Portions of this thread copied from a Starship Dev thread on r/SpaceX.
FAQ
- When next launch? Wen IFT-4? IFT-4 is now NET June 1st. “Objective is for the ship to get past max heating or at least further than last time.”
- When previous launch? (IFT-3)? Booster 10 and Ship 28 launched on 2024-03-14.
- What was the result? Booster makes it to the landing burn, but loses control and insufficient engines relight. RUD occurs at 462 m in altitude. S28 makes it to reentry but fails to face the heat shield in the correct direction, followed shortly by RUD. Payload door test and propellant transfer demo “complete”.
Quick Links
RAPTOR ROOST | LAB CAM | SAPPHIRE CAM | SENTINEL CAM | ROVER CAM | ROVER 2.0 CAM | PLEX CAM | NSF STARBASE
IFT-3 launch thread | Starship Dev 54 | Starship Dev 53 | Starship Dev 52 | Starship Dev 51 | Starship Dev 50 |
Official SpaceX Starship Update Video (2024-04-06)
Status
Road Closures - @bocaroad Mastodon bot
| Type | Start (CDT) | End (CDT) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Date | 2024-04-05 08:00 | 2024-04-05 20:00 | Closure Scheduled. |
Up to date as of 2024-04-02
Vehicle Status
As of 2024-05-08
Follow Ring Watchers on Twitter and Discord for more.
| Ship | Location | Status | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| S24 | Gulf of Mexico | Destroyed | IFT-1 launched on 2023-04-20. Destroyed by flight termination system after successful launch. |
| S25 | Atlantic Ocean | Destroyed | IFT-2 launched on 2023-11-18. Mostly successful launch and stage separation |
| S26 | Massey’s | On new test stand | Static fire Oct. 20. No fins or heat shield, multiple mysterious changes. Completed 3 cryo tests, latest on Oct 10. Rolls to Massey’s May 8th, likely to test the new flame trench. |
| S28 | Indian Ocean | Destroyed | IFT-3 launched on 2024-03-14. Ship destroyed on reentry due to heat shield facing the wrong way. |
| S29 | Launch site | Pending WDR | Spin prime Mar 11th, Static fire Mar 25th (6 engines) and 27th (1 engine) |
| S30 | Highbay 1 | Static fire completed | 2x cryo: Jan 3rd and Jan 5th. Engines installed ~Apr 9th. Static fired May 8th. |
| S31 | Massey’s | Cryo testing | Cryo tested May 12th |
| S32 | Rocket Garden | Resting | Fully stacked, fore flaps installed but not aft flaps |
| S33-34 | Build Site | Parts spotted | To be scrapped in preparation for Starship V2 |
| Booster | Location | Status | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| B7 | Gulf of Mexico | Destroyed | Destroyed by flight termination system after successful launch. |
| B9 | Gulf of Mexico | Destroyed | Successfully launched, destroyed during Boost back attempt. |
| B10 | Gulf of Mexico | Destroyed | IFT-3 launched on 2024-03-14. Booster destroyed shortly after failed landing burn attempt. |
| B11 | Launch Mount | Pending WDR | Completed 2 Cryo tests. Static fired Apr 5th. Hot stage ring installed ~May 3rd. |
| B12 | Megabay 1 | Finalizing | Cryo x2 |
| B13 | Megabay 1 | Testing | Cryo tests Apr 26th (methane tank) and Apr 29th (LOX tank) |
| B14 | Megabay 1 | Partially stacked | Stacking in progress |
| B15 | Build Site | Assembly | Potential aft end spotted Jan 5th |
Resources
- LabPadre Channel | NASASpaceFlight.com Channel
- NSF: Booster 7 + Ship X (likely 24) Updates Thread | Most Recent
- NSF: Boca Chica Production Updates Thread | Most recent
- NSF: Elon Starship tweet compilation | Most Recent
- SpaceX: Website Starship page | Starship Users Guide (2020, PDF)
- FAA: SpaceX Starship Project at the Boca Chica Launch Site
- FAA: Temporary Flight Restrictions NOTAM list
- FCC: Starship Orbital Demo detailed Exhibit - 0748-EX-ST-2021 application June 20 through December 20
- NASA: Starship Reentry Observation (Technical Report)
- Hwy 4 & Boca Chica Beach Closures (May not be available outside US)
- Production Progress Infographics by @RingWatchers
- Raptor 2 Tracker by @SpaceRhin0
- Acronym definitions by Decronym
- Everyday Astronaut: Starbase Tour with Elon Musk, Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
- Everyday Astronaut: 2022 Elon Musk Interviews, Starbase/Ship Updates | Launch Tower | Merlin Engine | Raptor Engine
- Old orbital tank farm map | Source.
