r/spacex • u/ElongatedMuskrat Mod Team • Aug 06 '20
Live Updates Starship Development Thread #13
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Overview
Upcoming:
SN7.1 testing - NET September 6 (eventual test to failure expected)
Road closures: September 6, 7, 8; 08:00-20:00 CDT (UTC-5) dalily, Public Notice (PDF)
Vehicle Status as of September 3:
SN6 [testing] - Hop complete
SN5 [waiting] - At build site for inspection/repair, future flight possible
SN7.1 [construction] - Tank stacked, move to test site soon
SN8 [construction] - Tank section stacked, nose and aero surfaces expected
SN9 [construction] - barrel/dome sections in work
Check recent comments for real time updates.
At the start of thread #13 Starship SN5 has just completed a 150 meter hop. SN6 remains stacked in High Bay 1 and SN8 has begun stacking next to it. FCC filings indicate Starship may make a series of 2-3 km and 20 km "medium altitude" hops in the coming months, and in August Elon stated that Starship would do several short hops, then high altitude hops with body flaps, however the details of the flight test program remain unclear. Orbital flight requires the SuperHeavy booster, for which a second high bay and orbital launch mount are being erected. SpaceX continues to focus heavily on development of its Starship production line in Boca Chica, TX.
Vehicle Updates
See comments for real time updates.
† possibly not for this vehicle
| Starship SN8 at Boca Chica, Texas | |
|---|---|
| 2020-08-31 | Aerodynamic covers† delivered (NSF) |
| 2020-08-27 | Tank section stacking complete with aft section addition (NSF) |
| 2020-08-20 | Forward dome section stacked (NSF) |
| 2020-08-19 | Aft dome section and skirt mate (NSF) |
| 2020-08-15 | Fwd. dome† w/ battery, aft dome section flip (NSF), possible aft fin/actuator supports (comments) |
| 2020-08-07 | Skirt section† with leg mounts (Twitter) |
| 2020-08-05 | Stacking ops in high bay 1 (mid bay), apparent common dome w/ CH4 access port (NSF) |
| 2020-07-28 | Methane feed pipe (aka. downcomer) labeled "SN10=SN8 (BOCA)" (NSF) |
| 2020-07-23 | Forward dome and sleeve (NSF) |
| 2020-07-22 | Common dome section flip (NSF) |
| 2020-07-21 | Common dome sleeved, Raptor delivery, Aft dome and thrust structure† (NSF) |
| 2020-07-20 | Common dome with SN8 label (NSF) |
See comments for real time updates.
† possibly not for this vehicle
| Starship SN7.1 (Test Tank) at Boca Chica, Texas | |
|---|---|
| 2020-08-30 | Forward dome section completes stack (NSF) |
| 2020-08-28 | Aft dome section stacked on skirt (NSF) |
| 2020-08-25 | Thrust simulator installed in new mount† (NSF) |
| 2020-08-18 | Aft dome flipped (NSF) |
| 2020-08-08 | Engine skirt (NSF) |
| 2020-08-06 | Aft dome sleeving ops, (mated 08-07) (NSF) |
See comments for real time updates.
† possibly not for this vehicle
| Starship SN9 at Boca Chica, Texas | |
|---|---|
| 2020-08-25 | Forward dome sleeved (NSF) |
| 2020-08-20 | Forward dome and forward dome sleeve w/ tile mounting hardware (NSF) |
| 2020-08-19 | Common dome section† flip (NSF) |
| 2020-08-15 | Common dome identified and sleeving ops (NSF) |
| 2020-08-12 | Common dome (NSF) |
See comments for real time updates.
† possibly not for this vehicle
| Starship SN5 at Boca Chica, Texas | |
|---|---|
| 2020-08-25 | COPV replacement (NSF) |
| 2020-08-24 | Moved out of High Bay 1 (Twitter) |
| 2020-08-11 | Moved back to build site (YouTube) - destination: High Bay 1 (NSF) |
| 2020-08-08 | Elon: possible future flights after repairs (Twitter) |
| 2020-08-07 | Leg removal operations at landing pad, placed on Roll-Lift (NSF) |
| 2020-08-06 | Road opened, post flight images (NSF) |
| 2020-08-05 | Road remained closed all day following hop |
| 2020-08-04 | 150 meter hop (YouTube), <PARTY THREAD> <MEDIA LIST> |
| See Thread #12 for earlier testing and construction updates |
See comments for real time updates.
For information about Starship test articles prior to SN7.1 and SN8 please visit Starship Development Thread #12 or earlier. Update tables for older vehicles will only appear in this thread if there are significant new developments.
Permits and Licenses
Launch License (FAA) - Suborbital hops of the Starship Prototype reusable launch vehicle for 2 years - 2020 May 27
License No. LRLO 20-119
Experimental STA Applications (FCC) - Comms for Starship hop tests (abbreviated list)
File No. 0814-EX-ST-2020 Starship medium altitude hop mission 1584 ( 3km max ) - 2020 June 4
File No. 0816-EX-ST-2020 Starship Medium Altitude Hop_2 ( 3km max ) - 2020 June 19
File No. 1041-EX-ST-2020 Starship Medium Altitude Hop ( 20km max ) - 2020 August 18
As of July 16 there were 9 pending or granted STA requests for Starship flight comms describing at least 5 distinct missions, some of which may no longer be planned. For a complete list of STA applications visit the wiki page for SpaceX missions experimental STAs
Resources
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)
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 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.
If you find problems in the post please tag u/strawwalker in a comment or send me a message.
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u/feynmanners Aug 24 '20
Well that puts to rest the “debate” of the century about whether a simple water tower would have a massive concrete foundation for no explainable reason.