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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Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I’ve seen in this thread:
Fewer Letters More Letters CST (Boeing) Crew Space Transportation capsules ~ Central Standard Time (UTC-6) FAA Federal Aviation Administration FTS Flight Termination System Isp Specific impulse (as explained by Scott Manley on YouTube) ~ Internet Service Provider N1 Raketa Nositel-1, Soviet super-heavy-lift (“Russian Saturn V”) NET No Earlier Than NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, responsible for US generationmonitoring of the climateNSF NasaSpaceFlight forum ~ National Science Foundation OLM Orbital Launch Mount QD Quick-Disconnect RUD Rapid Unplanned Disassembly ~ Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly ~ Rapid Unintended Disassembly SECO Second-stage Engine Cut-Off SPMT Self-Propelled Mobile Transporter SSTO Single Stage to Orbit ~ Supersynchronous Transfer Orbit TFR Temporary Flight Restriction TPS Thermal Protection System for a spacecraft (on the Falcon 9 first stage, the engine “Dance floor”) Jargon Definition Raptor Methane-fueled rocket engine under development by SpaceX Starlink SpaceX’s world-wide satellite broadband constellation cryogenic Very low temperature fluid; materials that would be gaseous at room temperature/pressure ~ (In re: rocket fuel) Often synonymous with hydrolox dancefloor Attachment structure for the Falcon 9 first stage engines, below the tanks hopper Test article for ground and low-altitude work (eg. Grasshopper) hydrolox Portmanteau: liquid hydrogen fuel, liquid oxygen oxidizer iron waffle Compact “waffle-iron” aerodynamic control surface, acts as a wing without needing to be as large; also, “grid fin”
[Thread #16 for this sub, first seen 12th Nov 2023, 05:55] [FAQ] [Full list] [Contact] [Source code]