Starbase Sunday - The Return
We welcome everyone back for Starbase Sundays! This upgraded series will cover the most important events happening in Starbase and McGregor, week by week, and they will be better, more constant, and more detailed than the previous ones.
A series of issues prevented us from writing the previous series, so we made a series of key decisions that will hopefully increase your experience as a reader; we encourage you to write to us in the comments for whatever improvement we might make. Thanks, and have a good read!
June 2nd - Monday
The new week started with a busy day, following last week’s Flight 9 of Starship (you can find an article about it here)!
Crews kept working at Pad A refurbishment, particularly focusing on the BQD (Booster Quick Disconnect): this piece of hardware is composed of several lines, protected by a hood and a door, that attach to the Booster QD and fuel the Super Heavy Booster; so you can understand that this is a really important piece of equipment… unfortunately, it sustained severe damage during this flight: it looks like Booster 14 conducted the pitch over maneuver earlier than planned, and this caused the plume of hot gases to hit the BQD, when it was closing. This bent and warped the steel of the door and the front enclosure, as well as damaged some internal components, so it will likely receive more repairs before it’s ready for use.
Nearby, at Pad B, there was some interesting action during the day: starting from the night, a Malcolm CFA (Continuous Flight Auger) drill rig was moved between 2 locations. A CFA is a method of drilling holes, that involves such machine: first, the CFA drills into the ground, moving dirt aside like a spiral; once it has reached the desired depth, it is brought out while concrete is poured from the bottom up; once the CFA is out, a steel cage is inserted into the ground for reinforcement. This can allow for cheaper, easier, and more resistant foundations.
Up in the air, higher from the ground, Pad B chopsticks conducted testing in late afternoon, by being raised to the top of the tower before raising the landing rails and conducting a few catch simulations! As a reminder, Ship catches will be performed using these chopsticks, so it’s critical to test them as much as possible… for now, the first Ship catch is scheduled for NET Flight 11, while Elon Musk recently announced a 2-3 months timeline, which would put the first Ship catch attempt in August/September, although this date is likely to slip.
But we’re not done yet, because crews have also been busy during the day securing the BQD hood for Pad B’s OLM; this hood is attached to a crane and will stay like that until it is safely secured on the OLM.
A little farther away, let’s stop by the production site, where not much activity was seen during the day: many diggers worked throughout the day to set aside mountains of debris from the demolition of the High Bay, which were then picked up by trucks. High Bay’s demolition took 66 days, and it was completed a few days ago to make space for the Gigabay: this bay will be the biggest bay ever constructed by SpaceX: to make a comparison, the Megabays have 5 work tables each… Gigabay will have 24! So they will be able to store up to 24 vehicles at a time! And these vehicles will reach heights of up to 81m!
Speaking of Gigabay, a sheet piling rig was spotted, maybe for Gigabay work.
Now, let’s go down the road to SpaceX’s Massey’s test site, where Ship 37 and B18.1 are being tested: S37 conducted cryo tests a few days ago, and it is now staying at Massey’s, maybe waiting for the area at the production site to clear before passing. However, there’s a road delay scheduled from 10pm to 4am of June 3rd/4th, so we will likely see it roll this week.
But our focus goes to B18.1, a test article for Block 2 Boosters that was first spotted on March 26th; you may also know it as TT17 (Test Tank 17). Anyway, this test tank is composed of a fwd dome section joined with a common dome, an aft section, and more barrels between them. An interesting feature are 2 holes that should serve as the 2 BQD ports. After rolling to Massey’s in early May B18.1 has undergone a cryo test on May 28th, and another, more aggressive test, starting on June 2nd: at 5:30pm CDT, the road to Massey’s was closed, and propellant loading started a few minutes later. After completion at 7:13pm, it was held at pressure for several hours, and then… pass onto the next day to learn more!
June 3rd - Tuesday
Let’s start our journey right where we left, at Massey’s, with B18.1 undergoing a stress test: after holding pressure for more than 6 hours, big vents were seen just before 2am CDT, and it seemed like it was about to be detanked. However, as of late afternoon, B18.1 is still frosty… they’re really testing this test article! A little later in the afternoon, S37 began its journey back home, but it entered Highway 4 to go to the production site late that night.
Now, let’s go to the production site, where we saw a bunch of interesting activities, much more than yesterday, beginning with Raptor spotting! A Raptor sea-level engine was spotted exiting MB2 shortly after midnight, heading to Sanchez; this engine was likely slated for S36, and the reasons for its move are unknown, but it’s interesting to note!
Meanwhile, a couple of hours later, the Booster Transport Stand (BTS) entered MB1… this move is likely for Booster 16’s static fire, so the repairs to the BQD at Pad A might’ve been faster than we thought, as B16’s roll nears. As a reminder, Shana Diez on X has revealed that Booster 16 will fly on Flight 10 and attempt to be caught, while Booster 15 will be launched for its second and final time on Flight 11… I say final because it’s going to conduct a repeat of Booster 14-2’s descent profile, and therefore be expended into the Gulf of Mexico. And, as scheduled, later in the day B16 was lifted onto the BTS, and rolled out of MB1.
