Crumb
c/spacex · by threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 2y

Starship Development Thread #53

SpaceX Starship page

Portions of this thread copied from the Starship Dev thread on r/SpaceX.

FAQ

  1. When next launch? IFT-3 is NET Mid-March, and after completion of the IFT-2 mishap investigation. Candidate vehicles are Booster 10 and Ship 28.
  2. When previous launch? (IFT-2)? Booster 9 and Ship 25 launched on 2023-11-18.
  3. What was the result? Successful lift off with minimal pad damage. Successful booster operation with all engines to successful hot stage separation. Booster destroyed by AFTS after attempted boost-back. Ship fired all engines to near orbital speed then destroyed by AFTS. No re-entry attempt.
  4. Was IFT-2 a complete failure? No. As part of an iterative test programme, many milestones were achieved. Perfection is neither expected nor desired at this stage.

​---

Quick Links

RAPTOR ROOST | LAB CAM | SAPPHIRE CAM | SENTINEL CAM | ROVER CAM | ROVER 2.0 CAM | PLEX CAM | NSF STARBASE

Starship Dev 52 | Starship Dev 51 | Starship Dev 50 | Starship Dev 49 | Starship Dev 48

Official SpaceX Starship Update Video (2024-01-12)

Status

Road Closures

Type Start (CDT) End (CDT) Status
Primary Date 2024-02-15 08:00 2024-02-15 20:00 Closure revoked.
Backup Date 2024-02-16 08:00 2024-02-16 20:00 Closure scheduled.
Backup Date 2024-02-20 08:00 2024-02-12 20:00 Possible closure.

Up to date as of 2024-02-19

Vehicle Status

As of 2024-02-20

Follow Ring Watchers on Twitter and Discord for more.

Ship Location Status Comment
S24 Gulf of Mexico Destroyed April 20th (IFT-1): Destroyed by flight termination system after successful launch.
S25 Atlantic Ocean Destroyed 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 Suborbital test stand Awaiting testing Static fired Dec 29th. Stacked on B10 on Feb 13th. Partial WDR conducted Feb 14th and 16th. Destacked Feb 18th. Spin prime Feb 26th.
S29 High Bay Pending engine install 3x cryo
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 Megabay 1 Awaiting testing Static fired Dec 29th. Hotstaging ring installed Jan 26th. Partial WDR conducted Feb 14th and 16th.
B11 Megabay 1 Finalizing Completed 2 Cryo tests.
B12 Megabay 1 Finalizing Cryo x2
B13 Megabay 1 Fully stacked Chine installation underway
B14 Build Site Assembly Assorted parts spotted
B15 Build Site Assembly Potential aft end spotted Jan 5th

Resources

27 points · 68 comments · view on lemmy.world

68 Comments

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 9 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-01-21):

  • 9th, 10th, and 11th stringers installed on the OTF shells. The use of a "dent puller" was required in a couple cases. Unclear at this point whether all shells will receive reinforcements, or just these two.
  • Starfactory expansion is pretty quiet, though a new fence has been erected.
threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 9 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-01-29):

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 9 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-01-22):

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 8 pts · 2y (2 replies)

Starbase activities (2024-02-02):

KSC:

clothes@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 2y (1 reply)

Wow. I don't think I realized how gargantuan the megabay is.

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 2y

Yeah, I think it's 2-3 times the floor space of the current high bay, and slightly taller. Megabay 2 is similar size to Megabay 1. Definitely huge buildings, though still not as big as the VAB at the Cape.

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 8 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-02-08):

KSC:

IFT-2:

IFT-3:

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 8 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-02-01):

Shipping:

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 8 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-02-06):

KSC:

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 8 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-01-31):

Other:

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 8 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-01-20):

  • 8th stringer installed on the OTF shells.
  • Cross-bracing installation begins on the OTF shells.
  • Zack Golden's thoughts on the concrete issue: "If you pour too quickly, pressure will continue to rise at the bottom as additional material is added. Eventually this head pressure can reach a point where it becomes too great for the form work to handle, resulting in a collapse."
threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 7 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-02-05):

KSC:

Other:

Interesting thread regarding distribution of segments for the top of the 3rd (2nd at Starbase) launch tower. Seems like the top 3 will all be two-thirds height, as opposed to the full-height, two-thirds, one-third segments on the 1st tower.

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 7 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-01-19):

refreeze@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 2y (1 reply)

I wonder what happened that caused them to abandon today's WDR attempt.

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 2y

Possibly something GSE-related? They upgraded it since IFT-2, and it could be having some teething issues...

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 7 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-02-03):

KSC:

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 7 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-02-04):

  • Pretty quiet Sunday.
  • S28 gains a raptor engine.
  • Production site: Cones set up for potential transport to or from Sanchez or RocketGarden, but no road closures scheduled. A few more beams have been added to Starfactory since yesterday.
  • New hardware spotted at Sanchez site. Likely a production jig or transport stand for hotstage rings.

