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.

​

Quick Links

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

Starship Dev 48 | Starship Dev 47 | Starship Dev 46 | Starship Dev 45

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 2023-09-22

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 Test Stand B Cryo tested
S27 Rocket Garden Scrapped Common dome imploded
S28 Engine Install Stand Raptors installed Previously tested at Masseys
S29 Masseys Awaiting testing
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 Megabay 1
B12 Megabay 1 Grid fins installed
B13 Megabay 1 Stacking
B14 Build Site Parts under construction
B15 Build Site Parts under construction

Resources

  • Decronym@lemmy.decronym.xyzBEnglish
    7·
    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
    C3 Characteristic Energy above that required for escape
    FAA Federal Aviation Administration
    NSF NasaSpaceFlight forum
    ~ National Science Foundation
    OLM Orbital Launch Mount
    OTF Orbital Tank Farm
    QD Quick-Disconnect
    SPMT Self-Propelled Mobile Transporter
    Jargon Definition
    Raptor Methane-fueled rocket engine under development by SpaceX
    dancefloor Attachment structure for the Falcon 9 first stage engines, below the tanks

    [Thread #8 for this sub, first seen 10th Sep 2023, 22:00] [FAQ] [Full list] [Contact] [Source code]

  • LettuceTurnipTheBeet@lemm.eeEnglish
    5·
    1 year ago

    New comment from /u/santacfan on Reddit:

    Starbase Live-

    12:22am- Booster thrust sim stand moved into the mega bay

    9:00am- I can confirm that the OLM is still there and that one lift went up to the top of it overnight.

    10:44am- A couple of workers with leaf blowers are cleaning off the pad

    11:25am- Scaffolding went up on top of the 3rd large deluge tank this morning

    12:02pm- B10 is being lifted on to the thrust sim stand

    4:30pm- On NSF live, Jack confirms that media accreditation for IFT-2 has not opened yet.

    9:02pm- B10 starts rolling out of the mega bay

    9:18pm- Stopped at the gate to Hwy 4

    10:02pm- Rolling out on to Hwy 4

    (This gets synced)

      • pigeonberry@lemmy.worldEnglish
        3·
        1 year ago

        I copied and pasted it here. Thanks to @[email protected] for pointing me back at the RES extension so I could get the source.

        Each item is on its own line. C## is the ID#. If there’s text before it on its line, that’s its Observation / Description section name; if it’s at the start of the line, the Observation / Description string is the next one above.

        List of Actions:

