Booster 7 was lifted off of the Orbital Launch Mount after two Raptors engines were swapped. Meanwhile crews worked on Ship 25 and Booster 9.Video and Pictures from John (@KSpaceAcademy), Nic (@nicansuini), and Starbase Live. Edited by Jack (@theJackBeyer).All content copyright to NSF. Not to be used elsewhere without explicit permission from NSF.Click "Join" for access to early fast turnaround clips, exclusive discord access with the NSF team, etc - to support the channel.Rolling Updates and Discussion: https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/ind...Articles: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/?s=St...NSF Store: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/shop/L2 Boca Chica (more clips and photos) from BC's very early days to today.https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/ind...(Join L2 and support NSF here: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/l2/)0:00 - Two Raptor Engines Moved to the Launch Site0:44 - Two Replacement Raptors at the Launch Site2:07 - Raptor Platform Moved Under Booster 72:45 - Crews Work on the Orbital Launch Mount3:15 - The Booster Quick Disconnect3:24 - The Launch Tower and Orbital Launch Mount4:49 - Crews Work On The Launch Tower and Tower Cladding5:23 - Large Object Delivered5:48 - The Production Site6:09 - Ship 25 in the High Bay and Nosecones Outside Tent 36:32 - Ship 28 Nosecone6:49 - Ship 29 Nosecone7:10 - Inside Tent 37:25 - Crews Work On Ship 25 in the High Bay7:38 - Crews Work On Booster 9 in the Mega Bay8:03 - Maintenance Platform Raised8:17 - Test Article Lowered Onto Structural Test Stand8:52 - Raptor Engine Lifted Up Into Booster 79:12 - Booster 7 Lifted off the Orbital Launch Mount10:15 - Load Spreader Moved to the Production Site10:43 - Starhopper and a Tanker Truck
The Orbital Launch Pad upgrades are underway, Booster 7 was rolled back to the Mega Bay, and work on Ship 25 continues in the High Bay.Video and Pictures from Nic (@NicAnsuini) and Starbase LiveEdited by Sawyer (@thenasaman).All content copyright to NSF. Not to be used elsewhere without explicit permission from NSF.Click "Join" for access to early fast turnaround clips, exclusive discord access with the NSF team, etc - to support the channel.Rolling Updates and Discussion: https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/ind...Articles: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/?s=St...NSF Store: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/shop/L2 Boca Chica (more clips and photos) from BC's very early days to today.https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/ind...(Join L2 and support NSF here: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/l2/)0:00 Booster 24 Outside at Starbase0:16 Chopsticks Lowered and Opened0:44 Booster 7 Rolled Off Launch Pad2:46 Booster 7 Moved to Mega Bay3:13 Work on Test Article Near Rocket Garden3:28 Teams Working on Orbital Launch Mount4:21 Workers Also Seen Near Quick Disconnect4:36 Height Added to Berm at the Orbital Launch Site5:07 Large Section Moved Onto OLM5:26 Scaffolding Removal Around Ship 246:20 Ship 25 in the High Bay6:35 Work on Ship 25 Inside High Bay7:05 Nosecones Inside Tent 37:20 Front: Ship 28 Nosecone, Rear: Ship 29 Nosecone7:35 Trash Cleanup Along Dunes
Crews worked on Ship 24 as the scaffolding around it was removed, work on the Orbital Launch Mount continued, and Ship 28, 29, and 30's nosecones were spotted in various stages of production.Video and Pictures from Nic (@NicAnsuini), Nomadd (@Nomadd13), and Starbase Live. Edited by Jack (@theJackBeyer).All content copyright to NSF. Not to be used elsewhere without explicit permission from NSF.Click "Join" for access to early fast turnaround clips, exclusive discord access with the NSF team, etc - to support the channel.Rolling Updates and Discussion: https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/ind...Articles: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/?s=St...NSF Store: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/shop/L2 Boca Chica (more clips and photos) from BC's very early days to today.https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/ind...(Join L2 and support NSF here: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/l2/)0:00 - Crews Work Inside Ship 24’s Methane Tank0:41 - Workers Remove Scaffolding From Around Ship 241:37 - Ship 242:20 - The Launch Site2:37 - Orbital Launch Mount Upgrades and Repairs4:37 - The Launch Tower5:39 - The Chopsticks6:08 - Orbital Tank Farm Berm Extension6:40 - The Mega Bay7:16 - Mega Bay Extension Construction7:31 - New Tent Assembled Next to the Propellant Plant8:35 - Test Tanks and the Rocket Garden9:09 - Ship 28 and Ship 30 Nosecones Inside Tent 39:41 - Ship 29 Nosecone in the Windbreak10:00 - Ship 25 in the High Bay10:35 - New Test Tank in the Mid Bay11:10 - Payload Section Outside12:11 - Booster 9 in the Mega Bay12:39 - Booster 712:38 - Various Parts at the Production Site13:29 - Ship 24 on Suborbital Pad B14:56 - Scaffolding Around Ship 24 Continues to be Dismantled15:11 - Crews Work On the Orbital Launch Mount16:12 - Replacement Cryo Pipe Lifted Onto the Orbital Launch Mount