KSC:

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 7 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-02-07):

KSC:

IFT-3:

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 7 pts · 2y

Nitter links

Starbase activities (2024-02-15):

Starbase activities (2024-02-16):

Other:

  • Launch tower segments on their way to Starbase. ETA Feb 20th.
  • SpaceX to build a Starship launch complex at SLC-37 in Florida. Currently use is for Delta IV Heavy, which is retiring.

𝕏 links

Starbase activities (2024-02-15):

Starbase activities (2024-02-16):

Other:

  • Launch tower segments on their way to Starbase. ETA Feb 20th.
  • SpaceX to build a Starship launch complex at SLC-37 in Florida. Currently use is for Delta IV Heavy, which is retiring.
threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 7 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-02-13):

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 2y

Sorry for missing a day! I had a busy weekend.

Nitter links

RIP nitter.freedit.eu instance. nitter.esmailelbob.xyz is still limping along, but it's only a matter of time before it too falls.

Starbase activities (2024-02-17):

Starbase activities (2024-02-18):

𝕏 links

Starbase activities (2024-02-17):

Starbase activities (2024-02-18):

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-01-14):

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-02-09):

Other:

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-01-17):

Other:

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-01-23):

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 2y

This thread maybe, next thread definitely!

Starbase activities (2024-01-08):

See you all tomorrow!

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-01-25):

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-02-21):

Nitter links:

𝕏 links

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-01-12):

Starship update video released. Some highlights:

  • S25 failure: Intentional LOx venting caused an unintentional fire and explosion.
  • IFT-3 flight plan includes a deorbit burn from header tanks.
  • 2nd launch tower at Starbase confirmed.
  • Full stack could eventually stretch to 150 m, with an aspirational goal of 200 tonnes to orbit, fully reusable.
threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 2y (2 replies)

Starbase activities (2024-02-12):

IFT-3:

Other:

clothes@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 2y (1 reply)

~3 weeks (Elon time)

I reallyyy thought we were at 2 weeks (Elon time) and now I'm sad. Exciting to be inching closer though!

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 2y

Yeah, same. It will launch when it launches, we just have to be patient. And still sooner than New Glenn :)

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-02-15):

  • Many cryo tankers overnight, one obscured by birb.
  • Feb 15th road closure revoked. No closure listed for Feb 16th, but possible (but unlikely due to holiday) closure listed for Feb 20th.
  • Lift up near B10 hot stage ring for much of the day.

X links:

  • Many cryo tankers overnight, one obscured by birb.
  • Feb 15th road closure revoked. No closure listed for Feb 16th, but possible (but unlikely due to holiday) closure listed for Feb 20th.
  • Lift up near B10 hot stage ring for much of the day.
  • 'Murica! 'Murica! !murica@lemmy.world!
threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-02-14): 💘

Other:

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-02-25):

𝕏 links

Nitter links

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-01-30):

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-02-23):

𝕏 links

Nitter links

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-02-24):

𝕏 links

Nitter links

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-01-18):

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-01-15):

  • Either not too much action today, or action shrouded in fog.
  • No vehicle transports or tank deliveries.
  • Hotstage ring spotted exiting Megabay 1.

Other:

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-02-27):

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-01-11):

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-01-24):

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 2y

B10 rolling out to the launch site now. NSF are live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Thkodx2tVKk

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-02-19):

Nitter links

𝕏 links

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-02-22):

Nitter links

Other:

𝕏 links

Other:

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-01-13):

Other:

  • SpaceX to build a restaurant, grocery store, and other shops near Starbase.
threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 2y (2 replies)

Starbase activities (2024-02-20):

Nitter links:

𝕏 links

Viewing individual tweets on nitter seems to be over, though I can still view them chronologically on account profile pages. Not sure what I will do once this breaks too...

refreeze@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 2y (1 reply)

Interesting that they are going for a flame trench, I guess the water table is different at Massey's. Or since they don't do static fires at full thrust, it doesn't need to be that deep?

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 2y

Yeah, I wonder why they aren't just doing another water-cooled steel plate. Seems to have worked well for IFT-2. Perhaps it is cheaper to build/operate a flame trench, so if the terrain allows one, it is the preferable option?

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-02-29): (Leap day!)

Other:

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-02-26):

IFT-2 updates from SpaceX:

  • Booster failure:

  • several engines began shutting down before one engine failed energetically, quickly cascading to a rapid unscheduled disassembly

  • Cause:

  • most likely root cause for the booster RUD was determined to be filter blockage where liquid oxygen is supplied to the engines, leading to a loss of inlet pressure in engine oxidizer turbopumps

  • Zack Golden and Ryan Hansen speculate that blockage could have been slosh baffles which broke free during the period of negative acceleration. Ringwatchers relevant article.

