Where will BFR be built?

[Dave G]

What if the primary purpose of the boring company is just for fill material so Elon can create a land reclamation company? After he's done creating space for the BFR factory, he can start on his offshore supervillain island lair.

[humor]
You have no idea what you're talking about!  Musk is clearly on record saying he wants to buy a volcano lair.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/588144086755999744?lang=en
[/humor]

[QuantumG]

Anyone identified where the new floor space at the Port of LA is yet?

[Dave G]

Anyone identified where the new floor space at the Port of LA is yet?

Nope.  Lots of speculation, but no clue where where the new building is.

And that seems kind of strange.  Musk said they plan to start building BFS in the second quarter of 2018.  That starts just 15 weeks from now.  Presumably, they'll need that much time to set up the manufacturing equipment. 

So unless SpaceX is way behind schedule, they should be setting up the BFS assembly line as we speak.

But in the past, SpaceX hasn't keep the locations of their new facilities secret.  Quite the opposite.

So either:
1) They're already way behind the announced schedule for starting BFS production in 2Q 2018, or
2) They have some good reason to make an exception and keep the location secret, at least for now.

[jpo234]

But in the past, SpaceX hasn't keep the locations of their new facilities secret.  Quite the opposite.

The BFR tank building required a lot of internet sleuthing to find...

[Dave G]

But in the past, SpaceX hasn't keep the locations of their new facilities secret.  Quite the opposite.

The BFR tank building required a lot of internet sleuthing to find...

Right, but the 12m tank that was used for early pressure testing wasn't built at a SpaceX facility.  It was built at  Janicki Industries in Sedro-Woolley, Washington.

SpaceX usually keeps a low profile about their subcontractors.

By contrast, they normally publicize SpaceX facilities at new locations. And at Stanford, Gwynne mentioned the new BFR manufacturing site, so that's consistent with making SpaceX locations public. Why then have we not heard more?

[Ronsmytheiii]

1) They're already way behind the announced schedule for starting BFS production in 2Q 2018, or
2) They have some good reason to make an exception and keep the location secret, at least for now.

Or they haven't finalized the deal with a facility owner, not appropriate to talk about it until the deal is finalized.

[MaxTeranous]

1) They're already way behind the announced schedule for starting BFS production in 2Q 2018, or
2) They have some good reason to make an exception and keep the location secret, at least for now.

Or they haven't finalized the deal with a facility owner, not appropriate to talk about it until the deal is finalized.

Or they can start to build some parts of the BFS in existing facilities and don't need the final assembly building in place yet. You don't need a full end to end assembly line in place before you put together the first nut and bolt, so to speak.

[Dave G]

1) They're already way behind the announced schedule for starting BFS production in 2Q 2018, or
2) They have some good reason to make an exception and keep the location secret, at least for now.

Or they haven't finalized the deal with a facility owner, not appropriate to talk about it until the deal is finalized.

Yes.  That's what I was thinking about for 2) above.

Or they can start to build some parts of the BFS in existing facilities and don't need the final assembly building in place yet. You don't need a full end to end assembly line in place before you put together the first nut and bolt, so to speak.

I've always assumed the majority of BFR / BFS manufacturing would occur at Hawthorne.  That would include Raptor engines, avionics, grid fins, basically part or sub-assembly that can be road transported without temporarily removing traffic lights, utility poles, etc.

So the new BFR / BFS manufacturing site will just be for building the large CF structures and doing final assembly.

That said, when Elon stated:

The tooling for the main tanks has been ordered, the facility is being built. We will start construction of the first ship around the second quarter of next year...

It seems to me like he's talking about the facility that will build the large CF structures and do final assembly.

[alexterrell]

Anyone identified where the new floor space at the Port of LA is yet?

Nope.  Lots of speculation, but no clue where where the new building is.

And that seems kind of strange.  Musk said they plan to start building BFS in the second quarter of 2018.  That starts just 15 weeks from now.  Presumably, they'll need that much time to set up the manufacturing equipment. 

Alternatively, the new factory (or final assembly plant) has been built somewhere they know about factories, like Korea or Japan, and is about to sail across the Pacific to LA.

[spacenut]

If he has to launch from the Cape or from Boca Chica, it seems to me the final assembly plant should be near one of those launch sites, to avoid shipping via the Panama Canal. 

