Starship Development Thread #40
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FAQ
- When orbital flight? Launch expected in early 2023 given enhancements and repairs to Stage 0 after B7's static fire, the US holidays, and Musk's comment that Stage 0 safety requires extra caution. Next testing steps include further static firing and wet dress rehearsal(s), with some stacking/destacking of B7 and S24 and inspections in between. Orbital test timing depends upon successful completion of all testing and remediation of any issues such as the current work on S24.
- What will the next flight test do? The current plan seems to be a nearly-orbital flight with Ship (second stage) doing a controlled splashdown in the ocean. Booster (first stage) may do the same or attempt a return to launch site with catch. Likely includes some testing of Starlink deployment. This plan has been around a while.
- I'm out of the loop/What's happened in last 3 months? SN24 completed a 6-engine static fire on September 8th. B7 has completed multiple spin primes, a 7-engine static fire on September 19th, a 14-engine static fire on November 14, and an 11-engine long-duration static fire on November 29th. B7 and S24 stacked for first time in 6 months. Lots of work on Orbital Launch Mount (OLM) including sound suppression, extra flame protection, and a myriad of fixes.
- What booster/ship pair will fly first? B7 "is the plan" with S24, pending successful testing campaigns. However, swapping to B9 and/or B25 remains a possibility depending on duration of Stage 0 work.
- Will more suborbital testing take place? Unlikely, given the FAA Mitigated FONSI decision. Current preparations are for orbital launch.
Quick Links
^(NERDLE CAM) ^| ^(LAB CAM) ^| ^(SAPPHIRE CAM) ^| ^(SENTINEL CAM) ^| ^(ROVER CAM) ^| ^(ROVER 2.0 CAM) ^| ^(PLEX CAM) ^| ^(NSF STARBASE)
Starship Dev 39 | Starship Dev 38 | Starship Dev 37 | Starship Thread List
Official Starship Update | r/SpaceX Update Thread
Vehicle Status
As of December 21, 2022
NOTE: Volunteer "tank watcher" needed to regularly update this Vehicle Status section with additional details.
| Ship | Location | Status | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-S24 | Scrapped or Retired | SN15, S20 and S22 are in the Rocket Garden, the rest are scrapped. | |
| S24 | Launch Site | Static Fire testing | Successful 6-engine static fire on 9/8/2022 (video). Scaffolding removed during week of Dec 5 and single engine static fire on Dec 15. |
| S25 | High Bay 1 | Raptor installation | Rolled back to build site on November 8th for Raptor installation and any other required work. Payload bay ("Pez Dispenser") welded shut. |
| S26 | High Bay 1 | Under construction | Nose in High Bay 1. |
| S27 | Mid Bay | Under construction | Tank section in Mid Bay on Nov 25. |
| S28 | Build Site | Parts under construction | Assorted parts spotted |
| S29 | Build Site | Parts under construction | Assorted parts spotted |
| Booster | Location | Status | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-B7 | Scrapped or Retired | B4 is in the Rocket Garden, the rest are scrapped. | |
| B7 | High Bay 2 | Post SF inspections/repair | 14-engine static fire on November 14, and 11-engine SF on Nov 29. More testing to come, leading to orbital attempt. |
| B8 | Rocket Garden | Retired? | Oct 31st: taken to Rocket Garden, likely retired due to being superseded by B9. |
| B9 | Launch Site | Testing | Cryo testing (methane and oxygen) on Dec. 21 and Dec. 29. |
| B10 | High Bay 2 | Under construction | Fully stacked. |
| B11 | Build Site | Parts under construction | Assorted parts spotted. |
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 Rover 2.0 Cam | Channel
- NSF: Starbase Stream | 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
- SpaceX: Starship Users Guide (PDF) Rev. 1.0 March 2020
- 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 @_brendan_lewis
- 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 Dec 9, 2022, 3:34 AM UTC · edited