SpaceX Starship page

FAQ

  1. When (first) orbital flight? First integrated flight test occurred April 20, 2023. “The vehicle cleared the pad and beach as Starship climbed to an apogee of ~39 km over the Gulf of Mexico – the highest of any Starship to-date. The vehicle experienced multiple engines out during the flight test, lost altitude, and began to tumble. The flight termination system was commanded on both the booster and ship.”
  2. Where can I find streams of the launch? SpaceX Full Livestream. NASASpaceFlight Channel. Lab Padre Channel. Everyday Astronaut Channel.
  3. What’s happening next? SpaceX has assessed damage to Stage 0 and is implementing fixes and changes including a water deluge/pad protection/“shower head” system. No major repairs to key structures appear to be necessary.
  4. When is the next flight test? Just after flight, Elon stated they “Learned a lot for next test launch in a few months.” On April 29, he reiterated this estimate in a Twitter Spaces Q&A (summarized here), saying “I’m glad to report that the pad damage is actually quite small,” should “be repaired quickly,” and “From a pad standpoint, we are probably ready to launch in 6 to 8 weeks.” Requalifying the flight termination system (FTS) and the FAA post-incident review will likely require the longest time to complete. Musk reiterated the timeline on May 26, stating “Major launchpad upgrades should be complete in about a month, then another month of rocket testing on pad, then flight 2 of Starship.”
  5. Why no flame diverter/flame trench below the OLM? Musk tweeted on April 21: “3 months ago, we started building a massive water-cooled, steel plate to go under the launch mount. Wasn’t ready in time & we wrongly thought, based on static fire data, that Fondag would make it through 1 launch.” Regarding a trench, note that the Starship on the OLM sits 2.5x higher off the ground than the Saturn V sat above the base of its flame trench, and the OLM has 6 exits vs. 2 on the Saturn V trench.

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Quick Links

RAPTOR ROOST | LAB CAM | SAPPHIRE CAM | SENTINEL CAM | ROVER CAM | ROVER 2.0 CAM | PLEX CAM | NSF STARBASE

Starship Dev 47 | Starship Dev 46 | Starship Dev 45 | Starship Dev 44

Official Starship Update | r/SpaceX Update Thread

Status

Road Closures

Type Start (UTC) End (UTC) Status
Primary 2023-08-24 13:00:00 2023-08-25 01:00:00 Cancelled
Alternative 2023-08-25 14:00:00 2023-08-26 02:00:00 Concluded
Alternative 2023-08-28 13:00:00 2023-08-27 01:00:00 Cancelled

Up to date as of 2023-09-05

Vehicle Status

As of 2023-09-05

Follow Ring Watchers on Twitter and Discord for more.

Ship Location Status Comment
S20 Rocket Garden Retired
S24 Gulf of Mexico Destroyed Destroyed on during Flight Test 1
S25 Stacked on B9 Spin Prime and Static Fire
S26 Rocket Garden Cryo tested
S27 Rocket Garden Scrapped Common dome imploded
S28 Engine Install Stand Raptors installed Previously tested at Masseys
S29 High Bay Under construction Flap installation in progress
S30 High Bay Under construction
S31 High Bay Under construction
S32 Build Site Parts spotted
S33 Build Site Parts spotted
S34 Build Site Parts spotted

 

Booster Location Status Comment
Pre-B7 & B8 Scrapped or Retired B4 is in the Rocket Garden, the rest are scrapped.
B7 Gulf of Mexico Destroyed Destroyed April 20th in Flight Test 1
B9 Launch mount Hot-stage ring installed Static fire (August 5th)
B10 Megabay 1 Cryo tested
B11 Rocket Garden Resting
B12 Megabay 1 Grid fins installed
B13 Build Site Parts under construction
B14 Build Site Parts under construction
B15 Build Site Parts under construction

Resources

  • pigeonberry@lemmy.worldEnglish
    5·
    1 year ago

    Top-level posts just added:

    [SpaceX] September 8, 2023: Upgrades Ahead Of Starship’s Second Flight Test That is, it’s a statement from SpaceX itself about the major problems it saw on Starship test 1, and several changes it has made.

    [Chris Bergin, Abhi Tripathi @SpaceAbhi] SpaceX LEADS the investigation It’s not appreciated that SpaceX did the investigation, decided on corrections, and wrote the report. The FAA provides feedback, but we don’t know how much.

  • pigeonberry@lemmy.worldEnglish
    4·
    1 year ago

    According to Musk Sep 6, 2023 · 1:30 AM UTC, “Starship is ready to launch, awaiting FAA license approval”.

    But an Other Place comment from u/space_rocket_builder here was

    Aiming for launch readiness as early as next week and the launch as early as start of mid September. FAA process expected “soon” but we could still be a few weeks away.

