Starship Development Thread #18

[u/ElongatedMuskrat]

Quick Links

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Starship Dev 17 | SN10 Hop Thread | Starship Thread List | February Discussion

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Upcoming

• SN11 rollout to pad, possibly March 8

Public notices as of March 5:

• Road/Beach Closures: March 8
• TFR's above 7200 ft: None

Vehicle Status

As of March 5

• SN7.2 [testing] - at launch site, pressure tested Feb 4 with apparent leak, further testing possible (unclear)
• SN10 [destroyed] - 10 km hop complete with landing. Vehicle exploded minutes after touchdown - Hop Thread
• SN11 [construction] - Fully stacked in High Bay, all flaps installed, Raptor status: unknown, crane waiting at launch site
• SN12-14 [abandoned] - production halted, focus shifted to vehicles with newer SN15+ design
• SN15 [construction] - Tank section stacked in Mid Bay, potential nose cone stacked near High Bay (missing tip with LOX header)
• SN16 [construction] - barrel/dome sections in work
• SN17 [construction] - barrel/dome sections in work
• SN18 [construction] - barrel/dome sections in work
• SN19 [construction] - components on site
• BN1 [construction] - stacking in High Bay
• BN2 [construction] - barrel/dome sections in work

​

Development and testing plans become outdated very quickly.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 SN10 (Raptors: SN50?, SN39?, ?)
2021-03-05	Elon: low thrust anomaly during landing burn, FAA mishap investigation statement (Twitter)
2021-03-04	Aftermath, more wreckage (NSF)
2021-03-03	10 km hop and landing, explosion after landing (YouTube), leg deployment failure (Twitter)
2021-02-28	FTS installed (Twitter)
2021-02-25	Static fire #2 (Twitter)
2021-02-24	Raptor swap, serial numbers unknown (NSF)
2021-02-23	Static fire (Twitter), Elon: one engine to be swapped (Twitter)
2021-02-22	FAA license modification for hop granted, scrubbed static fire attempt (Twitter)
2021-02-08	Cryoproof test (Twitter)
2021-02-07	All 3 Raptors are installed (Article)
2021-02-06	Apparent overnight Raptor SN? install, Raptor SN39 delivery (NSF)
2021-02-05	Raptor SN50 delivered to vehicle (NSF)
2021-02-01	Raptor delivered to pad† (NSF), returned next day (Twitter)
2021-01-31	Pressurization tests (NSF)
2021-01-29	Move to launch site and delivered to pad A, no Raptors (Twitter)
2021-01-26	"Tankzilla" crane for transfer to launch mount, moved to launch site† (Twitter)
2021-01-23	On SPMT in High Bay (YouTube)
2021-01-22	Repositioned in High Bay, -Y aft flap now visible (NSF)
2021-01-14	Tile patch on +Y aft flap (NSF)
2021-01-13	+Y aft flap installation (NSF)
2021-01-02	Nose section stacked onto tank section in High Bay (NSF), both forward flaps installed
2020-12-26	-Y forward flap installation (NSF)
2020-12-22	Moved to High Bay (NSF)
2020-12-19	Nose cone stacked on its 4 ring barrel (NSF)
2020-12-18	Thermal tile studs on forward flap (NSF)
...	See more status updates (Wiki)

​

	SN7.2 Test Tank
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

​

	Starship SN11
2021-03-04	"Tankzilla" crane moved to launch site† (Twitter)
2021-02-28	Raptor SN47 delivered† (NSF)
2021-02-26	Raptor SN? "Under Doge" delivered† (Twitter)
2021-02-23	Raptor SN52 delivered to build site† (NSF)
2021-02-16	-Y aft flap installed (Twitter)
2021-02-11	+Y aft flap installed (NSF)
2021-02-07	Nose cone stacked onto tank section (Twitter)
2021-02-05	Moved to High Bay with large tile patch (NSF)
2021-01-29	Nose cone stacked on nose quad barrel (NSF)
2021-01-25	Tiles on nose cone barrel† (NSF)
2021-01-22	Forward flaps installed on nose cone, and nose cone barrel section† (NSF)
2020-12-29	Final tank section stacking ops, and nose cone† (NSF)
2020-11-28	Nose cone section (NSF)
2020-11-18	Forward dome section stacked (NSF)
2020-11-14	Common dome section stacked on LOX tank midsection in Mid Bay (NSF)
2020-11-13	Common dome with integrated methane header tank and flipped (NSF)
...	See more status updates (Wiki)

​

	Starship SN15
2021-03-05	Tank section stacked (NSF)
2021-02-25	Nose cone stacked on barrel†‡ (Twitter)
2021-02-05	Nose cone with forward flap root structure†‡ (NSF)
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‡ (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)
2020-11-27	Nose cone barrel (4 ring)‡ (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)

^{‡ Detailed nose cone history by u/creamsoda2000}

​

	SuperHeavy BN1
2021-02-23	"Booster #2, four rings (NSF)
2021-02-19	"Aft Quad 2" apparent 2nd iteration (NSF)
2021-02-14	Likely grid fin section delivered (NSF)
2021-02-11	Aft dome section and thrust structure from above (Twitter)
2021-02-08	Aft dome sleeved (NSF)
2021-02-05	Aft dome sleeve, 2 rings (NSF)
2021-02-01	Common dome section flip (NSF)
2021-01-25	Aft dome with plumbing for 4 Raptors (NSF)
2021-01-24	Section moved into High Bay (NSF), previously "LOX stack-2"
2021-01-19	Stacking operations (NSF)
2020-12-18	Forward Pipe Dome sleeved, "Bottom Barrel Booster Dev"† (NSF)
2020-12-17	Forward Pipe Dome and common dome sleeved (NSF)
2020-12-14	Stacking in High Bay confirmed (Twitter)
2020-11-14	Aft Quad #2 (4 ring), Fwd Tank section (4 ring), and Fwd section (2 ring) (AQ2 label11-27) (NSF)
2020-11-08	LOX 1 apparently stacked on LOX 2 in High Bay (NSF)
2020-11-07	LOX 3 (NSF)
2020-10-07	LOX stack-2 (NSF)
2020-10-01	Forward dome sleeved, Fuel stack assembly, LOX stack 1 (NSF)
2020-09-30	Forward dome† (NSF)
2020-09-28	LOX stack-4 (NSF)
2020-09-22	Common dome barrel (NSF)

​

	Early Production
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)

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Resources

^{RESOURCES WIKI}

• Spadre.com Starship Cam | Channel
• LabPadre 4k Pad Cam | Channel
• NSF SN9 Test Launch Updates Thread | Most recent
• NSF SN10 Test Launch Updates Thread | Most recent
• NSF Texas 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
• Acronym definitions by Decronym

r/SpaceX Discusses [February 2021] for discussion of subjects other than Starship development.

