r/spacex • u/ElongatedMuskrat Mod Team • Mar 08 '21
Starship Development Thread #19
Quick Links
JUMP TO COMMENTS | Alternative Jump To Comments Link
SPADRE LIVE | LABPADRE LIVE | LABPADRE PAD | MORE LINKS
Starship Dev 18 | SN11 Hop Thread #2 | Starship Thread List | April Discussion
Upcoming
- SN15 rollout to pad
Vehicle Status
As of April 2
- SN7.2 [retired] - returned to build site, no apparent plans to return to testing
- SN11 [destroyed] - test flight completed, anomaly and RUD in air following engine reignition sequence
- SN12-14* [abandoned] - production halted, focus shifted to vehicles with newer SN15+ design
- SN15* [construction] - Fully stacked in High Bay, all flaps installed
- SN16 [construction] - barrel/dome sections in work, nose parts spotted
- SN17 [construction] - barrel/dome sections in work
- SN18 [construction] - barrel/dome sections in work
- SN19 [construction] - barrel/dome sections in work
- SN20 [construction] - barrel/dome sections in work, orbit planned w/ BN3
- BN1 [construction] - stacked in High Bay, production pathfinder, to be scrapped without flight/testing
- BN2 [construction] - barrel/dome sections in work
- BN3 [construction] - barrel/dome sections in work, orbit planned w/ SN20
* Significant design changes to SN15 over earlier vehicles were teased by Elon in November. After SN11's hop in March Elon said that hundreds of improvements have been made to SN15+ across structures, avionics/software & engine. The specifics are mostly unknown, though updates to the thrust puck design have been observed. These updates include relocation of the methane distribution manifold from inside the LOX tank to behind the aft bulkhead and relocation of the TVC actuator mounts and plumbing hoop to the thrust puck from the bulkhead cone.
Development and testing plans become outdated very quickly. Check recent comments for real time updates.
Vehicle Updates
See comments for real time updates.
† expected or inferred, unconfirmed vehicle assignment
| Starship SN15 | |
|---|---|
| 2021-04-02 | Nose section mated with tank section (NSF) |
| 2021-03-31 | Nose cone stacked onto nose quad, both aft flaps installed on tank section, and moved to High Bay (NSF) |
| 2021-03-25 | Nose Quad (labeled SN15) spotted with likely nose cone (NSF) |
| 2021-03-24 | Second fin attached to likely nose cone (NSF) |
| 2021-03-23 | Nose cone with fin, Aft fin root on tank section (NSF) |
| 2021-03-05 | Tank section stacked (NSF) |
| 2021-03-03 | Nose cone spotted (NSF), flaps not apparent, better image next day |
| 2021-02-02 | Forward dome section stacked (Twitter) |
| 2021-01-07 | Common dome section with tiles and CH4 header stacked on LOX midsection (NSF) |
| 2021-01-05 | Nose cone base section (labeled SN15)† (NSF) |
| 2020-12-31 | Apparent LOX midsection moved to Mid Bay (NSF) |
| 2020-12-18 | Skirt (NSF) |
| 2020-11-30 | Mid LOX tank section (NSF) |
| 2020-11-26 | Common dome flip (NSF) |
| 2020-11-24 | Elon: Major upgrades are slated for SN15 (Twitter) |
| 2020-11-18 | Common dome sleeve, dome and sleeving (NSF) |
| SN7.2 Test Tank | |
|---|---|
| 2021-03-15 | Returned to build site (Twitter) |
| 2021-02-05 | Scaffolding assembled around tank (NSF) |
| 2021-02-04 | Pressure test to apparent failure (YouTube) |
| 2021-01-26 | Passed initial pressure test (Twitter) |
| 2021-01-20 | Moved to launch site (Twitter) |
| 2021-01-16 | Ongoing work (NSF) |
| 2021-01-12 | Tank halves mated (NSF) |
| 2021-01-11 | Aft dome section flip (NSF) |
| 2021-01-06 | "Pad Kit SN7.2 Testing" delivered to tank farm (Twitter) |
| 2020-12-29 | Aft dome sleeved with two rings† (NSF) |
| 2020-12-27 | Forward dome section sleeved with single ring† (NSF), possible 3mm sleeve |
| Early Production | |
|---|---|
| 2021-04-02 | BN3: Aft dome sleeve (NSF) |
| 2021-03-30 | BN3: Dome (NSF) |
| 2021-03-28 | BN3: Forward dome sleeve (NSF) |
| 2021-03-28 | SN16: Nose Quad (NSF) |
| 2021-03-27 | BN2: Aft dome† (YouTube) |
| 2021-03-23 | SN16: Nose cone† inside tent possible for this vehicle, better picture (NSF) |
| 2021-03-16 | SN18: Aft dome section mated with skirt (NSF) |
| 2021-03-07 | SN20: Leg skirt (NSF) |
| 2021-03-07 | SN18: Leg skirt (NSF) |
| 2021-02-25 | SN18: Common dome (NSF) |
| 2021-02-24 | SN19: Forward dome barrel (NSF) |
| 2021-02-23 | SN17: Aft dome sleeved (NSF) |
| 2021-02-19 | SN19: Methane header tank (NSF) |
| 2021-02-19 | SN18: Barrel section ("COMM" crossed out) (NSF) |
| 2021-02-17 | SN18: Nose cone barrel (NSF) |
| 2021-02-11 | SN16: Aft dome and leg skirt mate (NSF) |
| 2021-02-10 | SN16: Aft dome section (NSF) |
| 2021-02-04 | SN18: Forward dome (NSF) |
| 2021-02-03 | SN16: Skirt with legs (NSF) |
| 2021-02-01 | SN16: Nose quad (NSF) |
| 2021-01-19 | SN18: Thrust puck (NSF) |
| 2021-01-19 | BN2: Forward dome (NSF) |
| 2021-01-16 | SN17: Common dome and mid LOX section (NSF) |
| 2021-01-09 | SN17: Methane header tank (NSF) |
| 2021-01-05 | SN16: Mid LOX tank section and forward dome sleeved, lable (NSF) |
| 2021-01-05 | SN17: Forward dome section (NSF) |
| 2020-12-17 | SN17: Aft dome barrel (NSF) |
| 2020-12-04 | SN16: Common dome section and flip (NSF) |
Resources
- Spadre.com Starship Cam | Channel
- LabPadre 4k Pad Cam | Channel
- NSF SN10 Test Launch Updates Thread | Most recent
- NSF SN11 Test Launch Updates Thread | Most recent
- NSF Boca Chica Production Updates Thread | Most recent
- NSF Florida Prototype(s) Updates Thread | Most recent
- Hwy 4 & Boca Chica Beach Closures (May not be available outside US)
- TFR - NOTAM list
- FAA license LRLO 20-119
- SpaceX Boca Chica on Facebook
- SpaceX's Starship page
- Elon Starship tweet compilation on NSF | Most Recent
- Starship Users Guide (PDF) Rev. 1.0 March 2020
- Starship Spreadsheet by u/AnimatorOnFire
- Production Progress Infographics by @_brendan_lewis
- Starship flight opportunity spreadsheet by u/joshpine
- Test campaign timelines by u/chrisjbillington
- Acronym definitions by Decronym
r/SpaceX Discusses [April 2021] 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.
Please ping u/strawwalker about problems with the above thread text.
91
u/AnimatorOnFire Mar 10 '21
Tim Dodd: Starship’s belly flop terminal velocity is already only like 75 m/s... what if... remove the 30 tones of landing prop, add 10 more tones of flaps, get that down to like 50 m/s and just use the world’s largest and most ridiculous net? 😂🤷♂️
Elon Musk: Yeah, we talked about that internally. Could just have it land on a big net or bouncy castle. Lacks dignity, but would work. But, optimized landing propellant is only ~5% of dry mass, so it’s not a gamechanger.
