FAQ
- When is the next Integrated Flight Test (IFT-2)? Booster 9 + Ship 25 launched Saturday, November 18 after slight delay.
- What was the result? Successful lift off with minimal pad damage. Successful booster operation with all engines to successful hot stage separation. Booster destroyed after attempted boost-back. Ship fired all engines to near orbital speed then lost. No re-entry attempt.
- Did IFT-2 Fail? No. As part of an iterative test programme, many milestones were achieved. Perfection is neither expected nor desired at this stage.
- Next launch? IFT-3 expected to be Booster 10, Ship 28 per a recent NSF Roundup. Probably no earlier than Feb 2024. Prerequisite IFT-2 mishap investigation.
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Quick Links
RAPTOR ROOST | LAB CAM | SAPPHIRE CAM | SENTINEL CAM | ROVER CAM | ROVER 2.0 CAM | PLEX CAM | NSF STARBASE
Starship Dev 50 | Starship Dev 49 | Starship Dev 48 | Starship Dev 47
Official Starship Update | r/SpaceX Update Thread
Status
Road Closures
| Type | Start (CDT) | End (CDT) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Date | 2023-12-08 16:00 | 2023-12-08 21:00 | Possible Closure |
| Alternative Date | 2023-12-11 08:00 | 2023-12-11 20:00 | Possible Closure |
| Alternative Date | 2023-12-12 08:00 | 2023-12-12 20:00 | Possible Closure |
Up to date as of 2023-12-08
Vehicle Status
As of 2023-12-08
Follow Ring Watchers on Twitter and Discord for more.
| Ship | Location | Status | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-S24, 27 | Scrapped or Retired | S20 in Rocket Garden, remainder scrapped. | |
| S24 | Bottom of sea | Destroyed | April 20th (IFT-1): Destroyed by flight termination system after successful launch. |
| S25 | Bottom of sea | Destroyed | Mostly successful launch and stage separation |
| 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 | High Bay | Pending heatshield completion | Cryo test on July 28. Raptor install began Aug 17. Completed 2 cryo tests. |
| S29 | High Bay | Fully stacked, completed 3x cryo tests, awaiting engine install. | |
| S30 | High Bay | Under construction | Fully stacked |
| S31 | Rocket Garden | Fully stacked, awaiting flaps | Stacking in progress. |
| S32 | High Bay | Under construction | Stacking in progress. |
| S33-34 | Build Site | Being scrapped | To be scrapped in preparation for Starship V2 |
| Booster | Location | Status | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-B7 & B8 | Scrapped or Retired | B4 in Rocket Garden, remainder scrapped. | |
| B7 | Bottom of sea | Destroyed | Destroyed by flight termination system after successful launch. |
| B9 | Bottom of sea | Destroyed | Successfully launched, destroyed during Boost back attempt. |
| B10 | Rocket garden | Engine install? | Completed 4 cryo tests. Moved to Massey’s on Sep 11, back to Megabay Sep 20. |
| B11 | Megabay | Finalizing | Completed 2 Cryo tests. |
| 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. |
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
Link to IFT-2 Launch Party Thread
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The launch pad is good shape:
- Elon Musk: Launch pad is in great shape
- Kate Tice: Happy to report that following today’s super successful test flight, launch pad and Mechagodzilla are both in good shape.
- Starship Gazer photos: First look at the launch mount
- RGV Aerial Photography: Starship IFT-1 vs IFT-2
The fate of S25:
- astroferg on Twitter managed to get a shot of the S25 nosecone after the FTS was triggered
- It is possible that this was what was observed reentering near Puerto Rico
- NOAA weather radar data showing the track of the debris cloud
FAA/SpaceX mishap investigation has been triggered. Given that the FTS seems to have worked, and there is minimal damage to the ground infrastructure, I’m hoping that this investigation will be shorter.
Scott Manley investigation report is already completed: Starship & Superheavy Become The Biggest Rocket In Space… Before Exploding
- He speculates that B9 engine failure during boostback was due to either fuel slosh, fluid hammer, or a combination of both. It’s unclear whether the booster FTS was triggered or whether the Booster RUD happened on its own.
- For S25, he notes that a puff of gas just after T+7 minutes coincides with a drop in the LOx gauge. This indicates an oxygen leak of some sort, which could have any number of causes.
The picture of the nose cone falling is a really good shot!
Yeah! Props to astroferg for being in the right place at the right time and managing to get that shot. Definitely a unique angle!
Starbase activities (2023-11-27):
- Pipework delivered for the tank farm
- Long SPMT (26 axles) moved to the Launch site, likely for tank installation operations.
- Huge cryo tank delivered (video)
- Arrival at the launch site
- Tank transferred from delivery trailer to SPMT
- SPMT moves tank into position
- TPS work on S28 continues
- OLM work continues, and a lift was observed near the chopsticks.
Unsourced rumour that a large spherical tank will be moved from Florida to Starbase.
Starbase activities (2023-11-23):
- S28 moved from Rocket Garden to High Bay, likely for work on completing the heatshield
- S28, S29, and S32 are inside the High Bay, S30 is just outside, S20, S26, and S31 are in the rocket garden.
- OLM work continues
Starbase activities (2023-11-30):
- No new cryo tank deliveries. The 26-axle SPMT is taking a break.
- S33 aft section was scrapped a few days ago. With S32 being the last V1 Starship, it is expected that all components of S33+ will be scrapped in preparation for Starship V2.