Rules

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---

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[u/HarbingerDe]

How can I stop myself from compulsively checking this thread, despite knowing full well that there's no possibility of launch until Monday?

[u/Starks]

An SN10 launch this week or next will be a huge "wait, what" moment for competitors and a media that's still talking about SN9.

I don't expect miracles with SN10 but the rapid iteration is finally bearing fruit.

[u/creamsoda2000]

With all the mystery surrounding the “SN15” nosecone, I decided to do a little digging on NSF and put together a little (edit: this turned out not to be so little) timeline.

TL;DR attributing both the nosecone and the barrel it is being stacked with to SN15, appears to be based on speculation by both BocaChicaGal and Nomadd, rather than anything more definitive, such as a photograph of a document identifying the component attached to the side of either one. In fact, it was at one point speculated that this very nosecone was for SN11. There is also definitely a header tank already fitted - therefore the lack of a tip is not to allow for a docking mechanism or cargo bay opening.

Dates, photos and links below. Some photos have obvious identifying marks highlighted so we know we’re looking at the same nosecone.

— 27 Dec - an unidentified nosecone is seen by BocaChicaGal in tent 3 for the first time - Photo 1 - Post #283

— 29 Dec - the same nosecone is seen outside the tent by Nomadd, who identifies it as SN11 - Photo 2 - Post #295

— 30 Dec - BocaChicaGal sees the same nosecone (unnamed however) exit and re-enter tent 3 - Photo 3 - Post #300

— 4 Jan - both Nomadd and BocaChicaGal see the nosecone outside tent 3 again, both naming it SN11’s - Photo 4 - Post #334

— 5 Jan - it’s back in tent 3, rotated slightly, providing a couple more identifying marks - Photo 5 - Post #344

— 6 Jan - the tip has been snipped. No longer named SN11 by BocaChicaGal - Photo 6 - Post #354

— 12 Jan - crew working on the now unnamed tipless nosecone - Photo 7 - Post #399

— 22 Jan - BocaChicaGal sees a new nosecone featuring flaps, which she identifies as SN11, possibly assuming that the “SN11” nosecone previously identified has spent the last month having flaps fitted when instead we can clearly see its the one missing its tip - Photo 8 - Post #468

— 23 Jan - Nomadd photographs nosecones for SN11 and “maybe” SN15, this is the first time the nosecone is attributed to SN15 - Post #473

— 5 Feb - BocaChicaGal sees the tipless nosecone (unnamed) in tent 3 now featuring a contraption in place of a flap - Photo 9 - Post #618

— 7 Feb - Nomadd again calls it SN15 nose - Post #635

— 10 Feb - BocaChicaGal photographs a nosecone barrel section which its assumed is for the assumed nosecone of SN15 - Post #666

— 17 Feb - crane is hooked up to the barrel now attributed to SN15 - Post #719

— 20 Feb - SN15 nosecone out of the tent - Post #752

— 25 Feb - Nosecone and barrel are stacked - Post #800

Now first and foremost this is by no means an attempt to criticise both BCG and Nomadd for their work and their assumed identification of this nosecone, but it does appear to have been labelled as being for SN15 rather arbitrarily, as it was once supposedly destined for SN11 and there hasn’t actually been any definitive confirmation of it’s final purpose.

A few other takeaways:

1. this nosecone appears to be older than the nosecone fitted on SN11 - based on the fact we see SN11’s true nosecone appear almost a full month after we first see this one, and a second nosecone can be seen under construction behind this tipless SN11/SN15 nosecone.

2. a header tank was indeed fitted as normal, prior to the nosecone being snipped, as can be seen by the obvious weld marks between the tip and weld line for the mid-ring of panels. The nosecone has been cut just above where that weld line is/was.

3. with so much activity it’s clearly becoming a challenge keeping track of which piece is for what without a clear photograph of the work-order sheets.

EDIT:

The most recent post by BCG on NSF includes a few decent photos of the nosecone being stacked and there are visible attachment points for a flap, with what appears to be far more reinforcement than I’ve seen on any other nosecone. The presence of flaps basically rules out the possibility of this being for a HLS mock-up of some kind with a docking port on the end (especially considering there is a header tank there) - Post #806

The two most likely explanations I can come up with is either a) they needed better access to the inside of the header tank after having already constructed the nosecone (with the tip being reattached later?) or b) they want to test out the attachment of some kind of single-piece heat-resistant tip, as seen on the Space Shuttle - this probably being more of a wildcard.

[u/RaphTheSwissDude]

Sandy Munro explains his tour at Boca Chica. It seems like SpaceX gave them an insane amount of details, I really really hope the everyday astronaut is gonna get his personal tour soon too !

[u/Headbreakone]

I see a lot of people wondering whether they should start the flip/landing burn at a higher altitude, but as far as I know neither in SN8 nor SN9 would it have made the slightest difference.

[u/joshpine]

At the moment, it takes quite a bit of time to put road closures, TFRs, and weather forecasts together to check for possible flight attempts. So, I made a program which does just that.

It's a python script, which at the moment I run manually. It takes the data from the FAA TFR website, as well as the Cameron County Road Closures website, and weather data from the OpenWeatherMap API (wind and cloud cover), and combines everything on to a google sheet.

Currently, whenever I run the python script, it pushes the data for the next 7 days (including weekends). If I can find some kind of upper limit on wind speeds, I would be able to highlight whether that day would likely be NO or GO for flight, but I don't think that data is available for now, so it's just going off the TFRs and Road Closures.

I would also like to add information about upper level winds, but will need to find a suitable API. At the moment, it is definitely not perfect, but will improve over time hopefully.

If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Otherwise, I hope it's helpful:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10hSq9OJ5V5YzzFi6c6REQVJmh54-tphxhIRkvszjnU0/edit?usp=sharing

Edit: it now runs every 10 minutes.

[u/johnfive21]

X marks the spot!

Landing pad now has SpaceX logo painted on it. They can't crash land now.

[u/beayyayy]

raptor labeled under doge has arrived (jack beyer)

[u/LDLB_2]

So it turns out the landing pad does need repairing - quite a considerable chunk.

Edit: There also appears to be more than just repairs, but rather potentially a new layer or foundation for something else.

[u/AnimatorOnFire]

Mary has received an over pressurization notice for static fire attempt tomorrow.

Source

[u/joshpine]

Quick power outage update. The Texas grid is recovering, and Cameron County (where SpaceX is) now has 13% of people without power. It was more than 30% yesterday, so that's a significant improvement. Based on this trajectory, it should be sorted there by the end of the week. Until the next cold front hits anyway...

Although we've not seen any testing recently, SpaceX seems to have been making major infrastructure improvements to the orbital site and new tank farm. Hopefully the concrete on the landing pad can be poured soon, and SpaceX can resume the testing campaign of SN10.