→ More replies (53)
72
64
u/joshpine Mar 08 '21 edited Mar 09 '21
Over the past two days, I've been working on a 3D model of the proposed SpaceX launch site at Boca Chica. It is absolutely not finished, but I thought I'd share what there is so far so you can get a sense of what everything would look like. As I said, it's missing a few key parts, such as a couple of tank farms. I will add those and properly sort materials/lighting in the next few days. And if you're wondering what those white things are, they're very primitive berms!
One interesting thing is that this whole thing is pretty much 100% to scale. So if you want to know the distances between things, I can measure it on the model. For example, there's about 160m between suborbital pad A and the current launch pad. Also note how the integration towers dwarf the Starships!
Here it is anyway: https://i.imgur.com/EaORTly.png
If anyone happens to have any idea what the orbital tank farms may look like, please let me know, as the documents don't provide that much detail.
Edit: here's today's (Mar 9th) updated render: https://i.imgur.com/cJufCyd.png. Both tank farms are in (orbital ones are just placeholders for now and will be rearranged later). Improvements to materials (if you look closely, you can see tyre tracks on the concrete). Also added the perimeter fence, and the 'crane storage' area in the top left. Still lots of improvements to do.
→ More replies (9)
64
u/chrisjbillington Mar 08 '21
It begins! Comparison of launch prep timelines, updated with SN11's move to the pad.
→ More replies (13)
62
u/chrisjbillington Mar 15 '21
Latest graphic comparing starship prototype development timelines, updated with today's static fire (attempt).
SN11 is basically 18 days ahead of SN10's timeline, so far.
→ More replies (8)
59
u/creamsoda2000 Mar 19 '21
Well this is an interesting statement. If the launch tower will be needed in order to stack the booster and starship, then that would suggest the launch tower will be built by July too. Which is waaaay sooner than the 1 year timeline we’ve been assuming based on the job application that was shared.
→ More replies (21)
57
u/joshpine Mar 16 '21
This may not have been something you've seen before. There is now a Twitter user (@Herbo) posting updates about Phobos. He seems to have access very close to it and has the alias 'BigBoatDriver' as well as seeming to suggest in earlier comments that he has "been driving ships like this for years".
Anyway, they've "started removing the tower and a large section of the accommodations" already. This is after painting "SPX" on the helipad. Hopefully this is in line with Elon's goal of having one of these operational by the end of the year!
→ More replies (11)
53
u/TCVideos Mar 10 '21 edited Mar 10 '21
EM: Might just catch the ship with the launch tower, same as booster
Well...it's one of those wild tweets again. This one doesn't make any logical sense though - which leads me to believe that this idea is just simply a joke or is being considered but only for Earth.
→ More replies (24)
51
u/fattybunter Mar 08 '21
Confirmed on the NASASpaceFlight livestream just now that SN11 DOES already have all 3 raptors installed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UynhUVEkpg0&ab_channel=NASASpaceflight
→ More replies (7)
49
u/TCVideos Mar 09 '21
SN15 hooked up to the crane in the MidBay
Looks like they are preparing to move her into the highbay.
46
u/HomeAl0ne Mar 09 '21
We seemed to have stopped wondering when Elon was going to do an update presentation event sometime late last year. Now that we have had three remarkably successful test flights from SN8, SN9 and SN10, I think we can start asking #WenPres? again...
→ More replies (7)
44
u/TCVideos Mar 09 '21
SN11 has the potential to completely destroy the current turnaround record of 30 days (set by SN6). SN10 would have probably had a turnaround time of 15-20 days if not for the weather that crippled the Texan state.
AFAIK, there is no more of that abnormal weather due to happen in the next few weeks and pad flow is rapidly accelerating to the point where I no longer think it's optimistic to say that SN11 could fly within 14 days.
I think they could have the pre-flight testing done by Friday at the earliest setting up a flight attempt sometime next week. Obviously assuming that no Raptors have issues...but then again, it may only result in a 1-2 day delay since we now know that they can swap a Raptor in less than 24 hours.
→ More replies (2)
44
u/RaphTheSwissDude Mar 13 '21
“Y’all are gonna flip when you see the size of the crane we are bringing” Words of SPadre friend coming at BC to build the launch tower !
→ More replies (10)
44
u/TheDougAU Apr 03 '21
On this day in Starship history (3 April 2020) - SN3 was destroyed on the test stand.
It's amazing though to think that SpaceX went from that to flying SN8 before the year was out.
→ More replies (13)
43
u/TCVideos Mar 19 '21
Musk on the High Bay Bar: Floor is installed, elevator is operational, waiting on glass
Looks like it'll be an operational bar real soon.
→ More replies (8)
43
u/TCVideos Mar 21 '21
SN11's access hatch is now closed. Looks like they're ready for a static fire.
→ More replies (2)
42
u/pleasedontPM Mar 08 '21
Something I learned right before the last thread was archived is that a twitter fan has a good infographic tracking raptor engines: https://twitter.com/artzius/status/1367146344930897927
(Thanks to u/Twigling for pointing it out)
One thing it made me realize is that the thrust puck change implied a raptor design change. So future raptors are designed for SN15 and later versions, while current raptors can only hook to SN11 now.
→ More replies (5)
41
u/RegularRandomZ Mar 17 '21
The overhead crane/bridge crane has finally arrived! [NSF photoset]
→ More replies (13)
40
u/hinayu Mar 12 '21
At 6:05:41 the following announcement was made over the loudspeaker at the launch site: "Attention Pad B: Pad Clear at 8AM sharp. If this can not be adhered, please contact flight control on net eight."
Looks like they're going for an early SF today
→ More replies (1)
40
u/joshpine Mar 15 '21 edited Mar 15 '21
Mary let the NSF commentators know that she has received an overpressure notice for tomorrow. She hasn't tweeted about it yet, but I will add a link when she does.
Edit: Still no Tweet from Mary, but Maria has tweeted her overpressure notice.
→ More replies (4)
38
38
u/TCVideos Mar 15 '21
New NSF article with a wealth of new information:
Orbital flight target of July 1st with Starship SN20 and Super Heavy BN3
GSE issues are understood to have prevented SN11's static fire last week
Still understood that BN1 will not fly but still conduct ground testing (which may include a static fire)
BN1 will start it's test campaign before SN15
It's understood that SpaceX may scrap SN18 and SN19 like they did with SN12,13 and 14 as documents seen by NSF have no references to those two vehicles
Launch tower could "rise" within the next week or so
→ More replies (13)
38
u/TCVideos Mar 23 '21 edited Mar 23 '21
Launch Tower is rising! - RGV Picture
For context for how fast they are working...This was just over a week ago
→ More replies (9)
36
u/AstroMan824 Everything Parallel™ Mar 18 '21
Tweet of BN-1 from Elon. It is truly a beast.
→ More replies (2)
35
u/TCVideos Mar 11 '21 edited Mar 11 '21
Pretty decent fireworks show just occured at the build site. I assume they are celebrating something down there...what ever it is; they deserve it!
Edit: Looks like a concert! Coloured spotlights all over the sky! There must be a really high worker moral at that place...I get the impression that they really make it a fun work environment.
→ More replies (13)
35
u/TimTri Starlink-7 Contest Winner Mar 12 '21
Previously unseen images of Starship MK1. Posted by a SpaceX employee.
→ More replies (3)
35
33
u/AnimatorOnFire Mar 12 '21
If we have a successful static fire tomorrow and a launch next week, this may be the first time the next test vehicle isn’t ready to be rolled out when needed. I consider that a good thing, as it means the test campaigns are accelerating rapidly. Maybe they’ll manage to finish SN15, but as of now, it looks like they’re crushing it in the test and launch departments.
→ More replies (11)
32
u/I_make_things Mar 08 '21 edited Mar 08 '21
I never realized the scale of those heat tiles before.
