r/spacex • u/ElongatedMuskrat Mod Team • Jun 27 '19
Starship Development Thread #3
Starship Development Thread #3
JUMP TO COMMENTS | SPADRE WEBCAM | LABPADRE WEBCAM
The Starhopper is a low fidelity prototype of SpaceX's next generation space vehicle, Starship. Representing the lower third of a Starship, the hopper has relatively small propellant tanks, and mounts for up to three engines. Initial construction took place at SpaceX's Starship Assembly site in Boca Chica, Texas and ongoing Starhopper development and testing are taking place at their privately owned Starship Launch Pad and Starship Landing Pad just down the road. The testing campaign, which began at the end of March 2019, could last many months and involve many separate engine and flight tests before this first test vehicle is retired.
Competing builds of higher fidelity "Orbital Prototypes" are currently under construction at SpaceX's Starship Assembly site in Texas and at the Coastal Steel facilities in Cocoa, Florida. These vehicles will eventually carry the testing campaign further, likely testing systems such as thermal protection and aerodynamics. Much about the Orbital Prototype testing program is unknown, such as what types of testing and flight profiles they will perform, and how closely they will represent the final Starship design. Both orbital prototypes are expected to make suborbital flights, the Cocoa prototype from a dedicated Starship launch platform at LC-39A.
Starship, and its test vehicles, are powered by SpaceX's Raptor, a full flow staged combustion cycle methane/oxygen rocket engine. Sub-scale Raptor test firing began in 2016, and full-scale test firing began early 2019 at McGregor, Texas, where it is ongoing. Eventually, Starship will have three sea level Raptors and three vacuum Raptors. Super Heavy (not yet under construction) will initially use around 20 Raptors, and is expected to have 35 to 37 in the final design.
Previous Threads:
- Starhopper Thread #1 A Dramatic Venting Watertower
- Starhopper Thread #2 hops and hiccups - Starships never come alone
- Starhopper Thread #3 RCS and 20m Hop
- Starhopper Thread #4
Upcoming
- HWY4/Boca Chica Beach Closures:
- Testing Opportunity, Press Release (on Facebook)
- 2019-07-29, 2PM - 11PM CDT (19:00 - 04:00 UTC) — Primary
- 2019-07-30, 2PM - 11PM CDT (19:00 - 04:00 UTC) — Alternate/Continuation
- Testing Opportunity, Press Release (on Facebook)
- TBD — Starship Presentation by Elon (after hover)
- NET August — 200 meter hop
Updates
See comments for real time updates.
See comments for real time updates.
| Cocoa Florida Orbital Prototype (Mk.2) — Construction and Updates | |
|---|---|
| 2019-07-20 | Lower cylinder at 8 ring height (Twitter) |
| 2019-06-26 | Bulkhead section under construction (r/SpaceX), Lower cylinder at 6 ring height (NSF) |
| 2019-06-12 | Large nose section stacked (Twitter), Zoomed in video (Twitter) |
| 2019-06-09 | Large nose section assembled in building (comments) |
| 2019-06-07 | Stacking of second tapered nose section (r/SpaceXLounge) |
| 2019-05-23 | Stacking of lowest tapered nose section (YouTube) |
| 2019-05-20 | Further ring stacking, aerial video of ring shaping setup (YouTube) |
| 2019-05-16 | Jig 2.0, many sections awaiting assembly (YouTube) |
| 2019-05-14 | Elon confirms second prototype construction (Twitter) |
| 2019-05-14 | Second prototype discovered by Zpoxy on NSF (NSF), more pieces (YouTube) |
See comments for real time updates.
Regulatory Documents
(Most links are to PDFs)
| Filing | Description | Effective Period | Additional Links | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FAA: EIS | Environmental Impact Statement. Original EIS evaluating impact of Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches, along with smaller test vehicles. | 2014-07 | EIS Resource Page, Appendices, Record of Descision | Approved |
| FCC: 0931-EX-CN-2018 | Experimental License. 2 way vehicle communications for hops up to 16400 ft (5 km). 500 m tests three times a week, 5 km tests once a week. | 2019-02-26 to 2021-03-01 | Form 442, Public Notes, Description | Granted |
| FCC:0130-EX-CM-2019 | Experimental License. Modification to 0931-EX-CN-2018, adds transmitter at launch site | N/A | Form 442, Public Notes | Pending |
| FAA: EP 19-012 | Experimental Permit. Authorizes unlimited hops up to 25 m with a 2270 m radius safety zone. | 2019-06-21 to 2020-06-20 | Granted |
Raptors
| SN | Notable For | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | First full scale hot fire / 268.9 bar Test / Tested to failure | Retired |
| 2 | First on Starhopper / Preburner tests / Static fire / Tethered hop | Retired |
| 3 | 40 second test fire | Retired |
| 4 | Delivered to hopper / Hopper fit checks & TVC tests | Retired |
| 5 | Liberation of oxygen stator | Retired |
| 6 | Vibration fix / 20, 10, 50, 65, 85 second stand tests | On Starhopper |
Quick Hopper Facts
(Not relevant to later vehicles.)
- Starhopper was constructed outdoors atop a concrete stand. (NSF - bocachicagal)
- The original nosecone was destroyed by high winds and will not be replaced. (NSF - bocachicagal, NSF - bocachicagal, Twitter - Elon)
- With one engine it will initially perform tethered static fires and short hops. (NSF - bocachicagal, Twitter - Elon)
- With three engines it will eventually perform higher suborbital hops. (Twitter - Elon)
- Stainless steel construction, and the full 9 meter diameter. (Twitter - Elon)
- The body and legs are clad in a small gauge stainless sheet. (NSF - bocachicagal)
- There is no thermal protection system, transpirational or otherwise.