    I think they’ve asserted themself to be a good source, but I am not sure.

    Another comment (someone else) asserted that the propellant farm has not been loaded yet, and that takes a lot of trucks.

    • Ludu@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      2·
      1 year ago

      I think right after the last static fire, u/space_rocket_builder correctly predicted the number of engines that were lit up and ran correctly, before we got an official statement. So at least, there is that.

      I agree with other people regarding Musk’s statement about Starship readiness: he’s probably trying to pressure the FAA into giving a launch license as soon as possible. But that doesn’t mean SpaceX is actually ready to launch.

      • burble@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
        3·
        1 year ago

        The FAA comment from him might also be to pressure the SpaceX team to finish the last little details that they know aren’t actually ready.

  • LettuceTurnipTheBeet@lemm.eeEnglish
    4·
    1 year ago

    New comment from /u/santacfan on Reddit:

    Starbase live-

    2:46am- New deluge manifold lifted into place

    7:00am- One lift was up at the OLM overnight. It changed places a couple of times but mainly at the top.

    7:39am- S26’s SPMT’s leave the launch site

    7:50am- Lift goes up to the back side of the tower

    9:06am- Lift up disconnecting S26 from the lifting squid

    9:33am- Squid disconnected and swung away

    11:44am- A couple of mini excavators are working in between the OLM and OLT. At least one has a Jack hammer attachment. Breaking up more fondag?

    2:35pm- LR11000 moves back over near the deluge tank farm

    3:36pm-Spreader picked up by the LR11000. Prepping to move the 3rd tank in position

    4:05pm- Spreader swung over to the deluge tanks

    4:20pm- Spreader lowered down closer to the 3rd tank

    5:03pm- Lowered down the rest of the way and lift goes up to attach the straps

    5:15pm- Straps hooked up

    5:25pm- Tension on the straps

    7:00pm- Tank is still hooked up to the crane. Hard to tell through the heat haze if they’ve moved the tank or not. Definitely didn’t lift it very much if they have.

    7:22pm- Crane lifts something about 1/3rd of the way up the backside of the tower and a lift then goes up to the same area.

    9:00pm- Straps around the 3rd tank remain under tension. The OLM is quiet.

    10:00pm- Sheriffs ready for road block. Looks like a stand is coming to the production site from Massey’s

    10:50pm- Deluge tank is finally airborne

    10:56pm- Deluge tank lowered, final adjustments still being made

    11:06pm- Finally a good view of the booster stand heading down Hwy 4 to the production site

    11:17pm- Deluge tank is airborne again

    (This gets synced)

  • LettuceTurnipTheBeet@lemm.eeEnglish
    3·
    1 year ago

    New comment from /u/santacfan on Reddit:

    Starbase Live-

    Friday-

    2 stair sections installed on the OLT

    1 stair section installed in the new mega bay

    AWP up at B9’s FTS

    Lifts up at chopsticks and the OLM

    Saturday-

    AWP up at the interstage of B9 (Working on an antenna?)

    Staircase section lifted into new mega bay

    Final corner pieces lifted up to the top of the new mega bay

    Lifts up at OLM and Chopsticks

    Sunday-

    Looks like most of the workers got the day off

    Monday-

    Lifts return to the OLM around 5:30pm

    8:08pm- S25 rolls to the gate at the rocket garden

    8:28pm- Rolls backwards

    8:30pm- Stops. (From Starship Gazers stream we can see that a lift went up and replaced a tile that fell off)

    8:33pm- Rolls back up to the gate

    9:36pm- Rolling onto Remidos

    10:00pm- Turns on to Hwy 4

    10:56pm- Ship stops on Hwy 4 (SPMT is broke down)

    Tuesday-

    1:08am- Ship starts rolling again

    1:22am- Turns into the launch site

    1:36am- Arrives just outside of the chopsticks

    1:38am- Rolls in between the chopsticks

    6:25am- Chopsticks rise up

    6:29am- Right chopstick closes in on the ship

    6:32am- Left chopstick closes in

    6:37am- Chopsticks raise to engage lifting pins

    7:59am- Left aft flap unfolds

    8:02am- Right aft flap unfolds

    8:27am- Pad clear announcement

    9:42am- Lift goes up to the chopsticks

    11:40am- Crane lifts the QD’s transport panel away. It was putting up quite the fight.

    11:53am- Klaxon/Pad clear announcement

    12:06pm- SQD arm swings away

    12:41pm- Ship going up

    1:17pm- Clears B9

    1:18pm- SQD arm swings in

    1:20pm- S25 starts rotating over

    1:27pm- Over B9

    1:39pm- Very slowly being lowered

    2:03pm- Looks down to me

    2:20pm- Stack wobbles

    3:07pm- Purge of B9’s engine section

    3:40pm- Workers on SQD arm prepping S25’s QD

    4:40pm- QD work platform swings away

    4:58pm-SQD starts to extend

    5:12pm- Looks like it connected

    5:32:56pm- Retract test

    5:35pm- Extends and then retracts again.