More testing for the can crusher coming up.#Starbase #Starship #SpaceX 📸 Me for WAI Media @FelixSchlang
And we finally have the official name for Test Tank 13! And it's... drumroll please........ S26.1.You have got to be kidding me. 😐📸 @RGVaerialphotos
Overnight, Can Crusher with S26.1 on top and the Cap were all moved to the Massey's new test site! 📷:@LabPadre
Starbase, Tx Flyover10min VideoEdit by: @Marvelino01H Panos by: @MrPleasantRS Labels by: @BingoBoca Link 🔗👉
Ship 24's flaps were tested ahead of potential testing, the Ship 26.1 test article was moved to Massey’s, and work on the tent at the Sanchez Site continues.video from @NicAnsuini and Starbase Live. 📺:
Lead-ins and scaffolding have been added to Ship 26's tank section. Anticipate that stacking will occur in the near future!📸 @LabPadre
Say hello to what we believe is the first "Tanker Variant" of Starship. #Ship26 will likely be used for testing orbital fuel transfer procedures. And yes, shes ugly. No payload bay, flaps, or tiles. And, it has a prickly nose that you can see from a mile away.🎥:@LabPadre
Ship 29 is the newest oddity at the Production Site, but we may know what's happening this time around. Let's take a look at this new article that SpaceX is producing, and why we believe it may be a Structural Test Article. (1/13)📸 @ChameleonCir
Starting off looking at S29's nosecone, we can see some TPS pins on the side. This is likely because S29 was intended to be a normal Ship. With the cone now outside of the tent and having other work done, the pins will likely not be finished. (2/13)Well then, it's probably just another S26, right? That was a possibility until SpaceX began properly developing the flap mounting surfaces. This typically happens after tiling, and if this nose has no tiles, it would burn up before needing flaps. (3/13)A nosecone test article would need these mounting points though, because flap simulators are installed for the structural testing. (4/13)If this is for a test article, we expect that the tip of the nosecone would be removed, similar to what happened to SN12's nosecone nearly two years ago. This is yet to happen, but we anticipate that it will soon enough. (5/13)Now, let's move down to the Payload Bay. It had a fairly normal trip through the production process until SpaceX installed only a stripped-down base portion of the dispenser. (6/13)This piece did not have the expected electrical parts and systems that a working PEZ dispenser has. Typically a PEZ dispenser is installed as one unit, with all of the hardware preinstalled. (7/13)Typically TPS pins application occurs before PEZ dispenser processing. The only time it didn't was with S26, and we know how that went. So this is consistent with the nosecone having no heatshield. (8/13)The various aft sections are also suggesting something weird. Inside Tent 2, we are able to see S27's aft in the back, and S28's aft just in front based on what we have tracked. The 3rd aft section in front should be S29, but…. those are TPS pins. (9/13)This is a brand new aft section, one that should have been pinned after S29 was evidently decided to not have tiles. With this in mind, we believe that it may be for S30, leaving S29’s aft missing. (10/13)If you haven't checked it out yet, we have a Discord server where all of our tracking happens. We also have a bot that shows what's been spotted for the various Ships. Taking a look at S29, the parts seem to be limited to the top half. (11/13)Various parts of the Nosecone Testing Cage have been seeing work recently as well. The base has begun being reassembled, and the black tip that goes on the Nosecone has been moved near the base. (12/13)All of this suggests that S29 may be an article used to verify the design of Starship's upper half during flight, like what was done with SN12’s nosecone last year. Hopefully, we'll get to see this put together soon and, more importantly, pass testing. (13/13)
The Booster and Ship QD were tested repeatedly. Meanwhile, Ship 26 was fully stacked in the High Bay and a new propellant subcooler was delivered.Video and Pictures from Nic (@nicansuini), Nomadd (@nomadd13), and Starbase Live for @NASASpaceflight.➡️
