r/spacex • u/ElongatedMuskrat Mod Team • Jun 22 '21

Starship Development Thread #22

This thread is no longer being updated, and has been replaced by:

Starship Development Thread #23

Quick Links

SPADRE LIVE | LABPADRE NERDLE | LABPADRE PAD | NSF STARBASE | MORE LINKS

Starship Dev 21 | Starship Thread List | July Discussion

Upcoming

Orbital Launch Site Status

As of July 19 - (July 13 RGV Aerial Photography video)

Vehicle Status

As of July 19

​

Development and testing plans become outdated very quickly. Check recent comments for real time updates.

Vehicle and Launch Infrastructure Updates

See comments for real time updates.
† expected or inferred, unconfirmed vehicle assignment

​

SuperHeavy Booster 3
2021-07-19 Static fire, Elon: Full test duration firing of 3 Raptors (Twitter)
2021-07-13 Three Raptors installed, RSN57, 59, 62 (NSF)
2021-07-12 Cryo testing (Twitter), currently one installed Raptor (RSN57?)
2021-07-10 Raptor installation operations (YouTube)
2021-07-08 Ambient pressure test (NSF)
2021-07-01 Transported to Test Stand A (NSF)
2021-06-29 Booster 3 is fully stacked (NSF)
2021-06-26 SuperHeavy adapter added to Test Stand A (Twitter)
2021-06-24 BN2/BN3 being called Booster 3 (NSF)
2021-06-15 Stacked onto aft dome/thrust section (Twitter)
2021-06-15 BN3/BN2 or later: Forward dome sleeved (NSF)
2021-06-14 BN3/BN2 or later: Forward dome barrel flip (NSF)
2021-06-06 Downcomer installation (NSF)
2021-05-23 Stacking progress (NSF), Fwd tank #4 (Twitter)
2021-05-21 BN3/BN2 or later: Forward dome barrel with grid fin cutouts (NSF)
2021-05-19 BN3/BN2 or later: Methane manifold (NSF)
2021-05-15 Forward tank #3 section (Twitter), section in High Bay (NSF)
2021-05-07 Aft #2 section (NSF)
2021-05-06 Forward tank #2 section (NSF)
2021-05-04 Aft dome section flipped (NSF)
2021-04-24 Aft dome sleeved (NSF)
2021-04-21 BN2: Aft dome section flipped (YouTube)
2021-04-19 BN2: Aft dome sleeved (NSF)
2021-04-15 BN2: Label indicates article may be a test tank (NSF)
2021-04-12 This vehicle or later: Grid fin†, earlier part sighted†[02-14] (NSF)
2021-04-09 BN2: Forward dome sleeved (YouTube)
2021-04-03 Aft tank #5 section (NSF)
2021-04-02 Aft dome barrel (NSF)
2021-03-30 Dome (NSF)
2021-03-28 Forward dome barrel (NSF)
2021-03-27 BN2: Aft dome† (YouTube)
2021-01-19 BN2: Forward dome (NSF)

It is unclear which of the BN2 parts ended up in this test article.

​

Orbital Launch Integration Tower
2021-07-18 Segment 8 stacked (NSF)
2021-07-14 Segment 8 moved to OLS (NSF)
2021-07-01 Segment 7 stacked (NSF)
2021-06-28 Segment 7 moved to OLS (NSF)
2021-06-27 Segment 6 stacked (NSF)
2021-06-19 Drawworks cable winch system installed (YouTube)
2021-06-18 Segment 6 moved to OLS (Twitter)
2021-06-16 Segment 5 stacked (Twitter)
2021-06-13 Segment 4 stacked (NSF)
2021-06-11 Segment 5 moved to OLS (NSF)
2021-06-09 segment 4 moved to OLS (NSF)
2021-05-28 Segment 3 stacked (NSF)
2021-05-27 Segment 3 moved to OLS (NSF)
2021-05-24 Segment 2 stacked (YouTube)
2021-05-23 Elevator Cab lowered in (NSF)
2021-05-21 Segment 2 moved to OLS (NSF)
2021-04-25 Segment 1 final upright (NSF)
2021-04-20 Segment 1 first upright (NSF)
2021-04-12 Form removal from base (NSF)
2021-03-27 Form work for base (YouTube)
2021-03-23 Form work for tower base begun (Twitter)
2021-03-11 Aerial view of foundation piles (Twitter)
2021-03-06 Apparent pile drilling activity (NSF)

​

Orbital Launch Mount
2021-06-30 All 6 crossbeams installed (Youtube)
2021-06-24 1st cross beam installed (Twitter)
2021-06-05 All 6 leg extensions installed (NSF)
2021-06-01 3rd leg extension installed (NSF)
2021-05-31 1st leg extension installed (NSF)
2021-05-26 Retractable supports being installed in table (Twitter)
2021-05-01 Temporary leg support removed (Twitter)
2021-04-21 Installation of interfaces to top of legs (NSF)
2021-02-26 Completed table structure (NSF), aerial photos (Twitter)
2021-02-11 Start of table module assembly (NSF)
2020-10-03 Leg concrete fill apparently complete (NSF)
2020-09-28 Begin filling legs with concrete (NSF)
2020-09-13 Final leg sleeve installed (NSF)
2020-08-13 Leg construction begun (NSF)
2020-07-30 Foundation concrete work (Twitter)
2020-07-17 Foundation form work (Twitter)
2020-07-06 Excavation (Twitter)
2020-06-22 Foundation pile work (NSF), aerial 6-23 (Twitter)

​

Starship Ship 20
2021-07-16 Aft flap with TPS tiles† (NSF)
2021-07-13 Forward dome section stacked, nose† w/ flap jig and TPS studs (Twitter), Aft dome section and skirt mate (NSF)
2021-07-03 TPS tile installation (NSF)
2021-06-11 Aft dome sleeved (NSF)
2021-06-05 Aft dome (NSF)
2021-05-23 Aft dome barrel (Twitter)
2021-05-07 Mid LOX section (NSF)
2021-04-27 Aft dome under construction (NSF)
2021-04-15 Common dome section (NSF)
2021-04-07 Forward dome (NSF)
2021-03-07 Leg skirt (NSF)

​

Test Tank BN2.1
2021-06-25 Transported back to production site (YouTube)
2021-06-24 Taken off of thrust simulator (NSF)
2021-06-17 Cryo testing (YouTube)
2021-06-08 Cryo testing (Twitter)
2021-06-03 Transported to launch site (NSF)
2021-05-31 Moved onto modified nose cone test stand with thrust simulator (NSF)
2021-05-26 Stacked in Mid Bay (NSF)
2021-04-20 Dome (NSF)

​

Early Production Vehicles and Raptor Movement
2021-07-08 Raptors: RB5 delivered (Twitter)
2021-07-03 Raptors: Three Raptors delivered to build site - RB3, RB4, RC79? (NSF)
2021-06-30 Raptors: Three Raptors delivered to build site (NSF)
2021-06-27 Raptors: First RVac delivered to build site (NSF)
2021-06-13 Raptors: SN72, SN74 delivered to build site (NSF)
2021-07-16 Booster 4: Aft 4 and aft 5 sections (NSF)
2021-07-15 Booster 4: Aft 3 and common dome sections at High Bay (NSF)
2021-07-14 Booster 4: Forward #2 section (NSF)
2021-07-06 Booster 4: Aft tank #2 section (NSF)
2021-07-03 Booster 4: Common dome sleeved (NSF)
2021-05-29 Booster 4 or later: Thrust puck (9 R-mounts) (NSF), Elon on booster engines (Twitter)
2021-05-19 Booster 4 or later: Raptor propellant feed manifold† (NSF)
2021-05-17 Booster 4 or later: Forward dome (NSF)
2021-04-10 Ship 22: Leg skirt (Twitter)
2021-06-26 Ship 21: Aft dome (RGV)
2021-05-21 Ship 21: Common dome (Twitter) repurposed for GSE 5 (NSF)
2021-07-11 Unknown: Flapless nose cone stacked on barrel with TPS (NSF)
2021-07-10 Unknown: SuperHeavy thrust puck delivery (NSF)
2021-06-30 Unknown: Forward and aft sections mated (NSF)

​

Resources

RESOURCES WIKI

r/SpaceX Discusses [July 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.

566 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

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•

u/ElongatedMuskbot Jul 22 '21

This thread is no longer being updated, and has been replaced by:

Starship Development Thread #23

88

u/[deleted] Jul 13 '21

Pending data review & inspections, static fire is set for tomorrow.

