Starbase activities (2025-07-07):

• Jul 6th cryo delivery tally. (ViX)
• July 6th addendum: RGV Aerial post a recent photo of clean up progress at Massey’s. (RGV Aerial)
• Build site: A new design of a booster header tank moves from Starfactory to Megabay 1 and is raised to vertical. (NSF, LadPadre, ViX, Golden 1, Golden 2, Beyer)
• Launch site: A pump arrives at the LOX pump farm, is unwrapped and then covered, likely pending a crane lift. A blue wrapped motor is also visible on site. (ViX)
• The Tower 2 chopsticks are lowered, possibly to aid with cladding installation on the tower. (ViX)
• Work on the ship static fire adapter continues with the addition of pieces speculated to be R-vac bracing. (Starship Gazer, Killip)
• Pad 2 flame trench work continues. (Killip / RGV Aerial)

Starbase activities (2025-07-06):

• Jul 5th cryo delivery tally. (ViX)
• Jul 5th addendum: More cladding is installed on Tower 2. (ViX)
• Launch site: The hold-down clamps have been removed from the Pad 1 launch mount. This suggests that the ship static fire stand will be integrated onto the hold down clamps after all, rather than attached to the top deck of the launch mount. (Golden 1, Golden 2)
• Build site: A ship quick disconnect plate is lifted out of Megabay 2. (NSF, ViX)

In this case, is the would the completed form be “If looks could kill, I’d be dead”, or “If looks could kill, the ducks would be dead”?

Have they had heatshield issues? So far, as long as a ship didn’t lose attitude control or fail on ascent, the ship survived to splashdown.

Good video overall, though I disagree with his statement that Starship is “failing at the easy stuff and succeeding at the hard stuff”. Booster catches, while impressive, build off of SpaceX’s experience with F9 landings. Starship is a very different beast from an F9 upper stage though, so it’s not surprising to me that it is proving to be the more difficult part of the program.

That said, the performance of Ship Block 2 has been particularly disappointing.

Neat! It seems like interstellar objects pass through our solar system pretty often. The more we look, the more we find.

Starbase activities (2025-07-05):

• Jul 4th cryo delivery tally. (ViX)
• Jul 4th addendum: Fireworks at the beach. (ViX, Gisler, NSF)
• Launch site: Modification of the the ship transport stand continues. (Roger S)
• Build site: Clamp arm installation begins on the booster transport stand for block 3 boosters. (Anderson, Gisler)

McGregor:

• Part of a tank is launched, possibly a test to investigate the cause of the S36 anomaly. (NSF 1, NSF 2, Golden)

I hope MaiaSpace are successful. A launch vehicle with a reusable booster would be great for Europe.

With running costs of electric cars typically cheaper than those for a petrol model, there’s an inevitable date each year when they technically become comparably ‘free’ to drive.

I should have a drink too…

Thanks, I hate it.

Excellent.

!anythingbutmetric@discuss.tchncs.de

Glad to see that Calvin has his priorities straight.

Before automobiles (and indoor plumbing), this used to be the other way around. I heard that the reasoning was so that the woman would be less likely to get hit by poop dumped out of upper story windows.

As crazy is the world is now, I’m glad I live in the present and not in the past.

Happy cake day!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falklands_War

Starbase activities (2025-07-01):

• Jun 30th cryo delivery tally. (ViX)
• Launch site: Overnight, four more hold-down clamp arms are delivered, bringing the total to 14. (ViX)
• Three more hold-down clamp arms are installed on the Pad 2 launch mount, bringing the total to 16. (ViX)
• Significant venting from the tank farm and launch mount at Pad 1. (NSF, ViX)
• Mystery hardware is delivered to the D2 gate. (ViX)
• Workers struggle to maintain the erection of a pole tent in high winds. (ViX)

Starbase activities (2025-07-02):

• Jul 1st cryo delivery tally. (ViX)
• Launch site: The final two hold-down clamp arms are delivered. (ViX)
• Three more hold-down clamp arms are installed on the Pad 2 launch mount, bringing the total to 19. (ViX)
• A section of the LOX booster quick disconnect is lifted up to the Pad 2 quick disconnect ground support equipment bunker, and the the LR11000 crane prepares to lift the final clamp hold-down arm. (ViX)
• Timelapse compilation of all hold-down clamp arm deliveries. (ViX)
• Modifications are made to the ship transport stand. (Starship Gazer, Gisler 1, Gisler 2)

Starbase activities (2025-07-03):

• Jul 2nd cryo delivery tally. (ViX)
• Launch site: The second section of the LOX booster quick disconnect hood is lifted up to the Pad 2 ground support equipment bunker. (ViX)
• The final hold-down clamp arm is installed, bringing the total to 20. Timelapse compilation of all installations from ViX.
• Legs are added to the ship transport stand turned static fire stand, indicating that it will be attached to the top deck of the launch mount, rather than interfacing with the hold-down clamps. (Golden)
• Build site: Hot staging ring moves from Megabay 1 back to Starfactory. (ViX)

Starbase activities (2025-07-04):

• Jul 3rd cryo delivery tally. (ViX)
• Massey’s: Some pumps and pump motors are removed from the tank farm. (ViX)
• Build site: Starfactory nosecone photos from Starship Gazer. (S39, S40, S41, S42, S43, S44)

