Portions of this thread copied from a Starship Dev thread on r/SpaceX.
FAQ
- When next launch? IFT-4 is NET May per Gwynne Shotwell.
- When previous launch? (IFT-3)? Booster 10 and Ship 28 launched on 2024-03-14.
- What was the result? Booster makes it to the landing burn, but loses control and insufficient engines relight. RUD occurs at 462 m in altitude. S28 makes it to reentry but fails to face the heat shield in the correct direction, followed shortly by RUD. Payload door test and propellant transfer demo “complete”.
Quick Links
RAPTOR ROOST | LAB CAM | SAPPHIRE CAM | SENTINEL CAM | ROVER CAM | ROVER 2.0 CAM | PLEX CAM | NSF STARBASE
Starship Dev 53 | Starship Dev 52 | Starship Dev 51 | Starship Dev 50 | Starship Dev 49
Official SpaceX Starship Update Video (2024-01-12)
Status
Road Closures - @bocaroad Mastodon bot
| Type | Start (CDT) | End (CDT) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Date | 2024-03-07 08:00 | 2024-03-07 20:00 | Closure Scheduled. |
| Backup Date | 2024-03-08 08:00 | 2024-03-08 20:00 | Possible closure. |
| Backup Date | 2024-03-09 08:00 | 2024-03-09 20:00 | Possible closure. |
| Primary Date | 2024-03-11 08:00 | 2024-03-11 20:00 | Closure Concluded. |
| Backup Date | 2024-03-12 08:00 | 2024-03-12 20:00 | Closure Cancelled. |
| Backup Date | 2024-03-13 08:00 | 2024-03-13 20:00 | Closure Cancelled. |
| Primary Date | 2024-03-14 00:00 | 2024-03-14 14:00 | Closure concluded. |
| Backup Date | 2024-03-15 00:00 | 2024-03-15 14:00 | Closure revoked. |
| Backup Date | 2024-03-16 00:00 | 2024-03-16 14:00 | Closure revoked. |
Up to date as of 2024-03-15
Vehicle Status
As of 2024-03-15
Follow Ring Watchers on Twitter and Discord for more.
| Ship | Location | Status | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| S24 | Gulf of Mexico | Destroyed | IFT-1 launched on 2023-04-20. Destroyed by flight termination system after successful launch. |
| S25 | Atlantic Ocean | Destroyed | IFT-2 launched on 2023-11-18. Mostly successful launch and stage separation |
| S26 | Rocket Garden | Mysterious | Static fire Oct. 20. No fins or heat shield, multiple mysterious changes. Completed 3 cryo tests, latest on Oct 10. |
| S28 | Indian Ocean | Destroyed | IFT-3 launched on 2024-03-14. Ship destroyed on reentry due to heat shield facing the wrong way. |
| S29 | High Bay | Static fires completed | Spin prime Mar 11th, Static fire Mar 25th (6 engines) and 27th (1 engine) |
| S30 | High Bay | Pending engine install | 2x cryo: Jan 3rd and Jan 5th. |
| S31 | High Bay | Aft flaps installed | |
| S32 | Rocket Garden | Resting | Fully stacked, fore flaps installed but not aft flaps |
| S33-34 | Build Site | Parts spotted | To be scrapped in preparation for Starship V2 |
| Booster | Location | Status | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| B7 | Gulf of Mexico | Destroyed | Destroyed by flight termination system after successful launch. |
| B9 | Gulf of Mexico | Destroyed | Successfully launched, destroyed during Boost back attempt. |
| B10 | Gulf of Mexico | Destroyed | IFT-3 launched on 2024-03-14. Booster destroyed shortly after failed landing burn attempt. |
| B11 | Megabay 1 | Finalizing | Completed 2 Cryo tests. |
| B12 | Megabay 1 | Finalizing | Cryo x2 |
| B13 | Megabay 1 | Fully stacked | Chine installation underway |
| B14 | Megabay 1 | Partially stacked | Stacking in progress |
| B15 | Build Site | Assembly | Potential aft end spotted Jan 5th |
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-3 launch thread
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Starbase activities (2024-03-04):
- SpaceX tweet regarding WDR. Sounds like it went well. Next up would be FAA launch license, destack, arm the FTS, restack, then launch.
- S29 unhooked from black LR 11000 crane.
- B10 grid fins tested.
- Tower venting.
- Construction of second orbital launch pad continues: Excavators with stitchers on their booms installing wick drains.
- More cryo tanks inbound for Brownsville.
- Land swap approved with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Starbase activities (2024-03-08):
- Flight Termination System team shows up (close up). Placeholder “dummy” FTS boxes are removed. Top and bottom boxes are installed.
Installation completeor maybe not. - S28 tile work touch-ups continue.
- Build site: Starfactory progress continues. More glass panels are installed. A peek into Megabay 1.
- March 11th road closure shifts from 08:00 to 20:00 to 06:00 to 18:00.
IFT-3:
- No launch license yet.