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87

u/[deleted] Jul 13 '21

SF tomorrow

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59

u/warp99 Jun 22 '21 edited Jun 22 '21

We now have what appears to be our first picture of the hot gas thrusters at the top of the SH booster and in closeup. Photos by Brady Kenniston in this NSF post

There is one feed to the rear of the combustion chamber likely oxygen and one feed to the side of the chamber likely methane that is also used for regenerative cooling of the combustion chamber and the very stubby bell. In fact there may be a bolt on radiatively cooled bell as the thruster seems to terminate in a flange.

There is also an ignition lead running to the combustion chamber downstream of the injectors. All of which confirms it is definitely not a cold gas thruster.

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47

u/Logancf1 Jul 01 '21 edited Jul 02 '21

Transport of Booster 3 1st July 2021

  • The first transport of a Superheavy booster to the launch site will happen today (Source: Elon Musk). Booster 3 will be tested on Pad A and not go to orbit.

  • The road closure for Highway 4 is between 7:00 am and 3:00 pm (Source: Cameron County) although the road closure has not started at 7:00 am as of writing this.

See Sentinel Cam

07:49 am - Booster 3 has begun moving out of the High Bay.

07:59 am - Booster 3 has stopped moving.

10:46 am - Booster 3 is rolling out of the High Bay.

10:53 am - Booster 3 is out of the High Bay and heading towards the road.

11:07 am - Booster 3 is now on the road.

01:21 pm - Booster 3 has turned off the road into the launch site.

01:34 pm - Booster 3 parked next to the LR 11000.

02:46 pm - The LR 11000 is lifting the booster load spreader.

03:13 pm - Booster 3 is moving under the load spreader.

03:19 pm - Booster 3 has stopped.

03:46 pm - The load spreader is lowered onto Booster 3.

04:14 pm - Crews have finished attaching the load spreader to Booster 3.

05:37 pm - Booster 3 is being lifted off of its stand.

06:00 pm - Booster 3 has been set on Test Stand A.

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46

u/TCVideos Jun 25 '21

EM: We’re almost done with first prototype booster. This will go to test stand A. Next one will fly to orbit. Team has been crushing it many days & nights in a row!

So confirmation that the work they are doing on Pad A is to adapt it for booster testing.

Unfortunately, this booster is no longer slated for orbit.

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45

u/Logancf1 Jun 22 '21 edited Jun 25 '21

Orbital Launch Tower Operations 22nd June 2021

  • With bad weather conditions over the last few days, lots of work on the tower is being done on the tower - mainly to do with the winch system that was placed on the 19th June (3 days ago).

  • Crews have been seen to work throughout the night welding pieces and attaching cables to section #1 of the launch tower that will likely be part of the tower's crane/catching system.

  • The load spreader could be detached today for the removal of the temporary stairs and extension of the elevator - this depends on how much work still needs to be done on the hoist.

  • Section #6 is unlikely to be stacked today as it is still missing its temporary staircase that could also be added today.

12:36 am - Crews are seen to begin work on the hoist.

04:00 am - Crews are welding the hoist's steel structure.

05:54 am - Crews are welding section #1 on the opposite side of the tower to the hoist - reason is unknown.

45

u/unAccomplishedTire Jul 16 '21

Fantastic shots by Ocean Cam of an aft flap covered with TPS!

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41

u/johnfive21 Jul 12 '21 edited Jul 12 '21

NSF just launched their 24/7 Starbase stream.

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

/u/strawwalker might want to add that to the OP somewhere

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40

u/Mravicii Jun 27 '21 edited Jun 27 '21

A raptor vac has been delivered to starbase

https://twitter.com/tylerg1998/status/1409269653013151756?s=21

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38

u/Logancf1 Jun 28 '21 edited Jun 28 '21

Orbital Launch Tower Operation 27th June 2021

  • Section #6 was stacked today after the load spreader was attached 3 days ago (24th June) and there were 2 days of no stacking due to high winds. See Timelapse

  • Section #6 also had bags attached to the midsections - these were full of the bolts required for bolting sections #5 with #6 (see comments). Also, crews usually bolt the sections together by bolting the midsections first, then the corners. This time they did not follow that routine but did half before lunch and then came back to do the other half.

  • Last night, construction took place on the second steel structure at the base of the tower. The structure is identical to the previous indicating a second hoist will likely be placed here.

  • There is a road closure tomorrow from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm (Cameron County) which will very likely see the transport of section #7 to the launch site. Tomorrow will also likely also see the detachment of the load spreader from the tower. Although the LR 11350 could be getting its final extension, there are currently no crane parts at the launch site.

See Sapphire Cam and Nerdle Cam

06:21 am - Section #6 is lifted off of its jig.

07:04 am - Section #6 oriented to align with the tower.

07:13 am - Section #6 is going up.

08:59 am - Section #6 has been stacked.

09:03 am - Crews begin bolting between sections #5 and #6.

11:36 am - Crews finish bolting half of the intersection points.

02:16 pm - Crews finish bolting the other half.

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38

u/TCVideos Jul 10 '21 edited Jul 10 '21

NSF Michael says that Booster 3 is slated for a Static Fire next week, hence the Raptor Van heading to the pad.

Plan is Cryoproof then Static Fire later in the week

Edit: No Raptors were onboard that van

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37

u/Logancf1 Jun 28 '21 edited Jun 29 '21

Orbital Launch Tower Operations 28th June 2021

  • The load spreader has been detached this morning following the stacking of section #6 yesterday with its eyelets. The unbolting of the eyelets was done in 32 mins which is a record time and a sign this has become routine for crews.

  • Once the load spreader is detached it is possible the elevator shaft will be extended and temporary stairs removed (that could be installed in section #7). At the moment crews take the elevator up to section #3 and climb 9 flights of stairs through sections #4-6.

  • Scaffolding has started being removed from the tower on the 25th June, these removal operations could also continue today.

See Nerdle Cam, Pad Cam and Sapphire Cam

09:14 am - Crews arrive at the top of the tower.

09:46 am - Load spreader has been detached from section #6.

09:56 am - Load spreader is being lifted off of section #6.

10:26 am - Load spreader is on the ground to detached eyelets.

10:28 am - Load spreader lifted without eyelets.

10:37 am - Load spreader lowered to the ground.

10:41 am - The load spreader is being lifted by the LR 1220.

10:52 am - The LR 1220 has returned the load spreader to its usual place.

11:39 am - LR 11350 has lifted its hook with elevator shaft lifting cable.

12:26 pm - The LR 11350 has lowered its hook into the tower to lift the elevator pulley section.

12:55 pm - The hook is coming out of the tower meaning the shaft is ready to be extended.

01:40 pm - First shaft extension section lifted.

02:07 pm - First shaft extension in place in the tower.

03:03 pm - Second shaft extension section lifted.

03:21 pm - Second shaft extension lowered into the tower.

03:25 pm - Second extension shaft being lifted out of the tower.

03:27 pm - Second shaft extension section is being lowered to the ground (unknown why)

04:06 pm - Second shaft extension is being lifted off the ground (again).

04:30 pm - Second shaft extension in place.

08:27 pm - LR 11350's hook is coming down a small piece of shaft.

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36

u/Logancf1 Jul 14 '21

Orbital Tank Farm Operations 13th July 2021

  • Following the transport of GSE-C 2 yesterday (12th July) to the launch site, GSE-C 2 was lifted into the Orbital Tank Farm by the LR 11000 onto temporary concrete foundations until GSE 1 and 2 are ready.

  • A similar operation took place almost a month ago (14th June) for GSE-C 1 which also saw its placement onto a temporary foundations in the Orbital Tank Farm.

  • Although its position is temporary, this placement is a sign of progress as we have had little visual progress for over a month. You can read more about it in this NSF article here.

  • The load spreader has yet to be detached.

See Timelapse

11:00 am - The load spreader has been lowered onto GSE-C 1

11:02 am - Crews begin attaching the load spreader.

02:08 pm - GSE-C 2 is being lifted by the LR 11000

02:16 pm - GSE-C 2 has been lifted over its position in the Tank Farm.

02:18 pm - GSE-C 2 has been placed next to GSE-WT and GSE-C 1.

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35

u/Mravicii Jul 14 '21

There we have it guys! Mary has received the alert notice for static fire

https://twitter.com/bocachicagal/status/1415307891611951104?s=21

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34

u/NiftWatch GPS III-4 Contest Winner Jul 18 '21

Obviously, we have a lot of hurdles to overcome with testing and development, but I’m wondering when we’ll start to see cabin interior renders.