        Observation / Description ID# Corrective Action Description Status
        Tank sensing C1 Replace certain fittings with welds inside tank Complete
        Aft end cavity environment failure C2 Increase fire suppression capacity by 15x Complete
        C3 Replace certain manifolds with dedicated drain per corresponding valve Complete
        C4 Replace certain flanges with better seals and improve joint design Complete
        C5 Replace certain fittings with welds in specific location Complete
        Booster leak C6 Replace accessible valves of a certain type with new design Complete
        mitigation C7 Replace certain flange bolts with higher strength bolts and increase torque Complete
        C8 Disallow certain seal re-use, and add cameras to monitor all engines during ground operations Complete
        C9 Increased scrutiny on leak checks Complete
        C10 90+ cameras added to detect leakage during operations Complete
        C11 Add leak capture and drain hardware for valves of a certain type Complete
        C12 Add leak check and screen for porosity on igniter units Complete
        C13 Improved igniter seal design Future Action
        C14 Weld certain alignment bolt holes shut Complete
        Raptor leak C15 Reassess k-factor and torque for engine hot joint #1, add leak capture and route overboard Complete
        mitigation C16 Reassess k-factor and torque for engine hot joint #2 Complete
        C17 Add safety cable to certain fluid lines on high risk locations Complete
        C18 Add one methane sensor per engine bay Complete
        C19 Ground test campaign to better characterize typical engine leakage Complete
        C20 Improve structural FEA/fatigue analysis for all medium to high criticality lines Complete
        C21 Add insulation to engine lines sensitive to thermally driven loads Complete
        Collateral C22 Add insulation to avionic harnessing Complete
        damage from fire C23 Add backup wire to specific harness Complete
        C24 Improve thermal protection of avionics tray Complete
        C25 Change routing to flight computers Complete
        C26 Replace sensor with more reliable units Complete
        C27 Coat gimbal assembly with lubricant Complete
        C28 Add pump pressure sensors to certain location Complete
        C29 Add pump temperature sensors to certain location Complete
        Booster reliability C30 Replace certain bolts, and increase torque for certain flanges Complete
        improvement C31 New seal design for certain areas of booster Complete
        C32 Add electric actuation system Complete
        C33 Better manage engine bay pressure by increasing fire suppression capacity by Complete
        C34 Change certain booster valve timing Future Action
        C35 Add final leak checks for critical joints Complete
        C36 Add support bracket for certain sensor Complete
        C37 Add support bracket for certain sensor Complete
        C38 Add check valves to certain areas of engine Complete
        C39 Improve oxygen valve design Future Action
        C40 Improve oxygen valve seal design Future Action
        Raptor reliability C41 Improve design of hot manifold Future Action
        improvement C42 Change nitrogen shutdown usage Complete
        C43 Change engine shutdown logic Complete
        C44 Increase capability for ground leakage mitigation Complete
        C45 Redesign fire suppression system Complete
        C46 Change conditions around bolts Complete
        C47 Change timing of specific valve actuation Complete
        Avionics reliability C48 Eliminate certain type of connector Complete
        improvement C49 Redesign network architecture Future Action
        Risk Process C50 Improve risk tracking process Complete
        C51 Implement improvements to safety system Complete
        Safety System C52 Verify flight safety system design improvements using additional type of test article Complete
        C53 Verify flight safety system design improvements via analysis Complete
        C54 Perform component testing Complete
        C55 Review and improve operations surrounding flight safety system Complete
        C56 Improve CAD controls Complete
        Control C57 Add engineering walkdown Complete
        Change C58 Improve use of change management system Complete
        C59 Redesign of launch pad deck Complete
        Pad Design C60 Improve assumptions for new pad deck design Complete
        C61 Add water cooled pad deck Complete
        Pad Design Process C62 Improve pad deck design documentation Complete
        C63 Improve pad design process Complete
        • threelonmusketeersOPMEnglish
          1·
          1 year ago

          Reddit took away the “source” link, which would help any mass editing.

          You can restore the “source” link using RES.

          I can’t be bothered to try to make it a table here. (I don’t know if or how it can be done

          Reddit and Lemmy markdown are almost identical, so you should be able to copy it over with minimal formatting changes.

  • LettuceTurnipTheBeet@lemm.eeEnglish
    4·
    1 year ago

    New comment from /u/santacfan on Reddit:

    Starbase live-

    12:53am- Chopsticks raise back up

    2:32am- S31 is going for a twirl in the high bay

    8:55am- 1 lift up under the OLM. Overnight, workers could be seen moving around on the dance floor and going up and down the stairs. The cranes working on the star factory also lifted up numerous roof beams.

    1:30pm- One lift has been up and down but doesn’t look like much is going on today.

    5:25pm- Single lift has been going up and down to to the dance floor

    7:50pm- All is quiet on the OLM front

    10:00pm- The 2 guys on the lift earlier get employees of the day.

    (This gets synced)

  • LettuceTurnipTheBeet@lemm.eeEnglish
    4·
    1 year ago

    New comment from /u/santacfan on Reddit:

    Starbase live-

    8:50am- AWP went up to several places around the HSR on B9 overnight. A lift went up and down to the staircase and workers could be seen on the dance floor.

    12:15pm- Lifts have been up to the staircase, dance floor, under the backside of the OLM, and to the lox tank of S26. Overall, back to being pretty boring to watch.

    5:45pm- Workers on top of the OLM

    9:00pm- Lifts have been up to the backside of the OLM and the backside of the tower.