Ship and Booster Quick Disconnects Tested for Launch | SpaceX Boca Chica20 Dec 2022The Booster and Ship QD were tested together in what appeared to be an analog of their expected behavior during a launch of Starship. Meanwhile, Ship 26 was fully stacked in the High Bay and a new propellant subcooler was delivered.Video and Pictures from Nic (@nicansuini), Nomadd (@nomadd13), and Starbase Live. Edited by Jack (@theJackBeyer).All content copyright to NSF. Not to be used elsewhere without explicit permission from NSF.Click "Join" for access to early fast turnaround clips, exclusive discord access with the NSF team, etc - to support the channel.Rolling Updates and Discussion: https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/ind...Articles: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/?s=St...NSF Store: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/shop/L2 Boca Chica (more clips and photos) from BC's very early days to today.https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/ind...(Join L2 and support NSF here: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/l2/)0:00 - Ship 26 Stacked in the High Bay0:36 - Booster QD and Ship QD Arm Retract Sequence (real time)1:07 - Booster QD and Ship QD Arm Extended (10x speed)1:32 - Concrete Forms on the Tank Farm Berm Extension Removed2:01 - Ship 242:58 - Booster 9 Waiting to be Proof Tested3:14 - More Booster QD and Ship QD Arm Retract Testing4:19 - BQD and Ship QD Retract and Arm Movement (real time)4:38 - Booster QD Retract (real time)4:55 - Booster QD Extension (sped up 5x)5:19 - Ships 25 and 26 in the High Bay6:11 - Crews Work on Ship 25’s Payload Bay6:58 - SpaceX’s South Texas Tracking Station7:17 - SPMTs Moved From Launch Site8:05 - Gantry Crane Outside Tent 3 Moved8:27 - SpaceX LR 11000 Crane Moved Across the Launch Site9:07 - New Subcooler Delivered
Booster 10's LOX tank has been stacked with the Aft Tank #5 quad, bringing it to a height of 20 rings.🎥 @LabPadre
Taking a look at B10's LOX barrels, we can see that the COPV mounts have been added pre-stacking. On B7-9, this was done post-stacking.📸 @CosmicalChief
Booster 9 was cryo proof tested, new nosecones were spotted in and around Tent 3, and work on the Orbital Tank Farm berm extension continued.Video from Nic (@NicAnsuini) and Starbase Live for @NASASpaceflight.➡️
20 RBoost engine covers were moved away from the shielding storage shelves between December 15th and 22nd. Hopefully they went into the Megabay for installation on Booster 7!📸 @RGVaerialphotos
It’s time to ring in the new year! 2022 was an incredible year at Starbase, despite not supporting any launches. Let’s take a look back at 2022, and the events at the Production Site that made this year a lot cooler than it may have appeared. (1/10)
Please remember that this is our interpretation of imagery. Much of our tracking is not confirmed by SpaceX, however, we do have a very strong understanding of their operations. (2/10)
This year, SpaceX worked on 9 Superheavy Boosters. We saw Booster 7, 8, and 9 all be fully stacked, while 10-15 were seen in various stages of construction. (3/10)📸 @SpaceX @BocaChicaGal @NASASpaceflight
SpaceX also worked on 8 Ships this year. Ship 22, 24, 25, and 26 were fully stacked, while 27-31 were seen in various stages of construction. Due to part reassignments, the Part Spotted dates are a little bit strange. (4/10)📸 @RGVaerialphotos @StarshipGazer @CosmicalChief
We saw various vehicles meet their end this year. Starships 16 and 21 were on the chopping block, alongside Booster 5. While they didn't fly, these vehicles were excellent practice on how to build a Starship. (5/10)
To verify the various parts of the Starship program ahead of Starship's first Orbital Flight Test, we saw 6 test tanks go through their own testing campaigns. These smaller test articles can be subjected to tests that a full-scale vehicle cannot. (6/10)📸 @RGVaerialphotos
The Production Site also evolved a lot this year. The Megabay and the first segment of the Starfactory have proven to be critical in speeding up the production of these vehicles. And the Starfactory isn’t even near finished yet! (7/10)📸 @RGVaerialphotos
Although this isn’t the area that we watch the closest, the Launch Site saw plenty of activity this year. Take a look at how many tests SpaceX conducted in 2022, compared to 2021! This doesn’t include every test, this is only the 4 types listed. (8/10)
Make sure to check out our online Miro tracking board, and our Discord server! These are the heart of this project and contain nearly all of our tracking information. (9/10)https://miro.com/app/board/o9J_lK2RYC4=/…http://discord.gg/wbz2MssN6Q
Most importantly, one of the things that evolved this year was our team and community. This project wouldn't be possible without every one of you, as we work to document SpaceX’s progress. We would like to wish you a very Happy New Year, wishing you the best in 2023! (10/10)
Ship flap aerocovers inbound. The assembly line is still moving even if the testing doesnt seem to be keeping along with the pace.#Starbase #Starship #SpaceX 📸 Me for WAI Media @FelixSchlang