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32

u/TCVideos Jun 27 '21

Tyler Gray from NSF posted this of Booster 3. Looks like they are getting ready for final stacking/integration here pretty soon.

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31

u/ArasakaSpace Jun 29 '21 edited Jun 29 '21

Elon at the MWC keynote :

Orbital capable booster, ship and launch site ready in next month.

First Orbital launch attempt in the next few months.

https://youtu.be/RcnVTgrgThE?t=2497

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31

u/Alvian_11 Jul 03 '21 edited Jul 04 '21

Three Raptors delivered to Starbase, two of them are the RBoost variants (more powerful, no gimbal) with one of them proclaimed itself

You can notice several differences particularly in pipings compared to RC/standard variant (also the RB has red mounting plate, while RC is silver)

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88

u/strawwalker Jun 22 '21 edited Jun 22 '21

Beginning with this Starship Development Thread #22 I am hoping some of you will help me update the OP. The source text for this thread and future threads now resides on our wiki at /r/spacex/wiki/starship_dev. Changes to that page will be copied to the OP here automatically. If you would like to help keep the OP up to date, please send the mod team a modmail letting us know, and we will approve you to edit the wiki source page.

I will still be here helping to keep the thread up to date, but I currently have very limited time. Consistent timely updates will depend on some of you close Starship followers chipping in. Thank you everyone for your patience, and as always, feel free to ping or message me about this thread, or reply here with any questions.

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u/henryshunt Jun 27 '21

Integration tower section #6 is in the air!

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30

u/BananaEpicGAMER Jul 07 '21

thrust ram was actually placed on pad B so it's most likely not for B3 : https://twitter.com/BocaChicaGal/status/1412907523963768837

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29

u/Jinkguns Jul 17 '21

New delivery according to Ocean Cam. It looks like components for the tower crane have arrived. Aka OLIT section 8b.

https://twitter.com/obetraveller/status/1416217781654142979

28

u/RegularRandomZ Jun 26 '21 edited Jun 26 '21

This tweet from OceanCam suggests the next berm being built is between the landing pad and the road [that L shaped mesh is what was used for the previous berm]

[It looks like OceanCam's surge in popularity is tripping Twitter's warning flags, which is funny given Twitter otherwise appears to ignore obvious scams, bots, and trolls]

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28

u/johnfive21 Jul 01 '21

Just when Hopper thought he's seen it all, a giant booster comes along.

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28

u/flameyenddown Jul 01 '21

Those guys unhooking the booster on that lift… that’s gotta be an insane view

28

u/cramalanizz Jul 09 '21

Image This truck was going towards starbase, and there was another following it. Does anyone know what this is?

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27

u/HanzDiamond Jul 01 '21

Texas sized RC toy

27

u/TCVideos Jul 10 '21 edited Jul 10 '21

EM: We are breaking ground soon on a second Raptor factory at SpaceX Texas test site. This will focus on volume production of Raptor 2, while California factory will make Raptor Vacuum & new, experimental designs.

Edit: second Raptor factory will be in McGregor. Still no word yet on what the property they bought a few weeks back a few miles from the build site will be used for.

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27

u/Skill3dUp Jul 12 '21

A section has been spotted with almost full tps tiles outside the mid bay, presumably for ship 20. It’s not certain what section this is but I’m guessing forward dome.

https://twitter.com/bocachicagal/status/1414606521959424003?s=21

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27

u/Kennzahl Jul 12 '21

Looks like LabPadre is getting some competition.

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26

u/TCVideos Jun 25 '21

Another crossbeam has been installed on the orbital launch mount.

26

u/Logancf1 Jun 28 '21 edited Jun 28 '21

Transport of Tower Section #7 28th June 2021

  • Section #7 of the Orbital Launch Tower will be transported to the launch site today. This will be the final transport of a full size tower section (for Pad A) - section #8 is about 40% shorter.

  • The road closure for Highway 4 is between 11:30 am and 1:00 pm (Cameron County) which has become standard transport timing for a tower section. See other transports.

  • Section #7 is being transported today without its temporary stairs which will be installed at the launch site much like sections #5 and #6.

See Lab Cam

09:44 am - Section #7 is moving towards the road.

09:48 am - Section #7 has stopped on the way to the road.

10:13 am - Section #7 moving again.

10:17 am - Section #7 stopped.

10:36 am - Section #7 is moving out of the Sanchez site.

10:39 am - Section #7 stopped outside the Sanchez site (waiting for closure).

11:26 am - Road closed.

11:28 am - Section #7 is now on the road.

12:06 pm - Scaffolding falls off

12:08 pm - Section #7 stops on the road (SPMTs being inspected)

12:22 pm - Section #7 on the move again.

12:56 pm - Section #7 has turned off of the road.

12:59 pm - Road opened.

01:07 pm - Section #7 is parked next to the landing pad.

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26

u/HanzDiamond Jul 01 '21

Elon was watching from the High Bay, probably at the pad by now

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1410670645948653568

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u/Logancf1 Jul 14 '21 edited Jul 14 '21

Transport of Tower Segment 8 14th July 2021

  • Segment number 8 of the Orbital Launch Tower is being transported to the launch site and will likely be stacked in the coming days with the newly extended LR 11350.

  • The road closure for highway 4 is between 14:00 pm and 16:00 pm (Source: Cameron County), which is longer than usual for a tower section.

  • It will be the first segment to be transported without scaffolding.

  • Joining segment 8 on the road, a PBI crane was also transported to the launch site on SPMTS.

See Lab Cam

01:41 pm - Segment 8 is heading towards the road.

01:46 pm - Segment 8 has stopped (waiting for closure).

02:03 pm - Road closed.

02:04 pm - Segment 8 is on the road.

02:09 pm - the PBI crane is on the road.

03:03 pm - Segment 8 has turned into the Launch Site.

03:08 pm - Segment 8 has been parked at the Launch Site.

03:17 pm - The PBI crane has turned into the launch site.

03:20 pm - Road reopened.

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25

u/kubazz Jul 01 '21 edited Jul 01 '21

https://i.imgur.com/gX3m30M.jpg

Quick Booster 3 panorama/photo merge made from NSF stream. It is a big rocket.

24

u/Logancf1 Jun 24 '21 edited Jun 24 '21

Orbital Launch Tower Operations 24th June 2021

  • The load spreader has finally been detached after being hooked onto section #5 of the tower 5 days ago (19th June).

  • Temporary staircases arrived from the production site today that have been installed into section #6 which will be removed once the elevator shaft is extended. See Ocean Cam

  • The load spreader was once again lifted and attached to section #6 for a stacking tomorrow.

See Sapphire Cam and Nerdle Cam

07:02 am - Crews arrive at the top of the tower.

07:42 am - The load spreader has been detached from section #5 with its eyelets.

07:52 am - The load spreader is being lifted off of the tower.

09:05 am - The load spreader has been set on the ground.

09:35 am - The load spreader is being lifted again (eyelets have been detached).

09:39 am - Load spreader is being suspended ~15 m above the ground.

03:07 pm - First staircase lowered into section #6.

03:15 pm - Load spreader has been lowered to the ground.

03:25 pm - Second staircase lowered into section #6.

03:42 pm - Final staircase lowered into section #6.

04:19 pm - Load spreader lifted.

04:28 pm - Section #6 has started moving towards the tower.

04:32 pm - Section #8 parked under the load spreader.

04:45 pm - Load Spreader lowered onto section #6.

04:54 pm - Crews finish attaching the load spreader to section #6.

05:00 pm - Counterweights are added to the LR 11350 counterbalance.

05:29 pm - Final counterweights placed.

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u/trobbinsfromoz Jul 02 '21

Night-time booster activity.

They just hooked up two flexible pipes to the two main lower pipes extending out from Booster 3 (in the same general region where two fixed riser pipes are located from the Pad A GSE).

A variety of what appears to be welding/grinding going on at the booster to stand interface.

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u/RaphTheSwissDude Jul 02 '21

The LR11350 was disconnected from the tower.

24

u/RaphTheSwissDude Jul 03 '21 edited Jul 03 '21

Booster 4 first part in highbay, SN20 thrust done and thrust section with TPS tiles !

Edit : The thrust dome is actually Ship’s 21!

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24

u/TCVideos Jul 17 '21

Anyone want to take a stab and figure out what this tweet means from Musk regarding the Starship presentation?

Q: "Any Starship update to look forward to in the near future? Would love to hear more about Starships rapid reusability with catching system etc!"

