Starbase activities (2025-05-12):

• May 11th cryo delivery tally.
• May 11th addendum: Cones deployed outside the launch site. (ViX)
• Massey’s: S35 performs a six-engine 60 second static fire. (NSF 1, NSF 2), LabPadre, Gomez, HardcoreElectr1)
• There may have been an early shutdown, or possibly a planned staged shutdown sequence, with R-vacs shutting down first. (Golden)
• Forward and aft flaps are tested. (ViX)
• Test Tank 17 is lifted into the structural test stand at Massey’s. (ViX, Golden)
• 2-hour road delay is posted for May 13th between 10:00 and 16:00 for transport from Massey’s to factory, presumably for S35 rollback.
• Pad B: Launch mount is lifted onto the legs. (Starship Gazer 1, NSF, Starship Gazer 2, cnunez, Justin_Glenn1)
• Timelapses: NSF 1, NSF 2, LabPadre, ViX
• Full NASASpaceflight livestream of both ship static fire and launch mount lift.
• Cranes are released from the launch mount. (ViX, NSF, clwphoto1)
• The lack of chamfered edges suggest that the launch mount will be bolted down, not welded. (Golden)
• Pad B chopsticks move laterally. (ViX)
• Build site: Highbay demolition continues. (ViX 1, ViX 2)
• Booster transport stand enters Megabay 1. (ViX)
• B14-2 emerges from Megabay 1. (NSF, ViX, clwphoto1 / HardcoreElectr1)
• 2-hour road delay is posted for between May 12th 22:00 and May 13th 06:00 for transport from Massey’s to pad. Seems like this one is for B14-2 rollout from factory to pad.
• B14-2 rolls out to the launch site. (Starship Gazer, NSF livestream)

Flight 9:

• NET date slips to May 21st, per a revised notice from the United States Coast Guard. (Starship Gazer)

McGregor:

• Raptor 3 #16 is spotted. (SpaceRhin0 / NSF)

Starbase activities (2025-05-11):

• May 10th cryo delivery tally.
• Build site: Highbay demolition continues. (ViX 1, ViX 2)
• Launch mount B lift prep: After some repositioning, both cranes are hooked up to the launch mount. (NSF, ViX, Starship Gazer, Gisler, Golden)
• Launch mount B is briefly lifted into the air, then set back down. (ViX, Anderson 1, Anderson 2)
• Starship Gazer posts 4k video of the launch mount B rollout.
• Massey’s: No S35 static fire. Cryo load on both tanks, deluge activation, then detank. Possibly a spin prime, but likely an aborted static fire attempt. (ViX 1, ViX 2, Gisler, NSF, NSF full livestream)

KSC:

• The two new horizontal tanks are moved towards LC-39A. (NSF)

Starbase activities (2025-05-10):

• May 9th cryo delivery tally.
• Booster v3: Overnight, Test Tank 17 (Booster 18.1, first booster v3 test article) rolls out to Massey’s for its testing campaign. (NSF, LabPadre, ViX, Starship Gazer)
• Starship Gazer and Jack Beyer note heat shield tiles mounted on the aft. (ViX, Starship Gazer, Beyer, Starship Gazer full video)
• Thoughts and renders: “Appears like waterjet Stainless Steel tiles that sandwich in sheets of custom re entry tile material”. (Killip 1, Killip 2, Killip 3)
• Ship 35: Megabay 2 door opens, ship static fire stand enters. (LabPadre, NSF 1, ViX)
• S35 is transferred onto static fire stand. (NSF, ViX)
• S35 rolls out to Massey’s, presumably for a second round of static fire tests. (NSF, LabPadre, ViX, Starship Gazer, Beyer, SpaceX)
• Ship quick disconnect engages S35. (ViX)
• Build site: Highbay demolition continues. (ViX, RGV Aerial)
• S40 nosecone is spotted. (Starship Gazer)
• S41 nosecone also just barely visible. (Beyer)
• The final section of the Starfactory west wall is demolished. (ViX 1, ViX 2, LabPadre, NSF, Golden, HardcoreElectr1)
• Other: cnunez posts a photo of Highway for widening progress.
• RGV Aerial post recent flyover photos of Massey’s and Pad B.
• New CSI Starbase video: POGO: The 63-Year-Old Problem Threatening Starship’s Success

KSC:

• The first of two new tanks are unloaded. A nearby pickup truck with a Starlink dish suggests that these tanks could be for SpaceX. (space-offshore)

Starbase activities (2025-05-09):

• May 8th cryo delivery tally.
• Early morning lightning storm. (ViX)
• Build site: Test Tank 17 moves from Starfactory to Rocket Garden, likely pending rollout to Massey’s. (NSF, ViX, Starship Gazer)
• Launch mount B lift prep: Both LR11000 cranes now have load spreaders attached. (ViX)
• 2-hour road delay is posted for May 12th between 10:00 and 16:00 for transport from Massey’s to pad. It is unclear what this is would be for. (ViX 1, ViX 2, ViX 3)
• RGV Aerial post recent flyover photos and video.