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This thread probably not, next thread MAYbe!
Starbase activities (2024-04-02):
- Water deliveries to deluge tanks at orbital pad. (LabPadre, NSF)
- Tank farm and OLM venting and more venting. (NSF timelapse)
- New road closure posted for Apr 5th from 08:00 to 20:00, likely for tank farm plumbing tests, possibly for B11 testing.
- S29: Nosecone tiles reinstalled. (Mary, Starship Gazer)
- New type of ring section spotted, potentially for Starship V2.
Other:
- Ryan Hansen Space speculates on the cause of damage to the methane hose in the booster quick disconnect during IFT-3.
- ChromeKiwi render of Massey’s static fire stand.
Starbase activities (2024-05-04):
- Launch pad B: Drilling continues.
- Starhopper: Modifications to Starhopper continue, likely a weather mast rather than lift points as initially assumed.
- GSE-7 outer tank base is finally removed and scrapped.
- Build site video tour (slower): Installation of the 4th (and final) row of glass panels on Starfactory continues.
Starbase activities (2024-05-03 addendum):
- Official document for May 7th and 8th road delays (both 00:00 to 03:00) is published.
- Nice shots of evaporators, tower section, parking garage, and flying excavator.
Starbase activities (2024-04-03):
- Road delays for B11 transport posted: 14:00 to 18:00 and 21:00 to midnight.
- B11: Transport stand moves to Megabay (LabPadre, NSF). Megabay door opens (NSF, LabPadre), but nothing happens during the first road delay. A second road delay is posted for the evening, and B11 is finally lifted onto transport stand, and rolls out of Megabay (NSF, LabPadre, Starship Gazer). Transport closeups (NSF 1, NSF 2, Starship Gazer), booster arrives at launch site (NSF, RGV Aerial). Full NSF livestream. B11 has no hotstaging ring yet.
- Chopsticks: Handrail is installed (tweet 1, tweet 2). Chopsticks movement announcement. Movement of stabilization arms. Chopsticks rise and SQD retracts. Artistic shot from cnunez.
- Combination of machines (excavator + pumpcrete?) makes for an amusing sight :)
- Third and final section of water-cooled flame diverter arrives at Massey’s.
KSC activities (2024-04-03):
- Final remaining OLM leg at LC-39A is felled.
Other:
- New Ringwatchers Raptor tracking diagrams
Starbase activities (2024-04-21):
- GSE-7 (not 6) scrapping continues. Top section of outer shell is cut up (NSF timelapse of the past three days). Some welding and cutting of remaining section observed overnight. No significant further changes between morning and evening.
- RGV Aerial flyover of office construction and launch pad B.
- Starfactory progress: Pre-dawn view from LabPadre Rover1. Glass panel installation progress observed between morning and evening.
- Massey’s: RGV Aerial flyover and new ChromeKiwi flame trench model.
- Possible portion of Raptor turbine found on the beach. Looks smaller than I expected. What would this have been from? IFT-1, or one of the earlier suborbital hops?
Original clwphoto1 post was deleted:
https://web.archive.org/web/20240422014501/https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GLul_xcXEAACoAk?format=jpg
https://web.archive.org/web/20240422014450/https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GLul_wSXcAAfLd7?format=jpg
Edit: Likely just part of a small engine, not a Raptor.
Starbase activities (2024-04-20, one-year anniversary of IFT-1):
- Scrapping of the vertical cryo tank outer shell which was removed Apr 19th continues. Closeup shots from Sean (tweet 1, tweet 2, tweet 3) and cnunez (tweet 1, tweet 2, tweet 3). Series of LabPadre video highlights from Vicki throughout the day: tweet 1, tweet 2, tweet 3, tweet 4, tweet 5, tweet 6, tweet 7, tweet 8, tweet 9, tweet 10. Only the very top section remains. Unclear at this point which tank will be scrapped next.