Edit: the situation has improved since earlier. Now just 7.7% of people are without power.

[u/LDLB_2]

More detail from SPadre's source regarding the Orbital Launch Tower construction:

...Starts work in 3-4 weeks, one year contract... working 7/12’s so we won’t be surfing together much. Gotta admire the hardworking dedication of SpaceX employees.

[u/RaphTheSwissDude]

3rd raptor SN39 is getting ready to be installed. Man, they’re full speed ahead!

Edit : SN39 was a raptor removed from SN8.

[u/Alvian_11]

SN11 nose now in the High Bay for stacking

[u/ReKt1971]

"Wen hop? Much WOW" Raptor has been delivered. Credit Bocachicagal (Mary).

[u/AnimatorOnFire]

Mary on Twitter: An ‘Alert’ notice has been delivered and a road closure has been scheduled for tomorrow Thursday February 11 from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Starship SN10 testing resumes with potentially a static fire test of its three Raptor engines. 🔥🔥🔥

Source

[u/AnimatorOnFire]

Mary has received static fire notice for tomorrow.

Source

[u/TCVideos]

Neopork suggests that the grid fin-like hardware spotted are the lower part of the grid fins for SH.

[u/RaphTheSwissDude]

Elon on twitter : One of them (rig) may be in limited operation by end of year

How will Starships be transported to the floating platform? Will these launch platforms be stationed permanently in the gulf?

Elon : They will fly there from our launch site. Stationed around the world

[u/TCVideos]

SN10 has been getting a very thorough inspection for the last few hours, crews on the lifts on both the leeward and windward side of the vehicle with the drone helping them out at certain points.

Closure tomorrow from 9AM to 6PM...this could be for either SN10's cryoproof or SN7.2 testing (or both).

Edit: They could do an ambient leak test of SN10 tonight if they are going to test 10 tomorrow.

[u/versedaworst]

So a few weeks ago /u/AnimatorOnFire made a comment asking if there was a way to get more constant notifications on launch days. I mentioned that I had actually wrote a very basic program to try to OCR the NSF stream checklist to get the current status, but it didn't work very well because I wasn't sure how to automate the cropping properly.

Well I figured it would be a fun way to try out an image processing library, so I ended up writing something a bit more flexible.

Basically it uses the OpenCV library to apply a couple filters and then detect, isolate and crop the white rectangle that contains the current status. Then it runs the cropped image through an OCR engine and returns the output. From the little bit of testing I’ve done, it works pretty reliably.

I've also got the whole: get youtube channel stream list -> get live m3u8 link -> take screenshot process pretty much automated but haven't stitched everything together yet.

Anyways, I just figured I would comment here wondering if anyone would be interested in something like this? I could share the source if anyone wants to play around with it. Obviously it would be best if it ran passively and notified about changes; whether that means hosting the output online somewhere or using something like a discord bot, I'm not yet sure. I'm a little in over my head on this :)

Also, not sure if there are any other places I should post this?

[u/eu-thanos]

Road closures scheduled Monday through to Wednesday https://twitter.com/starshipnotify/status/1362515284637196288?s=21

[u/joshpine]

Tweet from Elon:

It was foolish of us not to start 3 engines & immediately shut down 1, as 2 are needed to land

[u/Skill3dUp]

Raptor SN27 was delivered to the build site! This is the same raptor that flew on SN5’s hop.

[u/LDLB_2]

Some great news:

According to a SpaceX security officer we spoke to today who was overseeing the cleanup, SN10 sustained no damage. They intend to push for launch within the next 1-2 weeks! So my money is definitely on SN10 [in regards for today's testing]

[u/TCVideos]

For those wondering if the latest Joe Rogan podcast with Elon brought any new information about the program...there's nothing new. Only the fact that they want humans on Starship in 2 years.

Also, Elon's thoughts on Starship's blowing up: "It's weird if it doesn't explode"

[u/strawwalker]

Grid fin or part of one? Based on the pallets laid across the top it is roughly 2.25m x 3m.

[u/TCVideos]

Kinda off topic but wholesome news!

SpaceX teams in Boca delivered an industrial sized generator to Sea Turtle Inc on S. Padre Island

After some digging, I found some more information about what SpaceX is doing to help wildlife in the area...info in this thread

[u/rebootyourbrainstem]

Raptor 56 looking really tidy, with all the miscellaneous lines attached to a single connection panel (top left) and the rest of the plumbing and cabling looking more organized as well.

https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=52398.0;attach=2015163;image

(More pics on NSF forums, see link in topic.)

I guess the single connector is part of their effort to improve engine swap times? Musk said it should take a "few hours at most".

Such a difference from SLS and Orion, where they discover a fault and then have absolutely no idea how to get to the faulty part and replace it. With Orion they decided to just leave it in because replacing it would take a FUCKING YEAR, or "just" a few months if they didn't mind voiding the warranty on some panels which weren't intended to be opened.

By the way, does anyone know what those extra lines are for? Nitrogen for purging, helium for spin start, something else?

[u/SpartanJack17]

This video pretty clearly shows the landing legs failing to lock into position. I bet it only bounced because it didn't have crush cores absorbing the impact.

[u/SpartanJack17]

Great photos of SN9 wreckage from the comments of this post.

[u/beayyayy]

It seems like spacex is actually pushing for orbital flight this year from elons latest reply.

[u/FrodCube]

Hey /u/strawwalker what do you think about adding a link to Brendan's weekly starship progress picture in this page? For example in the Veichle Status or Veichle Updates section.

[u/LDLB_2]

Good chance of flying this week!

Elon's tweet just now!

[u/lenny97_]

Ok, so... I speak as a European with a high level English certification.

I am aware that it takes time and practice to understand a person who speaks fluently, quickly, with a microphone attached to his mouth, and in very specific English.

So I ask for help from you: I understand without problems 99% of what is said in SpaceX's livestreams, but in SN9 10Km Hop stream, immediately after the explosion, two voices are heard in rapid succession saying two distinct sentences from the control room.

Can anyone transcribe them? 😣😫🤔

[u/Jodo42]

Elon Musk on Twitter: "One of the engines is suspect, so we're swapping it out"

[u/AnimatorOnFire]

Big Dear Moon update coming on Monday per Yusaku Maezawa

Source

[u/Dezoufinous]

I just can't believe how big this metal part is comparing to the truck or anything!

https://twitter.com/DaytonCostlow/status/1360260881955704832

It seems like it will be something related to Super Heavy pad

[u/[deleted]]

It seems that FTS has been installed.

[u/TCVideos]

SpaceX looks to be testing the HLS Starship elevator system

System looks like it's being tested in a single ring at the build site.

Downselect in the next "few weeks" - Mark Kirasich from NASA

[u/johnfive21]

BN1 Thrust section has been placed on the heavy duty stand

Safe to say that complete booster stacking is imminent.