    (This gets synced)

  • LettuceTurnipTheBeet@lemm.eeEnglish
    4·
    1 year ago

    New comment from /u/santacfan on Reddit:

    Starbase live-

    7:24am- LR11000 picks up the ring lifting jig and swings over to hot staging ring. Looks like they are done with the work on top of B9

    7:30am- Lowers the lifting jig down to the ring

    8:10am- Workers are on the SQD and on top of B9

    8:47am- Workers retract the work platform on the SQD

    9:00am- Lifts went up to the staircase and dance floor overnight. More sparks could be seen coming from the OLM ring to the right of the staircase. AWP left the pad area

    9:08am- Ring is lifted and 2 AWP’s are going up

    9:20am- Swings over to B9

    9:25am- Workers helping to line it up

    9:31am- Down on top of B9

    9:34am- Worker climbs into the HSR

    9:39am- Workers disconnecting the lifting cables

    9:47am- Lifting jig is lifted away from B9 and AWP’s go down

    10:04am- SQD work platform is swung back over to the end of the arm

    10:38am- LR11000 disconnected from the lifting jig

    12:20pm- Workers up on the SQD

    1:00pm- LR11000 moves over to the sub orbital pad area

    1:15pm- Lift has been up at the top of the staircase

    3:44pm- AWP goes up to one of the latch points between B9 and the HSR.

    4:09pm- Work platform at the end of the SQD is swung away

    4:21pm- AWP goes back down. Sensor was showing the latch didn’t work?

    4:30pm- AWP goes back up. Needed to grab something?

    4:33pm- After some quick work, they go back down again

    6:24pm- Venting at Massey’s. S29 cryo starting?

    6:47pm- LR11000 is lowering the squid to the top of S26 and an AWP is going up to hook it up

    7:04pm- Klaxon and announcement. I can make out personal and orbital pad.

    7:17pm- Frost on S29

    7:41pm- Lox tank is full frosty on S29

    8:12pm- Full frosty

    9:10pm- Lift has been up at the right chopstick

    9:27pm- AWP goes back up to the top of B9. Other side of booster compared to earlier

    9:55pm- AWP comes back down. No view of what they were doing on SBL or Rover 2

    10:30pm- Frost is receding on S29. Lift up to the dance floor

    (This gets synced)

  • LettuceTurnipTheBeet@lemm.eeEnglish
    4·
    1 year ago

    New comment from /u/santacfan on Reddit:

    Starbase Live-

    10:17pm- S29 exits the high bay

    10:25pm- Stops at the gate to Hwy 4

    10:32pm- Turns onto Hwy 4.

    12:47am- Turns into Massey’s

    8:30am- Lifts were up to the top of the OLM, under the OLM, and to the bottom of S26 overnight. Workers could be seen on the dance floor along with some welding going on.

    10:25am- 1 lift up under the OLM. Right side of staircase looking at the pipe work

    1:30pm- 3 lifts up under the OLM. 2 over by the cryo leg and 1 in the same spot as earlier

    4:00pm- 1 lift up behind the cryo leg

    7:53pm- Workers are on top of B9. Otherwise it’s been a pretty quiet afternoon

    8:49pm- E dome test tank turns on to Hwy 4 headed to Massey’s

    9:27pm- Turns into Massey’s

    9:50pm- One lift was up to the top of the staircase and workers could be seen moving around on the dance floor.

    (This gets synced)

  • LettuceTurnipTheBeet@lemm.eeEnglish
    4·
    1 year ago

    New comment from /u/santacfan on Reddit:

    Starbase live-

    11:12pm- Thrust stand turns into Massey’s

    3:15am- S29 moved to the middle of the high bay

    4:25am- New ship lifting jig raised up to S29

    4:28am- Lifts go up to attach the new lifting jig

    5:29am- Lift goes down. Jig is attached

    8:25am- Several workers arrive at the deluge tank farm and climb up to the pressure pipe on top of the large tanks. 2 lifts up at the OLM and 1 up at S26

    8:54am- LR11000 picks up a ring lifting jig

    9:15am- Swings it over to B9 and worker on top starts connecting it to the hot staging ring

    9:20am- S29 has been lifted in the high bay with the new jig

    9:42am- Ship thrust simulator is being moved into the high bay. Looks like S29 may be headed to Massey’s during tonight’s closure

    10:22am- AWP going up to the hot staging ring

    10:25am- Hot staging ring lifted off of B9

    10:27:30am- Swings over to right side of OLM and starts lowering

    10:38am- Looks like it’s down

    11:01am- Hot staging ring disconnected from the crane

    11:11am- Lifting jig disconnected from crane

    1:25pm- One lift has been up under the OLM and one under the OLM.