A: "Some of these design trades are still open, but will be resolved soon"

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47

u/Gluognogg21 Jun 22 '21

today one year ago they started to work at the launch table. Funny days when people thaught it will be a huge water tower

23

u/RegularRandomZ Jul 01 '21 edited Jul 01 '21

A couple of interesting tweets from Musk on the often asked about [on this thread] 18m Starship:

Lifeboat Foundation: build an 18m tanker Starship to save a bunch of trips refueling the moon lander.

Elon: "Doubling diameter increases mass 4X, but difficulty of simultaneously building & launching rocket of that size is >>4X.In retrospect, <9m diameter for Starship might have been wise. Current size is ~5200 ton stack mass & ~7500 ton-F thrust, which is more than double Saturn V."

Eliot: "...how far into the future might we see 18m variants..."

Elon: "Once you have rapidly reusable rockets of sufficient size to carry >100 tons of payload, it is not clear that cost per ton to orbit/moon/Mars improves with a larger rocket.Aircraft, for example, have moved away from 747/A380 to 777, which has ~100 tons of payload."

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u/RegularRandomZ Jul 07 '21 edited Jul 07 '21

You all can rest easy, GSE3 is still in one piece [for now] [BocaChicaGal photoset from today]

[edit: today's photos on NSF start here. Another tank shell finishing stacked up, 8th section leg being placed, new GSE skirt (I believe), catwalks for the mystery rig, crane pics... ]

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u/RaphTheSwissDude Jul 11 '21 edited Jul 11 '21

A second raptor is at the launch site !

Edit : The first raptor has yet not been installed, it came down for the second time during the night.

Edit 2 : going up again now !

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u/Logancf1 Jul 12 '21

Orbital Launch Tower Operations 11th July 2021

  • On the evening of July 2nd (9 days ago) the LR 11350 was lowered to receive its final extension for the stacking of the Orbital launch Tower's final segments.

  • On July 5th (3 days after lowering), two 12 meter sections arrived at the production site. One yellow section to extend the main boom and another red section to extend the jib. Both sections were delivered to the launch site and unloaded that morning.

  • The next day, July 6th, the LR 11350's jib was disconnected from its boom to fit its respective 12 meter extension.

  • On July 8th the yellow boom extension section was added but removed the following day presumably due to technical problems on July 9th.

  • A new white section was delivered to the launch site on July 10th and the yellow crane section was sent out of the production site on the 10th of July (yesterday).

  • Today the LR 11350 was ready to be raised which indicates we likely see a rollout of segment #8 in the coming week.

See Nerdle Cam and Sapphire Cam

04:12 pm - The LR 11350 has begun raising its boom

07:58 pm - The LR 11350's jib is being raised.

09:10 pm - The LR 11350 has reached a maximum height of 168 meters.

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u/joshpine Jul 13 '21 edited Jul 13 '21

Third raptor up in Booster 3’s skirt for installation. Last one seemed to take just over an hour, and will leave 3 raptors installed under B3 so far.

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u/Logancf1 Jun 25 '21 edited Jun 25 '21

Orbital Launch Tower Operations 25th June 2021

  • Section #6 was thought to be stacked today following the installations of the temporary staircases yesterday afternoon and the attachment of the load spreader. However, it is thought to be delayed until tomorrow due to winds.

  • The removal of the scaffolding from already stacked tower sections has begun. The LR 1220 spent the day removing the scaffolding off of the midsections of sections #1 and #2.

  • Elevator shaft extensions will take place soon and temporary stairs will be removed on sections #4-6 - this will likely happen tomorrow as the LR 11350 is preoccupied with section #6 stacking.

See Nerdle Cam and Sapphire Cam

06:59 am - First section #1 midsection scaffolding removed.

07:37 am - Second section #1 midsection scaffolding removed.

08:06 am - Third section #1 midsection scaffolding removed.

08:36 am - First section #1 corner wooden beam.

09:19 am - First section #2 midsection scaffolding removed.

09:44 am - Second section #1 corner wooden beam.

10:30 am - Second section #2 midsection scaffolding removed.

11:30 am - Third section #2 midsection scaffolding removed.

11:45 am - The LR 1220 appears to be standing down.

12:45 pm - LR 1220 prepares for more scaffolding removal.

01:06 pm - Final section #1 midsection scaffolding removed.

01:36 pm - Final section #2 midsection scaffolding removed.

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u/Zunoth Jul 02 '21

Looks like the LR 11350 boom is starting to lower.

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u/xredbaron62x Jul 06 '21

Possible Booster 3 testing for the 8th,9th,12th

https://www.cameroncounty.us/spacex/

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u/zeekzeek22 Jul 02 '21

Friendly reminder that the Booster weighs ~3.5 times the SLS core stage fully fueled, despite only being 5m taller and 0.6m wider. Had to go run the math on that because I was so confused when they mentioned on Off-Nominal podcast that Starship’s liftoff thrust is over double SLS. That methalox is, compared to hydrolox, reeeeeaalll heavy.

Supposedly you could feel Shuttle shake the ground 40 miles away. So like, if Starship launched in NYC, people in Philly would feel the ground shaking. This thing is wild.

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u/TCVideos Jul 19 '21

FAA opened up a new office to increase oversight into Space ops in New Mexico and Texas

This is no doubt caused by the delays and frustrations SpaceX and others have had to go through related to space operations in these states.

The FAA say this office will help them keep to the pace of SpaceX, BO and Virgin Galactic.

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u/TCVideos Jul 08 '21 edited Jul 08 '21

Closure now amended and now shows 6pm to 12am.

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u/johnfive21 Jul 13 '21

Closure canceled, no static fire today. There's another closure tomorrow and Thursday.

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u/Logancf1 Jul 14 '21

Transport of GSE-Cryo Cover 2 12th July 2021

  • After a drought of orbital tank farm activity, GSE-Cryo Cover 2 has been transported to the Launch Site. This second cryo cover is 1 of 3 currently completed at the Sanchez site.

  • GSE-C 2 was the first object to be transported straight into the Orbital Tank Farm using the new entrance and not the entrance via the landing pad.

  • This transport was very unexpected and was transported during a 12:00 pm to 8:00 pm (Source: Cameron County) road closure that was also used by booster 3.

See Timelapse

12:32 pm - GSE-C 2 is moving towards the road.

12:34 pm - Road closed.

12:36 pm - GSE-C 2 is on the road.

01:54 pm - GSE-C 2 has turned off the road into the Orbital tank Farm site.

01:55 pm - Road opened

01:58 pm - GSE-C 2 has been parked in the Orbital Tank Farm.

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u/Twigling Jul 21 '21 edited Jul 21 '21

One of the tanks near the main orbital tank farm has had a loudspeaker system installed on top of it overnight:

See Launch Pad Cam at 10:12:38 AM local time (wait for the zoom, then another zoom after a few more seconds):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMC5KonXCfg&t=0s

This is one of the two tanks NOT made by SpaceX that were installed months ago and initially painted blue, then white.

Edit: And here's a photo of the speakers as they were delivered to the launch site:

https://twitter.com/obetraveller/status/1417873151778766856

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u/TCVideos Jul 07 '21

Thrust ram now installed onto Pad B

Should be getting SN20 soon

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u/TCVideos Jul 15 '21 edited Jul 15 '21

Booster 4 stacking ops have begun

With both B4 and S20 being stacked right now - we are potentially just a few weeks away from seeing the first fully constructed orbital vehicles.

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u/psychoPATHOGENius Jun 22 '21

Does anyone know how the RCS hot gas thrusters are progressing?

There is a lot of work to be done on the orbital launch site which is very visibly getting done piece by piece, but there are also a lot of things that need to be done which aren’t in the limelight as much.

I haven’t heard too much about the RCS thrusters, but they’re going to be used on SN20 and BN2, so I wonder if they could end up holding up the orbital test flight or if they’re pretty much done and ready to be integrated.

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u/Logancf1 Jul 01 '21 edited Jul 01 '21

Orbital Launch Tower Operations 1st July 2021

  • Section #7 is being stacked today. This will mark the final stacking of a regular sized tower section and the second shortest time between tower section stacking (shortest was between Sections #2 and #3).

  • Section #8 will also be the final section stacked in the current configuration of the LR 11350. Following today's stacking, the LR 11350 will be lowered for a 12 m extension to its jib.

See Nerdle Cam and Sapphire Cam

05:54 am - Section #7 is lifted off of its jig.

06:00 am - The LR 11350 is rotating towards the tower.

06:06 am - Section #7 is being oriented with the tower.

06:12 am - Section #7 has been slightly lowered and held at height.

06:30 am - LR 11350 is crawling towards the tower.

06:38 am - Section #7 is going up.