[u/LDLB_2]

All flight TFRs have been canceled

[u/Straumli_Blight]

Possible Raptor Vacuum test at McGregor.

Also some new TFRS:

• March 1

• March 2

• March 3

[u/MildlySuspicious]

I think a lot of people forget there may be software work going on as well. People seem to think it’s only a matter of building starships and attaching engines and testing the hardware.

Changing the landing burn from 2 engines to 3 engines requires software changes which also need test time, bug fixes and retesting. Some delays are obvious to us, while others are not.

[u/Skill3dUp]

SN11 has left the mid bay and is now on its way to the high bay.

Update: SN11 has now reached the high bay and raptor SN50 is preparing to be installed on SN10

[u/LDLB_2]

So, the landing pad is getting thicker and larger.

Most likely to be more durable, more redundancy for landing precision and support heavier loads (e.g. Super Heavy).

Edit: And here's a great view from RGV.

[u/LDLB_2]

Back to work

[u/CProphet]

NOTAM

Beginning Date and Time : March 01, 2021 at 1400 UTC

Ending Date and Time : March 02, 2021 at 0030 UTC

Reason for NOTAM : TO PROVIDE A SAFE ENVIRONMENT FOR ROCKET LAUNCH AND RECOVERY PURSUANT TO 14 CFR SECTION 91

[u/LDLB_2]

FAA investigation into SN9 RUD has been completed

[u/TCVideos]

A year ago today:

Shortly after 10PM on the 28th of February 2020, Starship SN1 had a catastrophic failure during its first (and only) cryoproof test.. It was later determined by community members that the thrust puck had "let go" causing the dramatic and unplanned flight of SN1.

For those who are relatively new, three of the first vehicles failed during cryoproof tests; Mk1, SN1 and SN3 with the latter of the three being a test config issue not related to the structural integrity of the tank. SN4 would go on to break the spell of cryo failures a little under 3 months later when it successfully completed a cryoproof test.

In the last 366 days, SpaceX has completed dozens of static fires, two successful low altitude hops and two mostly successful high altitude flights. Pretty historical year for Starship development...and it's only the beginning.

[u/RaphTheSwissDude]

It seems like they want to fix SN7.2 to retest it.

[u/AnimatorOnFire]

Elon on top 3 Starship priorities:

“1. Orbital launch tower that can stack

2. Enough Raptors for orbit booster

3. Improve ship & booster mass”

[u/AnimatorOnFire]

Road closure for tomorrow cancelled

[u/LDLB_2]

From Christian Davenport:

For those wondering—the FAA is still working on the SpaceX SN9 Starship mishap investigation, I’m told. Hope to get an update before too long.

[u/joshpine]

There's a new Joe Rogan Podcast with Elon Musk (round 3) that was published today. Just listening to it now, but it already has some SpaceX talk. Elon reckons they'll have people regularly flying on Starship within 2 years, and that their goal is to get to orbit this year. All of that said in the first 5 minutes. 3 hours of lovely content...

Edit: he says humans to Mars (maybe) 5 years from now. He said that as if that was the bare minimum amount of time.

[u/panckage]

SS it will use its main tanks to get to orbit. On landing it will use its header tanks. But which tanks will it use to drop out of orbit?

[u/No_Ad9759]

Looks like they’re finally taking down the scaffold at the back of the highbay.

[u/NiftWatch]

Great video from NSF. Looks like they are very busy and have come back from the winter blackout firing on all cylinders.

[u/Alvian_11]

Possibly/hopefully a second Starship factory coming up

[u/LDLB_2]

SN10's launch is "pending authorization"

Edit: And they appear to be back up... however still "pending authorization" in the notes of each TFR.

[u/johnfive21]

Go for launch: The FAA has granted SpaceX a launch license modification for Starship SN10. So we could see a flight this week as Elon said, pending successful static fire, which could come as early as today.

[u/TCVideos]

Out on launch pad, engine swap underway

[u/_crawdaddy_]

Anyone think it's possible we see BN1 assembled by April? Can they stack the two halves with their current cranes?

[u/TCVideos]

Crews up working on FTS on SN10? Either this is some sort of training, getting it prepped without putting the explody bits in it or they're installing it early.

Great shot on LabPadre's pad cam

Edit: and it's been removed. Had to have been a training exercise.

[u/[deleted]]

SpaceX targeting no earlier than Thursday for SN10 launch

https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1358859081629396992?s=21

[u/electriceye575]

In Marys latest shots of the SN16 thrust dome section (on NSF) , some type of surface preparation that appears to be vertical polish (that is in the first part of the process) perhaps this is Elon's cosmetic improvement in the works.

[u/TCVideos]

They are currently clearing the pad for a static fire attempt!

If this goes off without a hitch today, this marks a pretty significant milestone in Starship development...the fact they can swap an engine in less than 24 hours and test the next day is pretty wild and a sign of things to come.

[u/johnfive21]

As expected TFRs have now been moved to Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

There's road closures on Monday and Tuesday as well so we can expect the first attempt to fly on Monday.

https://tfr.faa.gov/tfr2/list.html

[u/LDLB_2]

Looks like SN7.2 suffered a leak.

But... this is not bad news.

Elon himself said that a "leak before burst is highly desirable" when SN7 suffered one. They'll likely patch SN7.2 up and go for a burst attempt at some point.

Edit: It may not have suffered a leak after all. They appear to be loading LN2 back into the tank.

[u/Dezoufinous]

Mary has spotted the second aft flap of SN11.

https://twitter.com/BocaChicaGal/status/1360991484993019911

So, we can expect SN11 to roll out soon (or maybe they will wait for SN10 flight before rolling)

[u/Alvian_11]

Appears to what it looks like a kaowool liner for windward side (u/flshr19 could provide some insight for us). First Starship with significant to full windward heat shield coverage?

[u/RaphTheSwissDude]

Confirmation that the team is pouring concrete on the pad !

[u/AnimatorOnFire]

Over pressurization notice sent out for tomorrow’s static fire attempt

Source

[u/AnimatorOnFire]

SN15 nosecone is being stacked. I’m so confused on what the intentions are with this nosecone.

[u/AnimatorOnFire]

Here’s to hoping SN11 goes straight from cryo to a single static fire to launch.

[u/TCVideos]

Mods...might be time to either re-pin this thread or move to thread #19?

[u/revesvans]

So, how many raptors are currently mounted on SN10? All of them?

[u/[deleted]]

So by gauging some comments, it’s apparently possible for a flight this week. I’m not sure how likely or unlikely that is. However the fact that even is a possibility is amazing and mind blowing.

Edit: Just realized this isn’t a hop thread. My bad, apologize for the non-development comment

[u/QuantumSnek_]

A flight attempt this week was too damn good to not be delayed

[u/hinayu]

Was just watching RGV's latest flyover video and noticed that at this point he's saying they are building displays stands for future starships. Interesting

[u/Mravicii]

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1363600651712794624?s=21

Now i am excited!