- “Gateway to mars” sign was completed. (timelapse video)
- Installation of top windows for Megabay 2 has begun
- TPS work on S28 continues
- OLM work continues
- Chopstick work continues
McGregor:
- Shockwaves from Raptor testing: https://nitter.net/AdamCuker/status/1730407352325538096#m
Bonus:
- Tesla finally released the footage of the drone collision with an R-Vac a while back. (timestamp 1:37)
This thread maybe, next thread definitely!
Busy day at Starbase yesterday:
- Inspections of OLM, B9, and S25 continue
- Net was removed from beneath OLM
- Chopsticks raised to lifting position on S25
- “Dance floor” work platform lowered onto an SPMT and removed from under the OLM
- SPMT moves the raptor install stand from near hopper to near sub orbital pad A
- Welding observed on several of the OLM legs
IFT-2 slips to NET November 15th. Road closures for the 13th and 14th have been cancelled, and the Mexican NOTMAR has been updated.
Dear Moon officially slips to NET 2024 :)
B9 needing a replacement “grid fin actuator”
Seems launch delayed til Saturday, works out specifically for me!
Indeed. Source: https://nitter.net/elonmusk/status/1725231694645461403#m
We need to replace a grid fin actuator, so launch is postponed to Saturday
Will replacing the actuator will require another destack, or will they be able to fix it in place?
Pretty unlikely that they could fix it in a day if it required destack
I thought so too, but they just finished restacking after replacing several actuators. They’re really good at this!
Yeah, I saw it. I guess my mistake was thinking they would have to transport it back somewhere to make the replacement
Starbase activities (2023-11-21):
- Testing performed on SQD and chopsticks
- S29, S30, and S31 were shuffled in and out of the High Bay.
- Mystery structure rolled into the build site, possibly a new transport stand.
IFT-2:
- astroferg uploaded stabilized tracking video of S25’s nose cone after FTS was triggered
- SpaceX has updated their IFT-2 page. Nothing too surprising. They verified that S25 FTS was triggered, but have not said the same for B9.
Starbase activities (2023-11-22):
- S30 moved out of High Bay
- SPMTs then left for the Rocket Garden, possibly to retrieve S28.
- Close-up of S30 and overview of Starships in production.
- Mystery stand moved out of the build site.
- Starbase’s cat is still around after IFT-2.
- Lifting squid was removed and reattached to S28.
Could make them faster, but engine production is not the limiting factor.
I’m very excited about the next-gen Raptor engine that is robust enough not to require a heat shield. Will also have more thrust, higher Isp and many other improvements.
Starbase activities (2023-11-24):
- S28, S29, S30, and S32 are all nestled in the High Bay.
- Workers cleaning S28 ahead of remaining TPS installation
- Starkitty sighted
- OLM work continues
New CSI Starbase video: Superheavy’s Massive Fire Suppression System Dramatically Increases Performance
Ringwatchers article: What Changed on Starship 25 & Booster 9?
Elon tweets:
- Four more Starships, the last of V1
- Version 2 of the ship holds more propellant, reduces dry mass and improves reliability
- Re: N1, importance of engine isolation: If an engine failure is isolated, then many engines greatly increases reliability (Starship only loses <3% of thrust). If not, then reliability is terrible. The difference is at least 2 orders of magnitude.
- Starship is intended to carry a lot of people on tens of thousands of flights, so needs to be extremely reliable over time. It will be.
- Re: CSI Starbase: Good video
Starbase activities (2023-11-25):
- Scrapping of SN15 continues.
- OLM work continues. (lifts go up, lifts go down)
- Some concrete being torn up by orange digger in the vicinity of the OLM. (~11:00 CST on Starbase Live)
Elon on SSTO: Yeah, wrong planet for SSTO. No problem on Mars with ~37% Earth gravity.
Thanks for the daily updates, much appreciated.
You’re welcome! Glad to know they are appreciated!
Starbase activities (2023-11-26):
- Not much happened today.
- TPS work on S28 continues.
- Fog rolled in mid-afternoon, so I guess we should be glad they aren’t launching anything like SN11 :)
Starbase activities (2023-11-28):
- 2nd cryo tank arrives (video)
- 2nd cryo tank installed (video)
- 3rd cryo tank arrives (video)
- 3rd cryo tank installed (video)
- Large letters delivered for a new sign at the launch site, likely reading “gateway to mars”. For some reason, they installed the “R” first, then “ARS”…
- TPS work on S28 continues.
- Welding work observed on the OLM and the chopsticks.
Starbase activities (2023-11-29):
- 4th cryo tank arrives (video)
- 4th cryo tank installed (video)
- The letters “WAY TO M” in “gateway to mars” were installed
- 5th cryo tank arrives (video)
- 5th cryo tank installed (video)
- Raptor truck delivering to Massey’s
- TPS work on S28 coming along nicely
- Work continues on the chopsticks
- Booster stabilization pins reinstalled on OLM
Starbase activities (2023-12-02):
Not too much action today:
- Storage structure at the launch site was dismantled, likely to free up space for a new wall surrounding the orbital tank farm.
- Ongoing work on the chopsticks, OLM, and S28 TPS
Starbase activities (2023-12-03):
- Window installation continues on Megabay 2
- Concrete being torn up near the orbital tank farm, likely in preparation for constructing a new wall.
- Several boom lifts observed at the chopsticks