- Starfactory progress: Glass panel installation begins.
Starbase activities (2024-05-06):
- Build site video tour: Parking garage construction continues. Final row of glass panels on Starfactory is now half completed. A nice alternate angle of Starfactory from cnunez.
- RGV non-Aerial photos indicate that Starfactory intersects with Megabay 2 (tweet 1, tweet 2).
- S26 lifted off of transport stand in Megabay 2. The mystery of S26 continues.
- Launch pad A: SQD is tested, and another excavator is lifted nearby.
- Launch pad B footprint grows. Hole drilling and rebar placement continues.
- S30: Flaps are tested. The continuous flight auger is relocated, possibly in preparation for S30 testing.
- Road closure still scheduled for “non-flight testing activities” on May 7th. Mary receives
evacuationoverpressure notice.
Starbase activities (2024-04-30):
- GSE tests at the launch site, featuring frost on LOX pipes and subcooler as well as tower venting.
- Chopstick tests continue. Close and open, open ≠ close, close and open, open close. Residual oscillation still persists after rapid movements. NSF comparison to tests from Apr 26th.
- Starfactory progress: Second row of glass panels complete. Third row nearly half done.
- S30: Ship lifting jig arrives at Megabay 2. Megabay door opens to reveal S30 (LabPadre, NSF), and lifting jig is then attached.
- Ship transport stand arrives at Megabay 2. Workers pose beside S30, and S30 lowers onto transport stand (LabPadre, Starship Gazer).
- A ship lifting jig arrives at the test pad (LabPadre, NSF). Jig attaches to LR11000 crane, and lifting jig stand moves away from the pad.
- Road delay posted for May 1st, 00:00 to 03:00, with a backup window from 12:00 to 15:00. S30 currently rolling out to the launch pad. NSF are live.
Starbase activities (2024-04-29):
- Starfactory progress: Installation of the second row of glass panels continues around the corner. (Timelapse)
- LR11000 crane lifts a clamp test jig into the OLM (closeup), tests at least one hold-down clamp, then lifts it out a few hours later.
- New Ryan Hansen animation of the engine clamps and quick disconnects.
- LR11000 then moves towards the ship test pad (LabPadre, NSF).
- B13 does another cryo test at Massey’s, LOX tank this time. (LabPadre, Starship Gazer, Cargile)
- Sheriff at the launch pad for evening road delay, but no booster or ship transport occurs.
Starbase activities (2024-04-26):
- Chopstick testing continues (LabPadre, NSF). There is an observable amount of residual oscillation after rapid movements.
- B13 undergoes a cryo test at Massey’s. Nice photo of venting.
- Road delay posted for Apr 29th 19:00 to 23:00, and road closure posted for Apr 30th 07:00 to 19:00. Likely for B11 transport and testing.
- New Ryan Hansen Space animation featuring booster quick disconnect.
Other:
- New info on pathway towards on inter-ship propellant transfer. Shared by NASA in a meeting.
- Elon aiming for booster reuse, ship reuse, and orbital refilling by the end of 2025.
- IFT-4 is still expected in May.
- IFT-3 intra-ship propellant transfer was successful.
- HLS uncrewed demo mission now includes a lunar ascent test. This seems a prudent thing to do prior to the crewed flight.
I remember feeling stunned about how limited the HLS test was going to be. So much effort and money to NOT test critical systems? I hope they keep adding elements.
Yeah, ensuring that the people can come back seems pretty important.
Starbase activities (2024-05-05):
- Morning build site video tour: Parking garage construction continues. Minimal change to glass panels on Starfactory. Alternate angle from RGV Aerial.
- S26 moves to Megabay 2 (LabPadre, Starship Gazer, NSF timelapse). The S26 mystery continues.
- New weather station installed on Starhopper.
- New “edome” spotted labelled “SHIP FWD, 34.1#18, RTC=748Mt”. What’s an edome?
Other:
Starbase activities (2024-04-22):
- Remaining section of GSE-7 outer shell is cut free, lifted away, and scrapped. Load spreader for lifting the inner tank arrives, and is attached to the inner tank.
- Next outer shell to be removed is GSE-2. Vacuum truck arrives for perlite insulation removal. Slight mishap occured when attaching the vac truck to the GSE-2 access hatch. Starship Gazer livestream.