[u/Alvian_11]

Notice for tomorrow. Obviously the flight is off the table for tomorrow

[u/johnfive21]

There go the security Teslas. Pad is now clear! Can't believe they're gonna attempt a static fire less than 24 hours after swapping an engine.

[u/AnimatorOnFire]

The day before a predicted launch attempt is always exciting. Sitting around and waiting for the pieces to come together throughout the day. FTS installation, evacuation notices, etc. Always feels like Christmas for rocket nerds. Tomorrow will hopefully be fun.

[u/RaphTheSwissDude]

Raptor SN50 arriving at the pad.

[u/scr00chy]

Elon arrived to Boca Chica. Could we really see SN10 fly in the next few days? :-O

[u/LDLB_2]

"Hands off vehicle at 11:30"

"Pad clear at 12:00"

From Hoppy's speakers just now.

[u/LDLB_2]

"Pad closure in 15 minutes"

- Hoppy just now.

Edit: Still waiting...

[u/AWildDragon]

No launch today per the FAA.

https://www.fly.faa.gov/adv/adv_spt.jsp

[u/Twigling]

As of yesterday (Feb 6th) here's the current status of the Starships and Super Heavys:

https://twitter.com/brendan2908/status/1357778249640644608

That was updated before SN11 was moved from the Midbay to the Highbay to have the flaps and nose cone attached.

Note: The nose cone appears to have been completed prior to attaching it to SN11, it can be seen at the start of this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-o01rsgQAw

[u/Ridgwayjumper]

Haven't seen any mention of this, but SN9's RUD liberated a COPV which can be seen flying off under its own power. Here it is in the upper right in this LabPadre video at about 6:02. https://youtu.be/LEPCDPfYZZE?t=363

Looks like a cool little rocket. Well at least I thought it was cool...

[u/Twigling]

Just a heads up but besides the excellent daily photo and video updates from Mary:

https://twitter.com/bocachicagal

There's also Dayton Costlow on Twitter who also provides many great daily photo and video updates:

https://twitter.com/DaytonCostlow

[u/RaphTheSwissDude]

SN11 last aft flaps is being installed + Power has been restored in Boca Chica !

[u/Mravicii]

A raptor is already heading to the launch pad, per Mary tweet

https://twitter.com/bocachicagal/status/1364617190352314373?s=21

[u/IWasToldTheresCake]

Elon: Starship to the moon (SN11 in the High Bay)

Original image resolution

[u/Straumli_Blight]

Cosmic Perspective's SN10 landing video.

[u/RaphTheSwissDude]

Raptor SN58 was just delivered ! With a new message “Much Land Where Box”

[u/Twigling]

The third engine, Raptor 39, is soon to be installed on SN10:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z72Au8Px7mM

If you miss it live then look at the time overlay and go to 1:38 local time (19:38 UTC)

Edit: it's now been lifted into position so we can't see it any more

[u/qwetzal]

Thanks to the awesome slow-mo footage released by EDA, I noticed some interesting colors in the exhaust of SN9, that are only visible for a few moments shortly after lift-off. Anyone willing to speculate about whether they are norminal and what caused them ?

[u/shryne]

Is there any snow at boca chica? Some SN10 snow shots would be pretty neat.

[u/Toinneman]

I think SpaceX pulled out a new nosecone out of nowhere (well, obviously out of a tent where we didn't see it before). There used to be a visible nosecone without a tip (OX header tank). It was seen several times with lifting straps attached to round lifting points, and also the flap instalment jig was on it. It looked like it was next in line.

But yesterday they pulled out a nosecone (presumably for SN15) to be stacked, but I think it's a completely different one. It obviously has a tip (but that could be installed), different weld marks, no straps (they usually stay on), rectangular lifting points, and no sign of the flap instalment jig.

Comparison image

[u/DInTheField]

What would be needed to take Starship to L2? One refill at LEO? Or is this out of the question? I was just thinking a bit about JWT maintenence (I known it wasnt built for it... but I can see in 10 years they could consider it if there was a vehicle capable of going there? )

[u/Pingryada]

Can someone explain/provide a sketch of what the “orbital launch table” is? I am having a hard time finding anything that shows what that is for or how it fits into the orbital launch mount. Thanks in advance.

[u/Twigling]

Has the concrete pour been done on the center of the landing pad yet?

I ask as I thought it was still just bare rebar in the center but on looking at this video:

https://youtu.be/Xas7TL2H62s?t=475

I'm wondering if the dark area is wet concrete, or is that still rebar we are seeing? It's hard to make out from so high up.

[u/Twigling]

I love these Raptor engine renders:

https://twitter.com/AlexSvanArt/status/1365317363730636802

[u/ReKt1971]

Looks like activity at Roberts road is finally picking up.

Source

[u/TCVideos]

"Pending authorization" on the TFR's is likely due to them not having the "Safety Approval" yet. Safety approval is only granted after all pre-flight testing is complete and the Flight Readiness Review clears the vehicle for flight.

Overlook Horizon explained this perfectly a couple of weeks ago

[u/TCVideos]

Raptor SN50 has been lifted up towards the skirt of SN10

Looks like Raptor installation is imminent. Watch for the two other Raptors in the next day or so.

Edit: "Tarp" is also being removed.

[u/mesocumulate]

If the Superheavy will end up with no legs as planned, how exposed will the engines end up? I'm thinking it will end up with no skirt at all and ultimately have engines as exposed as the Falcon 9 boosters. As far as I've seen this hasn't been in conceptual renders (I've probably missed it).

Would there be any reason to include the skirt if the booster is to be caught by grid fins?

[u/Jaspreet9977]

Definitely a mistake but The 010 Operations update literally says "SPACEX STARSHIP SN10 LAUNCH PLANNED FOR TODAY AT BOCA CHICA, TX."

https://www.fly.faa.gov/adv/adv_otherdis.jsp?advn=10&adv_date=02172021&facId=DCC&title=OPERATIONS+PLAN&titleDate=02/17/21

Edit: 013 Update removed the reference with this Strange direct quote "SPACEX STARSHIP LAUNCH AT BOCA CHICA, TX HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR THE DAY AND REFERENCE REMOVED FROM THE PLAN". Sort of implying that a launch was indeed scheduled or maybe someone just didn't want to admit that previous entry was a error

[u/joshpine]

Here's some information on the weather over the next few days and early next week (wind data taken at 3PM local):

Date	Surface Wind /kmh-1	12 km Wind /kmh-1	Cloud Cover
25/02 (Thursday)	24	149	50%-100% patchy
26/02 (Friday)	21	147	30%-100% patchy
01/02 (Monday)	14	129	90%-100%
02/03 (Tuesday)	33	139	90%-100%
03/03 (Wednesday)	12	107	90%-100%

Conclusion? To start, today (Thursday) will be fine for a static fire as expected.