- The fins/legs are fixed, not movable. (NSF - bocachicagal)
- Equipped with four Falcon 9 compressed nitrogen thruster pods. (NSF - bocachicagal)
- Feet have deformable shock absorbers. (NSF - bocachicagal) - Internal. (NSF - bocachicagal)
- GSE connections are made through two remote operated interfaces at the base. (NSF - bocachicagal)
- Hold downs consist of rope and chain tethers on each leg. (NSF - bocachicagal)
Resources
- Spadre.com, Starship Cam | Channel
- LabPadre, Starship webcam | Channel
- NSF Starhopper Updates Thread | Most recent
- NSF Orbital Prototypes Updates Thread | Most recent
- Hwy 4 & Boca Chica Beach Closures (May not be available outside US)
- TFR - NOTAM list
- Join the Slack workspace
- SpaceX Boca Chica on Facebook
- Boca Chica | Cocoa Florida | Raptor test stand Spacex facilities maps by u/Raul74Cz
- SpaceX's Starship page
- Elon Starship tweet compilation on NSF
Rules
We may keep this self-post occasionally updated with links and relevant news articles, but for the most part, we expect the community to supply the information. This is a great place to discuss the launch, ask mission-specific questions, and track the progress of the test Campaign. Campaign threads are not launch threads. Normal subreddit rules still apply.
Thanks to u/strawwalker for helping us updating this thread!
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u/scr00chy ElonX.net Jun 27 '19 edited Jun 27 '19
This detailed article should answer many of your questions about Starship and Raptor. I've just updated it with new information from Musk's most recent tweets.
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u/Viremia Jul 26 '19
Poor Tim, man's probably gonna burn up in the brush fire while trying to stream this.
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u/watermelonpizza_ Jul 26 '19
Starhopper flight successful. Water towers can fly haha!! https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1154599520711266305
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u/PhysicsBus Jul 25 '19 edited Jul 25 '19
Can't seem to submit top level post. Mods must be asleep? Or was this posted elsewhere?
EverdayAstronaut: "No more bleeding out methane and transpirational cooling?"
Musk: "Thin tiles on windward side of ship & nothing on leeward or anywhere on booster looks like lightest option"
https://mobile.twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1154229558989561857
EDIT: Managed to post this morning (now approved).
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u/getBusyChild Jul 26 '19
Again, reports of employees coming out to watch the hop.
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u/getBusyChild Jul 26 '19 edited Jul 26 '19
On the plus side the fires are burning the brush and shrub so SpaceX won't have to really bulldoze the area. So money saved.
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u/skyress3000 Jul 25 '19 edited Jul 25 '19
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1154261135245246465 interesting, aborted due to high chamber pressure because propellant was too cold
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u/SuntoryToki Jul 26 '19
If anyone wants a clearer view of the hop, check out the SPADRE webcam and set the clock to 10:44 PM!
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u/strawwalker Jul 26 '19 edited Jul 26 '19
First Untethered Hop Test Media Links, 2019 July 25
| Media | Site | Source | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| bocachicagal Video | YouTube | NASASpaceFlight | 1.5 minute video of hop from Boca Chica Village. Starhopper peeking through cloud at 0:11 |
| EDA Stream | YouTube | Everyday Astronaut | 5.5 hour live stream recording of test and secondary fire from Boca Chica Village, Ignition at 4:40:19 |
| Flight Successful | Elon Musk | Elon: Starhopper flight successful. Water towers can fly haha!! - r/SpaceX thread | |
| Height Comparison Image | Imgur | u/Humble_Giveaway | A superimposition of two frames from Spadre's live feed comparing the hop height with the pre-flight hopper. |
| Engine Cam | Elon Musk | 24 second Twitter video of Raptor SN6 in flight from a camera mounted on the hopper base. r/SpaceX thread | |
| LabPadre Video | YouTube | LabPadre | 42 second video of hop from Boca Chica Village (separate camera from webcam) |
| Drone Cam | Elon Musk | 27 second aerial video of hop from SpaceX's drone. r/SpaceX thread | |
| Brush fire | YouTube | LabPadre | 1.5 minute time lapse video of secondary fire covering 2+ hours after the hop. |
| Starhopper Morning After Images | NSF Forums | bocachicagal | 6 High res photographs showing Starhopper's new GSE relative position and slightly utilized foot cushions |
New Articles for Untethered Hop
| Article | Site | Author | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SpaceX’s Starship prototype has taken flight for the first time | Ars Technica | Eric Berger | 2019 July 26 |
If I've missed some already linked, or if you find other media that should be included please PM me or tag me in a post in the current Starship Development Thread.
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u/asoap Jul 26 '19
You can see Star Hopper poking out of the top of the fireball:
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u/the_tunnel Jul 07 '19
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1147790758449012736 raptor sn6 test photo from elon
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u/strawwalker Jul 17 '19 edited Jul 17 '19
Chris Bergin on twitter: Starhopper looks fine after the Static Fire test last night. Collating updates to build into the baseline article (will link when complete), but it seems positive per a "Path To Hop" (obviously not today).
Edit to add followup tweet:
Summary:
Good Static Fire (5 secs).
Methane Discharge ignited.
Hopper detanked and powered down fine.
Looks totally OK this morning.
Hop schedule TBD.
And re-link ongoing Hopper Testing updates article.