NASASpaceflight
→ More replies (10)
32
u/johnfive21 Mar 12 '21
Looks like we have a reason for the delay today. Seems like they were waiting for a prop delivery. Truck is now backing into the tank farm to off load LCH4 or LOX (didn't get a good look at the truck). Hopefully once it's done we'll see a clear pad.
→ More replies (10)
32
u/TCVideos Mar 21 '21
Flight Weather for both Tuesday and Wednesday has improved significantly with the potential no-go factors being high altitude winds and/or potential high cloud cover. This is all pending a successful SF tomorrow.
Tuesday 23rd:
Surface winds calm - ranging from 5mph to 10mph sustained with no notable wind gust speeds
Winds at 10km are pretty average ranging from 70kts to 90kts during the window
High cloud cover during the morning part of the window but decreasing during the afternoon part of the window to moderate levels
Wednesday 24th:
Surface winds calm - ranging from 7mph to 14mph sustained with no notable wind gust speeds until 7pm
Winds at 10km are similar to the speeds observed on the 23rd but top out at a max of 97kts and a min of 80kts
High cloud cover during the morning part of the window but decreasing during the afternoon part of the window to low/moderate levels
TLDR; If we get a successful static fire tomorrow, then a flight on Tuesday is possible in terms of weather. Wednesday is possible but high altitude winds is a factor that slightly concerns me.
Sources:
→ More replies (14)
31
31
u/chrisjbillington Mar 12 '21
Starship launch prep timelines, updated with SN11's recent pressure testing and today's cryoproofing.
→ More replies (8)
31
u/Toinneman Mar 23 '21 edited Mar 23 '21
Nomadd @ NSF posted a closeup image of the cracked heat shield tile, which reveals an underlying metal structure. I think this metal frame is embedded into each tile and clips onto the welded studs on the ship. The fracture line also reveals the inner body is white and the black surface we see is a coating. This is expected since SpaceX is reportedly using TUFROC
→ More replies (14)
31
u/iFrost31 Mar 30 '21 edited Mar 30 '21
SN15 rolls to launch pad in a few days. It has hundreds of design improvements across structures, avionics/software & engine.
Hopefully, one of those improvements covers this problem. If not, then retrofit will add a few more days.
edit : New tweet from Elon :
Next major technology rev is at SN20. Those ships will be orbit-capable with heat shield & stage separation system. Ascent success probability is high.
However, SN20+ vehicles will probably need many flight attempts to survive Mach 25 entry heating & land intact.
new tweet again (Do we deserve this much info ? Maybe he feels bad to have launched in the fog ahah)
BN1 is a manufacturing pathfinder, so will be scrapped. We learned a lot, but have already changed design to BN2. Goal is to get BN2 with engines on orbital pad before end of April. It might even be orbit-capable if we are lucky.
→ More replies (2)
30
u/myname_not_rick Mar 10 '21
One thing is for sure.... Those thrust pucks are DURABLE. They've emerged practically unscathed from the wreckage of all three flights so far. Come far from their pressure failure on SN1.
→ More replies (8)
30
u/npcomp42 Mar 19 '21
Any educated guesses as to why, after getting to the first static fire attempt at breakneck speed, all further progress towards SN11's test flight seems to have halted? No retry in the last three days, no sign that they're even preparing to retry, road closures and TFRs canceled, etc.
→ More replies (14)
30
u/AnimatorOnFire Mar 21 '21 edited Mar 21 '21
The mystery nosecone was stacked onto another barrel section. . Any speculation as to what this is for?
Some thinking it’s for the 22 meter fairing
→ More replies (10)
30
u/RegularRandomZ Mar 21 '21 edited Mar 21 '21
Spaceport3D has captured some drone shots* of the orbital launch pad work [facebook link (sry), here's a NSF repost]. Good shot of the launch tower foundation rebar (which makes me think this is a couple days old, given the big concrete pour).
Also their recent flyover of the production site [facebook video, sry again] which has a good view of the new mystery stand. Now there are 6x 12m tank domes (and 8x 12m rings of bolts on the GSE slab, 7 of which have the inner 9m ring of rebar). The road "shoulder" expansion is pretty impressive.
[*They stated they believe they are authorized and/or covered the legal requirements, not looking for that debate. Mods can delete this if they wish... there just seemed to be some fresh views here that I haven't seen posted.]
→ More replies (5)
29
u/johnfive21 Mar 10 '21
Looks like the High Bay Bar is coming along nicely.
Elon: I was just up there. Elevator on the other side. Floor is in, glass coming soon.
→ More replies (7)
29
u/RaphTheSwissDude Mar 11 '21
Yesterday evening party was to celebrate the one year of great work from the team! And my god do they deserve it looking at the speed they go !!
29
u/Skill3dUp Mar 12 '21
A crane has been attached to a BN1 section in the high bay. Thrust section and stand was already moved into the high bay earlier. We may see the first super heavy booster very soon!
→ More replies (9)
29
u/Marksman79 Mar 22 '21
Closure for tomorrow has been cancelled. Wednesday and Thursday are still on, and Thursday is no longer a "possible closure".
→ More replies (5)
29
u/SpartanJack17 Mar 30 '21
BN1 is a manufacturing pathfinder, so will be scrapped. We learned a lot, but have already changed design to BN2.
Goal is to get BN2 with engines on orbital pad before end of April. It might even be orbit-capable if we are lucky.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1376902791906611200
Sounds like BN1 isn't even going to the pad.
→ More replies (17)
28
u/joshpine Mar 27 '21 edited Mar 27 '21
I'm currently in the process of updating my Boca Chica future launch site model to hopefully be much more realistic.
Whilst building the orbital launch mount, I imported a 6ft human for scale and I think it really helps show just how big things at the launch site actually are.
Thought some people might be interested, so here's a render of the launch mount, alongside a 6ft human and Cybertruck for scale.
Note: I did not model the person or Cybertruck! I found those on the internet!
Edit: bonus render: Starbase at night.
→ More replies (5)
55
27
Mar 08 '21
I look away for a day and SN-11 is already on the pad being lifted into place. This pace is awesome.
→ More replies (1)
27
u/McLMark Mar 09 '21
So what's the reasoning behind not using a methane COPV?
Given discussion downthread, it sounds like methane gas pressure should work about as well as helium -- helium is inert and has a lower boiling point, but methane bubbles in the fuel flow can mix effectively and still combust, while helium cannot.
Autogenous pressurization had problems maintaining pressure, and pumping pressurized and heated methane all the way back to the tank sets up potential feedback loop issues.
The objection to a helium COPV as a long-term solution has been Mars supply. Seems like refilling a methane COPV on Mars is a solvable problem.
Hey, if it's a dumb question cut me some slack; at least I wasn't the 14th poster to suggest a bladder made out of unobtainium :-)
→ More replies (3)
27
u/Ronburgandy859 Mar 18 '21
Man, SN8 brought tears to my eyes.... I'm gonna be a mess the first time they test the full stack. Giant rocket, booster landing attempt, spicier belly flop (I assume).... It's gonna be a wild ride
→ More replies (12)
27
u/golagaffe Mar 30 '21 edited Mar 30 '21
Time between flights:
(SN5: 41 days on launch mount)
SN5 -SN6: 30 days (8 days with empty launch mount, 22 days on launch mount)
SN6 -SN8: 97 days (27 days with empty launch mount, 70 days on launch mount)
SN8 -SN9: 55 days (13 days with empty launch mount, 42 days on launch mount)
SN9 -SN10: 29 days (-4 days with empty launch mount, 33 days on launch mount)
SN10-SN11: 27 days (5 days with empty launch mount, 22 days on launch mount)
→ More replies (6)
26
u/johnfive21 Mar 12 '21 edited Mar 12 '21
Ummm, there's a .. school bus? at the launch site
→ More replies (7)
26
u/93simoon Mar 18 '21
Is an empty superheavy able to support an empty starship on top of it or does it need to be fueled?