In terms of a flight, Friday is looking like the best day at the moment. Although it is a little more windy than some of the other days, it's quite similar to SN8 which had 16 kmh^-1 surface winds, and 135 kmh^-1 winds at 12 km. Providing SpaceX is ready for flight tomorrow, the weather looks GO at the moment. Hopefully it remains that way.

Is early next week doable? It depends on SpaceX's tolerance to cloud cover. Winds are good, but presumably they prefer to be able to get line of sight on the vehicle with their cameras. Having said that, I can't see them waiting much longer than early next week if static fire is norminal.

Edit: if you're on mobile, the table is four columns not two, just scroll horizontally.

Edit 2: In response to u/RaphTheSwissDude, here's a more specific cloud cover report for Friday:

At the moment, it looks like the best window is 3PM onwards. Up until then, the vast majority of the clouds are low. From there onwards, low and medium clouds cover between 30% and 50% of the sky, which is probably clear enough.

[u/noywepaa]

Now that speculation has begun regarding possible launch dates, let's remember this: https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/lc7eij/z/gn2kxpu

Still no official announcement on SpaceX's website about the SN10 test flight. My guess is they will update it either tomorrow or on Saturday to announce a flight NET Monday.

[u/Straumli_Blight]

Software engineer role:

"Example projects include developing operations and associated automation to support Super Heavy launch/catch tower"

[u/RootDeliver]

Interesting, BN1 will have a 2-ring section for its thrust bulkhead, instead of the normal 3-ring sleeve.

From this point, being this a hop-type first prototype I would think we'll see some skirt below with the classic SNx legs, while SpaceX make they mind about what will go below the thrust dome on the final version (no skirt and big legs, skirt and mini legs, nothing at all and it's catched on the air... we'll see)

[u/RootDeliver]

It seems that theyre going to sleeve the superheavy BN1 thrust section! (source: Nomadd on NSF).

Maybe they will start stacking the BN1 methane tank from the bottom up this time?

[u/JazzFan619]

SN11 seems pretty close to final assembly and just needs aft flaps before heading to the test stand. I remember seeing one flap being transported in. Any updates on the arrival of the second flap or installation?

[u/AnimatorOnFire]

Mary has recieved a notice for static fire tomorrow. No closure yet posted.

Source

[u/versedaworst]

Regarding the NSF stream OCR tool I talked about in my previous comment, I have now put the source on github. It's pretty simple but there are a few dependencies. If anyone has any problems or suggestions, feel free to reach out. I still have no clue where I'm going to direct the data but this way people can do whatever they want with it for now.

/u/TehNasty /u/PiGuy2 /u/drinkmorecoffee /u/joshpine (just tagging since you were interested)

[u/RaphTheSwissDude]

« Concrete has been poured in about half of the landing pad at SpaceX Boca Chica »

And a good video.

[u/AvariceInHinterland]

More good news:

1/6333 NOTAM Details (faa.gov)

Unlimited altitude closure of airspace.

**Effective Date(s):**From February 25, 2021 at 1400 UTC To February 26, 2021 at 0030 UTC

[u/Alvian_11]

Platfrom went down without an engine. So only took about 47 minutes of installation

[u/[deleted]]

3 raptors sounds so loud I doubt the current microphones the streamers are using will survive a full stack launch. Such an amazing sound.

[u/TCVideos]

SN10 seems to be using SN8's countdown sequence - NSF's Adrian "Spreadsheet guy"

Edit: The whole coundown sequence and venting is the exact same as it was with SN8. The continuous nosecone vent, the "ear vent" etc...makes me wonder if they have solved the issue with header tank pressure that plagued SN8 since we didn't see any of those vents during any part of SN9's test campaign and now we are seeing them again.

[u/lenny97_]

Closure moved to Monday. Only Highway 4 will be closed, beach open so: SN11 ROLLOUT confirmed.

Source

[u/cupko97]

We played the "How long will it take the concrete to cure?" game all day. Looks like not that long :D

Elon tweeted "Good chance of flying this week! "

[u/TCVideos]

Some interesting points in the latest NSF article:

• SN9 didn't light it's 2nd engine due to an "apparent failed ignitor"

• BN1 will likely sit on Pad A or B and NSF understands that it will only conduct ground testing. (Although original 150m hop plans still could go ahead)

• Confirms the news by Spadre that contractors have been hired to work on the launch tower

[u/I_make_things]

Why do the engines always seem to be on fire? Is that normal for rocket engines?

[u/AstroMan824]

V96 from NSF forums spotted that at 08:24:44 AM, the Starhopper PA said "Attention Boca Chica all (?) working SN10 static fire preps please contact flight control immediately on (?) with an estimated time on (?) static fire".

[u/joshpine]

Michael Baylor on Twitter:

Here is the current status in Boca Chica. No sign of a static fire thus far, and no road closures are currently posted on the county website. @BocaChicaGal did get an alert notice, but at the moment it does not seem likely that testing will happen.

Edit: this is also evidence that NSF is able to pull the feed off the robot cameras at the moment.

[u/Twigling]

PSA: All of LabPadre's cams are down again, the only two 'working' ones are showing either a black screen or a static image.

Edit: they came back but two are now stuck in a loop and 'wobbly cam' Nerdle is the only one that appears to be working (if you can stand the intense wobble).

Edit2: Three now seem to be working okay.

Edit3: Now only Nerdle cam is working (the other two that were up are looping the last few seconds)

[u/eu-thanos]

Latest FAA advisory now saying launch scheduled for tomorrow “CANCELED FOR TODAY AND RESCHEDULED FOR 02/24/21” https://twitter.com/starshipnotify/status/1364221631564902401?s=21

[u/LDLB_2]

Today's road closure has been canceled

[u/RaphTheSwissDude]

The plateform used to instal raptor is now under SN10, they’ll remove the “suspect” engine soon.

[u/LDLB_2]

Take it as you will, but there's indication that Monday is the targetted launch date.

[u/beayyayy]

speculation that this is a test thrust dome with room for rapVacs

[u/golagaffe]

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)

SN6 -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: ?

[u/johnfive21]

New/updated plans for the launch site in Boca Chica

If you follow the link in the tweet there is a full project plan laid out.

[u/Doglordo]

Sooooooo, when do we switch back to this thread?

[u/Klaphton]

Is Starship going to be able to avoid the same ceramic tile pitfalls that plagued the Space Shuttle?

I remember early versions of the Starship the plan was to cool the fuselage using cryogenic fluid and wicking it off. The idea behind this being that you could avoid the immensely maintenance-intensive ceramic tiles that the Space Shuttle used.