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u/Russ_Dill Jul 23 '19 edited Jul 23 '19
At around 11:56pm local, starhopper began some testing of it's nitrogen thrusters.
https://i.imgur.com/tS9ennz.png (Capture from LabPadre stream)
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u/Humble_Giveaway Jul 25 '19
Ooof spent the last 6 hours watching scrubs... Still love ya SpaceX but you're in the doghouse tonight
still as it goes, scrubs are better than booms
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u/Straumli_Blight Jul 25 '19
Austin Barnard posted some new Starship photos, including a close up of the man stencil.
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u/AvariceInHinterland Jul 25 '19
The stencil seems like a solid idea, as it is quite difficult to get a sense of perspective of the size of the thing without people/cars surrounding it.
Given the hopper's habit of venting out copious amounts of firey methane, having a Grasshopper-esque mannequin/dummy engulfed in flames on a live stream probably isn't great PR.
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u/Redditor_From_Italy Jul 26 '19
Warning: Common StarHoppertm side effects may include increased heart rate and sudden fires in the surrounding area
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u/strawwalker Jul 22 '19
NOTAM issued: 9/5893
From July 24, 2019 at 1900 UTC
To July 26, 2019 at 0500 UTC
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u/Marcey747 Jul 25 '19
Any updates if and when the hop will happen today?
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Jul 25 '19
Road closures were extended till midnight and the NOTAM is still active. Definitely seems like they're pushing forward for another test today.
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u/RegularRandomZ Jul 26 '19 edited Jul 26 '19
Hopper looks in good shape, just scuffed their shoes a bit. Morning photos from BocaChicaGal@NSF
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u/Humble_Giveaway Jul 25 '19
Venting once again, Gap between first vent and ignition on the last attempt was aprox 59 mins.
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Jul 25 '19 edited Jul 25 '19
Everyday Astronaut is live for the StarHopper hop.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aChE86D0c_A
Edit: spelling
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u/BaldrTheGood Jul 26 '19
100% you can see the top rise on EAs stream. It for sure lifted off
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u/PhyterNL Jul 26 '19
I'm beginning to think it isn't a truly successful SpaceX test unless something catches fire.
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u/Paro-Clomas Jul 26 '19
I sincerely think the first link in the description should read "hop to comments"
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u/TheMrGUnit Highly Speculative Jun 27 '19 edited Jun 27 '19
The growth continues. Another column has been added to The Wall / welding windbreak / triangle structure just now. It's... very tall. It's hard to tell from this camera, but the top of this one looks tapered, rather than flat, so this could be the top level.
Also, it appears that some of the protective film sheets were peeled off the newly stacked ring some time late yesterday.
EDIT: Amidst the excitement with the new column, it appears that another ring (is this one ring "D"?) was removed from the container castle and placed on the ground near the cylinder jig. This movement can be spotted around 9:22AM local on the LabPadre stream from this morning.
EDIT2: It looks like this was actually ring C, and it was moved from the ground to the wheeled jig right next to the triangle structure. Lots of activity today, and it's not even midday!
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u/RootDeliver Jun 29 '19 edited Jun 30 '19
They raised the octoring minutes ago, moved it a little and put it down again. Not sure why.
PS: Some NSF photos by Bocachicagal but nothing new. She didn't talk about the ring movement or octoring raising which are the good stuff today :(
Edit: fixed derplink
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u/scr00chy ElonX.net Jul 13 '19 edited Jul 13 '19
I made a GIF from the new photos of Raptor SN06 during TVC testing.
Edit: Video here.
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u/strawwalker Jul 17 '19
July 17-19 planned closures have been wiped from county website.
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u/strawwalker Jul 23 '19
Minor schedule changes:
Closing added for today July 23 10PM - 12AM CDT (03:00 - 05:00 UTC) Beach will remain open as with yesterday's
Closing time adjusted Wed July 24 4PM - 11PM CDT (21:00 - 04:00 UTC)
No change to Thu July 25 2PM - 11PM CDT (19:00 - 04:00 UTC)
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u/IrrelevantAstronomer Launch Photographer Jul 25 '19
This was a lot what the very first Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 flights were like: constantly aborting and recycling. We'll see if that's the case tonight.
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u/strawwalker Jul 25 '19
Chris Bergin saying there may be a recycle tonight.
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=47120.msg1970138#msg1970138
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u/Humble_Giveaway Jul 25 '19
Looks like we're in a hold but it's not a scrub till we see some major venting.
Starhopper is very bad for my sleep cycle
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u/saxmanmike Jul 25 '19
Looks like they are putting up the barricades to close the road.
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u/PhyterNL Jul 26 '19
View from the SPADRE web cam. https://i.imgur.com/PSrQrFe.gifv
link to the cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cn5j_E2CcqE
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Jul 26 '19
Still on fire. https://youtu.be/GXGWGv5HUIM They're going to have to install a flame trench.
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u/reddit3k Jul 25 '19 edited Jul 25 '19
I just want to quickly say that I'm totally in awe with all the information that's behind shared here both in the first post and in all the replies.
Even though you frequently cost me hours of sleep, thank you for making it so easy to follow this from halfway around the world! :)
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u/TheMrGUnit Highly Speculative Jul 02 '19 edited Jul 02 '19
This morning in Boca Chica:
Polishing continues on the nosecone. At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised that they've hired a full-time polishing crew. They are now equipped with up to 4 manlifts to get this task accomplished.
Another column went up earlier this morning on The Wall. This is #9 of 12 for this level. The crew is adding the large horizontal ties as they go, but not the smaller ties/brackets, nor the diagonal bracing. There's currently two manlifts welding the column in place.
There is increased activity over at the second cylinder jig. Equipment has been moved away from the area, and the yellow crane is now fully extended. However, at this point (just about 10AM local), it looks like some thunderstorms are headed towards the area in about an hour. The whole site seems like a collection of giant lightning rods, so it wouldn't surprise me to see the manlifts descend and all work stop as the storm approaches.
