After Hurricane Beryl passed through the Brownsville area without seriously damaging Starbase, preparations for Starship Flight 5 advanced to a new level with the launch of Booster 12 to the Orbital Launch Site and subsequent static fire on Monday, July 15.
While Booster 12 is being tested, assembly is also underway for the second Starbase launch tower at Pad B and the Starfactory has had new equipment delivered. SpaceX also proposes to increase the Starship flight cadence from Starbase to 25 flights and landings per year, as the hardware is seen for Starship Block 2.
SPEED 12
The Super Heavy booster to be used for Flight 5, Booster 12, was launched from Mega Bay 1 at the Orbital Launch Site on Tuesday, July 9 to prepare for critical tests to prove the booster’s flightability. The booster was lifted into Pad A’s orbital launch assembly from Mechazilla’s “stick” wings that evening.
Testing of Booster 12 began with a partial propellant load on Thursday, July 11, and may have been testing propellant discharge after a Mechazilla wing grab. On Friday, July 12, the booster performed a prime spin test with 33 engines. “Spin prime” is when the thrusters are loaded and the turbopumps of the engines spin up to flight speed, but the engines do not fire.
This was the first spin performed on a Super Heavy since Booster 9 performed one in August 2023, perhaps to test internal improvements to the booster or just out of caution to make sure the vehicle is working properly as it will have a capture attempt on Flight 5 .
The next step beyond the spin premium was static fire. A static fire was conducted at 10:13 a.m. CDT (15:13 UTC) on Monday, July 15, and appeared to be eight seconds long.
The booster grid fins, used to guide the vehicle through the atmosphere for its recovery to the launch site, were tested by moving through their range of motion. The shuttle’s quick-detach arm up in the tower was also moved several times to test its function.
Booster 12 is at Launch Pad A before pre-flight testing. (Credit: Jack Beyer for NSF/L2)
Booster 12 appears to have upgrades from previous Super Heavy vehicles. These include a new flight termination system box, designed to enable a rapid destruction of the missile in the event of an anomaly. Four Starlink antenna mounts are also present, as well as new “remove before flight” covers for the Raptor’s quick-mount disconnects.
There are shutdowns now scheduled for this coming week that can be used for testing, including the static firing that occurred. The main shutdown was on Monday, July 15 from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM CDT (11:00 AM to 11:00 PM UTC). Secondary closures are set for Tuesday, July 16 and Wednesday, July 17 at the same times, although if the test is successful, they may not be used.
Tower Module 1 is landing at the base of the Pad B launch tower at the Orbital Launch Site. (Credit: Jack Beyer for NSF/L2)
MIRROR START B
The Orbital Launch Site is getting a second launch pad, which will enable SpaceX to increase the launch cadence of the Starship program. Pad B, as the second pad is known, can also be useful in case a problem takes Pad A out of action for a significant amount of time.
Pad B’s launch tower has already installed its base and the base appears to have incorporated the lessons learned from Pad A. The first element of the new launch tower is now installed on the base. This segment was installed on July 11th and Tower Module 2 is now shared on the Pad B site.
In other turret section news, Turret Modules 4 and 5, with additional equipment to enable the quick-detach arm to be moved higher up the turret to support future versions of the Starship, have been moved to Starbase from port Brownsville. All nine modules of the new tower, which are pre-equipped with electrical and liquid lines, are now either at the Starbase Sanchez site or at Pad B.
A tower module in motion upon arrival in Texas. (Credit: Jack Beyer for NSF/L2)
Pad B is a key element of increasing the Starship launch cadence from Starbase, which SpaceX now proposes to increase to 25 Starship system launches as well as 25 Starship landings and 25 Super Heavys per year. SpaceX filed a request to increase the cadence from the 10 launches currently allowed per year with the FAA, and the draft level environmental assessment (EA) is scheduled to be released later this month. Public meetings for this draft MR are scheduled for Tuesday, August 13, Thursday, August 15, and Tuesday, August 20, 2024.
Two meetings are scheduled for August 13. The first meeting is from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM CDT (6:00 PM to 8:00 PM UTC) and the second meeting is from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM CDT (10:30 PM UTC Tuesday to 00:30 UTC Wednesday, August 14.) Both meetings are at the South Padres City Convention Center.
We are committed to evaluating the environmental impacts of all FAA-licensed commercial space operations. We will hold public meetings at @SpaceX‘s proposal to increase the number of Starship/Super Heavy Vehicle takeoffs and landings at Boca Chica, TX. https://t.co/nqmmKrVMcB pic.twitter.com/PGzamCSHa0
— FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) July 12, 2024
The next two-match series is set for August 15, with the first meeting also from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM CDT (6:00 PM to 8:00 PM UTC.) The second meeting is also from 5:00 PM: 30 to 7:30 PM CDT (22:30 UTC Thursday to 00:30 UTC Friday, August 16). This time, however, the meetings will be at the Port Isabel Events and Cultural Center.
The final scheduled public meeting for the draft MR is a virtual online meeting. It is scheduled for August 20 from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM CDT (10:30 PM UTC Tuesday to 12:30 AM UTC Wednesday, August 21). Apart from flight cadence, this EA also deals with vehicle upgrades.
In addition to the request for up to 25 launches per year from Starbase, SpaceX is also planning up to 44 Starship launches per year from LC-39A at the Kennedy Space Center as well as up to 76 launches per year from SLC-37B. That will amount to up to 145 Starship launches a year – a rocket more powerful than the Saturn V that launched the Apollo missions to the Moon.
A possible redesigned wing for carrying the Orbital Launch Mount was seen during a flyover of SpaceX’s McGregor facility in Texas. (Credit: Gary Blair for NSF)
STARFACTORY, SHIP 33, ETC.
The giant Starfactory has now received its gantry crane as it nears completion. In addition to the Starfactory, work has also continued on upgrading the tank farm for the Orbital Launch Zone. Work is still ongoing on Ship 30’s heat shield plates in the High Bay and Ship 31 is in Mega Bay 2 after being tested at Masseys. In addition, a nose section for Ship 33 – the first Block 2 vehicle – has now been seen at the Starbase.
The front fins for the new version are mounted further forward in the nose, further away from the belly and its heat shield plates, and they are also thinner than the fins of the original flight version. A possible flyby of an operational payload bay for a Block 2 spacecraft has also been seen, indicating that SpaceX is closer to operational flights of the system. Full-size Starlink v3 satellites are expected to be the first operational payloads flown by Starship.
Starbase skyline at night. (Credit: Sean Doherty for NSF/L2)
The tests Booster 12 is undergoing are critical to getting Flight 5 off the ground, but the flight time may depend on how long it takes to upgrade the heat shields on Ship 30. The FAA also needs to approve a license modification because of the effort planned capture for the in-flight booster.
While preparations for Flight 5 are underway, the next version of Starship is taking shape and preparing for flight in 2025. Operational flights and their equipment are being improved, although the company’s currently operational satellite launch vehicle – the Falcon 9 – is working towards a return to flight after the Starlink 9-3 failure on July 11.
(Main image: Booster 12 test firing on July 15, 2024. Credit: Sean Doherty for NSF)
