Starship Development Thread #51
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FAQ
- When is the next Integrated Flight Test (IFT-2)? No official date set, waiting on launch license. FAA completed the Starship Safety Review on Oct 31 and is continuing work on environmental review in consultation with Fish & Wildlife Service. Rumors, unofficial comments, web page spelunking, and an ambiguous SpaceX post coalesce around a possible flight window beginning Nov 13.
- Next steps before flight? Waiting on non-technical milestones including requalifying the flight termination system (likely done), the FAA post-incident review, and obtaining an FAA launch license. SpaceX performed an integrated B9/S25 wet dress rehearsal on Oct 25, perhaps indicating optimism about FAA license issuance. It does not appear that the lawsuit alleging insufficient environmental assessment by the FAA or permitting for the deluge system will affect the launch timeline. Completed technical milestones since IFT-1 include building/testing a water deluge system, Booster 9 cryo tests, and simultaneous static fire/deluge tests.
- What ship/booster pair will be launched next? SpaceX confirmed that Booster 9/Ship 25 will be the next to fly and posted the flight profile on the mission page. IFT-3 expected to be Booster 10, Ship 28 per a recent NSF Roundup.
- Why is there no flame trench under the launch mount? Boca Chica's environmentally-sensitive wetlands make excavations difficult, so SpaceX's Orbital Launch Mount (OLM) holds Starship's engines ~20m above ground--higher than Saturn V's 13m-deep flame trench. Instead of two channels from the trench, its raised design allows pressure release in 360 degrees. The newly-built flame deflector uses high pressure water to act as both a sound suppression system and deflector. SpaceX intends the deflector/deluge's massive steel plates, supported by 50 meter-deep pilings, ridiculous amounts of rebar, concrete, and Fondag, to absorb the engines' extreme pressures and avoid the pad damage seen in IFT-1.
Quick Links
^(RAPTOR ROOST) ^| ^(LAB CAM) ^| ^(SAPPHIRE CAM) ^| ^(SENTINEL CAM) ^| ^(ROVER CAM) ^| ^(ROVER 2.0 CAM) ^| ^(PLEX CAM) ^| ^(HOOP CAM) ^| ^(NSF STARBASE)
Starship Dev 49 | Starship Dev 48 | Starship Dev 47 | Starship Thread List
Official Starship Update | r/SpaceX Update Thread
Status
Road Closures [](/#!!!!! THIS TABLE IS BOT GENERATED; DO NOT EDIT !!!!!)
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Road & Beach Closure
| Type | Start (UTC) | End (UTC) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | 2023-11-13 06:00:00 | 2023-11-13 20:00:00 | Revoked. HWY 4 and Boca Chica Beach will be open |
| Alternative | 2023-11-14 06:00:00 | 2023-11-14 20:00:00 | Revoked. HWY 4 and Boca Chica Beach will be open |
| Alternative | 2023-11-15 06:00:00 | 2023-11-15 20:00:00 | Possible |
No transportation delays currently scheduled
Up to date as of 2023-11-09
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Vehicle Status
As of November 2, 2023. Next flight article in bold.
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| Ship | Location | Status | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-S24, 27 | Scrapped or Retired | S20 is in the Rocket Garden, the rest are scrapped. S27 likely scrapped likely due to implosion of common dome. | |
| S24 | Bottom of Gulf of Mexico | Destroyed | April 20th (IFT-1): Destroyed by flight termination system 3:59 after a successful launch. Booster "sustained fires from leaking propellant in the aft end of the Super Heavy booster" which led to loss of vehicle control and ultimate flight termination. |
| S25 | Launch Site | Destacked | Readying for launch (IFT-2). Destacked on Nov 2. Completed 5 cryo tests, 1 spin prime, and 1 static fire. |
| S26 | Rocket Garden | Testing | Static fire Oct. 20. No fins or heat shield, plus other changes. Completed 3 cryo tests, latest on Oct 10. |
| S28 | Massey's | Raptor install | Cryo test on July 28. Raptor install began Aug 17. Completed 2 cryo tests. |
| S29 | Rocket Garden | Resting | Fully stacked, completed 3x cryo tests, awaiting engine install. Moved to Massey's on Sep 22, back to Rocket Garden Oct 13. |
| S30 | High Bay | Under construction | Fully stacked, awaiting lower flaps. |
| S31, 32 | High Bay | Under construction | Stacking in progress. |
| S33-34 | Build Site | In pieces | Parts visible at Build and Sanchez sites. |
| Booster | Location | Status | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-B7 & B8 | Scrapped or Retired | B4 is in the Rocket Garden, the rest are scrapped. | |
| B7 | Bottom of Gulf of Mexico | Destroyed | April 20th (IFT-1): Destroyed by flight termination system 3:59 after a successful launch. Booster "sustained fires from leaking propellant in the aft end of the Super Heavy booster" which led to loss of vehicle control and ultimate flight termination. |
| B9 | Launch Mount | Active testing | Readying for launch (IFT-2). Wet dress rehearsal completed on Oct 25. Completed 2 cryo tests, then static fire with deluge on Aug 7. Rolled back to production site on Aug 8. Hot staging ring installed on Aug 17, then rolled back to OLM on Aug 22. Spin prime on Aug 23. Stacked with S25 on Sep 5 and Oct 16. |
| B10 | Megabay | Engine Install? | Completed 4 cryo tests. Moved to Massey's on Sep 11, back to Megabay Sep 20. |
| B11 | Massey's | Cryo | Cryo tested on Oct 14. |
| B12 | Megabay | Finalizing | Appears complete, except for raptors, hot stage ring, and cryo testing. |
| B13 | Megabay | Stacking | Lower half mostly stacked. |
| B14+ | Build Site | Assembly | Assorted parts spotted through B15. |
If this page needs a correction please consider pitching in. Update this thread via this wiki page. If you would like to make an update but don't see an edit button on the wiki page, message the mods via modmail or contact u/strawwalker.
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
r/SpaceX Discuss Thread for discussion of subjects other than Starship development.
Rules
We will attempt to keep this self-post current with links and major updates, but for the most part, we expect the community to supply the information. This is a great place to discuss Starship development, ask Starship-specific questions, and track the progress of the production and test campaigns. Starship Development Threads are not party threads. Normal subreddit rules still apply.
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Posted Nov 9, 2023, 3:39 AM UTC
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