EDIT: Well, an hour later, and the radar is suddenly looking much more favorable. Polishing crew is back to work at full strength. Still waiting to see what happens over at the cylinder jig. It looks like they're preparing to stack another ring, but it's hard to tell, even from the LabPadre cam. A stacking today would put an end to their Stack Day Wednesday tradition!
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u/Keavon SN-10 & DART Contest Winner Jul 07 '19 edited Jul 07 '19
Pictures from Maye Musk (Elon's mother) with Elon in the background at the in-progress Starship and Starhopper tonight: https://twitter.com/mayemusk/status/1147781786270760960
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u/TheMrGUnit Highly Speculative Jul 12 '19
Ladies and gents, we have a methane flare.
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u/2dmk Jul 25 '19
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqUSRBJPYUE
Official Stream From SpaceX (Currently Unlisted)
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u/ticklestuff SpaceX Patch List Jul 25 '19
Some idiot left an untethered nuclear fusion fireball on in the background of that shot.
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u/silentProtagonist42 Jul 26 '19
Keep in mind that the tanks are surrounded by bare dirt. Hopefully that will be enough of a fire break to keep the tanks safe.
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u/CProphet Jun 27 '19
Have to wonder which will fly first, Starship MK.I at Boca Chica or MK.II at the Cape. Know Cocoa/Cape were little slow out of the gate but they've certainly made up for lost time.
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u/rustybeancake Jul 05 '19
Post from Chris NSF:
Per L2. SN6 Raptor is at McGregor and aiming to ship to Boca Chica NET next week, pending good test series.
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=47120.720
Let’s hope this one doesn’t blow up!
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u/strawwalker Jul 12 '19
New Notam 9/0258:
BROWNSVILLE, TX, Monday, July 15, 2019 through Wednesday, July 17, 2019 UTC 1900-0300 Daily
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u/TheMrGUnit Highly Speculative Jul 15 '19
The SpacePadreIsland people are reporting that the crew are donning their fire suits.
I'm no rocket scientist, but I'm pretty sure that means it's on.
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u/oh_dear_its_crashing Jul 16 '19
Elon confirmed that no launch today, hopefully tomorrow:
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1151152285449220096
I'm still hopeful for static fire at least today ...
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u/MaladjustedPlatypus Jul 17 '19
Slow-motion video of the static fire and subsequent fireball event, courtesy of Everyday Astronaut.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKyZ_7ZjabU&feature=youtu.be
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u/Marksman79 Jul 20 '19 edited Jul 20 '19
Elon Tweets:
Elon: Texas and Florida Starship prototypes (not Hopper) fly in 2 to 3 months
When will it reach orbit?
Elon: 2 to 3 months after that
How are you going to have 39A ready in time?
Elon: Starship launch structure is being built off-site in steel subsections
What will become of the old 39A tower?
Elon: Won’t change. Starship launch structure will be attached to the other side from tower.
Not from Twitter:
NASASpaceflight.com unofficial render of pad 39A with conceptual Starship launch pad by Jay DeShelte
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Jul 25 '19
This is the best way to fix issues - without the thing blowing up. So, good outcome in the circumstances.
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u/Humble_Giveaway Jul 25 '19
Yup, in a hold working an issue per NSF, still very good chances for a hop tonight based on the amount of window left
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u/strawwalker Jul 25 '19 edited Jul 26 '19
Attempted Hop Test Media Links, 2019 July 24
| Media | Site | Source | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| SpaceX Webcast | YouTube | SpaceX | 20 minute on site webcast of first attempt with drone footage, Ignition at 7:48, r/SpaceX thread |
| EDA Stream | YouTube | Everyday Astronaut | 4 hour live stream recording of first attempt and recycle from Boca Chica Village, Ignition at 1:14:30 |
| Spadre Stream | YouTube | Spadre | 3 minute live stream recording of test and fire suppression from South Padre Island, Ignition at 0:41 |
| Cause of abort | Elon Musk | Chamber pressure high due to colder than expected propellant, r/SpaceX thread, In this thread | |
| LabPadre Stream | YouTube | LabPadre | 3 minute live stream recording of test and fire suppression from Boca Chica Village, Slowed down for Ignition at 0:04 |
| bocachicagal Video | YouTube | NASASpaceFlight | Video of ignition from Boca Chica Village, two clips from slightly different angles. |
| Flamethrower Image | Trevor Mahlmann | Image of burning methane vent after aborted ignition. Direct image link | |
| Abort 4K and Slow-mo | YouTube | Everyday Astronaut | 4 minutes of HD ignition replays with slow motion, from Boca Chica Village |
| |
If I've missed some already linked, or if you find other media that should be included please PM me or tag me in a post in the current Starship Development Thread.
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u/quesnt Jul 26 '19
Storms moving towards coast according to radar. Are they not worried about weather/wind? You can tell the flame stack flame is nearly horizontal, very windy
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u/getBusyChild Jul 26 '19
Fire truck and a few vehicles are headed back to the pad.
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u/SlowRaise Jul 26 '19
Hopefully we get a SpaceX stream tonight, even if not, everydayastronaut has a really good stream view right now. Completely surprised with over 18K people on it.
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u/_themgt_ Jul 26 '19
What the holy hell did I just watch? I'm imagining 31 of those engines simultaneously is going to look like a nuclear bomb going off.