- Starfactory: Glass installation continues. Evening build site video tour from LabPadre Rover1, and photo from cnunezimages.
- Thunder, lightning (video, still frame), and clouds at Starbase.
Starbase activities (2024-04-15):
- Launch site: Testing of booster quick disconnect. Launch clamp replacements continue. Tank farm work continues.
- Concrete form disassembly begins for new wall next to the D2 gate.
- Dirt deliveries continue for soil compaction at the launch pad B.
- Starfactory progress: Many lifts and cranes. Painting continues.
- An imperial scout trooper is visiting, presumably to inspect the premises and report back to the emperor :) (closeup)
Starbase activities (2024-04-17):
- Workers are preparing to remove two more of the old vertical cryo tanks. Starship Gazer photos and livestream, VickiCocks comments on crane preparation and lighting removal. The black LR11000 crane rolls into position mid-afternoon (Sean closeup).
- OLM clamp replacements continue: Timelapse/highlights of clamp removal (Apr 11) and replacement (Apr 16/17).
- New chopstick actuator is tested.
- RGV Aerial tank farm flyover and plumbing analysis.
- Starfactory progress: Painting continues, cladding installation is completed on one wall. Closeup from cnunezimages.
- Massey’s: New quick disconnect is lifted over flame trench.
Other:
- SpaceX to build recreation center and sushi restaurant in Brownsville. Construction beginning NET May 1.
Just letting you know that the Lemmy.World stickies are broken again, and we’re still seeing Development Thread #54. I posted a link over there.
I don’t think there’s anything you or I can do about it. Took me a while to realize what was happening.
As always, thanks for these updates! They are very much appreciated even when I don’t actively engage. Additionally, I keep meaning to thank you for posting Nitter links for as long as you could. You’re awesome :)
Ah shoot, thanks for reminding me! I forgot that this happens sometimes.
I’ve found that deleting and undeleting the threads can sometimes force federation of the posts. Would you be able to report which threads are now stickied on .world? I think I might have fixed it, but I’m not logged in on .world.
Glad to know that these updates are appreciated! Engagement gives me motivation to keep posting them!
I think you’ve fixed it! Right now the stickies are this thread and the 7-18 bulletin :)
Responding to your comment on thread #54: your early-April comment announcing this thread didn’t appear until I clicked on the link in your reply today. My click seems to have pulled it over. Which seems like a really strange federation issue, given that all your other comments seem to appear in world. Though I guess I wouldn’t know?
If I get a chance this weekend I’ll try to compare some World threads to Sh.itjust.works ones and let you know what I find!
and the 7-18 bulletin :)
Whoops, that shouldn’t be still up either.
Edit: Should be fixed now.
Starbase activities (2024-04-16):
- Launch site: OLM clamp linkage replacements continue. New GSE equipment is active, and a brief dance break follows.
- Starfactory progress: Cladding installation and painting continues. Cladding progresses quickly through the afternoon. Wide angle from Sean.
- Massey’s: One, two, three pieces of flame trench infrastructure installed. Closeup of new QD from yesterday.
Other:
- Rough maths regarding momentum/torque imparted by Starlink sats deployed via pez dispenser.
Starbase activities (2024-05-11):
- B11: Overnight, booster rolls out to the launch site, and chopsticks close around B11. In the afternoon, B11 is lifted onto OLM, then chopsticks release B11 and are lowered. SpaceX posts photos of B11 leaving Megabay 1, with other boosters visible.
- S31: Also overnight, ship moves to Massey’s.
- Launch site: LR11000 crane moves toward orbital tank farm, and load spreader is attached. This may indicate that perlite insulation removal from the GSE-2 outer tank has been completed, and the tank will soon be scrapped. Crews working to attach load spreader to the tank.
- Starfactory: Helicopter delivers HVAC units (LabPadre, NSF). (closeup).
- S30 enters Highbay.
- Starkitty sighted :) (LabPadre, Doherty)
- S29: Road delay scheduled for early morning May 12th, possibly for ship roll out.
- S26: RGV Aerial posts a photo of Massey’s.
Other:
- Wen IFT-4? IFT-4 is now NET June 1st. “Objective is for the ship to get past max heating or at least further than last time.”