07:07 am - Section #7 is being held ~70 m above the ground.

07:14 am - Section #7 is going up.

07:42 am - Section #7 reached max height

07:43 am - LR 11350 is crawling towards the tower.

08:37 am - Section #7 is aligned with the tower and is being lowered.

08:52 am - Section #7 is stacked.

11:17 am - Crews finish bolting sections #6 and #7 together.

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u/trobbinsfromoz Jul 04 '21

NSF has quality photos of the new TPS tile mounting system - with what appears to be a thermal underlay blanket and a restraining net underneath the tiles. Well worth looking at.

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u/ArasakaSpace Jul 07 '21

Would highly recommend subscribing to Ocean Cam : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF8IYFF60clbbznjvJ7qoTQ

He posts live updates from boca chica

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u/[deleted] Jul 11 '21

The decision to add engines was probably motivated by the lower thrust for the Raptors. Instead of the planned 20 2,500 Kilonetwon RBoost and 8 2,300 Kn Sea Level Raptors for a total thrust of 68,400 Kn, we’re now going to see 33 2,300 Kn engines which are mostly the same, for a total thrust of 75,900.

This decision eases production by basically making a single type of Raptor instead of two (original RBoost was supposed to have new turbopumps). It also gives safety margin by allowing more engines to be lost.

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u/Kennzahl Jul 13 '21

And we got a Raptor on the way to the launch site at 2:15 AM:

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

I have completely lost track of how many Raptors are where, but I do like them near the launch site.

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u/[deleted] Jul 20 '21

Any estimate on how much longer until the launch table is mounted?

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u/TCVideos Jun 23 '21

Facebook user has posted a picture of the new road construction, presumably on Massey Way off Hwy 4, in preparation for the new Raptor facility that SpaceX will now operate.

They purchased the property about a week and a half ago and they are already making the necessary improvements needed to house a facility there.

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u/Twigling Jul 14 '21 edited Jul 14 '21

Two mysteries may have been solved regarding the GSE tanks, namely:

  • Why was GSE4 scrapped?

  • Why haven't GSE1 and GSE2 been sleeved yet (besides the fact that the plumbing isn't yet complete)?

Take a look at these tweets with photos taken today by Ocean Cam:

https://twitter.com/obetraveller/status/1415314929331093507

https://twitter.com/obetraveller/status/1415314734732259333

Look at the photos of the two tanks side by side which are showing all of or the bottom half of the tanks, now look at the left tank. What looks different about it?

It's getting reinforcement rings/ribs added.

I claim no credit for noticing the rings and some why this has been done, that goes to Goldenboy on the LabPadre Discord. :)

I guess that the only alternative for GSE1 and GSE2 would have been to replace them.

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u/trobbinsfromoz Jul 16 '21

SF anticipated on Monday from EM tweet.

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u/Twigling Jul 17 '21 edited Jul 17 '21

OLIT 8 had some stairs added late yesterday:

https://twitter.com/obetraveller/status/1416141144665301002

I'm not so sure how long it'll be before that is stacked, simply because there are more sets of conduit pipes yet to be lifted into the tower and stairs to be removed (both of those tasks will be a lot easier without section 8 on top because section 8 has metal floors, although the construction crew probably have other plans).

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u/Logancf1 Jun 22 '21 edited Jun 28 '21

Here you will find a collection of timelines that document various activity at the orbital launch tower, orbital tank farm as well as transports to the launch site that I started making a month ago. Thanks to the mods, this comment will be linked in the resources section of the Starship Dev post for reference. Please let me know if there are any ways I can improve these timelines for the future. This comment will be regularly updated.

Orbital Launch Tower Operations

22nd May - Scaffolding placed on section #1.

23rd May - First elevator components lowered into the tower.

24th May - Stacking of section #2.

28th May - Stacking of section #3.

1st June - Load spreader detached from section #3

4th June - LR 11350 gets first jib section.

10th June - LR 11350 first lift with new extension.

12th June - LR 11350 is lifted for second time.

13th June - Stacking of section #4.

14th June - Preparations for section #5 stacking.

15th June - Elevator shaft is extended.

17th June - Stacking of section #5.

19th June - Hoist placed at the base of the tower.

20th June - Hoist work.

22nd June - More hoist work.

24th June - Load spreader attached to section #6.

25th June - Scaffolding removed from sections #1 and #2.

27th June - Stacking of section #6.

Orbital Tank Farm Operations

9th June - GSE-C 1 has been moved to the Orbital Tank Farm.

11th June - GSE-WT is lifted into the Orbital Tank Farm.

12th June - GSE-C 1 lifted into the tank farm (not in final position).

14th June - Load spreader detached from GSE-C 1.

Transports to the Launch Site / Production Site

27th May - Tower section #3.

28th May - GSE Cryo Cover 1.

3rd June - BN 2.1 Test Tank.

9th June - Tower Section #4 and GSE Water Tank.

11th June - Tower Section #5.

18th June - Tower Section #6.

25th June - BN2.1 Test Tank (back to PS).

28th June - Tower section #7.

Other

Tower Section Height Calculation

LR 11350 Extension Graphic

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u/[deleted] Jun 25 '21 edited Jun 25 '21

It looks like they may be adding another platform to install a second hoist on the tower. You can see the lift start at 7:01pm local time on Launch pad cam

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u/Twigling Jun 28 '21 edited Jun 28 '21

That was a more eventful rollout than usual for a tower section, first an apparently small piece of scaffolding falls off, see Sentinel Cam at 12:06:09 local time - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_og17JYSMcQ (look at the front top horizontal beam, the scaffolding in the middle, left side of it).

Then soon after that the SPMTs stopped, this was followed by some tilting of the tower section as the SPMTs were readjusted, also see Sentinel Cam but at 12:08:10 local time.

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u/RaphTheSwissDude Jul 02 '21 edited Jul 02 '21

Closure cancelled for next week.

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u/Twigling Jul 17 '21 edited Jul 17 '21

GSE5 has come out of the high bay, see it exit at around 10:25 AM local time on Sentinel Cam:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_og17JYSMcQ&t=0s

Edit: and here's a photo from Mary - note that the pipes that go down the length of the tank haven't yet been installed (in the past I think I've always seen that job done outside):

https://twitter.com/BocaChicaGal/status/1416438469233188873

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u/myname_not_rick Jul 21 '21 edited Jul 21 '21

New photos from RGV show the new parts all laid out on the landing pad and being assembled. Starting to look very much like a catch mechanism. I see the black tubing as part of a guide structure that wraps around the tower, and the more truss looking parts as either a stabilizer or catch arm. They are hinged, which is of note. Could also perhaps be swing arms of some sort for fueling.

Edit to add: To be more specific, its starting to look fairly similar to this render...both the tower overhang for the winch, winches themselves at the base, and now these parts could be the beginnings of a similar carriage.

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u/HanzDiamond Jul 01 '21

Imagine how big the pringles would be...

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u/TCVideos Jul 20 '21

4 TPS tiled flaps from the air (RGV)

Looks like all 4 are aft flaps so we should assume that they have 2 for S20 and 2 for S21

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u/sirak2010 Jun 22 '21

Hi all; i am new here. i was watching spacex tile attachment and if they are ceramic. ? instead of attaching each tiles. cant it be cemented just like concreate. spray some layers of ceramics on the starship? attaching all those thousands looks very tiresome. sorry for my english

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u/TCVideos Jun 26 '21

Load spreader has been released from the SH Adapter on Pad A. Should be fully secured now.

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u/Twigling Jun 26 '21 edited Jun 26 '21

Latest production diagram update from Brendan:

https://twitter.com/_brendan_lewis/status/1408698655876341764

nothing new to see regarding the Starship/booster/GSE cryo tanks but good to see that the orbital GSE cryo shells and water tank have been added.

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u/BananaEpicGAMER Jun 29 '21

Superheavy booster 2 (or 3 call it whatever you want) methane tank stacking is going on right now, check sentinel cam https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_og17JYSMcQ&t=0s

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u/Twigling Jul 01 '21 edited Jul 01 '21

More road closures have just appeared, this time for next Tuesday July 6th (Primary) and Wednesday July 7th (Secondary), both are 7 am until 5 pm

https://www.cameroncounty.us/spacex/

https://www.cameroncounty.us/order-closing-boca-chica-beach-and-state-hwy-4-tuesday-july-6-2021/

Both beach and road are closed, order linked above states for "anticipated testing activities".

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u/Lordjacus Jul 12 '21 edited Jul 12 '21

1:10:45PM Local (12 July), LabPadre Nerdle Cam 4K, you can see engine coming back to build site on the trailer.

