I don't know why shipping boosters vertically would be a big deal. After all, SpaceX does it almost every week in ocean waters.
Potentially they could also dredge a channel in the South Bay.
Quote from: EL_DIABLO on 12/13/2021 11:49 amPotentially they could also dredge a channel in the South Bay.I seriously doubt they would be allowed to dredge a channel right through a wildlife refuge and build a port facility there..
SX are clearing an area on Roberts Road that is at least as large as the mfg area at Boca Chica. What else would that be if not the next factory, built on lessons learned in the tents? The idea of shipping Starships by sea to Florida just doesn't pass the practicality test.
Quote from: TomH on 12/11/2021 11:30 pmIf the STS tank and the SLS S1 core can be shipped horizontally on Pegasus, why is it that SH or SS cannot?They were designed to go sideways. SS and SH were not. Could that be changed if SpaceX had a compelling reason to do so? Almost certainly. The biggest question is if the tanks are strong enough to keep their shape sideways if in a good cradle, or if they'd need help either in the form of removable hoops of some sort or being pressurized. Centaur is pressurized to go horizontal; but the consequences of a SS or SH popping like a balloon in an accident are much scarier; OTOH Centaur's ultra thin skin is much more vulnerable to damage than what SpaceX is working with.
If the STS tank and the SLS S1 core can be shipped horizontally on Pegasus, why is it that SH or SS cannot?
Besides, if they eventually plan on doing point-to-point
QuoteBesides, if they eventually plan on doing point-to-pointWhen they get to that stage of development, they'll fly to those points.
Quote from: alugobi on 12/13/2021 09:16 pmQuoteBesides, if they eventually plan on doing point-to-pointWhen they get to that stage of development, they'll fly to those points.Boosters, not Ships.
Quote from: darkenfast on 12/13/2021 06:51 pmQuote from: EL_DIABLO on 12/13/2021 11:49 amPotentially they could also dredge a channel in the South Bay.I seriously doubt they would be allowed to dredge a channel right through a wildlife refuge and build a port facility there..The whole area isn't a wildlife refuge.
Quote from: EL_DIABLO on 12/13/2021 06:59 pmQuote from: darkenfast on 12/13/2021 06:51 pmQuote from: EL_DIABLO on 12/13/2021 11:49 amPotentially they could also dredge a channel in the South Bay.I seriously doubt they would be allowed to dredge a channel right through a wildlife refuge and build a port facility there..The whole area isn't a wildlife refuge.1. The South Bay is not SpaceX property. They cannot simply go out there and start dredging a channel through tidal wetlands that they don't own.2. The current opposition to SpaceX at Boca Chica is nothing compared to what would happen if they proposed dredging a channel through that area and building a wharf next to the current road.3. And what for? They have a connector road nearing completion that will link the road that their facilities are on to a port facility that they ALREADY own right on the Brownsville Shipping Channel. They will have to bring in their mobile platforms eventually and there will be times when a vehicle needs to be offloaded without flying.4. Sooner or later, SpaceX will probably need the infrastructure to be able to swap vehicles around, regardless of which shipyard builds them. I believe the purchase of the Shipping Channel property is part of that.
What is less of a logistical challenge, and faster in the short term:1) Hire one of the many firms (such as Roll-Lift, who they already contract with for moving oversized objects overland) who specialise in transport of oversized objects, to move a handful of oversized objects overland and over ocean from Boca Chica to LC-39A.2) Build an entire new manufacturing facility at the cape, along with hiring several hundred staff to run it. More manufacturing sites may come later, but it is certainly not in SpaceX interest to stand next to LC-39A and twiddle their thumbs saying "gee, wouldn't it be nice of some of those Starships we've already built were here?" while waiting for Roberts Road to ramp up to actual production.