Starbase activities (2025-06-20):

• Jun 19th cryo delivery tally. (ViX)
• Massey’s: Harry Stranger shares a recent satellite photo of Massey’s after the failure of S36. (Stranger, UmbraSpace)
• A crane is observed at work, the first indication of SpaceX personnel returning to the site following the S36 incident. (LabPadre, ViX)

Starbase activities (2025-06-21):

• Jun 20th cryo delivery tally. (ViX)
• Launch site: Two Movac tanks are delivered, one near the Pad 2 deluge system and the other near the tank farm offload area. (ViX 1, ViX 2)
• Massey’s: Clean up continues. (ViX)
• Build site: “Baby Raptors” spotted. Possibly intended to pressurize the Pad 2 deluge system. (Killip / Golden)

Starbase activities (2025-06-22):

• Jun 21st cryo delivery tally. (ViX)
• Launch site: Following an overnight test fit, one of the corner pipe sections to join the manifolds for launch mount 2 is lifted back into place. (ViX)

Starbase activities (2025-06-23):

• Jun 22nd cryo delivery tally. (ViX)
• Build site: The Malcolm continuous flight auger drill is moved into place. The auger bit is on site, but not yet installed. (ViX)
• A new water cooled flame bucket top ridge piece is spotted. (Starship Gazer)
• Massey’s: Clean up continues, with debris being sorted into piles and loaded onto transports. (ViX)

Starbase activities (2025-06-24):

• Jun 23rd cryo delivery tally. (ViX)
• Launch site: 20 tankers of water are delivered. (ViX)
• Massey’s: Clean up continues. (ViX)
• A crane tips over while lifting a portion of S36 debris. (Golden, ViX)
• RGV Aerial post recent flyover photos.
• Build site: The continues flight auger moves back to the staging area next to Starfactory, a stand moves from Sanchez into the factory, and a palm tree is relocated. (ViX)
• Hot staging adapter moves Starfactory towards Megabay 1. (ViX)

Starbase activities (2025-06-25):

• Jun 24th cryo delivery tally. (ViX)
• Jun 24th addendum: Hot staging adapter enters Megabay 1. (ViX)
• Build site: Gigabay footprint is cleared, augers move towards the continuous flight auger equipment, and geotextile is laid over the ground. (ViX 1, ViX 2)
• Launch site: Unusual movement of the LR11000 crane. (ViX)
• Massey’s: Remains of the static fire stand. (Starship Gazer, Gisler 1, Gisler 2, Gisler 3)
• Remains of S36. (Starship Gazer, Gisler 1, Gisler 2, Gisler 3, Gisler 4, Gisler 5, Gisler 6, Gisler 7, Gisler 8, RGV Aerial)
• Damage to GSE tanks. (Gisler 1, Gisler 2)

Starbase activities (2025-06-26):

• Jun 25th cryo delivery tally. (ViX)
• Launch site: Two pairs of launch clamp load arms are delivered, for a total of four. (ViX 1, ViX 2)
• The LR11000 crane is briefly laid down for maintenance. (ViX)
• Build site: Video tour. (ViX)
• A white horizontal tank emerges from Starfactory. (ViX)
• Massey’s: Cleanup resumes, following the crane tip-over incident. (ViX)

Starbase activities (2025-06-27):

• Jun 26th cryo delivery tally. (ViX)
• Road delay is posted for Jun 27th 23:59 to Jun 28th 02:00, no purpose or locations specified. (ViX)
• Launch site: Overnight, two more hold-down clamp arms are installed on the Pad 2 launch mount. This brings the total to six, as four were preinstalled at Sanchez. (LabPadre, ViX)
• Overnight, four more hold-down clamp arms were delivered. (ViX, Gisler 1, Gisler 2)
• Massey’s: First tank farm venting since the S36 explosion. (LabPadre, ViX)
• Build site: Gigabay construction to start Jul 1st, 18 months to completion. (Anderson / TLDR Texas Gov)

Starbase activities (2025-06-28):

• Jun 27th cryo delivery tally. (ViX)
• Launch site: Overnight, an empty ship transport stand moves from the production site to Pad 1. (NSF, ViX, Starship Gazer 1, Starship Gazer 2, Starship Gazer 3)

Starbase activities (2025-06-29):

• Jun 28th cryo delivery tally. (ViX)
• Jun 28th addendum: Three more hold-down clamp arms are installed on the Pad 2 launch mount, bringing the total to 11. (ViX)
• Launch site: Cladding is installed on the launch mount facing side of Tower 2. (LabPadre)
• Two more hold-down clamp arms are delivered, bringing the total to 10. (ViX)

Starbase activities (2025-06-30):

• Jun 29th cryo delivery tally. (ViX)
• Launch site: Two more hold-down clamp arms are installed on the Pad 2 launch mount, bringing the total to 13. (ViX)
• A third new cross-braced vaporiser is delivered. (ViX)

McGregor activities:

• Jun 23rd: Raptor 3 SN19 is spotted today heading to the newest raptor test stand, Raptor South. (Swartz)
• Jun 27th: SN31 is just spotted leaving the testing facility, the highest SN seen so far. (Swartz)

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

Starship Development Thread July 2025