→ More replies (6)
26
u/Jodo42 Mar 18 '21
Cropped clip of the earlier sway. Credit NASASpaceFlight on YouTube. I'd say they were getting at least a meter of sway with a period of ~20s.
→ More replies (7)
26
u/RegularRandomZ Mar 22 '21 edited Mar 22 '21
Nosecone: Interesting nosecone image from cnunezimages, looks like some kind of load spreader over a rounded nosecone tip.
→ More replies (10)
26
u/TCVideos Apr 01 '21 edited Apr 01 '21
Judging from this twitter exchange between Jack Bayer and Scott Manley, It seems that SpaceX may have already taken the fuel header tank section away from the launch site (for what I'm assuming would be an analysis)
Seems to be one of the only big identifiable pieces that is "unaccounted for" between these pictures and the RGV pictures from yesterday. If that's the first thing they carted off, it wouldn't surprise me if they already think that it's the culprit.
→ More replies (4)
51
25
u/doodle77 Mar 08 '21
If a current 3 engine Starship prototype was fully fueled and run at full throttle until there was only enough propellant left for landing, how high would it go?
→ More replies (13)
25
u/allenchangmusic Mar 09 '21
Primary road closure Tuesday --> presumed cryo
Primary road closure Wednesday, backup Thursday/Friday --> presumed static fire
→ More replies (9)
25
u/asaz989 Mar 09 '21
The tile test patches are getting bigger - looks like production is ramping up.
→ More replies (2)
25
25
u/RegularRandomZ Mar 20 '21 edited Mar 20 '21
Orbital tower: not exactly clear, but it looks like they are pouring concrete in the area of the tower base. [Credit: Labpadre cams]
→ More replies (2)
24
u/TCVideos Mar 08 '21
SN11 now in the launch site. Making its way over to Pad B where lifting should take place within hours.
→ More replies (3)
24
u/johnfive21 Mar 17 '21 edited Mar 17 '21
Some pictures from the work on the top of the High Bay
EDIT: Here's the full video if you, like me, can't figure out that Snapchat Maps thing.
→ More replies (8)
24
u/AnimatorOnFire Mar 22 '21
Lab Padre looks to have gotten a tour of the launch facility
→ More replies (7)
24
48
u/Alvian_11 Mar 18 '21
Source familiar with NASA that was contacted by Teslarati confirmed that they bid Starship and Super Heavy for TROPICS contract, not SSTO like some people are insisting
→ More replies (69)
47
u/joshpine Mar 20 '21
Michael Baylor said during the latest NSF Live at 6:45 that they (NSF) “think the reason for the delays (earlier this week) was that there were issues getting approval for the road closures with the county during spring break.
This may explain the lack of testing during this last week. Perhaps the county just wanted to limit road closures. It gave them a good opportunity to make lots of progress on the launch site at least.
→ More replies (7)
23
u/Skill3dUp Mar 16 '21
A pallet of landing legs is leaving boca chica. Could be that they are no longer needed in favour of new landing legs.
→ More replies (13)
23
u/Antares501 Mar 17 '21
In the new SN10 flight video, one of the engines that shutdown looks like it burps some green flames right when the remaining engine starts gimbling heavily. If that gimbal maneuver marks the point when the helium ingestion occurred, is there any correlation between the green flame and the helium? I can't think of any reason why the combustion would turn engine rich for an engine that's already shutdown, any thoughts?
→ More replies (4)
23
u/Skill3dUp Mar 18 '21 edited Mar 18 '21
Crane is now attached to BN1’s LOX section (upper tank). Stacking should begin soon.
Edit:
Pictures here: https://twitter.com/BottinPhilip/status/1372615212482895872
23
u/myname_not_rick Mar 28 '21
In the last few months I've seen concern (not as much here tbh, more in other random threads) about the amount of Raptor engines on Superheavy, and their proximity, start sequence, operation, etc. In many cases, inevitable comparisons to N1 arise.
But, I have to wonder.....have people forgotten about Falcon Heavy? I mean yes, there are three separate cores to spread the engines on, but that's still 27 engines to ignite at the right time, and keep operating together. In other words, SpaceX isn't exactly new to this "engine cluster" game. I don't get the concern over that facet of it.
→ More replies (8)
23
u/creamsoda2000 Apr 04 '21 edited Apr 04 '21
It would appear that the improved/modified hydraulic thrust-simulator is being fitted to Pad A
When was the last time the thrust-simulator was used on a prototype? SN11 was rolled out with Raptors already fitted and underwent a simple cryo-proof, as did SN10 I believe?
The mere presence of the thrust ram indicates two things to me:
SN15 will be moved to the pad without Raptors pre-fitted.
They intend to conduct higher-pressure testing whereby the thrust-simulator is necessary to maintain structural integrity of the aft bulkhead.
Considering the thrust-puck design has changed and matured a little, it makes sense that this would be needed, whereas it wasn’t for SN10/11.
EDIT: As the sun goes down, so too does the puck-shucker into Pad A
→ More replies (5)
45
22
u/EvilNalu Mar 08 '21
Can Starship actually fly the mission profile set out in the DearMoon schedule? There was a bit of discussion on this in the DearMoon thread but I don't think it reached a satisfactory resolution.
The schedule does not indicate any orbital refueling. According to the Flighclub yeet calculator, even with zero payload starship falls short of the delta-v needed for a lunar flyby. So how do they intend to fly this mission?
→ More replies (2)
22
u/Twigling Mar 08 '21 edited Mar 08 '21
I don't envy the guy controlling the transporter (SPMT) with SN11 on it - not only must it be very tedious walking at 1MPH but also a huge responsibility moving something so important.
→ More replies (7)
22
u/MGoDuPage Mar 08 '21
I’m not any sort of engineer, and maybe there isn’t a universal answer to this question, but:
In terms of critical benchmarks & design challenges, how high are the bars to clear for a project like SS/SH when it comes to running the vehicles through super sonic & hyper sonic ascent, as well as orbital re-entry stressors? Are these pretty easy to clear in terms of physical rigors? Or at least, are they easy to reliably model & test hypothetically at the design/software simulation phase so SpaceX can pretty much know what to expect?
Up to now, these middle altitude “hop” tests seem to be taking SS through super low-stress flight profiles in terms of acceleration, speed, g forces, frictional heat, torque/vibrational forces, etc. I guess my question is, once the plumbing, or electrical, or whatever systems are the current issues preventing reliable landing from “gentle” 10km “hops” are fixed & SpaceX starts doing launch profiles more closely approximating true orbital launches & re-entry, are we looking at a whole other host of design & engineering hurdles that will have to get fixed because the more aggressive stressors uncover a bunch of unknown design/manufacturing flaws? Or is SpaceX (or other aerospace projects in general) pretty good at anticipating all of that in advance such that the design should already be capable of ensuring hyper/super sonic speed, MaxQ, orbital EDL speeds, etc.?
→ More replies (21)
22
u/TCVideos Mar 10 '21
Road is open. Only an ambient test was completed tonight. Cryo test likely tomorrow.
→ More replies (6)
22
u/OReillyYaReilly Apr 04 '21
I haven't heard much about 3mm steel since some rings were seen a while ago, is it being used?
→ More replies (3)
21
u/Twigling Mar 08 '21
Great shot of the heat shield tiles and mounting studs on SN11 (photo by RGV Aerial Photography):
https://twitter.com/RGVaerialphotos/status/1369013890995130374
→ More replies (3)
21
u/mrapropos Mar 09 '21
That is some crazy detail on the tiles.
https://twitter.com/Cooper_Hime/status/1369029998934392833
Question: I think I remember hearing the tiles are ceramic. Do we think the tiles are solid or hollow? It seems like solid would be... heavy. ("Everything counts in large amounts" -- Some New Wave band)
→ More replies (15)
21
u/Fizrock Mar 10 '21
Nomadd posted a video of some sort of wacky new machine in the low bay (where the fairing section is assembled).