Flight 9:

• NET date slips to May 20th, per a revised notice from the United States Coast Guard. (Beil)

KSC:

• Two horizontal tanks are inbound for the turn basin. Unclear at the moment if these are for SpaceX or not. (space-offshore, NSF 1 (SPMT assembly), NSF 2, ViX)

Starbase activities (2025-05-08):

• May 7th cryo delivery tally.
• Massey’s: 2-hour road delay is posted for May 10th between 00:00 and 04:00 for transport from factory to Massey’s, possibly for S35 additional static fire testing.
• Build site: Highbay demolition continues. (ViX)
• S38 common dome section moves from Starfactory to Megabay 2. Unlike previous sections, this one is substantially tiled. (ViX)
• Ceaser G of NASASpaceflight posts recent flyover photos. (CeaserG33)
• Launch site: Both halves of the roundabout are now completed and open for traffic. (Gisler)
• Launch mount B lift prep: Configuration and positioning of the two LR1100 cranes continues. (ViX, Gisler)

Flight 9:

• Email correspondence between SpaceX and the FCC indicate May 19th as the current target date. (Starship Gazer, FCC (PDF warning))

Starbase activities (2025-05-07):

• May 6th addendum: An R-vac stand was removed from Megabay 2, corroborating that an R-vac may have been replaced on S35. (Planatus666)
• Launch mount B rollout: Overnight, the new launch mount rolls out to Pad B. (NSF 1 (Beyer), NSF 2, NSF livestream, LabPadre, ViX 1, ViX 2, Gisler, Golden)
• A few wheels on one of the SPMTs briefly got stuck in the loose sand. (Gisler 1, Gisler 2)
• NSF post a flyover photo of the launch mount at Pad B.
• Launch mount B lift prep: Heavy duty rigging is attached to the SpaceX LR11000 crane. (ViX)
• Killip posts a render of the rigging configuration for the tandem lift by the two LR11000 cranes.
• Tank farm: Two more methane pumps are installed. (ViX)
• RGV Aerial post recent flyover photos taken with 800 mm and 400 mm lenses.
• Build site: Starfactory wall demolition continues. A small amount of smoke is visible. (ViX, cnunez)
• An unusual barrel section, possibly a fuel transfer prototype, moves from Starfactory to Sanchez scrap area. (LabPadre, ViX, Killip)
• Massey’s: 2-hour road delay is posted for May 9th between 00:00 and 04:00 for transport from factory to Massey’s, possibly for S35 to do another round of static fires.
• Other: Launch site roundabout is nearing completion. (cnunez)
• NSF post a Starbase summary video, featuring an off-roading cement mixer.

Flight 9:

• U.S. Coast Guard hazard notice is posted for May 19th between 18:30 and 20:34 CT. (Starship Gazer, uscg.gov (PDF warning))

Starbase activities (2025-05-06):

• May 5th cryo delivery tally.
• Build site: Starfactory wall demolition continues. (ViX 1, ViX 2)
• Pad A: Chopsticks perform a brief raise and lower test. (ViX)
• Tank farm: LOX pump in position #7 is installed. Pump for position #2 remains uninstalled. (ViX)
• Launch mount B rollout prep: Some rigging for launch mount B is moved from Sanchez back to the launch site. (ViX)
• Temporary fencing along Highway 4 is removed, likely to facilitate launch mount delivery. (ViX)
• Steel sheets are laid on the sand along Highway 4, likely to provide extra support for the SPMTs. (ViX)
• Some scaffolding is removed from launch mount B. (ViX)
• Using the hold-down arms as lift-points is looking increasingly likely. (BingoBoca, Golden)
• Launch mount B rollout: NSF livestream, Starship Gazer
• Other: The FAA approve a Starbase launch cadence increase to 25 per year. (Jeff Foust, FAA (PDF warning), NSF 1, NSF 2)

Flight 9:

• New local NOTMAR is posted for May 19th through 23rd. (NSF)

Starbase activities (2025-05-02):

• May 1st cryo delivery tally.
• May 1st addendum: Timelapse and highlights of S35 six-engine static fire testing overnight. (NSF, LabPadre, ViX, Gisler, RoughRidersShow, CeaserG33, interstellargw)
• Speculation from Adrian Beil: “it more and more looks to me like some sort of Raptor hard stop, that then resulted in a fire”
• Speculation from Ryan Hansen: (Tweet 1, tweet 2, tweet 3, tweet 4)
• Build site: Overnight, Starfactory window demolition escalates to Starfactory wall demolition. (Anderson 1, Anderson 2, Anderson 3, Anderson 4, Starship Gazer)
• S35 rolls back from Massey’s to Megabay 2. (NSF, LabPadre, ViX, Starship Gazer 1, Starship Gazer 2, Starship Gazer 3, Roger S)
• SPMTs are parked near the launch mount for Pad B, presumably in preparation for an impending rollout. (NSF)
• 2-hour road delays are posted for between May 5th 22:00 and May 6th 04:00 and between May 6th 22:00 and May 7th 04:00 for transport from factory to pad, possibly for launch mount B.
• RGV Aerial conduct a flyover. (RGV Aerial 1, RGV Aerial 2)
• Launch site: Mystery hardware is delivered. (NSF)

Note for Piefed users: Post pinning doesn’t seem to consistently federate from Lemmy to Piefed, but you can click “notify about replies” (on the original post, not this comment) to stay up to date with this thread.

