Author Topic: SpaceX core and second stage spotting  (Read 369643 times)

Offline vaporcobra

Re: SpaceX core and second stage spotting
« Reply #280 on: 09/29/2018 11:25 pm »
B1047, either at 39A or the LZ-1 hangar :)


Offline vaporcobra

Re: SpaceX core and second stage spotting
« Reply #281 on: 10/06/2018 07:35 am »
A booster just left Hawthorne, it was staged at one of SpaceX's nearby lots for a couple hours. Presumably B1054 unless another core has shipped to McGregor since September 17th.
« Last Edit: 10/06/2018 08:03 pm by vaporcobra »

Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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Re: SpaceX core and second stage spotting
« Reply #282 on: 10/06/2018 08:17 am »
A booster just left Hawthorne, it was staged at one of SpaceX's nearby lots for a couple hours. Presumably B1053 unless another core has shipped to McGregor since September 17th.

Presumably this:

https://twitter.com/_tomcross_/status/1048483536917823488

Offline vaporcobra

Re: SpaceX core and second stage spotting
« Reply #283 on: 10/06/2018 09:31 am »
Yep, I actually happened to be sitting beside Tom :)

Offline Alexphysics

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Re: SpaceX core and second stage spotting
« Reply #284 on: 10/06/2018 11:05 am »
A booster just left Hawthorne, it was staged at one of SpaceX's nearby lots for a couple hours. Presumably B1053 unless another core has shipped to McGregor since September 17th.

B1053? Shouldn't this be B1054?

Offline Alexphysics

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Re: SpaceX core and second stage spotting
« Reply #285 on: 10/06/2018 12:07 pm »
A booster just left Hawthorne, it was staged at one of SpaceX's nearby lots for a couple hours. Presumably B1053 unless another core has shipped to McGregor since September 17th.

B1053? Shouldn't this be B1054?

B1053 was in the final assembly line slot (i.e. the end of the line) at the BFR event on Sept 17th. It's possible that 53 already shipped to TX or that it was moved back in line, but moving boosters around on the factory floor is a massive work disruption and the last booster spotted coming from TX was likely B1050.

I'm confused, I thought the booster behind Elon was B1054.

Offline vaporcobra

Re: SpaceX core and second stage spotting
« Reply #286 on: 10/06/2018 08:04 pm »
Entirely my mistake 😩 It was indeed 1054.

Offline Arb

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Re: SpaceX core and second stage spotting
« Reply #287 on: 10/07/2018 10:21 pm »
Don't recall this recent NASA photo being discussed (found somewhere on NSF). Anything interesting in the back ground?

Offline Alexphysics

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Re: SpaceX core and second stage spotting
« Reply #288 on: 10/07/2018 10:39 pm »
Don't recall this recent NASA photo being discussed (found somewhere on NSF). Anything interesting in the back ground?

On the right in the background, the used interstage that was installed on the "mystery booster" at the BFR event. It says "Booster 570". B1053 is on the center in the background ready to be transported out of the factory and B1054 is on the left before being moved to where B1053 is in that picture and then it was later seen in that position on the BFR event. I guess this picture was taken around mid or late August.

Offline Jakusb

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Re: SpaceX core and second stage spotting
« Reply #289 on: 10/12/2018 08:12 am »
Ok, I am working on an updated FPIP overlay for L2, and regarding the core leaving Hawthorne, it might also be 1055...
We know the 1054 core was at the factory on sept 17th. And it was almost ready to ship. I had it scheduled for transport on sept 22nd (given earlier reported expected # cores to be produced in 2018)...
Core 1055 was to be shipped around October 12th, according that same logic... ;)

Only other scenario would be a serious reduction of production pace... This could be related to the still unseen FH related cores, but then I would have expected some (leaked) info by now about FH core being seen on route or at McGregor...

So my money is on it being 1055 and we missed another transport...  8)

Offline Jakusb

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Re: SpaceX core and second stage spotting
« Reply #290 on: 10/28/2018 08:37 am »
Mystery core traveling eastbound through Wilcox (AZ?)...
Seems to only have 5 out of 9 engines...
https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/9rw55i/falcon_9_eastbound_through_willcox/

This transport is close to the Nov 1st prediction for core 1056, but the missing engines is puzzling..