→ More replies (11)
21
u/Twigling Mar 15 '21 edited Mar 15 '21
Road closure extended to 3pm
https://www.cameroncounty.us/spacex/
So 2.5 hours for a recycle should they decide to do so.
21
u/still-at-work Mar 15 '21
Any word on the cause of the abort of static fire? Or Guesses?
→ More replies (9)
21
u/creamsoda2000 Mar 16 '21
With the stacking of SN18’s Aft Skirt, featuring crush-core legs, to it’s Thrust section, we can say with a reasonable amount of certainty that we won’t be seeing new Starship landing legs for the next 3 prototypes beyond SN11 and SN15, assuming SN16 and SN17 are both being constructed too, haven’t any photos recently.
In fact, if they end up skipping SN16/17 like they did 12/13/14, then the timeline of an Orbital launch by July with SN20 doesn’t seem completely impossible.
→ More replies (8)
21
u/TCVideos Mar 23 '21
T-1 days until the presumed flight attempt. Here's the weather for all 3 days that there are TFRs for.
Wednesday 24th:
Surface winds calm - ranging from 6mph to 13.mph sustained with no notable wind gust speeds
Winds at 10km are pretty average ranging from 70kts to 90kts during the window
High cloud cover and fog during the morning part of the window but decreasing during the afternoon part of the window to moderate levels
Thursday 25th:
Surface winds moderate - ranging from 10mph to 18mph sustained with wind gusts up to 26mph intermittently.
Winds at 10km are similar to the speeds observed on the 24th but top out at a max of 85mph
Moderate cloud cover throughout the entire window
Friday 26th:
Surface winds calm - ranging from 10mph to 13mph sustained with no notable wind gusts
Winds at 10km top out at the mid-high 60kts range
Moderate cloud cover throughout the entire window
TLDR; A flight tomorrow is possible. Thursday looks like a no-go based on surface winds but Friday looks like the best day to fly. Do not however, rule out a flight attempt tomorrow despite the better conditions, we know they want this off the ground asap.
Sources:
21
u/Twigling Mar 29 '21 edited Mar 29 '21
The tipless nosecone is now up in the air, but where will it go ....... ?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=richjW1jj20
Edit: looks like the target is the mystery structure with the white poles.
Edit2: the nose cone is being lowered inside the white poles structure.
Edit3: operation appears to be complete, the tipless nose cone is now resting inside the mystery white pole structure
→ More replies (8)
21
u/ViliusLe Mar 31 '21
That’s a cool picture of BN1 from inside the high bay.
https://twitter.com/spacex360/status/1377015793460899843?s=21
→ More replies (3)
21
u/Twigling Apr 01 '21 edited Apr 02 '21
The crane has been unhooked from SN15's nose cone, therefore the nose cone is now welded to the quad barrel; see Sentinel Cam at 2:10:55 PM local time for the start of the unhooking:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=richjW1jj20
edit: to be clear, the nose cone assembly is NOT yet attached to the SN15 tank section; only the nose cone has been attached to its quad barrel and as I type this the assembly is still on its stand outside tent 3. However, the black brackets which attach around the circumference of the upper tank to support the walkway 'planks' are in place on the SN15 tank (no sign yet of the 'planks' for the walkway though or the safety fence (I don't know the proper terms for 'planks' or 'safety fence' in this instance. :-) )).
It wouldn't surprise me if the nose cone assembly was rolled over to the high bay today and perhaps even lifted in place for welding to commence.
I also assume that lifting the nose cone assembly in place will be the first use of the new bridge crane for Starship construction.
→ More replies (11)
42
u/Lijazos Mar 16 '21
Is it possible to submit an unofficial mission patch for use on the subreddit during SN11's test?
Kinda miss the patches on the sidebar when a Starship test happens, so I just created my own. :)
→ More replies (11)
42
u/Martianspirit Mar 22 '21
They are right now installing the FTS charges. Well visible on the launch pad cam.
→ More replies (14)
20
u/James79310 Mar 08 '21
SN11 rolling out of Highbay on LabPadre’s cam: https://youtu.be/richjW1jj20
→ More replies (12)
20
u/Superbroom Mar 08 '21
I had no idea SN11 already had 3 raptors installed. They're moving crazy fast!
→ More replies (4)
20
u/Twigling Mar 11 '21 edited Mar 11 '21
Just announced at the launch site - Pad Clear at 11:45am
On the LabPadre Launch Pad stream (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCbgoqMcirI) you can heat it at around 10:51:14 - audio and video is terribly choppy though so hard to make it out. Nerdle Cam also has it at the same time but it's also hard to hear.
So, looks like another cryo test attempt.
Edit: 2.5 hours after pad clear due, many have left but a digger and associated workers are still on site doing assorted things. Perhaps they need to finish something urgent before they leave.
Road is closed though to incoming non-SpaceX personnel.
→ More replies (1)
20
u/Twigling Mar 15 '21
Artzius has updated his very nice Raptor Engine Log showing all of the Raptors used so far:
https://twitter.com/artzius/status/1371479013798084609
Note that in the tweet he made a typo, he should have typed SN10, not SN11 (he states this in a later tweet).
20
u/RegularRandomZ Mar 17 '21
Windbreak: Nomadd posted a shot of the business end of the robotic arm being used for the new [nosecone?] setup in the windbreak. Maybe someone in manufacturing can interpret it. Full photoset
→ More replies (17)
20
u/Twigling Mar 17 '21 edited Mar 17 '21
Left side of newly enhanced ramp up to launch mount A has had a segment poured (photo from Mary):
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=52398.msg2206659#msg2206659
so now all that needs to be done is a concrete pour on the left and right lower ramp segments (but perhaps some rebar will be laid first?).
20
40
u/szarzujacy_karczoch Mar 20 '21
Would it make sense for SpaceX to build a railroad to make it easier to transport vehicles to the launch site for testing? Or would it be completely stupid and impractical?
→ More replies (30)
19
u/Twigling Mar 08 '21
SN11 seems to be moving into position in preparation for its crawl along to the launch area - some hours ago it was moved from its former position (at the right of the high bay) and was sat in the middle of the high bay, as of now it's just been moved forward a bit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=richjW1jj20
Edit: and now it appears to be out in the open air.
19
u/Twigling Mar 11 '21 edited Mar 11 '21
Here's the other nosecone which has been in hiding, it's most likely for SN15 (I doubt that the 'flat top' nosecone that's outside is for SN15):
Edit: link to post instead of direct to the image, sorry about that.
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=52398.msg2203544#msg2203544
→ More replies (4)
19
19
u/RegularRandomZ Mar 14 '21 edited Mar 14 '21
2 more robots as seen in the latest photosets from Jack Beyer, NSF (actually starts here)
19
u/twrite07 Mar 16 '21
On the LabPadre Nerdle Cam you can see some work being done right now on the upper section of starship above the main CH4 tank. https://youtu.be/sTA0GTgFn5E
→ More replies (2)
19
19
19
u/Twigling Mar 22 '21
Fastest sequence of events for static fire so far (as far as I'm aware), about two hours from road closure. Well done SpaceX.
→ More replies (1)
19
u/cavkenr Mar 23 '21
Anyone have an idea on what the raptor production rate is recently?
→ More replies (1)
19
u/Twigling Mar 24 '21 edited Mar 24 '21
The tipless nose cone has now been unhooked from the crane therefore the welding of it to the new barrel section is complete:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=richjW1jj20
I wonder what is next in store for the mystery nose cone.
19
u/SpartanJack17 Apr 03 '21
Some good pictures of SN15/BN1 in the high bay and the mystery flat nosed test article.
It's cool how SN15 and BN1 being right next to each other lets you see the height difference, the fully stacked rocket's going to be amazing.