- Flight Termination System team shows up (close up). Placeholder “dummy” FTS boxes are removed. Top and bottom boxes are installed.
This thread maybe, next thread definitely!
Starbase activities (2024-03-01):
- S29 rolls out to launch complex (LabPadre timelapse, NSF livestream), and moves towards… the orbital pad? (NSF) S29 eventually starts rolling back towards suborbital site. S29 pez dispenser closeup.
- Ship lifting jig is connected to the Black LR 11000 crane.
- Main event: S28 is lifted up with the chopsticks (noisy) and placed on B10 with a clunk (LabPadre, NSF). LabPadre/Vicki timelapse. Workers spotted on SQD arm. Mid-lift picture (LabPadre), and glamour shots (photo 1, photo 2, photo 3, photo 4) from StashipGazer, Sean Doherty, and Mary. Ship quick disconnect deployed with some difficulty, connected, disconnected, and reconnected.
- B10 hot stage ring, and ship QD arm closeup.
- Build site: Work on tower segment and Starfactory continues. Window installation on Starfactory.
- New possible road closures scheduled for Mar 3rd, 4th, and 5th.
Starbase activities (2024-03-05):
- Overnight: Loud venting from Ship QD arm.
- Main event, S28 destack: Ship pressurization trailer arrives at launch complex. Ship quick disconnect arm is disconnected from S28 (NSF closeup). S28 destacked from B10 (LabPadre, NSF).
- Ship quick disconnect arm extends towards the now-exposed hot stage ring on B10. Workers spotted on the arm shortly after.
- Slight movement of the black LR 11000 crane and the chopsticks.
- Build site: Two booster segments emerge from Starfactory. These include B14’s aft section per LabPadre. Weld marks for additional slosh baffles not observed on this segment. Progress on Starfactory itself continues.
- Coyote sighted.
- Road closures for Mar 4th and 5th finally revoked.
- New road closures posted for Mar 7th and 8th from 08:00 to 20:00.
- Possible internal IFT-3 date of Mar 14th. WB-57 plane also scheduled for Mar 14th.
We’re getting close, very exciting!
Starbase activities (2024-03-15):
- Workers continue to inspect the pad and OLM. Reported damage is minimal.
- Starfactory expansion nears the western end.
- Nice shot of S31 in High Bay.
KSC activities (2024-03-15):
- Orbital Launch Mount possibly prepping for rollout to 39A.
IFT-3:
- Ringwatchers speculation on results of the payload door test.
- Side-by-side comparison to IFT-1 and IFT-2.
Other:
- Elon on current and future Starship capabilities.
- Elon on timelines (taken with a grain of salt, as always. :)
Starbase activities (2024-03-02):
- Quiet day.
- Overnight, S29 moves from orbital pad back to suborbital pad and is lifted onto test stand.
- LOX valve testing at the orbital tank farm.
- Road closure still possible for this afternoon (Mar 3rd).
Starbase activities (2024-03-20):
- Rear section of BQD cover is removed. BQD methane and LOX hoses are removed. NSF closeup and removal.
- Build site: Starfactory progress continues.
- Crane is rigged up to the ship engine install stand.
- B4: Workers inspect the top and midsection. Scaffold points sprayed white. Scaffold bracket installation begins.
- Sometime during the fog between 12:12 and 14:39, the top of the engine installation stand at Sanchez is removed.
- Megabay 2 prep for door installation :(
Other:
- Phil Metzger paper on dust from IFT-1 is released on ArXiv.
Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I’ve seen in this thread:
Fewer Letters More Letters FAA Federal Aviation Administration FTS Flight Termination System HLS Human Landing System (Artemis) KSC Kennedy Space Center, Florida LC-39A Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy (SpaceX F9/Heavy) LOX Liquid Oxygen NET No Earlier Than NOTAM Notice to Air Missions of flight hazards NSF NasaSpaceFlight forum ~ National Science Foundation OFT Orbital Flight Test OLM Orbital Launch Mount QD Quick-Disconnect RUD Rapid Unplanned Disassembly ~ Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly ~ Rapid Unintended Disassembly SPMT Self-Propelled Mobile Transporter TFR Temporary Flight Restriction TPS Thermal Protection System for a spacecraft (on the Falcon 9 first stage, the engine “Dance floor”) WDR Wet Dress Rehearsal (with fuel onboard) Jargon Definition Raptor Methane-fueled rocket engine under development by SpaceX Starlink SpaceX’s world-wide satellite broadband constellation iron waffle Compact “waffle-iron” aerodynamic control surface, acts as a wing without needing to be as large; also, “grid fin” tanking Filling the tanks of a rocket stage
21 acronyms in this thread; the most compressed thread commented on today has 10 acronyms.
[Thread #33 for this sub, first seen 5th Mar 2024, 05:50] [FAQ] [Full list] [Contact] [Source code]
Starbase activities (2024-03-07):
- S29 testing: NSF livestream. Pad cleared for testing, likely attempting a spin-prime. A few tiles come off (close up). Timelapse of testing (LabPadre, NSF). Partial fill, engine chill, attempted spin-prime, abort/depress.