  • Fix:

  • implemented hardware changes inside future booster oxidizer tanks to improve propellant filtration capabilities and refined operations to increase reliability

  • Ship failure:

  • A leak in the aft section of the spacecraft that developed when the liquid oxygen vent was initiated resulted in a combustion event and subsequent fires that led to a loss of communication between the spacecraft’s flight computers. This resulted in a commanded shut down of all six engines prior to completion of the ascent burn, followed by the Autonomous Flight Safety System detecting a mission rule violation and activating the flight termination system

  • Fix:

  • implemented hardware changes on upcoming Starship vehicles to improve leak reduction, fire protection, and refined operations associated with the propellant vent to increase reliability. The previously planned move from a hydraulic steering system for the vehicle’s Raptor engines to an entirely electric system also removes potential sources of flammability

  • FAA mishap investigation has been closed. SpaceX must complete corrective actions, of which there are 17.

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-02-28):

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-02-10):

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-02-11):

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-01-26):

With some nitter instances down or rate limited, I'm trying out twiiit, which should automatically redirect to a working instance.

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 2y (2 replies)

Starbase activities (2024-01-28):

carleeno@reddthat.com · 5 pts · 2y (1 reply)

I didn't know Starkitty was famous! I saw her chilling by my car when I visited a couple of weeks ago (potato zoom)

Also, thanks for these summaries! I really appreciate not having to fire up Reddit just to get my starship updates :)

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 2y

So cool that you met (or at least saw) Starkitty! I'd love to visit Starbase one day.

Also, you're welcome! I had hoped for a bit more discussion in these threads, but I suppose the community is still a bit small for that. Glad people appreciate the updates!

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-01-27):

Other:

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-01-16):

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-01-10):

stevecrox@kbin.run · 3 pts · 2y (2 replies)

Have you considered migrating to a magazine on Kbin/MBin?

The daily updates are quite useful but currently my means of finding them is via your posts in Reddit. The post views in Lemmy discourage you to go into spaces and I don't think thread pinning translates accross instances.

KBin/Mbin support the short message format in Activity Pub so creating a thread on that platform should reflect into Mastodon and Mastodon comments will come through into the post. If you add a couple of hashtags it would also help discoverability.

Your posts are the most useful ones for daily summaries and probably the most useful contribution to the reddit starship dev thread.

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 2y (1 reply)

Interesting, I had not considered migrating to a Kbin/Mbin magazine.

I don’t think thread pinning translates accross instances

From a brief look, thread pinning seems to federate across Lemmy instances, but not to Kbin.

Your posts are the most useful ones for daily summaries and probably the most useful contribution to the reddit starship dev thread.

Thanks! Glad people find them useful.

I'm not too familiar with Kbin/Mbin, so I do not feel ready to migrate the entire community at this time. However, if you were to create a SpaceX magazine, I could probably post these updates there as well. If the magazine gains more traction, we could reconsider migrating this community at a later date.

What are your thoughts? Anything I should know about Kbin/Mbin? (What's the difference?) What are the "short message format" and a "thread" in those contexts? Do they have Lemmy analogues?

stevecrox@kbin.run · 3 pts · 2y

I shall have a think where it makes sense to create one. Lits were created a while back and seem to have been purged

Short Message Format = Tweet Thread = post

KBin calls a community a "magazine" and Magazine mods can associate hashtags with the Magazine.

The idea is from your instance you can look at the thread view or microblog (tweet) view.

KBin was started by a person called Ernest, he doesn't seem particularly great at accepting outside help. A number of people who wanted to contribute but found their work stuck for review for months forked KBin and called it MBin.

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 2y

Starbase activities (2024-01-09):

Other:

  • IFT-3 is NET February, as per Jessica Jensen, VP of Customer Operations and Integration at SpaceX. (Reported by Eric Berger and Jeff Foust)
  • Not too surprising, but Artemis II officially slips to 2025-09, and Artemis III slips to 2026-09.
Decronym@lemmy.decronym.xyz · 3 pts · 2y

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
GSE Ground Support Equipment
KSC Kennedy Space Center, Florida
LN2 Liquid Nitrogen
LOX Liquid Oxygen
NET No Earlier Than
NSF NasaSpaceFlight forum
~ National Science Foundation
OLIT Orbital Launch Integration Tower
OLM Orbital Launch Mount
OTF Orbital Tank Farm
QD Quick-Disconnect
RUD Rapid Unplanned Disassembly
~ Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly
~ Rapid Unintended Disassembly
SLC-37 Space Launch Complex 37, Canaveral (ULA Delta IV)
SPMT Self-Propelled Mobile Transporter
TPS Thermal Protection System for a spacecraft (on the Falcon 9 first stage, the engine "Dance floor")
ULA United Launch Alliance (Lockheed/Boeing joint venture)
VAB Vehicle Assembly Building
WDR Wet Dress Rehearsal (with fuel onboard)
Jargon Definition
Raptor Methane-fueled rocket engine under development by SpaceX
iron waffle Compact "waffle-iron" aerodynamic control surface, acts as a wing without needing to be as large; also, "grid fin"
turbopump High-pressure turbine-driven propellant pump connected to a rocket combustion chamber; raises chamber pressure, and thrust

[Thread #29 for this sub, first seen 13th Jan 2024, 05:40] [FAQ] [Full list] [Contact] [Source code]

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 2y

This thread is no longer being updated, and has been replaced by:

Starship Development Thread #54