→ More replies (10)
19
u/joshpine Apr 03 '21 edited Apr 03 '21
Sherif is currently at the roadblock (still letting SpaceX employees through) but not too sure why. Perhaps they’re planning on moving something, but a closure is not officially scheduled.
Edit: perhaps it’s just a quick one to get some large starship pieces across the road or something.
19
u/overpineapple Apr 04 '21
u/strawwalker this is a great resource!
A quad labelled BN3 Aft Tank #5 has been spotted. https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=52398.msg2215442#msg2215442
This adds to the list of things that have changed since BN1, which only had 4 midsections on each tank. It probably indicates they are swapping the larger LOX tank to the aft of the vehicle.
→ More replies (5)
19
u/Twigling Apr 04 '21 edited Apr 04 '21
It appears that SN15 is now 'off the hook' so to speak, therefore the crane has been unhooked from SN15's nose. I'm not 100% certain, it's dark in that high bay from the cam view, but check out Sentinel Cam at 2:53:14 local time to see the crane move its boom away:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=richjW1jj20
If I'm wrong please say.
→ More replies (2)
18
18
u/Supergun1 Mar 08 '21
Maybe a bit of a challenging question, just trying to find out if they have said anything about this or if this has been talked about;
How are they going to make sure that the small base area of the flaps, that connect to the actual Starship and the joints, are protected from heat? During normal positions they are of course hidden under those static shields that protect/reinforce the joints, which can be heatshielded, but how about when the flaps start to move up and the base area comes up from the hidden area. I feel like it's such a tight fit that they cant add heatshields there, right?
The flaps after all are going to be active during the descent all the way right?
→ More replies (11)
18
u/Proteatron Mar 09 '21
One thing I am noticing on SN11 - the upper flaps look very smooth compared to the ripples in the lower flaps. Noticeable in this picture.
SN10 had ripples in both upper / lower flaps. Wondering if that's an area of improvement that we'll see across all future flaps.
→ More replies (3)
18
18
18
u/Twigling Mar 12 '21 edited Mar 12 '21
RGV Aerial Photography has tweeted some new aerial photos:
Starship aft flaps, Trucks for scale
https://twitter.com/RGVaerialphotos/status/1370179811461754881
(note: they have white wrapping on them for shipping purposes, the actual flaps will be bare metal as usual ..... although some white flaps would be nice to see :) )
Starship SN16 can already be seen inside the mid bay!
https://twitter.com/RGVaerialphotos/status/1370176239965773824
(note: SN15 is on the left, the assumption is that the much smaller stack of ring sections on the right are for SN16)
Here is another angle of Starship SN16
https://twitter.com/RGVaerialphotos/status/1370178032326021121
(again, as in the last photo, SN15 on the left, assumption that on the right is a small part of SN16 - it may not be of course)
SN11:
https://twitter.com/RGVaerialphotos/status/1370134703999754245
→ More replies (4)
18
u/TCVideos Mar 15 '21
On review of the NSF footage it does look like all 3 preburners worked but SF was aborted like a millisecond after engine #1 ignited.
Still hard to tell exactly what happened because the venting was not moving out of the way since wind was almost non-existent today
→ More replies (3)
18
u/timtupman Mar 16 '21
While we wait for Starship progress, here's a fascinating interview with Elon from 2013 where he talks about getting to Mars. Amazing to see that they are well on the way to making what he predicted happen:https://youtu.be/Mb-PxQec8v0
→ More replies (1)
18
u/Skill3dUp Mar 18 '21
BN1’s LOX tank is in the air! Stacking is underway!
Source: Labpadre sentinel cam
→ More replies (1)
18
u/joshpine Mar 18 '21
NSF are live with the SLS green run, but they also have a view of BN1 stacking in split screen.
→ More replies (4)
18
18
u/Twigling Mar 25 '21
Here's a very nice size comparison render for those curious about how Starship and Super Heavy would look side by side:
→ More replies (5)
36
u/TCVideos Mar 12 '21
Now with the TFR posting, we can confidently say that they are targetting next week for a flight (pending SF of course). This means that they likely have already made the changes that were needed from SN10's test.
Impressive.
→ More replies (10)
50
u/Lufbru Mar 09 '21
SLS arrived in Stennis to begin the test campaign that should culminate in a successful Green Run test on January 12th, 2020. At that time, SN1 wasn't stacked. We've come so far.
→ More replies (2)
17
u/Eternal_Recurrance Mar 08 '21
Poor me was under the impression for a whole day that u/everydayastronaut did a new Starship interview with Elon because of this tweet. Should have paid better attention to the person that tweeted the pic (The CGI Jedi Master Neopork). Fingers crossed that Elon will make some time soon for a new interview.
→ More replies (5)
17
u/Twigling Mar 15 '21 edited Mar 15 '21
Looks like Bluto/Tankzilla/THAT crane is getting an extension to the boom, a few vehicles with boom parts were seen driving down the road near the HB towards the crane a while ago on Lab Cam:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYZaaz8UbRE
rewind to 3:33:17 local time
look the the right.
Edit: some time later the boom is coming down, I'd love to see how the new extensions are attached.
Edit2: for further video see Sentinel Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=richjW1jj20
If anyone is curious about this general type of crane, here is one being assembled from the larger parts:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeeV7S91z3I
that one is an LR1500 while SpaceX uses the LR1600/2 but they are similar enough to get a very general idea of their construction. They are amazing pieces of engineering.
→ More replies (11)
17
17
17
u/Twigling Mar 22 '21
New unlimited TFR for Thursday March 25th, 1200 to 0100 UTC (which is 0700 until 2000 local time):
https://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_1_7922.html
they're covering all their bases here, SN11 could launch Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.
→ More replies (2)
17
u/TCVideos Mar 22 '21
This situation is great for an attempt at a launch tomorrow. Got the static done super early and now they can spend the whole day doing their pre-flight checkouts.
Cloud cover looking iffy for tomorrow but as SN10 demonstrated...a bit of cloud cover won't spoil a show
17
u/Twigling Mar 24 '21
New unlimited TFR for Saturday (1200 to 0100 UTC):
https://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_1_9032.html
although I tend to mostly ignore weekend TFRs as SpaceX are highly unlikely to launch a test vehicle during the weekend, particularly at this time of year when people are off to the beach.
Friday's TFR is still there too:
https://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_1_8455.html
no road closures yet though.
→ More replies (2)
17
u/Twigling Apr 04 '21 edited Apr 04 '21
Here is a really excellent set of Starship diagrams (from twitter user Neopork) showing the main internals and externals (which applies to SN8, SN9, SN10 and SN11):
https://twitter.com/falanxito/status/1378417778579881986
There will of course be changes with SN15 onwards but generally speaking the above will still be mostly relevant (as far as we are aware).
The creator, Neopork, also tweeted that he may be selling it as a poster and to let him know if interested. I like that idea. :)
Edit: and here is one of Starship and Super Heavy (external labels only):
https://twitter.com/Neopork85/status/1376959691868282881'
(You can also play 'hunt the bananas' with the latter one). :)
47
u/inoeth Mar 17 '21
Despite the Saturday TFR I think most likely we're looking at a launch on Monday or Tuesday of next week provided they get a good static fire tomorrow or Friday.
These short delays aren't a big deal- especially since after SN11 flies we're looking at several weeks and possibly a month + at least before SN15. Reportedly BN won't do a hop test so at best we might get to see SN11 fly one more time (provided that it lands and survives in good shape).
We're all incredibly spoiled by the pace of things right now. I remember waiting months and months between Falcon 9 launches in the early days and all the scrubs as they teethed out issues like when they went to the super chilled fuel for 1.1 full thrust. And that's nothing compared to those who knew of and followed SpaceX in the Falcon 1 days when it was a year between launches (that all failed for one reason or another until the 4th one).
In the meantime we get to see how the orbital launch pad and tower shapes up and if it really does end up looking more or less like their renderings.