- Build site: Starfactory progress continues, glass panel installation begins (suction lift rig, panel lift). Mystery structure is transported.
IFT-3:
- Mexican NOTAM posted.
- New road closures posted for Mar 14th, 15th, and 16th.
- The orbital police posts the estimated planned trajectory.
Starbase activities (2024-03-03):
- S29 still connected to black LR 11000 crane.
- Main event: Full stack WDR of S28 and B10
- D2 gate is closed.
- New siren and pad evacuation announcement. Regular klaxon and pad clearing announcement. Village also evacuated, per Vicki and Mary.
- Chopsticks open and lower. (NSF 1, NSF 2)
- Tower and OLM venting. Multiple angles from LabPadre Rover 2, Nerdle, Lab, and Plex. Tower vent (LabPadre, NSF). OLM vent. OLM vent stops, and propellant load begins. (NSF livestream)
- Ship frosty, booster frosty, both nearly full. Propellant loading timelapse from Zack/NSF.
- FireX is tested.
- Detanking underway.
- New Ringwatchers diagram.
- Road closures still listed as possible (archive) for Mar 4th and 5th, but since Mar 3rd is still listed as “possible” not “scheduled”, I suspect the website has not been updated.
Starbase activities (2024-03-23):
- S29: Ship unhooked from LR 11000 crane. Crane then rolls away from the test stand, towards D2 gate. Ship lifting jig leaves the launch site. S29 flaps deployed.
- OLM and chopsticks work continues.
- Launch Pad B: Steady convoy of dump truck deliveries, possibly for soil compaction.
- Starfactory progress continues: Frame nearing completion. More wall panels and windows added.
- B4 scrapping continues.
- Massey’s static fire flame trench: Deluge manifold spotted on its way to Starbase, and arriving at Starbase (StarshipGazer, LabPadre). Aerial photo of trench from RGV aerial.
KSC activities (2024-03-23):
Starbase activities (2024-03-24):
- Quiet day.
- OLM and chopsticks work continues.
Starbase activities (2024-03-13):
- Overnight, booster and ship transport stands removed from launch complex.
- Black LR 11000 crane is lowered.
- S28 flaps tested.
- B10 grid fins tested. (zoom in)
- Jared Isaacman flies by.
- An OV-10 arrives, likely to fly the outline of the TFRs.
- S29 rolls into the High Bay, stops for a bit, then rolls the rest of the way in.
IFT-3:
- Launch licence received: https://www.faa.gov/media/69476 (PDF warning)
- FAA Finding of No Significant Impact for Indian Ocean Landings: https://www.faa.gov/media/76841 (PDF warning)
- FAA Environmental Assessment for Indian Ocean Landings: https://www.faa.gov/media/76836 (PDF warning)
- Gav Cornwell summarizes.
- Mary receives evacuation notice.
- SpaceX tweet.
- Elon’s jet (N628TS) does a quick tour of Europe: Austin, Berlin, Paris, London, currently heading to Teterboro New Jersey.
- New Ringwatchers article: Onward to Flight 3: The Complete History of S28 & B10
Starbase activities (2024-03-14):
- During the night, orbital tank farm starts venting.
- Slight delays due to wayward boats and wind.
- IFT-3 happens.
- Chopsticks close.
- Road open, cars to the pad. The little convoy included the ship transport stand and the OLM work platform.
- Starship Gazer photos of the pad.
- Road closures for Mar 15th and 16th are revoked.
IFT-3:
- SpaceX report.
- Booster makes it to the landing burn, but loses control and insufficient engines relight. RUD occurs at 462 m in altitude.
- S28 makes it to reentry but fails to face the heat shield in the correct direction, followed shortly by RUD.
- Payload door test and propellant transfer demo “complete”. (Is that equivalent to “successful”?)
- S28 rotation stabilized.
- Webcast views matched with Madagascar coast.
- Tim Dodd may have indirectly been responsible for the fate of S28 :)
Starbase activities (2024-03-16):
- Relatively quiet day yesterday.
- Inspections and work continues on the OLM, chopsticks, and pad.
IFT-3:
- Rhin0 posts a list of all known raptor engines on booster and ship.
- Pockn_CG posts a render of Starship orientation and camera angles on reentry.
Starbase activities (2024-03-17):
- Another quiet day, somewhat foggy.
- Inspection and work continues on the OLM, chopsticks, and pad. Some excavation near the orbital tank farm.
- Black LR11000 crane rises again.
- New RGV Aerial flyover: Massey’s test stand, Launch Tower B foundations, Launch Pad A post-launch (alternate angle), (full video).
Starbase activities (2024-03-18):
- Another fairly quiet day. OLM work continues.
- Teams checking the surrounding dune area for debris.
Other:
- New ChromeKiwi render of test stand at Massey’s.
IFT-4+:
- April, Hopefully (Elon Time).
- FAA representative says “no major issues” with IFT-3. SpaceX still aiming for 6 to 9 more Starship launches this year.