    4:35pm- Workers have been on top of B9 but it’s been a pretty quiet afternoon otherwise

    6:27:56pm- 26.1 goes pop at Massey’s

    7:20pm- One lift has been up under the OLM

    9:35pm- Welding can be seen on the dance floor and a lift is up to the staircase platform

    (This gets synced)

    • threelonmusketeersOPMEnglish
      3·
      1 year ago

      Huh, I wonder why they’re removing the hot staging ring. Further upgrades to the ring following the B9+S25 stack test? Better access to the top of B9?

  • LettuceTurnipTheBeet@lemm.eeEnglish
    4·
    1 year ago

    New comment from /u/santacfan on Reddit:

    Starbase Live-

    6:25am- Workers returning to the pad

    7:26:54am- SQD retracts

    7:47am- SQD work platform is extended

    7:49am- Worker on the SQD arm climbs up to S25’s QD. Installing covers?

    7:58am- Work platform is retracted

    8:41am- SQD arm swings to the side

    8:54:55am- S25 is lifted off of B9

    8:56:40am- Swinging to the side

    9:04:40am- Going down

    9:21:26am- Starts swinging over the stand

    9:23:44am- Lowering onto the stand

    9:45am- Looks like it’s down

    10:32am- Workers back at the pad

    11:04am- AWP going up to S26

    11:12am- Squid is being disconnected from S26

    11:34am- Lift up behind the cryo leg

    11:54am- LR11000 swings away from S26

    12:40pm- Workers on top of the OLM

    1:55pm- AWP goes up to the Hot stage ring. Lifts up to the top of the OLM and behind the cryo leg

    2:15pm- LR11000 starts moving towards the OLM for HSR removal most likely

    3:30pm- Klaxon, storm warning announcement. Lifts go down

    6:34pm- Some workers return to the pad after one heck of a storm. Over on the NSF discord, they said their weather station showed 48mph winds

    9:58pm- Workers have been on top of the OLM and the AWP has been back up at the HSR.

    (This gets synced)

  • LettuceTurnipTheBeet@lemm.eeEnglish
    4·
    1 year ago

    New comment from /u/santacfan on Reddit:

    Starbase live-

    11:45pm- Booster stand arrives at the production site. Goes in to the fenced in yard where the mid bay was.

    3:10am- Deluge tank lifted again

    3:25am- Tank is sat back down

    9:40am- Deluge tank is still hooked to the load spreader and under tension. No lifts were up at the OLM overnight but workers could be seen going up and down the stairs.

    10:51am- Straps unhooked from the deluge tank

    11:48am- Concrete truck at the pad. Looks like they are pouring something off to the side of the pad.

    12:34pm- 2nd concrete truck

    2:30pm- 2 lifts are up to the inside of the legs. Not moving like paint crews. Maybe working on the cameras?

    5:25pm- 2 mini excavators have been working over between the OLM and OLT again this afternoon. Likely breaking up more fondag.

    8:58pm- Workers at the SQD. One of the mini excavators was working at the right side of the pad for a bit.

    (This gets synced)

    • threelonmusketeersOPMEnglish
      2·
      1 year ago

      I wonder if they are planning to stretch the booster, the ship, or both?

  • LettuceTurnipTheBeet@lemm.eeEnglish
    3·
    1 year ago

    New comment from /u/santacfan on Reddit:

    Starbase live-

    8:30am- Raptor install stand was moved to the suborbital side of the launch complex. The LR11000 has moved to the right a bit and swung around to pick something up behind the tower

    9:17am- LR11000 picks up another section of stairs and lifts them to the back side of the tower

    10:55am- Crane disconnected from stairs. 3 lifts up at the OLM. 2 under and one at the top of the stairs

    1:15pm- 🥱. Lift is still up at the top of the stairs and the scissor lift is up to the left of the stairs

    4:00pm- The 2 lifts from above are still in the same place with the workers having moved to the dance floor. A 3rd lift is up behind the cryo leg and a 4th went up to the left chopstick for a few minutes before coming down.

    7:00pm- 2nd shift got lost

    9:30pm- Workers could be seen on the dance floor and around the base of the OLM. Someone finally brought the scissor lift down from the dance floor

    (This gets synced)