On the heels of last month’s dramatic launch of Booster 7 and Ship 24, repairs on the Orbital Launch Site and tank farm are proceeding at pace. Over on the Production Site, several Ships are in various stages of preparation, ahead of the choice for which will probably be the subsequent to launch with Booster 9.
Ships 25 through 29 are in play, with the previous undergoing cryo proofing on the Masseys test site, and the latter currently stacking within the High Bay.
Repairs ahead of the subsequent launch:
Scaffolding has been installed on the Orbital Launch Mount (OLM) and a set of stairs for employee access. The OLM is over 70 feet tall, so the scaffolding protects employees as they sort things like plumbing raceways, electronics, and other items.
Earthwork on the OLM foundation can also be underway, as damaged rebar, concrete, and dirt is being removed. As well as, latest dirt is being poured in to arrange the best way for further work. This may prepare the best way for a “sandwich” of steel plates and a water deluge system to be added in the approaching weeks.
Morning to Morning 24 hour timelapse (May 08 through May 09) of @NASASpaceflight‘s Starbase Live camera at https://t.co/dAvpjFiqqC (click to look at live)#BocaChicaToMars #SpaceX #Starship pic.twitter.com/BjV5zK5H6B
— StarbasePulse (@StarbasePulse) May 9, 2023
The booster quick disconnect (QD) fitting on the OLM can also be undergoing work. A canopy is being placed on its pipes to guard the plumbing. A “doghouse” constructing initially used to accommodate robot dogs Zeus and Apollo, later repurposed to accommodate cryogenic pipes, has been removed.
The platforms, colloquially named “dance floor” and “taco stand,” have been moved to the launch site, possibly to maintain the development site less cluttered. These platforms are used to help in launch preparation work.
The tank farm has also been undergoing repairs, with not less than one hole seen being patched on considered one of the white tank shells placed on the vertical tanks. These tanks were made in the unique high bay using construction techniques just like those involved in Starship construction.
SpaceX will replace these tanks with horizontal “hotdog” shaped tanks that will probably be higher protected against launch pad debris. The vertical tanks intended to store liquid methane were replaced last 12 months by horizontal tanks higher suited to the aim.
While the OLM and tank farm repairs proceed, work has also been done on some future ships and Booster 11. Ship 28 is now in a comparatively advanced stage of construction, while Ship 29’s nose section has also been seen recently. Ship 29, like Ship 28, has the tiles and fins needed for reentry testing.
Ship 28 was moved to the side of the unique “High Bay” to make room for Ship 29.
Ship 29’s nosecone has been welded to a payload section, so it is feasible it might be used for not less than test deployments of Starlink v2 satellites. Nonetheless, it stays to be seen when the primary payload deployment flight will occur.
Latest Boosters and Ships within the Bays – via Nic (@NicAnsuini)
Booster 11 has been seen being assembled in the primary “Mega Bay,” and the liquid oxygen tank has been mated to the thrust puck that incorporates the mountings for the vehicle’s Raptor engines.
Booster 9 will fly next, but Booster 11 could follow in fairly short order. Each boosters have quite a few improvements over Booster 7, which flew last month.
Out at the previous Masseys gun range turned test site, Ship 25 has undergone what appears to have been a successful cryo proofing test. Ship 25 is the sister ship to the Ship 24 lying in pieces at the underside of the Gulf of Mexico, and was built to the identical standards.
Though Ship 25, equipped with tiles and fins, has been extensively tested, and would look like closer to flight readiness than Ships 28 or 29, it was constructed last 12 months. Consequently, SpaceX might wish to use a more recent Starship with design improvements and learnings from last month’s launch.
Ship 26, not equipped with tiles or fins, has been seen with the Raptor stand underneath it on the “rocket garden” storage area. Some preparations appear to have been made to the vehicle, and it continues to be a possibility it might be chosen to fly next. Ship 27, similarly equipped to Ship 26, can also be within the storage area, and still might be prepared for a future flight.
A brand new high bay can also be in work for the Starbase site. White skeletal elements have been seen that may make up a part of the brand new bay’s structure, and they’re going to eventually be moved to the muse being prepared for this bay. A brand new high bay would increase the variety of ships and boosters that may be constructed and ready for flight at anyone time.
Latest bay beginning to rise out of the bottom – via Nic (@NicAnsuini)
The skeletal elements of the brand new high bay are expected to be covered with skin soon, and so they will probably be moved to the muse by a crane when it’s procured. It’s believed that these elements can have been diverted from SpaceX’s site in Florida, as there isn’t any room there now.
The ocean level thrust simulator has been faraway from Suborbital Pad A, and this might indicate that future ambient and cryo proof testing for ships will probably be done on the Masseys site.
Moving ship testing to Masseys would allow construction and repair work, static fire testing, and launches to be done unimpeded on the Orbital Launch Site, while still allowing proof testing on latest ships and test articles.
Other work at Masseys includes testing done on the Ship 26.1 section and testing to destruction on Nose Cone 31. Ship 26.1 is a dedicated test article just like Booster 7.1 and other articles used to check certain points of the Starship system.
Ship 25 and test articles at Masseys via Nic (@NicAnsuini) for NSF/L2
It stays to be seen what’s going to change into of the A and B suborbital pads that supported Starship atmospheric test flights.
It stays to be seen exactly when the subsequent Starship launch will probably be. Still, items to look at include installing the steel plates and deluge system, tank farm repairs, recertifying the flight termination system that didn’t immediately destroy Starship on its first launch, and FAA approval of the Starship system’s return to flight.
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