Starbase activities (2025-05-01):

• Apr 30th cryo delivery tally.
• Apr 30th addendum: S35 performs a short-duration single-engine static fire at Massey’s. (NSF, NSF livestream, LabPadre, ViX, SpaceX)
• Build site: S38 forward dome section moves from Starfactory to Megabay 2. (ViX)
• Starfactory window demolition continues. (ViX 1, ViX 2)
• Launch site: Wall demolition continues. (ViX)
• Drilling equipment is delivered. (ViX)
• The Buckner LR11000 crane is raised, following recent reconfiguration. (ViX)
• Spray nozzle on Tower A is tested. (ViX)
• Massey’s: 2-hour road delays are posted for May 2nd between 12:00 and 16:30 and between May 3rd 16:00 and May 4th 05:00 for transport from Massey’s to factory.
• Afternoon Massey’s PA system announcement for S35 hot fire. (NSF)
• Tank farm spools up, LOX load, detank. (ViX 1, NSF, ViX 2, ViX 3, NSF livestream)
• Later in the evening, S35 performs a 30-second six-engine static fire at Massey’s. (NSF livestream, NSF 1, Starship Gazer, Evans)
• A extra flashes and fire are visible around the time of shutdown.

Note for Piefed users: Post pinning doesn’t seem to consistently federate from Lemmy to Piefed, but you can click “notify about replies” (on the original post, not this comment) to stay up to date with this thread.

Starbase activities (2025-05-05):

• May 4th cryo delivery tally.
• Build site: Starfactory wall demolition continues. (ViX 1, ViX 2, ViX 3, cnunez)
• Rigging for launch mount B is moved from the launch site to Sanchez. (ViX 1, ViX 2, ViX 3)
• Zack Golden speculates that hold-down arms could be used as lift-points. (Golden 1, Golden 2)
• Launch mount B still at Sanchez. (cnunez)
• Launch site: The sandy verge across from the D2 gate area is coned off and levelled, presumably in anticipation of launch mount B rollout. (ViX)
• There is question as to how launch mount B will fit through the gate. (Beil)
• Construction of the roundabout continues. (cnunez)
• Concrete is poured for the Pad B trench walls. (ViX)
• Pad B chopsticks are raised. (ViX 1, ViX 2)
• Crews trim the pipes which constitute the flame bucket, as it left Sanchez with ends terminating at different lengths. (Killip, RGV Aerial)
• Work on the Pad B gantry structure continues. (cnunez)
• The SpaceX LR11000 crane is on the move. (ViX)
• Other: Ryan Hansen posts an overview of the launch pad B design, 3D animations, and a mass calculation estimate. Around 1.2 gigagrams currently, additional hardware installation will bring it to around 1.6 gigagrams. (Hansen 1, Hansen 2, Hansen 3, Hansen 4, Hansen 5, Hansen 6, Hansen 7)
• NASASpaceflight have a livestream scheduled for launch mount B rollout.

Flight 9:

• Local Notice to Mariners is posted for May 13th through 23rd. (ViX)
• WB-57 has a placeholder for imagery support on May 21st and 22nd. (ViX)

Starbase activities (2025-05-03):

• SPMTs are positioned under the new launch mount in preparation for rollout to Pad B. (NSF, Starship Gazer)
• RGV Aerial post a recent flyover photo of the launch mount.
• A couple more Pad B renders from Ashley Killip: (Apr 18th 1, Apr 18th 2, Apr 23rd, May 3rd)
• Starbase votes in favour of incorporation. (NSF 1, NSF 2, NSF 3, NSF 4, NSF 5, Elon, StarbaseTX)

Flight 9:

• Navigational hazard warnings have appeared for May 8th through 21st for ship reentry over the Indian Ocean. (Alexphysics13)

Starbase activities (2025-05-04):

• Tank farm: LOX pump in position #6 has been installed, position #2 still pending installation. (ViX)
• Pad B: The crossbeam has been removed from the launch mount legs, likely in anticipation of the arrival of the launch mount.
• Road delays are still scheduled for between May 5th 22:00 and May 6th 04:00 and between May 6th 22:00 and May 7th 04:00 for transport from factory to pad, presumably for launch mount B rollout.
• A second continuous flight auger drill/soil mixer is delivered to the launch site. (ViX)
• Other: RGV Aerial post recent flyover photos of Highbay demolition progress and Pad B along with Starbase Weekly.
• Starship Gazer posts 4k slow motion video of S35’s recent long-duration static fire test.
• Ryan Hansen posts a 3D render of a launch mount B support arm, and teases at a full launch mount animation. (Hansen 1, Hansen 2)