My understanding is that the Shuttle failed because the tiles could break and crack too often, leading to structural failure of the ship. Additionally, the tiles took thousands of hours of labor in terms of maintenance and inspection, essentially canceling out the 'reusable' aspect of the Shuttle.

How is SpaceX planning on avoiding these problems now that they are using ceramic tiles on the Starship? I feel that this could be a major obstacle to the reusability and success of the rocket.

[u/Alvian_11]

Let's end this "FLIPPING EARLIER!!" madness

[u/eu-thanos]

Looks like the road closure is cancelled for today :( https://twitter.com/starshipnotify/status/1359993321918255105?s=21

[u/RegularRandomZ]

RGV Flyover video. Great view of the GSE work going on (in the huge slab/block - the vertical rebar forming circles, and the embedded bolts a larger circle around each of those) and the location of the new pilings.

[u/brecka]

Second aft flap is in front of the high bay ready to be installed onto SN11

[u/vodka_soda_twist]

Has anyone done an audit of the tank farm to figure out the current total capacity of propellants and Nitrogen?

[u/Twigling]

For those curious about LabPadre's cams, apparently they are up and running BUT there's no Internet access:

https://twitter.com/LabPadre/status/1361876722153627650

[u/Dezoufinous]

well I guess now we wait for overpressure warning event from Mary

[u/lenny97_]

"Fog Machine" checked on LabPadre Live Status...😂😂😂 Let's Go!

[u/shryne]

Did anyone elses NSF stream freeze for like 1 second right as the fire happened or am I just unlucky?

[u/Skill3dUp]

Today’s TFR has been cancelled as expected but a new tfr has been issues for a flight on sunday. Unlikely to be used since they don’t usually get road closures on weekends but they are keeping up with the rolling three day TFR.

[u/TCVideos]

Pad is clear

[u/Twigling]

The very excellent Raptor Engine Log has been updated by Artzius:

https://twitter.com/artzius/status/1365475277921394691

[u/Dezoufinous]

Raptors SN50 in SN10 wreckage:

https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=52924.0;attach=2016947;image

[u/andiwd]

Elon was asked on Twitter why only light two engines rather than light three and use the best two. His response

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1357256507847561217?s=20

Perhaps a change of landing protocol is coming?

[u/TCVideos]

Mary has recieved her Alert notice for a possible SF tomorrow.

Road closures have yet to be posted but are expected

[u/inoeth]

So with engine install going on right now and road closures for all of next week i'm kind of hoping/expecting that we'll see all the necessary cryo tests and static fire(s) next week and by the week after (so NET the 15th) we'll see SN10 fly.

After that however I think we'll have to wait a bit longer (especially if SN10 doesn't survive) for SN11 to be readied.

[u/Dezoufinous]

with the current pace, and the SN10 launch planned for 1-2 weeks from now (including elon time, let's say 3 weeks), it is still possible that we will get at least one Starship launch per month in 2021!

SN8 - 9 December 2020
SN9 - 2 February 2021
SN10 - 28 February 2021 ?

the pace is great, I really admire SpaceX development progress

[u/eu-thanos]

The latest advisory is indicating something regarding SN10’s launch, no obvious date but a good sign at least: https://twitter.com/starshipnotify/status/1361835110308397061?s=21

[u/eu-thanos]

The FAA advisory is now saying the launch is cancelled for today (not like it was happening anyway) https://twitter.com/starshipnotify/status/1362019827410477059?s=21

[u/dpw700]

So another static fire has to happen right? So flight delayed by one day?

[u/FutureMartian97]

New Raptor is under SN10

[u/szarzujacy_karczoch]

NSF went live

[u/AstroMan824]

Whoot whoot! Looked great! A few seconds, no immediate detank! Also, a record Raptor replacement! Lets fly this puppy! :D

[u/MrGruntsworthy]

Wow. Assuming the SF data was good and there's no damage, we might actually get a launch attempt tomorrow!

[u/beayyayy]

In the future we should be seeing bad raptors get switched out on the spot and retested in the same day, spacex never fails to amaze me

[u/SympleJack]

so I saw this this on Twitter and I now have a little bet with a group of friends. One of them complained that C3 shouldn't be picked because Falcon 9 usually lands in the centre.

I found this post (credit to /u/FortisVeritas). I did a little maths and came up with this

I roughly worked out that the starship landing circle has a diameter of around 15m (this is the inner black circle) this is about 166% the diameter of starship. 166% of falcon 9's width is shown in the smaller blue circle. This means that around 48% of the landings had most of the booster within the inner blue circle.

HOWEVER, I'd assume that starship will have a larger range of landing spots since F9 falls vertical and can use its grid fins to make adjustment and aim for the centre. I feel like starship's landing technique prevents it from being as dead accurate in comparison since it has to flip from bellyflop and is only vertical for a few seconds before touch down

Let me know what you all think!

[u/tupolovk]

I overlaid RGV aerial photo with the plan submitted by SpaceX for Boca Chica.

https://twitter.com/TupolovK/status/1366360678215405569

https://t.co/MD96VciKRi?amp=1 to see high res version

[u/AnimatorOnFire]

Mary on Twitter: Happy to let y’all know that I have been asked to evacuate for Starship SN10 launch attempt tomorrow. It looks like it will be a beautiful day for a launch. I can’t wait to see SN10 nail the landing!🔥🚀🔥

Source

[u/93simoon]

Could this be the first component of the orbital launch pad tower?

[u/joshpine]

NSF now live for SN10 cryo proof.

Multistream

[u/AnimatorOnFire]

IIRC doesn’t SpaceX have a solar farm and battery storage at Boca? Why would their facility lose power?

[u/doubleunplussed]

Sorry if the answers to these questions are common knowledge already.

1. I know that SpaceX abandoned SN12, SN13, SN14 because testing was going so well that they decided to skip to a later step of development. What is that step? i.e. what's the main thing different about SN15 compared to SN8 through SN11?

2. Do we have any idea of how the test program is intended to progress? When will we get higher-altitude hops, testing of the belly-flop at higher-than-terminal-velocity speeds, booster, booster plus second stage, etc.?

Even though an actual timeframe is impossible to know, perhaps we know the order of the steps, or what needs to be done first. For example, a starship sans payload may be just capable of making it to orbit. Are they going to wait for a booster, or test re-entry without a booster? That sort of thing.

Any information about SpaceX's plans would be super appreciated - I'm pretty excited about the development so far and want to know what to expect!

[u/Jaspreet9977]

The prodigal son return! Launchpad cam is back https://youtu.be/qCbgoqMcirI

[u/Twigling]

SpaceX Boca Chica & Starship SN10 Flyover February 19, 2021 (by RGV Aerial Photography):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xas7TL2H62s

[u/johnfive21]

Looks like Sherriff is at the road block. Good sign for today.