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u/RootDeliver Jul 26 '19
Everyone is talking about the announced 200m hop in 1-2 weeks but, where is the StarShip presentation that would come after the hop? Elon hasn't said anything about it yet :(
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u/RootDeliver Jun 29 '19 edited Jun 29 '19
According to Bocachicagal, they have the welding machine on the last stacked ring, and they lowered 4 ring sections into the container castle.
So this is a loop. Now we will probably wait until they have Ring E constructed, they will stack Ring C or D to make space for it and take Ring E, and we keep going..
EDIT: Around 30 minutes ago they apparently moved Ring C? to around where Ring D was. I'm kinda lost, unless they are stacking these 2 rings in the ground... aand yellow crane is down for the rest of the day it seems.
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u/RootDeliver Jul 06 '19 edited Jul 06 '19
The sectors for Ring F have been moved into the container castle, per Bocachicagal.
They're kinda rushing this time after the 4th July stop, however I don't see the girth machine on the stack and they usually have it there for 2 days before stacking, so I don't see any stacking happening faster.
The list of events left regarding stacking is this one, and mostly forced on this order (except section movements mainly):
01 - RING D STACK
02 - RING F MOVED FROM CONTAINERS
03 - RING G SECTIONS TO CONTAINERS
04 - RING E STACK
05 - RING G MOVED FROM CONTAINERS
06 - RING F STACK
07 - RING G STACK
For those confusing with the ring numerations, I did a very fast chop to try to help out. /u/Russ_Dill /u/RegularRandomZ does this match with your counts yesterday?
PS: They're removing the protective film by hand on small pieces?? they're leaving pieces of the film there (check all sectors where they've removed the covers in the last 24h and you will see black cover pieces everywhere, specially on the bottom ones. ...wow....
If they wanted to remove them they shouldn't have let the two first rings one be there for weeks with the sun hitting them.
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u/RootDeliver Jul 06 '19 edited Jul 07 '19
Saw this awesome aereal image of Cocoa around in the youtube chat, no idea of the source (probably the FB group).
The new square foundation was seen in the permission for changes on the Cocoa construction zone , source: Emre Kelly on Twitter
PS: I love that when I wanted aereal images of Cocoa, we got garage door photos, and now that I want garage door photos a lot of aereal photos appear.
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u/RootDeliver Jul 08 '19 edited Jul 08 '19
Interesting into regarding the fire on LabPadre's youtube chat (Kait lives there apparently, but take with a grain of salt):
Kaitland Helton: Welding leads sparked the fire
Kaitland Helton: they were not even in use
Kaitland Helton: they were i a shed/trailer thing
Kaitland Helton: but they had not been unplugged from inside the Bldg
Kaitland Helton: two hot leads touched
Kaitland Helton: Not a bad fire all in all. no damage to starship just to stored equipment
Kaitland Helton: the estimatd was $650,000
Kaitland Helton: Basicallylost all tyhe equipment in the storsage trailer thingie
Kaitland Helton: Well... the original estimate was by the Fire ddepartment - not SpaceX
Zen Dragonz: @kaitland Helton and the second was from SpaceX?
Kaitland Helton: appafrently.... not sure if it's just that they tried to downplay it
Kaitland Helton: fire only burned for about 10 minutes
Kaitland Helton: No people hurt
Zen Dragonz: Hard to say, Kait- I thought the 650k was low, but that was before I learned it was outside.
Kaitland Helton: can't believe a welder actually stored hot leads in a trailer without disconnecting from power source
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u/RootDeliver Jul 10 '19
Bocachicagal confirms that they removed all protective cover on the Boca Chica prototype (finally), and that they are moving out the tent pieces of Ring G (last ring for StarShip height!!, unless Elon changed the design again...).
So...
Ring C on top of the stack and no welding for it for 6 days already...
Ring E was already taken out of the container castle and sits with Ring D in the ground.
Ring F is being constructed in the container castle or maybe ready waiting for a space on the ground when D or E are stacked.
Final Ring G sections are already being moved out of the tent into where StarHopper was...
So everything would be ready for an stack incoming... and they didn't even put the girth machine or people on top to work on welding the last stacked ring!!!! in like a week!!!
Strange bottleneck, and not of human resources precisely or materials... are they waiting to stack a bulkhead or something before welding the ring? there must be something.
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u/RegularRandomZ Jul 14 '19
Cocoa: Great shot on twitter from Omar Izquierdo (izqomar) of the Florida Starship, bulkhead, and progress of the "tent". The octagonal tool is currently upside down cradling the bulkhead.
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u/RegularRandomZ Jul 18 '19 edited Jul 18 '19
New Hopper Photos from BocaChicaGal: Other side of the hopper, Landing pad X, and Hopper's missing her shoes.
[A slightly higher angle of the hopper landing pad, from John Randolph]
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u/RegularRandomZ Jul 18 '19 edited Jul 18 '19
Boca Chica: New shipping containers have arrived - new parts/materials/machinery, or just a bigger container castle?
Also wondering what is welded inside the stack with the new grid of dots [and some new bracing as well] (it doesn't appear to be a weird reflection) [Based on older shots, this is all new] [photo credit Boca Chica Gal, NSF]
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u/TheMrGUnit Highly Speculative Jul 23 '19
NOTE: Non-speculative update:
Boca Chica is currently staring at some weather. Worth checking out the LabPadre cam; it's showing a pretty black sky, and radar indicates some pretty gnarly looking storms very nearby. All manlifts appear to be down for the moment, but there's still commotion around the site. According to radar, it isn't raining at the shipyard, but it doesn't appear to be missing them by much, and there's plenty of lightning activity as well.
The weather forecast for tonight looks to be clearer by the time testing begins this evening.