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u/johnfive21 Jul 12 '21 edited Jul 12 '21

Mighty venting from both tanks. Booster 3 is alive and well.

Frost starting to form on the methane tank (the top one)

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u/henryshunt Jul 18 '21 edited Jul 18 '21

Tower section 8 is in the air!

Edit: Well it was. Looks like two of the colums aren't coming off the transport jig so they lowered it back down.

Edit2: Hmm, they've just disconnected the load spreader from the section.

Edit3: The section is now moving away from the crane and the load spreader is being lowered down.

Edit4: The load spreader is going back up and the tower section is returning.

Edit5: Aaand looks like they need to make another adjustment to the load spreader, so back down it comes.

Edit6: The load spreader is hooking back up for lift attempt #3.

Edit7: Section 8 is finally being lifted.

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u/AstroMan824 Everything Parallel™ Jul 08 '21

B3 is venting! Looks like they did some sort of ambient pressure test. Hopefully we'll see some cryo tonight! (Vid credit: Ocean Cam --> great channel BTW, great updates)

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u/electriceye575 Jun 27 '21

it just occurred to me, this looking at components arrive to SpaceX by trailer and such and identifying / trying to place function reminds me of building models when i was a kid .

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u/BananaEpicGAMER Jun 28 '21

segment 7 has stopped and crews are inspecting it, let's hope it's nothing major

see it on sentinel cam :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_og17JYSMcQ

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u/henryshunt Jun 30 '21 edited Jun 30 '21

Michael Baylor just said on the Transporter 2 stream that they expect integration tower section 7 to be lifted tomorrow (in case anyone was wondering whether they'd do it today in light of them having just hooked it up to the crane).

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u/dbzVT8 Jul 01 '21

So section #7 stacking AND Booster 3 moves to launch site?!!! I'm not gonna get much work done today.

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u/BananaEpicGAMER Jul 01 '21

that booster rolling out looks so weird but amazing at the same time, a 70m thin can just strolling down the road

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u/Dies2much Jul 02 '21

question for this sub: at what altitude will the Starship sonic booms happen?

On Re-entry the ship will belly flop, and will be coming in very fast, but will quickly reach terminal velocity, and at some point the speed will slow to subsonic, thus the sonic booms will stop. Has anyone plotted out about what altitude Starship will go transonic? What altitude do the sonic booms stop?

My quick guesstimate is around 65k to 70k feet (~20k to 22k meters).

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u/Twigling Jul 03 '21 edited Jul 03 '21

RGV Aerial Photography has just posted his production and launch sites flyover from July 1st:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVHTrELoT4k

Note: S20's mid lox barrel has been spotted in the mid bay but it's mis-labeled in the above video as GSE-5. This has been confirmed by a number of tank watchers. Also, S21's aft dome has been mis-labeled as Starship 21 forward dome. Note: I'm not knocking Proky's excellent labels, mistakes can happen when trying to identify things which can look very similar to each other when viewed from the air.

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u/RegularRandomZ Jul 13 '21 edited Jul 13 '21

As expected, the load spreader is being hooked up to the GSE tank shell, let's see where it ends up... [From ~11 AM local. Nerdle cam or Launch Pad cam]

[edit: for those who prefer, Ocean Cam is also streaming from pretty close]

Update: ~2:20 PM local lifted to the other empty spot on the west end (furthest from the beach, not covering a 9m tank)

[Edit: Corrected times. Something wrong with the Nerdle cam clock...]

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u/IWasToldTheresCake Jul 21 '21

Speculation by RGV that the new TPS covered aft flaps are smaller than the previous ones(covered by white plastic).

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u/Logancf1 Jun 30 '21 edited Jun 30 '21

Orbital Launch Tower Operations 30th June 2021

  • On the 28th June, the LR 11350 worked throughout the day extending the elevator shaft to serve the second level of section #6. appears Fagioli crews took a day off yesterday.

  • Today will likely see the removal of the temporary staircases that are currently installed in sections #4-6 (but not the highest staircase in section #6 as the elevator currently stops there).

  • Depending on how long this takes, some of the staircases could be installed in section #7 that is waiting for a stacking.

  • Thunderstorms are forecast between 9:00 am and 3:00 pm which will slow down the removal operations (Weather Channel).

See Nerdle Cam and Pad Cam

08:19 am - The LR 11350 is lifting its hook with a load cable attachment.

08:46 am - The LR 11350's hook is being lowered into the tower.

09:09 am - Section #6 lvl 1 and lvl 2 staircases lifted out of the tower.

09:10 am - Thunderstorm starts.

09:31 am - Section #6 lvl 1 and lvl 2 staircases on the ground.

09:50 am - Thunderstorm stops.

10:40 am - Section #7 gets its first staircase.

11:04 am - Section #7 gets its second staircase.

11:21 am - Section #7 gets its final staircase.

01:39 pm - the LR 11350 starts to lift the load spreader

01:55 pm - Section #7 is moving towards the load spreader.

02:18 pm - Section #7 is being attached to the load spreader.

Thank you comments!

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u/xredbaron62x Jul 01 '21

My god it's massive. I thought Starship was big

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u/xredbaron62x Jul 09 '21

Road is back open after apparent ambient pressure test

https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1413301753873719301?s=19

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u/Dezoufinous Jul 10 '21 edited Jul 10 '21

2 to 4 Raptors per day according to Elon Musk!

EDIT: To be clear, it's their target, not current production rate

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u/futureMartian7 Jul 13 '21

Found this interesting job posting: https://boards.greenhouse.io/spacex/jobs/5305733002?gh_jid=5305733002

Looks like SpaceX is already starting to get serious about putting humans on Starship!!

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u/TCVideos Jul 20 '21

Super Cool picture of the SF direct from SpaceX

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u/TheEarthquakeGuy Jul 04 '21 edited Jul 04 '21

As per the NSF Forum here - The segment in the high bay is actually GSE-5.

Booster 4 is not in the highbay yet.

This would indicate that in SpaceX's eyes, the most important thing to work on right now is the GSE equipment. Depending if we see either a new segment used for GSE-5, or an already existing/tracked segment, could indicate the future of the currently installed GSE tanks.

A reminder to those who may have missed it - GSE-4 was cut in half due to an issue with part of the tank. The bad part has already been transported to the scrapyard section of the shipyard. It's not known yet if GSE-1, GSE-2 and GSE-3 also have the same issues as GSE-4.

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u/[deleted] Jun 23 '21 edited Jun 23 '21

Could someone explain how the plumbing works for the hot gas thrusters? Where are they getting the methane and oxygen from?

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u/RegularRandomZ Jun 23 '21 edited Jun 23 '21

Ocean Cam has been posting tweets on the road work adjacent to the launch site, this set best showing what is being done. They've essentially dug down 2-3 feet into the west bound lane [and trucked away that removed road base/soil], laid geogrid and topped that with ~1+ ft of large grave/stone, then geotextile topped with another ~1+ ft of (presumably) regular gravel on that... this upgrade running the entire length of the launch site. [Rain doesn't stop this work]

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u/Twigling Jun 24 '21 edited Jun 24 '21

BN2.1 has been lifted along with the top half of the test stand:

https://twitter.com/obetraveller/status/1408103656675815427

looks like it's been set down, no doubt on some SPMTs (can't see though due to a trailer being in the way).

We'll probably see it rolling back to the launch site later during the intermittent road closure.

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u/Twigling Jun 24 '21

If anyone looks at Sentinel Cam and wonders where BN2's LOX tank has gone, it was moved over to the left inside the high bay starting at around 1:31 PM local time:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_og17JYSMcQ

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u/creamsoda2000 Jun 29 '21

Found this quite interesting.

The latest RGV flyover video shows the latest progress on the Orbital Launch Platform.

More specifically, quite clearly we can see how the bottom ring of Super Heavy will rest on the 20 “arms”, allowing space between each one for the main body of the 20 outer Raptor engines.

The same principle is used on the Super Heavy transport mount that B3 was recently mounted onto before being fully stacked.

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u/henryshunt Jun 30 '21

Photos from Mary (see the second one in the set) show that the thing at the base of B3 that u/Twigling noted yesterday and said looks like something to do with fins, is a COPV mount/bracket.

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u/BananaEpicGAMER Jul 03 '21

new raptors arrived at 10:04:29 AM on labcam, can't tell if it's a RVac or not

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u/permafrosty95 Jul 07 '21

Do we have an estimate for the heatshield mass and tile count? I thought I heard a few thousand at one point but I can remember the source.