[IntoTheVoid]

Musk said they plan to start building BFS in the second quarter of 2018.  That starts just 15 weeks from now.  Presumably, they'll need that much time to set up the manufacturing equipment. 

So unless SpaceX is way behind schedule, they should be setting up the BFS assembly line as we speak.

My recollection is that he actually said "around the second quarter of 2018". So even without any time dilation, production could start in mid-July without impacting that statement. And if production starts in mid-July, maybe they just haven't identified a suitable and acceptable site yet. Not having a site yet could even be why he hedged the time rather than being optimistically specific. Nothing requires, or even points to, construction starting at the beginning of the window he gave.

[testguy]

A recent, posted this week, SpaceX Power Point slide shows the first Molding BFS being completed in the third quarter of this year.  In order to achieve that, the plan and location must be in place.  No doubt the LA location.

[RedLineTrain]

A recent, posted this week, SpaceX Power Point slide shows the first Molding BFS being completed in the third quarter of this year.  In order to achieve that, the plan and location must be in place.  No doubt the LA location.

Can you please point me to that Powerpoint slide?

[stcks]

A recent, posted this week, SpaceX Power Point slide shows the first Molding BFS being completed in the third quarter of this year.  In order to achieve that, the plan and location must be in place.  No doubt the LA location.

Is this that fan-made speculative 2018 goals image coming up again? https://i.redd.it/em60rabjin701.jpg

If that's the one, it was apparently just made by a fan on Reddit.

[Dave G]

Alternatively, the new factory (or final assembly plant) has been built somewhere they know about factories, like Korea or Japan, and is about to sail across the Pacific to LA.

If he has to launch from the Cape or from Boca Chica, it seems to me the final assembly plant should be near one of those launch sites, to avoid shipping via the Panama Canal.

Here's the exact quote from Gwynne:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/37659376821

Q: Where will the BFR be built?

A: We're looking at building a facility by the water in LA. We thought we'd build it in our factory in Hawthorne, but we priced transport to the harbor, and it came out to $2.5m per trip. It would require taking down stoplights, and just wouldn't be worth it. So we will build a new facility by the water. We will eventually also have a number of production sites by out launch sites.

So at this point, we know the new facility will be in the Los Angeles area, somewhere near water.

We're all speculating exactly where that will be.

[octavo]

So at this point, we know the new facility will be in the Los Angeles area, somewhere near water.

We're all speculating exactly where that will be.

Well, psychics have made entire careers with predictions similarly vague, so I'm not surprised this thread continues.

[oiorionsbelt]

Here's the exact quote from Gwynne:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/37659376821

Q: Where will the BFR be built?

A: We're looking at building a facility by the water in LA. We thought we'd build it in our factory in Hawthorne, but we priced transport to the harbor, and it came out to $2.5m per trip. It would require taking down stoplights, and just wouldn't be worth it. So we will build a new facility by the water. We will eventually also have a number of production sites by out launch sites.

So at this point, we know the new facility will be in the Los Angeles area, somewhere near water.

We're all speculating exactly where that will be.

"We're looking at" does not mean we are.

[testguy]

A recent, posted this week, SpaceX Power Point slide shows the first Molding BFS being completed in the third quarter of this year.  In order to achieve that, the plan and location must be in place.  No doubt the LA location.

Can you please point me to that Powerpoint slide?

Go to the SpaceX Texas Launch Site Discussion thread.  On 1/2/18 SPTexas posted it.

[RedLineTrain]

A recent, posted this week, SpaceX Power Point slide shows the first Molding BFS being completed in the third quarter of this year.  In order to achieve that, the plan and location must be in place.  No doubt the LA location.

Can you please point me to that Powerpoint slide?

Go to the SpaceX Texas Launch Site Discussion thread.  On 1/2/18 SPTexas posted it.

That slide was created by a fan, not by SpaceX.

[testguy]

A recent, posted this week, SpaceX Power Point slide shows the first Molding BFS being completed in the third quarter of this year.  In order to achieve that, the plan and location must be in place.  No doubt the LA location.

Can you please point me to that Powerpoint slide?

Go to the SpaceX Texas Launch Site Discussion thread.  On 1/2/18 SPTexas posted it.

That slide was created by a fan, not by SpaceX.

Not saying you are wrong but would appreciate if you or SPTexas could verify that.