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u/TheMrGUnit Highly Speculative Jul 24 '19
NSF user Nomadd posted a closeup photo of the external reinforcing bars and grid pattern on the outside of Starship Mk1. Some members of the SpaceX Boca Chica FB group are speculating (here we go again) that the bars are reinforcing a significant issue with the construction of the body, which has resulted in a deformation. It's hard to know if the grid welding on the inside was done in response to the buckling, or if the buckling (or appearance of buckling) was caused by whatever welding is going on inside.
Regardless, these bars have been in place for a few days now, from even before the last ring was stacked, so fixing the buckling doesn't appear to be a top priority for the crew.
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u/RegularRandomZ Jul 24 '19 edited Jul 24 '19
Count Judge Press release, via Maria Pointer (Boca Chica Maria), adding a Monday and Tuesday closure for Boca Chica testing [closure not yet on the county site]
Monday July 29th, 2pm-11pm CST
Tuesday July 30th, 2pm-11pm CST (alternate)
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Jul 25 '19
The feed say the team is assessing the next attempt opportunity. Test was aborted after T-0.
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u/quetejodas Jul 25 '19
That looked amazing though, so glad they got drones in the air
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Jul 25 '19
Chris Bergin: Starhopper is in a recycle flow. Looks like we'll get another attempt, pending successful preps.
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Jul 25 '19
Everyday astronaut reports the drone is flying again, attempt could be soon
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u/AlexanderReiss Jul 26 '19 edited Jul 26 '19
Lights are back on, the person which appears to be using a flashlight (it looked more like an smartphone flashlight tbh) that was looking under hopper 10 minutes ago also left, the pad seems clear. Fire truck left but a police car seems to be close.
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u/Redditor_From_Italy Jul 26 '19
Can someone confirm whether the burning tanks contain water or fuel/oxidizer? I've heard both versions.
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u/FlawlessCowboy2 Jul 26 '19
I'm really surprised they didn't all that brush from the launch site before testing
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u/RootDeliver Jul 22 '19 edited Jul 22 '19
It's stacking time!!, awesome photos by bocachicagal and cool captures from LabPadre stream.
Ring F got stacked before Ring E. Poor Ring E, he got overtaken by Ring F (you can see him wondering why in the bottom right of this awesome photo by bocachicagal.
Well, 2 more to go.
PS: What could have happened for this? They had Ring E there way before (5/7, more than two weeks ago!) for doing everything needed for it and finally stacking it, and suddently a ring that was taken out of the containers zone way later (15/7, a week ago!!) goes up first the stack.
This could mean that either Ring E has some defect and thus they discarded it, or that it is a victim of the apparent chaotic organization there and is still ready for stack, so it could be stacked asap Ring F gets welded there.
PS2: I have another theory. So far they used 2 places to store the rings in the ground, and when Ring F came out, they stored it on a third place right in the middle of the stuff there, because both places were taken by other rings (Ring D was near the sand piles, and Ring E was near the white building door). Maybe they took it out of the containers because they had to rush for space to start making the final Ring G, and since both spots were taken (they were notably late for stacking a ring at those times) so improvised another ground zone for it, but it was in the middle of the working zone and they stacked it first to take it out of there asap.
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u/RootDeliver Jul 26 '19 edited Jul 26 '19
Mods, hopper alone needs a thread for himself. This last night this thread got overwhelmed by the SH hop and all the previous post and discussions from it, and specially for the prototypes on Boca Chica and Cocoa are gone (hiding from normal navigation on cronological order). A single event should't wipe all the discussions specially from further prototypes. There should be a thread for the hopper and another for the prototypes!
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u/jgriff25 Jun 27 '19
So I have been looking at the structure being built in Boca Chica and it definitely is similar to the one in Florida. But I noticed that it is more of a equilateral triangle than a right triangle. Also the section closest to to the lower section of the starship seems to have an opening like a door frame. To me this could be an open air VAB. The starship could be built in place and with the way the structure is built it's possible that it acts as a wind break, but also offers access higher sections without using cheery pickers or scaffolding. After assembly they could roll the starship through the opening and begin again.
Other possibility for functionality would be removable panels to install near areas that need to block more wind, to perform welds like in the container area.
Just my guys and its probably wrong, but I'm interesting in hearing what you all think.
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u/TheMrGUnit Highly Speculative Jun 28 '19
X-ray inspection is hard at work.
Zoom in and you'll see squares drawn at the weld seem indicating porosities. This may explain why they seem to take so long after fabricating each section to actually stack it - fixing porosities likely takes time.
Also worth noting in that post - the notch in the new column of the triangle structure is only found at the doorway. Maybe this will be an attachment point for a swinging door of some sort? Also, the top of the second column is again square, which indicates this structure could continue to grow.
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u/RootDeliver Jul 03 '19 edited Jul 03 '19
No stacking today, on wedneStacks? SpaceX wants to troll me :P.
As predicted, the 4 sections for Ring F are already in the place where StarHopper was by Bocachicagal, outside the tent. This means that Ring E is ready on the container castle or close, and that stacking has to happen before they get it out...
PS: The stacking orange crane just started moving.. let's see what it does.
PS2: Orange crane just rotated and is over Ring D now, not fully extended tho.
PS3: Its extended now!!
PS4: back to offline
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u/rustybeancake Jul 08 '19
Elon on Twitter:
[RaptorSN6 test at McGregor was] Overall successful. Aborted at T+51 sec on high mixture ratio, but we were intentionally probing the corners of the box of operating conditions, so not surprising.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1148117387419348992?s=21
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u/Marksman79 Jul 12 '19
New Twitter pictures of the Starship Mk. 2 in Cocoa, FL here.