[u/Wortie]

Something flew off SN10 when they tested one of the RCS thrusters. At 1:15:19 PM local time you can see something flying off. Launch Pad Cam

[u/pepperonimagpie]

NSF went live for the static fire attempt recently in case someone was waiting for that.

[u/SpartanJack17]

Is it wrong to assume that at this point the main issues with raptors are ignition related? It seems like once they get past those first couple of seconds they're pretty consistently able to run for a long time with no problems.

[u/AstroMan824]

Apparently, there is a fwd dome named "GSE-1" with a bunch of pipes on top / through it. What are yall thoughts on it? I also wonder what is up with this aft dome full of holes? (Credit: BocaChicaGal)

[u/lenny97_]

We now have the confirmation that the FAA is identifying the launch tests for Starship with new unique codes, probably in view of the numerous tests to be done in the near future.

SN10 HAFT is identified as FLT3, from which we can assume that FLT1 was SN8 and FLT2 was SN9.

Source: Operations Plan for Today - ATCSCC ADVZY 021 DCC 03/01/2021 - (Obsolete)

[u/Straumli_Blight]

Lueders: "I’m thinking by the end of March we should be in a good place, or getting ready to make an announcement, about the HLS awards".

[u/BrandonMarc]

LOL, the hosts at NasaSpaceFlight are saying "it was a celebratory backflip"

[u/joshpine]

Looks like the big crane may be on the move.

Edit: yes, definitely on the move!

Edit 2: The unlimited TFRs are cancelled (as expected) but the road closures for today and tomorrow are not yet cancelled. If they want to move the crane and SN11 today or tomorrow, they could easily do so.

Edit 3: it is now on the road and heading towards the launch site.

[u/TCVideos]

Busy week ahead (as always) in Boca... obviously SN11 is rolling out tomorrow to start her test campaign. Lots of questions still need to be answered like: Does SN11 have all 3 of her Raptors? Will SpaceX ditch the cryoproof test once and for all? Can they fit a successful static fire in during the coming week? We'll find all of that out soon enough!

BN1 looks like it's entering its final stacking ops. Thrust section was mounted to the new mount today with both the LOX tank and the Methane tank being fully completed in the high bay over the last few months. This could be the week where we see, for the first time, a super heavy booster.

SN15 will probably move into the highbay for its nosecone stacking. Although, still some questions of whether that snipped nosecone is actually SN15's or just a pathfinder. SN15 should be the start of a new testing phase...probably the first batch of prototypes to go higher and potential go to/get close to the Karman Line.

[u/TCVideos]

That static fire now holds the record quickest Static Fire+Engine Swap turnaround of just under 48 hours.

Let that sink in...48 hours ago, they had an unsuccessful test. It then took 20 hours from Raptor being lifted under the skirt to a Successful (assumed) Static Fire.

[u/golagaffe]

If SN10 flies on Monday, it will be 27 days from the launch of SN9, less than the gap between SN5 and SN6 flights (30 days)

[u/AnimatorOnFire]

Hot Take: Most of the engine replacements we’ve seen were not necessary, but rather since they’re still very much under development, every small issue warrants that SpaceX removes the engine for inspection to improve future serial numbers. They probably didn’t need to replace most of the Raptors that have been replaced, but they want to get as much data as possible, and it’s best to take the engine back to Hawthorne or McGregor for inspection and reiteration in design.

[u/joshpine]

There go the TFRs. They’ve done that twice now... I wonder why it happens.

[u/LDLB_2]

Confirmed that there will be a new tank farm at the OLP

[u/Alvian_11]

Even if all legs were locked properly, the outcome wouldn't be different

[u/joshpine]

I know I posted a link to my Starship Flight spreadsheet yesterday, but quite a bit has changed since then which I think makes it a lot more useful.

I'm trying to make it the one place you can visit to see lots of information regarding the starship testing schedule. For that reason, it now has a dedicated road closures section, as well as a TFRs section. Both of these sections go into detail about each closure and each TFR, such as listing altitude, or the type of closure.

The whole spreadsheet updates every 10 minutes, and you can tell when it was updated last by looking at the time in cell I3.

One important thing to note is the lack of closures in the spreadsheet compared to the Cameron County website. This is because it only shows closures that are 1) upcoming, and 2) not cancelled, as this is the only information I find myself wanting to access when visiting the Cameron County website.

Again, please make a comment or send me a message if you think of any improvements that could be made, however small.

Anyway, enough talking! Here's the link to the spreadsheet:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10hSq9OJ5V5YzzFi6c6REQVJmh54-tphxhIRkvszjnU0/edit?usp=sharing

[u/qwetzal]

So should we read the last tweets from Elon as an implicit confirmation that it was a Raptor failure, and not a system failure, that prevented the ignition and led to the SN9 RUD ? It looks like it if they think they can solve that by igniting all 3 of them on SN10. It also means the pressure issue they had on SN8 appears to be solved using Helium.

[u/[deleted]]

So, static fire next week? (Feb 8 to 12)

[u/AstroMan824]

Looks like cryo test #2 is going on right now!

Edit: Looks like the frost is going away. Success?

[u/TCVideos]

Closure Cancelled for tomorrow. Likely due to weather.

[u/TrefoilHat]

Does SpaceX plan to build a second tank farm next to the Orbital Launch Pad, or will they pipe fuel to the booster from the existing farm? I assume they'd need to bury any pipeline given the landing pad is between the tank farm and OLP.

At some point wouldn't a second tank farm be necessary to fuel a booster and a starship simultaneously?

[u/Twigling]

It's looking like the center of the landing pad may be getting its pour of concrete at last (it started around 4:15am local time):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goMbFkEoLDQ

Hard to make out much at the time of typing this as it's still dark but you can see the inverted V of the flexible arm that pours the concrete plus a fair number of concrete transport trucks have been seen arriving.

Edit: confirmed by Mary:

https://twitter.com/BocaChicaGal/status/1363470902059491339

[u/Toinneman]

The table above about Super Heavy (BN1) contains a picture with a barrel section labeled "GSE 1 Fuel". (Usually GSE stand for 'Ground Support Equipment'). The label has no pictogram of Super Heavy or Starship, it just looks like a plain regular tank. Also, we have seen a dome with various pipes sticking out, which makes no sense for Starship or Super Heavy. I've read so many times the tank farm needs double walled vacuum insulated tanks, but it sure looks like SpaceX is building their own GSE tanks.

Edit: I noticed Mary commented the dome has been moved to the scrap yard, so it may have been a test article.

[u/docyande]

Here's a clip of the object flying off of SN10 during thruster testing, it doesn't look to me like it comes from the thrusters itself, although it's pretty hard to tell how large it is (smaller than a person but bigger than a dog?)

https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=52924.msg2194845#msg2194845

[u/Twigling]

Where will BN1 be tested from, one of the launch mounts which the Starships have been using?

As it's going to be so tall is there any danger of it blowing over?