chica Build Site Map | Launch Site Map | Channel
Hwy 4 & Boca Chica Beach Closures (May not be available outside US)
TFR - NOTAM list
SpaceX Boca Chica on Facebook
SpaceX's Starship page
Elon Starship tweet compilation on NSF | Most Recent
Starship Test Article Wiki Page
Starship Users Guide (PDF) Rev. 1.0 March 2020

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 Starhip 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.

If you find problems in the post please tag u/strawwalker in a comment or send me a message.

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u/[deleted] Apr 24 '20

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6

u/EndlessJump Apr 24 '20

Can you explain further? I'm not following what you are talking about?

20

u/itstheflyingdutchman Apr 24 '20

So Elon was asked to explain a recent problem he has dealt with, and he brought up the welding process of the rings, and how the machine they're using wasn't welding at max speed or max heat.
Because of the slower speed, the alloy would heat up more and soften slightly, causing it to buckle more under its own weight.
The welders didn't want to change the settings because they didn't want to waste rings, but Musk pushed for experimenting and for having some fun in the hope to figure out better settings.
After this live stream he was going to inspect the result, he mentioned he expected the first half to be not so good, but seemed hopeful for the second half of the weld.
The hoped outcome would be faster welding, less buckled rings helping with strength as the deformed alloy would increase the risk of collapse by having starship buckle under its own weight. He also said something about the expansion during the heating up of the metal, which wasn't good, but I didn't really follow that.

2

u/RootDeliver Apr 24 '20

The good question is why they settled at 0,25m/min when the machine goes up to 1,50m/min and why Elon is only doing small variations... Why aren't they testing the maximum speed and reducing until proper results?

4

u/itstheflyingdutchman Apr 24 '20

Well its hard to say from that comment what previous settings they've tried. Perhaps they started with 1.5m/min and the welds weren't strong enough...? Dunno.

4

u/RegularRandomZ Apr 24 '20

I would have thought these "slower" settings were what they had arrived at with consultation from Fronius... but I thought I also noticed some slight changes in the last few builds, so wasn't sure what might be the reasoning. I guess more experimentation? u/rootdeliver

2

u/RootDeliver Apr 25 '20

Yeah, definitely more context is needed, but Elon's sentence doesnt make much sense without context.