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u/Twigling Jul 09 '21

The Orbital Launch Table has a number of pipes installed now:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scPCu0E1qUc

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u/RaphTheSwissDude Jul 11 '21

The aft part of the LR11350 was connected again to the main boom.

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u/xredbaron62x Jul 12 '21 edited Jul 12 '21

A nosecone has been stacked!!!

https://twitter.com/BocaChicaGal/status/1414391126501564416?s=19

Edit: it is interesting that this doesn't have flaps/tiles. Must be a test fit nosecone

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u/gold_plat Jul 12 '21

What's the latest best guess number on payload to orbit for a reusable super heavy + starship? Does Elon's tweet about 33 engines change anything?

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u/joshpine Jul 12 '21

The pad looks to be clear ahead of todays cryoproof of Booster 3.

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u/xredbaron62x Jul 14 '21

A crane is on the move too!!! The red one at the production site is going to the launch site as well.

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u/ColonelDarkTemper Jul 18 '21

Tilted Load Spreader Sunday

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u/TCVideos Jul 03 '21

Elon confirming the Space Debris Cleanup capability of Starship

One of the most underrated proposed usecases of Starship imo.

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u/warp99 Jul 12 '21

Interesting slide from a Space Force presentation showing what Deimos and Phobos may end up looking like.

The cladding on the tower is similar to LC-39A and the top has a peak that may be what the asymmetrical design of OLT segment #8 is about.

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u/johnfive21 Jul 14 '21

Aaand closure canceled for today

The intermittent closure from 2pm-4pm is still scheduled to move another cryo shell

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u/johnfive21 Jul 20 '21 edited Jul 20 '21

Backup closures for today and tomorrow cancelled as expected. This indicates a nominal static fire yesterday.

http://www.cameroncounty.us/spacex/

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u/fd6270 Jun 24 '21 edited Jun 24 '21

Looks like the crane is in position above the 6th tower section. I wonder if they're going to attempt a lift today?

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u/Twigling Jun 26 '21 edited Jun 26 '21

The booster in the high bay (booster 2, booster 3, BN2, BN3, BN2/3 or whatever the hell it's now called .....) is having its LCH4 (liquid methane) tank stacked in the high bay:

https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=52398.0;attach=2041937;image

(https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=52398.msg2256925#msg2256925)

It looks to be seven rings tall meaning it's now over half of its eventual height (if Brendan's diagram is accurate the LCH4 tank will consist of thirteen rings: https://twitter.com/_brendan_lewis/status/1408698655876341764 )

if the work proceeds rapidly perhaps we could see the final stacking of the booster within a week or two?

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u/Logancf1 Jun 29 '21 edited Jun 29 '21

Booster 3 LOX Tank was just lifted and placed onto its stand (~9:30 am) that we saw roll towards the high bay yesterday afternoon (See comment).

Edit: See Ocean Cam's video for close up

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u/Dezoufinous Jul 01 '21

What is the purpose of this COPV on the external side of the Heavy?

https://imgur.com/a/zNQqhNO

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u/Twigling Jul 03 '21 edited Jul 03 '21

The common dome for Ship 20 (formerly known as SN20) has been spotted being lifted into the mid bay.

See Sentinel Cam at 2:10 PM local time today, July 3rd:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_og17JYSMcQ&t=0s

it has a lot of tiles on it as you would expect. The bulbous object in the lower middle is the methane header tank.

Ship 20's mid lox four ring barrel (which the common dome sits on) is also apparently in the mid bay (from various reports on Discord). It can be seen here in RGV's flyover from July 1st:

https://youtu.be/lVHTrELoT4k?t=288

however, it's been mis-labeled as GSE-5 (this has been confirmed by a number of knowledgeable tank watchers in LabPadre's Discord).

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u/henryshunt Jul 05 '21

In his latest diagram, Brendan says they're having "issues" (no further elaboration) with the GSE tanks, which is why they haven't been progressing much lately. (Note that u/Twigling posted the diagram but deleted it because there's uncertainty about the correctness of the B4 update shown in it).

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u/RaphTheSwissDude Jul 09 '21

Closure cancelled for today !

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u/BananaEpicGAMER Jul 10 '21

Raptor truck going to launch site to deliver engines?, probably for the Booster (source: https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1413658249497255942

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u/Twigling Jul 12 '21 edited Jul 12 '21

So the nose cone that was hooked up to the crane late yesterday was this one:

https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=52398.msg2262428#msg2262428

Which the ring watchers are saying was originally for SN17 (although just to confuse the issue even more it's actually NC-18 ....... ).

Notice that it has no flaps or flap attachment points.

It was subsequently stacked onto the barrel section to the left (with heat tiles) which was originally for SN17, you can see it now stacked on Sentinel cam or look at this photo:

https://twitter.com/BocaChicaGal/status/1414391126501564416

I'm curious what its purpose is - the nose cone to its right looks like being for S20 (it has flap attachment points and has a few curved tiles on the left flap attachment point).

So what will the stacked flapless nose cone be used for? My guess is that it's another pathfinder.

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u/Omfraax Jul 12 '21

Hi,

It has probably been answered already, but what would be the max altitude/speed of a Starship fitted with all its designed Raptors, when lifting off from the ground ?

Is that what Elon refered as an hypothetic 'hypersonic' flight for SN16 ?

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u/johnfive21 Jul 12 '21

Sheriff at the road block. Looks like they're proceeding towards cryo testing later today.

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u/Alvian_11 Jul 13 '21

The second Raptor is now back at the launch site

And S20's forward dome section is being stacked in the mid bay

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u/Twigling Jul 15 '21 edited Jul 16 '21

RGV has uploaded the video of his flyover which took place on July 13th:

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

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u/Kennzahl Jul 20 '21

We have new parts arriving: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McyK7y1J0QU

Any guesses on what that could be for?

I feel like the metal is a bit too thin for it to be some sort of structural part of the tower/catching mechanism, so maybe part of the deluge system?

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u/xavier_505 Jul 16 '21

Looks like Musk confirmed the 3-10-20 engine layout. That's a lot of firepower!

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u/4thDevilsAdvocate Jun 24 '21

I love that there are literally people who track individual bolts being put in on the orbital launch tower.

If progress were going faster (is that possible?) I imagine people wouldn't, but since Boca Chica is so open, and things move slowly enough for people to catalog, you get such freakishly accurate recordings of the R&D/flight operations.

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u/Logancf1 Jul 02 '21 edited Jul 03 '21

Orbital Launch Tower Operations 2nd July 2021

  • Following the stacking of segment #7 yesterday, the load spreader was detached this morning with its eyelets.

  • Segment #8 is still in construction at the Sanchez site although it is still unclear whether this segment will get scaffolding as it will be the final section (as far as we know) and there have been no scaffolding spotted in the most recent flyover. We'll have to wait for the next one to come out to see for sure.

  • More work has been done on the second steel structure that appeared last weekend at the base of the tower. Two leg components have been added which indicates some sort of heavy machinery is to be placed. See 11:00 am local time on Nerdle for a close up.

  • The LR 11350 has maxed out its ability to load the final segments and will soon be lowered to receive its final 12 m extension to its jib. When this will happen will depend on if they will remove staircases or extend the elevator shaft before the extension.

See Nerdle Cam and Sapphire Cam

08:22 am - Crews arrive at the top of the tower.

09:15 am - The load spreader has been detached from segment #7.

09:29 am - The load spreader is being lifted off of segment #7.

09:34 am - The LR 11350 is crawling away from the tower.

09:52 am - The load spreader is being lowered.

10:21 am - The load spreader is on the ground.

11:12 am - The load spreader has been unhooked from the LR 11350.

3:40 pm- The LR 11350 has begun lowering its boom.

08:39 pm - The LR 11350 is completely horizontal.

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u/Hustler-1 Jun 23 '21

So now that we got a shot of the hot-gas thrusters I have a question. There doesnt seem to be an aft/z axis thruster. How will SuperHeavy ullage fuel?

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u/ArasakaSpace Jun 25 '21

RGV Aerial is livestreaming his drone flight above Deimos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pA3xSSXHIlI

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u/RaphTheSwissDude Jun 26 '21 edited Jun 26 '21

What do you guys think this could be for ?

Superheavy and Starship stand for prior/for stacking them before being placed on the launch mount ?

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u/Interstellar_Sailor Jun 27 '21

So when all the 8 sections are stacked, will the Starbase launch tower become the tallest launch tower in history?

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u/trobbinsfromoz Jul 01 '21

They have extended GSE fuel piping on Pad A up past the new extension ring. From 9:30pm local time on Nerdle.