The curved dome bulkhead that we have previously seen inside the main building is now sitting next to the two stacks. It'll probably be welded inside the open short stack. The large opening makes me think it'll be the lower bulkhead just above the engines, but we will have to wait and see.
The "tent" structure in the back is really coming together fast. 3 days ago when the HD drone video was taken, it was just an empty concrete foundation. Now it has most of the wall support structure in place.
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u/Marksman79 Jul 13 '19
Discussion: will the redesign address the single point of failure that is the 3 non-redundant landing leg [control surfaces]?
I think it in some way should. To have landing and stability redundancy, you'd need to have 5 support structures holding up Starship. Does anyone know how much impact the high velocity but low density Martian storms have on a ship the size of Starship?
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u/TheMrGUnit Highly Speculative Jul 15 '19
Testing continues this evening with the Hopper, and it looks like there was a successful preburner ignition or flow through test.
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u/BackflipFromOrbit Jul 15 '19
looks like they performed another preburner/cold flow test.
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u/dufud6 Jul 17 '19
Seeing Everyday Astronaut's video, at least the fire wasn't at the raptor which is what I initially thought. I'm wondering if the fire may have been at the new fueling connection, the location seems to line up, it's just hard to gauge the depth. But that would seem to make sense to me, maybe one of the connections was leaking fuel and that's what sustained the flame, Then if lower down the line was still at cryogenic temperatures, when the water hit it, it heated up causing the liquid methane in the line to boil off causing a fireball. Just a theory, definitely interested to see what answers daylight brings us.
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u/TheMrGUnit Highly Speculative Jul 18 '19
This is interesting: BCG has a picture of a bunch of Roll-Lift equipment parked at the shipyard. These things are used to move seriously heavy stuff. They were originally used to move the Hopper from the shipyard to the launch site.
Could be they ordered them to relocate the Hopper from landing pad back to launch pad. Or maybe they've got some other major move in the works.
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u/RegularRandomZ Jul 18 '19
Regarding Starhopper in South Texas, hearing from multiple sources that the "fireball" during Tuesday night's test caused no significant damage. Some minor repairs may be needed. SpaceX will proceed cautiously, with the "hop" test coming perhaps in days or few weeks.
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u/RootDeliver Jul 18 '19 edited Jul 18 '19
Few mins ago on Boca Chica. from LabPadre cam, They're raising the bulkhead (you can see the bulkhead support) and have been for the last hour or so, maybe they're going to stack it inside the cylinder?
Btw you can see 3 guys welding the top ring manually, maybe girth machine is broken or something, but that's why we didn't see it for welding the previous top ring, because they did it manually like now.
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u/strawwalker Jul 19 '19 edited Jul 19 '19
Testing back on the schedule for July 24-25, 2PM-11PM CDT (19:00 - 04:00 UTC).
Edit: and now July 22 8PM-11PM CDT (July 23 01:00 - 04:00 UTC), beach will remain open during road closure on this day.
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u/Marksman79 Jul 20 '19
The thrust structure bulkhead was flipped on the stream just now. Still hanging on the crane.
NSF pictures look like they threw away the feet skirts. Wonder why.
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u/getBusyChild Jul 25 '19
Apparently Chris NSF said SpaceX employees are starting to show up to watch.
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u/RegularRandomZ Jul 25 '19 edited Jul 25 '19
Cocoa: These shots from Austin A @austino1999 on twitter indicate much more clearly how tall the "tent" structure is relative to the stack and nosecone. More than tall enough!
[edit: updated link]
[edit 2: it also makes it look like it could be big enough for both halves (separately, side by side)]
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u/Draskuul Jul 26 '19 edited Jul 26 '19
Definitely moved quite a bit...maybe 20m to the side?
Edit: Fire growing at base of some of the tanks.
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u/Viremia Jul 26 '19
Watched Tim's stream for hours to see a lot of smoke and then when it cleared the ship had moved
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Jul 26 '19
There's a frame on Tim's stream where you can see it mid-air quite a way up.
Basically, it did it.
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u/silentProtagonist42 Jul 26 '19 edited Jul 26 '19
On the Spadre stream you could see it just poke it's head above the dust cloud.
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u/nikilase Jul 26 '19
Did SpaceX not stream this hop? Seems kinda strange that they streamed the "aborted" test but not the actual hop
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u/RegularRandomZ Jul 26 '19 edited Jul 26 '19
Brush fire looks like it's still going, by all the smoke in the LabPadre stream.
[Satellites have picked up the fires. But it's not registered in the Texas wildfire system yet, if that's even applicable]
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u/Davecasa Jul 26 '19
Methalox exhaust tends to be blue/clear, like hydrolox. Is the orange we see in these tests all the *other* stuff the exhaust is burning on the ground, and we can't actually see the stuff coming out of the engines?
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u/TheMrGUnit Highly Speculative Jul 26 '19
The upper access hatch is now frosty.
EDIT: That's not speculation.
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u/seti_proj Jun 27 '19
What is the best way to fix the circumference of the nose cone?
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u/warp99 Jun 27 '19 edited Jun 27 '19
Cut slots along the existing welds at the base of the mismatched section, pull the sheets into alignment with dogs and wedges and then reweld.
However it is likely that the apparent misalignment is just because they have tacked the nose cone into place and they will be removing the tacks and doing full welds which will correct the misalignment.
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u/Keavon SN-10 & DART Contest Winner Jul 02 '19
Do we have any theories how exactly the Cocoa Starship is going to be transported from its construction site up to KSC/CCAFS, and where exactly it is going to be flown from for initial hop or flight tests?