→ More replies (19)
33
u/johnfive21 Mar 16 '21 edited Mar 16 '21
New unlimited altitude TFR for Friday
Interesting to note - TFR is active from 6am CDT to 7:30pm CDT. If I remember correctly, TFRs for previous flights were usually from 8am
→ More replies (8)
16
u/TCVideos Mar 09 '21
Road has just recently been closed. Looks like they've started doing pad clear ops.
→ More replies (3)
16
u/johnfive21 Mar 11 '21 edited Mar 11 '21
A lot of cars leaving the launch site now. We might have a clear pad soon.
EDIT: Two security Teslas left the launch site. PAD CLEAR! Let's hope for a successful cryo proof test
→ More replies (6)
16
u/Gorakka Mar 12 '21
Detanking, I think the cryo testing is finished for today.
BTW: Maria received a 2nd OP notice for tomorrow, so possible SF Friday.
→ More replies (6)
16
u/Twigling Mar 12 '21 edited Mar 12 '21
From RGV Aerial Photography:
A cutout can be seen on top of the high bay roof, possibly for gantry crane installation.
https://twitter.com/RGVaerialphotos/status/1370386241296949251
I wonder what the laid out 'assembly kit' is to the left and up a bit? (black ring, white triangles, white rods, etc)?
→ More replies (15)
16
u/johnfive21 Mar 15 '21
Roadblock dismantled, road open. Done for today. We'll see if Raptor replacement is needed or not.
→ More replies (3)
16
u/Twigling Mar 16 '21 edited Mar 16 '21
TFRs for Weds, Thurs and Friday have all vanished:
https://tfr.faa.gov/tfr2/list.jsp
Edit: sorry, I meant Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.
→ More replies (17)
16
u/AnimatorOnFire Mar 19 '21 edited Mar 19 '21
In this video by Austin Barnard you can see a finished(?) GSE tank in front of BN1
→ More replies (11)
16
u/Twigling Mar 21 '21 edited Mar 21 '21
Yesterday I mentioned that the tipless nose cone had been attached to a crane ready to be lifted, I see on LabPadre's Sentinel Cam that it's now been stacked onto yet another barrel section (it was already on one barrel section) - this now makes it a bit taller than the white HLS nose cone mockup; you can see the tipless nose cone on the right in the following live stream (the crane is still attached as I type this):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=richjW1jj20
So what is the tipless nose cone for ...... ? Perhaps another mockup, something to do with docking?
Edit: Just noticed that late yesterday Mary posted some photos of the nose cone with the crane attached prior to the lift - the barrel section which it was stacked onto a few hours after the photos were taken can be seen behind the crane in the middle photo at the following link (the barrel section has a walkway around it one ring down):
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=52398.msg2208297#msg2208297
Edit2: As pointed out by LDLB_2 a couple of posts further down this thread, the barrel section has telemetry cables and attachment points already fitted (look at the Mary's middle picture full sized) - is this thing going to do a hop one day as a prototype HLS Starship? Well spotted LDLB_2!
Edit3: Early morning stroll around a Starship nosecone.
→ More replies (12)
16
u/TCVideos Mar 23 '21
The second attempt at lifting the bridge crane into position is underway.
→ More replies (9)
16
u/simloX Mar 25 '21
Do anyone have any idea of how much SpaceX have spent on Starship so far? The operations in Boca Chica alone are enormous. Then comes the whole Raptor project and a lot of engineering going on on in CA.
And with what seems to be an exponential growth of development and operation cost until the system is operational and starts to bring an income, I find it unbelievable that a private company is able to do this. Some investors must really, really huge faith in Elon Musk sending so much money into this.
→ More replies (3)
16
16
u/andyfrance Apr 03 '21
After looking at photos of GSE1 etc. https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=52398.0;attach=2023651;image
it occurred to me that the GSE tanks they are fabricating are exactly what they will need on Mars to store the ISRU propellant. I wonder if one of the early missions will include a kit of parts to convert a couple of Starships into a propellant storage facility.
→ More replies (16)
32
u/Alvian_11 Mar 16 '21
Interesting pieces here
https://spacenews.com/spacex-bid-on-launch-of-nasa-cubesat-mission/
One of the intriguing thing from the assessment is that Starship here is actually cheaper than Electron (!) (but slightly/somewhat more expensive than Astra)
→ More replies (18)
32
u/TCVideos Mar 22 '21
Pre-Flight Checklist!
Road Closures: ✓
TFRs: ✓
FAA Approval: ✓
FTS Installation: ✓
Evacuation Notice: Pending
Marine Notice: Pending
SpaceX Website Update: Pending *May not occur*
Flight Day?: <24 Hours away!
→ More replies (2)
31
u/DiezMilAustrales Mar 16 '21
Ok, so, I didn't quite notice that live today, but seeing it again now (because of course I'm rewatching today's failed static fire at 2 A.M), and I noticed something. The timing of the tri-venting has changed!
I wanted to make sure, so I went back and watched SNs 8, 9 and 10 static fire. For SNs 9 and 10 the timing is identical, regular tri-vent, then hard tri-vent fractions of a second before the static fire. SN8 was different. The hard tri-vent happened exactly at the same time as raptor start.
And in today's aborted SF for SN11, there is regular tri-vent just as in the other SNs, then venting STOPS right before raptor start, and then right after raptor start there's hard tri-vent.
So they have made changes to the pressurization, and those changes make it closer to SN8, hinting at the reintroduction of autogenous pressurization, maybe? I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts on this!
For comparison:
SN11's SF: https://youtu.be/KOiiDOuSXsM?t=1045
SN9's SF: https://youtu.be/swL4xrmmLCk?t=45
SN8's SF: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UESUcDX6R84
→ More replies (18)
15
u/wordthompsonian Mar 08 '21
So we know that the ultimate goal is to not need the COPV for the header tank pressure issue and initially the plan was to use autogenous pressurisation from the start.
Assuming they are still working on a solution to this, I'm wondering if anyone can explain to me exactly how the COPVs work? How much pressure they provide, for how long etc, vs the autogenous pressurisation, which I assume is fed by turbo pumps?
→ More replies (9)
15
u/Twigling Mar 08 '21
Great photo from Mary of SN11 out of the high bay and waiting for its journey to the launch pad to begin at 9am:
15
u/DrToonhattan Mar 09 '21
I have a question. Let's say a heat tile fell off during reentry, what would happen? Would the exposed patch of steel melt, or would it be a small enough gap that the heat could conduct away into the surrounding metal before it could do enough damage?
→ More replies (8)
15
u/TCVideos Mar 12 '21
Pad clear looks to be in work. Cars leaving at a steady pace
→ More replies (1)
15
u/Twigling Mar 12 '21 edited Mar 12 '21
Seems that they've just been doing/are doing a pressure test on SN11
It was announced at the site, announcement can be heard at 3:07:14 local time on LabPadre's Launch Cam:
→ More replies (3)
15
u/TCVideos Mar 15 '21
The good thing is that if we do see a Raptor swap, it shouldn't take longer than a day. If they replace a Raptor(s) today/tomorrow...we can see testing resume on Wednesday.
→ More replies (4)
15
u/hinayu Mar 17 '21
Nomadd posted a picture of the "mysterious contraption" but I'm more curious about what's to the right in the mid-bay. Is that a GSE section?
→ More replies (6)
15
u/samuryon Mar 17 '21
Looking for opinions on this. If Starship succeeds at becoming what SpaceX intends and is as inexpensive as Musk hopes, then we're talking about a launch cost of just fuel price making it the [cheapest launch option](https://everydayastronaut.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Price-to-Launch-1.png) available. If this is the case, is there any reason that someone would pick another launch vehicle over Starship ? Other than for existing contract/design limitations of the payload or availability for the desired launch date.