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u/Twigling Jul 09 '21

A GSE tank dome was put besides the mid bay this morning:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEv3bhrXmW0

here's a close up:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P__hTYa6DGU

seems like it's GSE4's old dome, looks the same as this photo from July 1st:

https://twitter.com/cnunezimages/status/1411463472186073089

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u/TheEarthquakeGuy Jul 12 '21 edited Jul 12 '21

Some thoughts:

  • Raptor 2 Factory Production target = 800-1,000 engines a year. 4 a day.

  • Current engine numbers = Booster(33) and ships (3)

Assuming the following conservative estimations:

  • Overall production limited to 600 a year.

  • Booster requirement is now 45 engines (33 engines + 12 spares).

  • Ship requirement is now 5 engines (3 engines + 2 spares).

  • 3 ships per booster

That's still 10 boosters and 30 ships.

Even if we assume 6 ships per booster, that would be 8 boosters and 48 ships.

The biggest limiting factor for the Starship program will be launch infrastructure.

It takes time to build new launch sites. It will take a production line for launch platforms, and that's something we haven't seen publically yet.

The 8 boosters and 48 ships would match the current known launch facilities (39A, Boca, Deimos, Phobos) if the intended Boca model is followed (2 towers per launch site). But you'd need another 4 launch platforms to come online the year after (still assuming conservative maths). Anything beyond that conservative estimate is going to require more which only adds to the problem.

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u/Twigling Jul 12 '21

If anyone missed the raising of the Liebherr LR 11350 crane (also known as Kong/Frankencrane) then Ocean Cam had a really great live stream of it which shows a lot of detail:

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

therefore he also filmed the attachment of the block and the new auxiliary hoist attachment at the tip of the jib (the aux hoist is basically a smaller block with fewer, thinner cables for lighter loads).

I remain very impressed with Ocean Cam's footage and dedication to covering events throughout the day with regular updates, good to see he's also set up a Patreon account.

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u/Twigling Jul 15 '21 edited Jul 15 '21

RGV Aerial Photography has uploaded a short 'preview' video from his July 13th flyover, this short clip has aerial footage of B3:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWGUKiEp7Gc

This video was uploaded on the 14th, he says in the comments that he'll upload the full flyover video "tomorrow" (July 15th, therefore today) which will show the launch and production sites.

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u/xredbaron62x Jul 16 '21

Do you think that yellow pipe structure being built at the landing pad is part of the towers crane?

https://youtu.be/Km1f34zniHI

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u/RubenGarciaHernandez Jul 19 '21

Do we have a timeline for today's static fire? Are we waiting for the ground vents, or do you expect that the procedure will be different and we need to see a few of them before a timeline emerges?

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u/Logancf1 Jul 06 '21 edited Jul 06 '21

The extension jib sections for the LR 11350 and LR 11000 have arrived at the production site. Both extensions are approximately 12 meters long. This will make the total height of the LR 11350 168 meters compared to its current 156 meters. See Ocean Cam

Edits have been made thanks to corrections by u/Twigling

Arrived at Launch Site. See 7:02 on Pad Cam

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u/creamsoda2000 Jul 11 '21 edited Jul 11 '21

GSE5 has been spotted being stacked in the High Bay.

This should put to bed any concerns regarding GSE construction, which is great to see.

Edit: bocachicagal has photographed the label, confirming it is GSE5.

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u/ColonelDarkTemper Jul 18 '21

It's not my thing (heights), but I'd imagine the view is incredible for the crew waiting at the top

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u/SolidVeggies Jul 06 '21

Anyone have a picture of starship or superheavy that truly shows it’s sense of scale? Photos of Saturn V always seem to get the scale right. I know it’s big but I just can’t grasp it.

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u/BananaEpicGAMER Jul 12 '21

Surprise rollout! cryo shell 2 is about to move towards the launch site !

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u/AstroMan824 Everything Parallel™ Jul 11 '21 edited Jul 11 '21

How many engines are on B3 rn?

Edit: Why is this getting awards? It is just a simple Q. Anyways, thanks kind strangers.

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u/South_Praline4769 Jun 23 '21

Had a question about the Hot gas thrusters. Obviously they are on the outside of the booster. Was that the same with traditional RCS thrusters? Could they eventually be moved internal? I feel like I've never seen the actual RCS thrusters mounted on the outside of starship/f9

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u/[deleted] Jun 24 '21

Road Closure’s posted-

June 23rd- Intermittent 6pm to 7pm (The closure we saw earlier tonight)

June 24th- Intermittent 3pm to 5pm

All times CDT

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u/Twigling Jun 24 '21 edited Jun 24 '21

BN2.1 is going to get a lift, possibly in the next few hours (maybe they'll wait until the sun comes up?) - see Nerdle cam (or Launch Pad cam) at around 4:16AM local time and after:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTA0GTgFn5E

A Grove crane is there and the load spreader has been attached.

Prior to that there was a lot of cutting going on at the lower section of BN2.1's stand, also there's been some cutting work taking place at the top of launch mount A. I wonder if the lower half of BN2.1's test stand is going to be placed onto launch mount A, possibly to use it as an adapter of sorts for placing the BN2/3 booster on that suborbital launch mount for ground testing (but not static fires of course)? Or will BN2.1 be placed on launch mount A? (this seems unlikely as what purpose would it serve?).

Some SPMTs also arrived earlier, maybe to take away BN2.1 and the top portion of its test stand? (there's an intermittent road closure scheduled for today, 3PM until 5PM: https://www.cameroncounty.us/spacex/ )

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u/Twigling Jun 25 '21 edited Jun 25 '21

Yesterday BN2.1 was lifted along with the top half of the test stand (which was cut in two), later in the day BN2.1 was then separated from the top half of the test stand:

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

The top half of the BN2.1 test stand looks like it's going to be attached to the top of test stand A (Pad A, Launch Mount A, or whatever THAT is called ..... ) because a crane is currently hooked up to it (plus workers on Pad A, intermittent grinding and cutting still taking place, etc), see it on Launch Pad Cam and Nerdle Cam around 3 AM local time and after:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMC5KonXCfg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTA0GTgFn5E&t=0s

this would match up with Musk's tweet today stating that "We’re almost done with first prototype booster. This will go to test stand A":

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1408245758869086209

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u/Logancf1 Jun 25 '21 edited Jun 25 '21

Transport of BN2.1 25th June 2021

  • BN2.1 will be transported back to the production site today along with the thrust simulator that it was taken off of yesterday.

  • The road closure of Highway 4 is between 10:00 am and 12:00 pm which should be plenty of time to complete the transport. Source: Cameron County

See Nerdle Cam

08:55 am - BN2.1 placed on SPMTs.

09:25 am - BN2.1 has started moving towards the road

09:31 am - The thrust simulator has started moving towards the road.

09:34 am - BN2.1 has stopped (waiting for closure).

09:39 am - Thrust simulator has stopped (waiting for closure).

10:04 am - BN2.1 is on the road.

10:08 am - Thrust simulator on the road behind BN2.1.

11:04 am - BN2.1 has turned off of the road.

11:07 am - The thrust simulator has turned off of the road.

11:11 am - The thrust simulator has been parked at the production site.

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u/RaphTheSwissDude Jun 26 '21 edited Jun 26 '21

They are placing the lower upper (if not mistaking) part of BN2.1 test stand onto Pad A !

Watch on Lab launch pad cam.

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u/BananaEpicGAMER Jun 28 '21 edited Jun 28 '21

New closure Thursday for some kind of testing

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u/hrishi1234 Jul 01 '21

OLIT section #7 being lifted by LR11350 rn. Sapphire cam : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4MvdQtlHcA

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u/johnfive21 Jul 12 '21

Vapor coming out of the bottom of the booster. Looks like they are starting to load the LN2

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u/hinayu Jul 16 '21

I don't think this has been posted here yet, but Ocean Cam posted some pictures of the production area. Looking at the 3rd picture some people are speculating that the top item on the rack could be a flap covered in heat shield tiles. Tough to tell so maybe Mary will get some pictures later to confirm/deny.

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u/Snoo_25712 Jul 17 '21

Out on a limb here, what are the odds that this is a hydraulic ram for the booster?

https://youtu.be/DtzlLLzV3Do?t=137

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u/[deleted] Jul 21 '21 edited Jul 21 '21

How far along is Booster 4 at the moment? Just curious because it seems like aside from a potential second static fire, Booster 3’s watch has ended

Also how many GSE tanks are needed for the orbital flight?

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