Offline Alexphysics

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Re: SpaceX core and second stage spotting
« Reply #291 on: 10/28/2018 09:52 am »
Mystery core traveling eastbound through Wilcox (AZ?)...
Seems to only have 5 out of 9 engines...
https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/9rw55i/falcon_9_eastbound_through_willcox/

This transport is close to the Nov 1st prediction for core 1056, but the missing engines is puzzling..

This is not B1056, you have to take into account that B1051 took a slot at McGregor's schedule of boosters for re-testing after B1054 passed testing, so this must be B1055, the mystery booster. Make sure to shift your schedule of cores accordingly, this has happened before and once this happens it is a mess to keep track of the boosters, one doesn't know which one is gonna appear next.

Offline Alexphysics

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Re: SpaceX core and second stage spotting
« Reply #292 on: 10/28/2018 10:00 am »
SSO-A booster arrived yesterday at Vandenberg. This looks like more and more that SSO-A booster might be B1046 instead of B1048.

Link to reddit's comment about its arrival

Offline vanoord

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Re: SpaceX core and second stage spotting
« Reply #293 on: 10/28/2018 10:10 am »
Assuming this is heading towards McGregor*, it might be because the remaining engines are waiting for it at McGregor.

It would be possible to invent all sorts of reasons for that, eg.
- engines to be installed at McGregor in future
- engines were delayed at McGregor so easier to fit them there than ship them back to Hawthorne, with the delay jamming up the production line
- it's going to have used engines fitted which are at McGregor (there's some evidence that McGregor might be scrapping cores)
- there's been a delay in engine production, so the core has been shipped out to avoid jamming up the production line

Or something else!


* if it's actually heading west, it could be a pre-flown core which has had four engines removed for whatever reason.

Offline Jakusb

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Re: SpaceX core and second stage spotting
« Reply #294 on: 10/28/2018 02:54 pm »
Mystery core traveling eastbound through Wilcox (AZ?)...
Seems to only have 5 out of 9 engines...
https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/9rw55i/falcon_9_eastbound_through_willcox/

This transport is close to the Nov 1st prediction for core 1056, but the missing engines is puzzling..

This is not B1056, you have to take into account that B1051 took a slot at McGregor's schedule of boosters for re-testing after B1054 passed testing, so this must be B1055, the mystery booster. Make sure to shift your schedule of cores accordingly, this has happened before and once this happens it is a mess to keep track of the boosters, one doesn't know which one is gonna appear next.

Is there any public info on 1054 having finished testing? I might have missed it.
I agree it is almost impossible to keep track as no new cores are being flown, so now 5 cores unseen after travelling to McGregor of which some not even seen travelling there..
With 1051 just tested (again?) does not say anything about other cores. It clearly got special treatment.
Might be a queue of untested cores for all we know. Not a problem, not needed for some time still..

For some reason no info whatsoever is being shared from inside, unfortunately. ;)

Offline space_snap828

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Re: SpaceX core and second stage spotting
« Reply #295 on: 10/28/2018 03:11 pm »
Do all cores after 1051 have the new COPVs? Or is 1051 unique for now?

Offline Michael Baylor

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Re: SpaceX core and second stage spotting
« Reply #296 on: 10/31/2018 10:25 pm »
Falcon 9 spotted in Louisiana with what appears to be some missing engines. Likely the same one that was spotted in Arizona. Maybe B1048 heading east since it bypassed McGregor?

« Last Edit: 10/31/2018 10:25 pm by Michael Baylor »

Offline tater

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Re: SpaceX core and second stage spotting
« Reply #297 on: 11/01/2018 01:34 am »
It looks like the normal 9, plus more added behind those (just for transport, presumably).

Edit: never mind, the trailer is different than the other pics I looked at. I was basing that on the overhang distance which varies between trailer layouts.
« Last Edit: 11/01/2018 03:37 am by tater »

Offline Alexphysics

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Re: SpaceX core and second stage spotting
« Reply #298 on: 11/10/2018 08:01 pm »
Falcon Heavy side booster seen on the road in Maricopa, Arizona.

https://old.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/9vwp7j/is_this_a_booster_i_saw_it_in_maricopa_az/

Offline IanThePineapple

Re: SpaceX core and second stage spotting
« Reply #299 on: 11/10/2018 08:18 pm »
Falcon Heavy side booster seen on the road in Maricopa, Arizona.

https://old.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/9vwp7j/is_this_a_booster_i_saw_it_in_maricopa_az/

IMO this is likely 1055, unless 1055 left a while ago without us noticing, in which case this must be 1056.

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