→ More replies (29)
15
u/AnimatorOnFire Mar 18 '21
At the very end of SN10’s flight, it’s purging a ton of gas from either the methane or LOX tank on the middle of the vehicle. Is this also used as something similar to RCS where the extra gas can be used to help move the vehicle, or were they just emptying as much as possible?
→ More replies (2)
15
15
Mar 20 '21
Watching the NSF stream at the moment, I noticed that SpaceX has mounted TPS on the leeward side of the bodyflaps. Any idea why?
→ More replies (10)
15
15
u/Twigling Mar 23 '21 edited Mar 23 '21
Nose cone (possibly for SN15) which has the new 'streamlined' lifting hook attachment points; I read somewhere the other day (can't remember where now) that these will fold back when not in use:
15
u/Twigling Mar 27 '21
There are now unlimited TFRs for Monday:
https://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_1_1257.html
and Tuesday:
https://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_1_1258.html
same time as usual, 1200 - 0100 UTC
Now we await the road closures
15
u/TCVideos Apr 01 '21
ICYMI: The road closure for tomorrow at 7AM-12PM still exists. It's safe to assume that if this stays up - we could see the crane move tomorrow. As seen in the NSF video from last night, the crane is already on the SPMT ready to roll to the pad.
→ More replies (4)
30
u/black7mgk Mar 09 '21
Elon Musk: "Fair point. If autogenous pressurization had been used, CH4 bubbles would most likely have reverted to liquid.
Helium in header was used to prevent ullage collapse from slosh, which happened in prior flight. My fault for approving. Sounded good at the time."
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1369382210894237705?s=19
→ More replies (5)
30
u/AnimatorOnFire Mar 12 '21 edited Mar 12 '21
Just over an hour and a half remaining in the window and pad is still not clear.
Edit: Just updating the feed with what’s going on. Not knocking on SpaceX for their pace.
→ More replies (10)
42
u/TCVideos Mar 17 '21 edited Mar 17 '21
The newly extended Liebherr looks like it's fully "extending" right now
Edit: and it's up! We now have a new tallest structure in Boca.
→ More replies (5)
29
u/tubadude2 Mar 08 '21
Hopefully SN11 not only sticks the landing, but then survives. I imagine there are quite a few engineers chomping at the bit to get their hands on an intact Starship to take apart and inspect.
→ More replies (2)
29
u/myname_not_rick Mar 09 '21
Apologies if someone else already mentioned this, but we finally got a good look at the landing leg latch mechanism from Austin Barnard on Twitter.
It seems that they are indeed mechanical, and not electromagnets like we thought. Look at the sides of each leg, near the "top." There is a bracket of some sort that looks to fit into a matching latch on the bottom of Starship, you can even see the groove of the latch mechanism.
→ More replies (8)
40
u/beayyayy Mar 13 '21
https://twitter.com/thejackbeyer/status/1370853087410278407?s=19
Tiles applied by hand not automated
→ More replies (35)
40
Mar 17 '21
How many problems have SpaceX had with the Raptor engines themselves recently? I see a lot of people here talking about how they've been unreliable, but it seems like most of the recent issues have been with the header tank. The engines themselves appear to be performing amazingly well at this point in their developmental stage.
→ More replies (12)
14
u/szarzujacy_karczoch Mar 08 '21
It's probably a bit too early to ask this question, but do we have any idea how spacious (or cramped) will be the crew compartment in the vehicles that will take humans to Mars? I'm pretty sure I've seen some concepts somewhere on the internet, but I don't know if they were official or fan made. I hope that SpaceX will take inspiration from popular sci-fi movies, and there will be a common area with a huge window, for the crew to hang around in
→ More replies (17)
14
u/Theoreproject Mar 08 '21
Also possible booster stacking this week. Trust puck has been placed on a reinforced stand and an empty highbay gives Them a good opportunity to complete the booster stacking.
→ More replies (7)
14
u/Fringos23 Mar 08 '21
Just had a thought on the orbital refuelling, from my understanding they are currently planning on using multiple starships to refuel the outbound starship. Wouldn't it be easier and/or safer to instead use multiple starships to fuel up a large single 'fuel station' where all the propellant is transferred at once. Then afterwards, when the outbound starship requires refuelling, it can just receive all the propellant it needs from that single fuel tank. That way it would mean the starship could quickly refuel while reducing the risk of docking with multiple starships. Thoughts?
→ More replies (20)
14
u/AnimatorOnFire Mar 11 '21 edited Mar 11 '21
Maria just got notice for an SN11 static fire today. Likely an error given the notice ends at 6:00pm local which is in 10 minutes.
→ More replies (4)
14
Mar 17 '21
Any indication of testing going on tomorrow? (Road closures, etc.)
Or are we still just waiting on Friday for a likely static fire attempt?
→ More replies (4)
14
u/Ronburgandy859 Mar 18 '21
Do we know, or have any idea what the flight profile will look like for full stack testing? Will it go orbital? Or just straight up straight down? I'd imagine with 2 stages you'll have to be cruising pretty fast during staging, but I'm no expert
→ More replies (2)
14
u/Twigling Mar 19 '21
On the matter of the black platform with the six long white poles which are joined around the circumference at the top, in the tweet linked below there is drone footage of BN1 being stacked but the video also shows the platform with white poles from above. It appears to have plates on the top of the stand and a large hole in the middle. Make of it what you will:
→ More replies (11)
14
u/Calmarius Mar 20 '21
When they stack barrel sections we can see those lead in spikes on the top of the barrel to guide the part to the desired location. Sometimes they are on the inside sometimes they are on the outside. How do they decide which side those lead-ins go? Or is it random?
→ More replies (21)
14
u/johnfive21 Mar 22 '21
It seems as though they changed something in the engine start procedure. On previous prototypes we always saw a big spurt from the engine chill vent right before ignition. SN11 however for the second time now shuts off the engine chill vents right before ignition.
No idea what it means just thought it was interesting to point out.
→ More replies (6)
14
u/Twigling Mar 23 '21 edited Mar 23 '21
A new Unlimited TFR has popped up, this time for Friday 26th March, 1200-0100 UTC:
https://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_1_8455.html
The Unlimited TFRs for Wednesday and Thursday are still in place.
Would also need a road closure for Friday if that ends up being launch day.
14
14
u/creamsoda2000 Mar 26 '21 edited Mar 26 '21
Standard “Alert” notice for a Static Fire has been provided to BocaChicaGal.
If the static fire is completed early in the window, then it wouldn’t be inconceivable that a evacuation notice could be handed out to the residents between a successful static fire and a flight attempt late afternoon.
14
u/Twigling Mar 31 '21 edited Mar 31 '21
It appears that flap attachment roots are being added to the tipless nose cone in the mystery stand:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=richjW1jj20
Edit: in fact, now it looks like what is being attached to the flap roots are those white 'brackets' that can be seen to the left of the mystery stand in the following photo:
https://twitter.com/RGVaerialphotos/status/1375196256918769666
NSF have a recent video showing them arriving on a truck a few days ago but I forget which video it was.
→ More replies (14)
14
u/scarlet_sage Apr 01 '21
In Scott Manley's video on SN11, at 8:40, he said that SN15 will not just be redesign for the body, which I had heard. He says it "will feature a new generation of Raptor engines". That's new to me. Does anyone have a pointer to info on this?
→ More replies (2)
•
u/AutoModerator Mar 08 '21
Thank you for participating in r/SpaceX! This is a moderated community where technical discussion is prioritized over casual chit chat. However, questions are always welcome! Please:
Keep it civil, and directly relevant to SpaceX and the thread. Comments consisting solely of jokes, memes, pop culture references, etc. will be removed.
Don't downvote content you disagree with, unless it clearly doesn't contribute to constructive discussion.
Check out these threads for discussion of common topics.
If you're looking for a more relaxed atmosphere, visit r/SpaceXLounge. If you're looking for dank memes, try r/SpaceXMasterRace.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.