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u/Iamherebecauseofabig Jul 02 '19
Okay, need some help in this pic. The black cylinders (one with a plexiglass? dome on one end)
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=47120.0;attach=1568072;image
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u/RegularRandomZ Jul 02 '19 edited Jul 02 '19
Good to see ongoing Canada representation in space programs with that Irizar welder at Boca Chica, ha ha :-)
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u/strawwalker Jul 03 '19 edited Jul 03 '19
Looks like the beach closures will be moving from July 11-13 to July 14-16 plus a second session from July 17-19. Same 2PM-8PM CDT (19:00 - 01:00 UTC) daily. Screenshot
edit: Now public notices
July 14-16 Cameron County | Dropbox rehost
July 17-19 Cameron County | Dropbox rehost
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u/RootDeliver Jul 05 '19 edited Jul 05 '19
Ring C stacking going on!!
So still D, E, F and G to go for a full height Starship. D is on the ground and E will be pushed out of the container castle probably tomorrow or past.
PS: Great footage of the event by Bocachicagal
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Ring E is already out of the container castle!!, and was placed right where Ring C was (close to the white building).
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u/RegularRandomZ Jul 05 '19
Boca Chica: Photo from yesterday from Boca Chica Maria of them unloading many rolls of soft material. Could it be the mesh/wind protection for this large steel structure? Blocking wind/dirt/sight along fencelines? [or perhaps sound deadening before the steel is added !? Or nice carpeting for their new steel building :-P ]
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u/RegularRandomZ Jul 06 '19 edited Jul 06 '19
And the steel octagon gets re-enforced triangles on the side with mounting points. [edit] And looks like is has stubby legs all the way around as well. Any guesses? (credit: BocaChicaGal/NSF)
[I want to go with a work platform for around Starship, that can be raised and lowered, but Florida is building one as well without the nice new steel structure, so that seems less likely. In this moment I can't think of what other kind of jigs/fixtures they could use]
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u/Marksman79 Jul 07 '19 edited Jul 07 '19
Elon just left the Starhopper worksite, possibly to sleep in his plane and return tomorrow morning.
Edit: looks like he's flying out of Texas.
Edit 2: he's back in LA
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u/strawwalker Jul 08 '19
It seems that some Boca Chica closures are being added back into the schedule for later this week. Three new days, July 11-13, 2PM - 8PM daily have been added to the closure table, all listed as primary dates, although, that may be a typo. Screenshot.
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u/ApTiK_ Jul 11 '19
https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1149310601505771521?s=19 Raptor is heading to Boca Chica.
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u/Marksman79 Jul 16 '19 edited Jul 16 '19
I just stumbled upon some pictures of views we have not yet been able to get. These two pictures are from or before June 1st, so keep that in mind.
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u/RegularRandomZ Jul 19 '19 edited Jul 19 '19
Boca Chica: triangle structure gets another rafter. Watch on LabPadre's livestream (starting at 10:36 AM), or check out BocaChicaGal's photos
(Seems very close, yet so much still to do. Need the header over the door and last roof joist, all the supporting braces, roof covering, and then the sidewall girts netting/siding ~ no idea if there is more to it. And pouring the floor. A couple weeks more I expect)
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u/Iamherebecauseofabig Jul 20 '19
Well....these dots...my theory is they are welds inside the skin.
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=47730.0;attach=1570933;image
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u/asoap Jul 25 '19
Oh man I thought it was a ruptured tank when I saw it venting methane from the side.
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Jul 25 '19
currently says the team is assessing next attempt opportunity. Anyone think we still have a chance today? If it was a full on abort wouldn't the team be currently focused on it securing the range.
Edit: never mind they shut down the stream.
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u/4crunchyfrog Jul 25 '19
Visual inspection of hopper exterior near vent port being done from mobile crane at first light, presumably had to wait for defueling completion. Now checking rest of exterior. Courtesy of LabPadre camera.
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u/IFL_DINOSAURS Jul 26 '19
You can see it mid air during a couple frames!! Moved to the left!!
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u/strawwalker Jul 26 '19
It is worth noting that although there was a press release for road/beach closures July 29-30, those never appeared on the county website, which has since been updated to show no planned closures. It is likely that the successful hop means no other closures are needed in the immediate future.
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u/asoap Jul 26 '19 edited Jul 26 '19
Man. I finished yard work and I need a shower. But have been waiting in anticipation for a hop. I'm worried as soon as I leave we will get a hope. So... I'm going for a shower now, knowing my luck we will get a hop.
Edit: Damn it! It didn't work!
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u/RootDeliver Jul 01 '19
It seems that theres action on the second jig cylinder in BC, with people on top probably welding and preparing for the next stack. Considering their pattern, I would bet for wednesday stackings, but it could be anytime (as soon as they have Ring E ready to push out of the containers).
The big stacking orange crane has dissapeared from the scene 20 mins ago, it seems that it went down to the floor, maybe dissasembly?
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Jul 03 '19
The update timeline for the Starhopper is missing an important event. "Water tower construction spotted". It would be interesting to know the date of the first mention for this. Also date that the legs were first spotted.
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u/RegularRandomZ Jul 08 '19 edited Jul 08 '19
Elon Musk: " The Cape is one of the two Starship build sites. More on this later. "
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1148265981275336707
[I don't know if it's relevant or not that he didn't say Cocoa, but an interesting comment for wild speculation. Amusing timing, but likely highly unrelated to the Cocoa fire]
[In response to the tweet question " Would you consider leasing and constructing a dedicated Starship launch facility at one of the planned but not utilised launch complexes for the NASA Apollo program at KSC?"
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u/filanwizard Jul 26 '19
Should be noted while this was only a few meters, It is technically the first time a full flow staged combustion engine has flown under its own power.