FAQ
- When is the next Integrated Flight Test (IFT-2)?
No official date set, waiting on launch license. FAA completed the Starship Safety Review on Oct 31 and is continuing work on environmental review in consultation with Fish & Wildlife Service. Rumors, unofficial comments, web page spelunking, and an ambiguous SpaceX post coalesce around a possible flight window beginning Nov 13.
- Next steps before flight? Waiting on non-technical milestones including requalifying the flight termination system (likely done), the FAA post-incident review, and obtaining an FAA launch license. Unclear if SpaceX will perform an integrated B9/S25 wet dress rehearsal or proceed straight to launch after the FAA license issuance. It does not appear that the lawsuit alleging insufficient environmental assessment by the FAA or permitting for the deluge system will affect the launch timeline. Completed technical milestones since IFT-1 include building/testing a water deluge system, Booster 9 cryo tests, and simultaneous static fire/deluge tests.
- What ship/booster pair will be launched next? SpaceX confirmed that Booster 9/Ship 25 will be the next to fly. OFT-3 expected to be Booster 10, Ship 28 per a recent NSF Roundup.
- Why is there no flame trench under the launch mount? Boca Chica’s environmentally-sensitive wetlands make excavations difficult, so SpaceX’s Orbital Launch Mount (OLM) holds Starship’s engines ~20m above ground–higher than Saturn V’s 13m-deep flame trench. Instead of two channels from the trench, its raised design allows pressure release in 360 degrees. The newly-built flame deflector uses high pressure water to act as both a sound suppression system and deflector. SpaceX intends the deflector/deluge’s massive steel plates, supported by 50 meter-deep pilings, ridiculous amounts of rebar, concrete, and Fondag, to absorb the engines’ extreme pressures and avoid the pad damage seen in IFT-1.
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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 49 | Starship Dev 48 | Starship Dev 47 | Starship Dev 46
Official Starship Update | r/SpaceX Update Thread
Status
Road Closures
| Type | Start (CDT) | End (CDT) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Date | 2023-11-13 00:00 | 2023-11-13 14:00 | Possible Closure |
| Alternative Date | 2023-11-14 00:00 | 2023-11-14 14:00 | Possible Closure |
| Alternative Date | 2023-11-15 00:00 | 2023-11-15 14:00 | Possible Closure |
Up to date as of 2023-11-06
Vehicle Status
As of 2023-10-09
Follow Ring Watchers on Twitter and Discord for more.
| Ship | Location | Status | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| S20 | Rocket Garden | Retired | |
| S24 | Gulf of Mexico | Destroyed | Destroyed on during Flight Test 1 |
| S25 | Stacked on B9 | Spin Prime and Static Fire | |
| S26 | Test Stand B | Static fired Oct 20 | |
| S27 | Rocket Garden | Scrapped | Common dome imploded |
| S28 | Engine Install Stand | Raptors installed | Cryo test x2 |
| S29 | Rocket Garden | Cryo test x3 | |
| S30 | High Bay | Under construction | Aft flaps installed |
| S31 | High Bay | Under construction | Partially stacked |
| S32 | Build Site | Under construction | |
| S33 | Build Site | Parts spotted | |
| S34 | Build Site | Parts spotted |
| Booster | Location | Status | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-B7 & B8 | Scrapped or Retired | B4 is in the Rocket Garden, the rest are scrapped. | |
| B7 | Gulf of Mexico | Destroyed | Destroyed April 20th in Flight Test 1 |
| B9 | Launch mount | Awaiting WDR and launch | Static fire (August 5th) |
| B10 | Megabay 1 | Cryo test x4 | |
| B11 | Masseys | Cryo test x1 | |
| B12 | Megabay 1 | Under construction | Grid fins installed |
| B13 | Megabay 1 | Under construction | Partially stacked |
| B14 | Build Site | Parts under construction | |
| B15 | Build Site | Parts under construction |
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
Decent amount of activity at Starbase today:
- The chopsticks let go of S25
- Work continues on the OLM
- Clean up of OFT-1 debris continues
- There is now a giant net under the OLM for some reason: https://nitter.net/NASASpaceflight/status/1720610186434334800#m
SpaceX has announced “mid-November” as a NET launch date for IFT-2. The official SpaceX website now has a page for IFT-2, including an approximate timeline of events. MECO now stands for “most engines cut off”. Are they going from hot-staging straight into a boostback burn?
If the launch happens on 13th of Nov (which is a big if), I won’t be able to watch it live, sadly. Well, c’est la vie.