    5:41pm- Starting to extend again

    5:48pm- Connected again

    9:02pm- Lift goes up to the OLM

    9:58pm- Crane lifts the metal lid back on to the deluge pipe bunker

    Wednesday-

    12:07am- LR11000 Moves back over to the sub orbital pad area

    1:13am- Lift goes up to the back side of the tower

    8:15am- Workers on top of the OLM

    10:46am- Another piece of the roof structure is lifted up to the new mega bay

    1:44pm- Lifts removing equipment from the dance floor

    4:43pm- Pickup pulls the gray tool trailer away

    4:48pm- White step van leaves

    6:11pm- Dance floor lowers to the ground

    8:34pm- Single SPMT heads to the launch site

    8:57pm- Dance floor is raised a few feet

    9:27pm- Dance floor rises up and it’s transport stand rolls underneath

    9:46pm- Dance floor is driven out from under the OLM

    10:16pm- S28’s methane hatch is still open and scaffolding still in place

    (This gets synced)

  • LettuceTurnipTheBeet@lemm.eeEnglish
    3·
    1 year ago

    New comment from /u/santacfan on Reddit:

    Starbase live-

    10:45pm- Crane removes a piece manifold at the deluge tank farm

    11:52pm- Crane removes another big chunk of the manifold from the deluge tank farm

    2:48am- Forklift removes one of the light towers from around the OLM

    2:54am- LR11000 picks up the lifting squid

    8:58am- Crane lifts another beam up to the new mega bay

    9:44am- S26 starts rolling

    9:49am- Pauses at the entrance to the rocket garden

    9:51am- Turns on to Remidos

    10:05am- Turns on to Hwy 4

    10:35am- They aren’t taking any chances today. Have an extra power pack for the SPMT’s and a forklift in the motorcade.

    11:20am- Turns into the launch site

    11:33am- Arrives at the sub orbital pad

    11:57am- Squid lowers to just above S26

    12:12pm- Lift goes up to connect the squid

    12:51pm- Squid connected. Lift goes down

    2:45:52pm- Ignitor test at the OLM

    2:55pm- Chopsticks release S25 and open a bit

    2:57pm- Chopsticks lower a few feet

    3:02pm- Chopsticks open wide and lower to their launch position

    3:15pm- Chopsticks raise back up and close part way again

    4:46pm- Lift up at the nosecone of S20 at the rocket garden. (Reinstalling lift hooks so it can be lifted and scrapped? Or practicing installing tiles on nosecones?)

    5:22pm- S26 lifted off its transport stand and swung over to pad B

    5:37pm- Making final adjustments to get it lined up on the pad

    5:49pm- Gap disappears. Looks like it’s down

    9:04pm- Single lift goes up to the OLM

    (This gets synced)

  • pigeonberry@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    1 year ago

    From Ars Technica:

    (Note: at 6 pm ET on Wednesday, the FAA issued the following statement).

    “The SpaceX Starship mishap investigation remains open,” the agency stated. “The FAA will not authorize another Starship launch until SpaceX implements the corrective actions identified during the mishap investigation and demonstrates compliance with all the regulatory requirements of the license modification process.”

    • clothes@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      1 year ago

      Eric Berger tweeted a follow up:

      My read on this statement is that Starship’s launch is now likely to occur no earlier than the last 10 days of the month. Still plenty of work to do.

  • Decronym@lemmy.decronym.xyzBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I’ve seen in this thread:

    Fewer Letters More Letters
    AIS Automatic Identification System
    COPV Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessel
    FAA Federal Aviation Administration
    FTS Flight Termination System
    GSE Ground Support Equipment
    HLS Human Landing System (Artemis)
    LOX Liquid Oxygen
    LZ Landing Zone
    NSF NasaSpaceFlight forum
    ~ National Science Foundation
    OLM Orbital Launch Mount
    OTF Orbital Tank Farm
    QD Quick-Disconnect
    SPMT Self-Propelled Mobile Transporter
    SSME Space Shuttle Main Engine
    WDR Wet Dress Rehearsal (with fuel onboard)
    Jargon Definition
    Raptor Methane-fueled rocket engine under development by SpaceX
    Starlink SpaceX’s world-wide satellite broadband constellation
    dancefloor Attachment structure for the Falcon 9 first stage engines, below the tanks
    powerpack Pre-combustion power/flow generation assembly (turbopump etc.)
    ~ Tesla’s Li-ion battery rack, for electricity storage at scale
    turbopump High-pressure turbine-driven propellant pump connected to a rocket combustion chamber; raises chamber pressure, and thrust

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