Heading out to the pads, starting with Pad B, we saw the aforementioned CFA drilling rig drill some holes in the same process I already explained; it drilled a few holes in a couple of hours, a testament to this method’s speed and efficiency. Meanwhile, the new BQD hood was still worked on today!
Going to nearby Pad A, additional cladding panels were added to the base of the tower, requiring the chopsticks to be lifted out of the way: cladding basically involves adding a layer on top of another for protection… usually the protection is against environmental conditions, but in this case it’s against 33 powerful beasts!
June 4th - Wednesday
Today we start at the production site, where Booster 16 departed at 1am to reach the launch site for its engine qualification campaign, including at least 1 static fire with all 33 engines! After entering Highway 4, it rolled down in the middle of the night, and reached the launch site (see below for more).
Later in the morning, we saw the first signs of Gigabay construction, which follows Highbay’s demolition: a few piles were drilled into the ground, which was leveled and made “tidy”, free from all the debris from the demolition of the High Bay.
Down at Pad A, B16 made its way through in the middle of the night, and was put between the chopsticks, which then proceeded to secure the vehicle by attaching to the lift and stabilizer points. In the morning, it was then lifted on the OLM, a longer lift than normal, but they made it in the end. In the evening, the chopsticks were raised to the top of the tower, and the SQD (Ship Quick Disconnect) arm was swung open, all in position for a static fire!
June 5th - Thursday - Static fire attempt
- At the launch site, the OLM work platform (also known as dancefloor, which is put under the OLM to allow for inspections of engines and plumbing) and the BTS were rolled away and parked near Starhopper.
-Operations to clear the pad began at around 09:30am, although it seemed to be a little busier than usual, as many workers were on the OLM deck checking something on the Booster; however, the pad was cleared by 12.20pm for a static fire attempt, and the pope vent began shortly afterwards.
-At 12:57, the OLM vent began: this important vent marks the chilldown process of the lines that bring propellant from the ground tanks to the Booster! Once this vent stops, it means that propellant is being loaded into the Booster, and this milestone came at 13:35, confirming that propellant was being loaded on Booster 16!
-At 13:55:42, another important event happened, which helped us determine the timeline of the static fire: to the right side of the tower, we saw a vent that marked engine chill, the process through which a small amount of cryogenic propellants is ran through the turbomachinery of Raptor to cool it down and prevent thermal shock at ignition.
This comes precisely at T-19m40s, both during static fires and launches, so unless SpaceX would hold at T-40s, that meant that static fire was scheduled for 14:15:22!
-Minutes passed by, awaiting the next big milestone, which came at 14:12:42… the OLM vent resumed, marking the end of propellant loading with the LOX tank almost fully fueled, and the CH4 tank fueled by a few rings. This event comes at T-3m20s, so that meant a small delay to the static fire time, with a T0 at 14:16:02… would it happen?
-Unfortunately it wasn’t SpaceX’s lucky day: at 14:15:35, supposedly at T-27s from the static fire, we heard a vent… the depress vent… but what is it? And how can you recognize it? Well, the depress vent is a collective name for a bunch of vents on the top of the Booster that are responsible for quickly and uniformly depressurize the Booster in the case of an abort, to avoid problems such as overpressurization; so if you hear a long vent noise with venting from the top of the Booster, that’s an abort, and it’s exactly what we saw here.
Frost started lowering a few minutes later. It took about 2.5 hours to detank, and the road was reopened at 17:00.
The rest of the day at Pad A was spent working on the Booster and troubleshooting whatever issue was encountered.
At the production site, we saw the long-awaited A5:4 section of B18 rolling from Starfactory to MB1, where the first Block 3 Booster is being stacked! Additionally, there was also an aft flap delivered to MB2, likely for installation on S36, which could be going for static fire next week.
And finally, sheet piles kept being installed for Gigabay construction!
June 6th - Friday - Static fire and IFT-4 anniversary
The 2nd time was the charm for SpaceX, as they performed a successful static fire of Booster 16 today!
-It all started with the road closure in the morning, a few hours after the start of the window, and this was followed by the clearing of the pad and the pope vent.
-Then, at 12:02:35 pm the OLM vent started, and I’m sure you know the drill by now, but in case you don’t: this vent marks the beginning of the chilldown process of the lines that bring propellant from the ground tanks to the Booster; basically, these lines need to be chilled down to really low temperatures to avoid being damaged by cryogenics when they pass, and to avoid evaporation of the cryogenics due to the high temperature.
The chilldown process was really quick this time, since the vent stopped at 12:25, marking the start of propellant loading.
-At 12:45:12, we saw the engine chill vent begin: this procedure involves chilling down the Raptor engines by passing cryogenic propellant through them, to avoid thermal shock at ignition. This meant the timeline was at T-19m40s, with a possible T0 set at 13:04:52.
-At 13:02:09 the OLM vent resumed, marking the end of propellant loading.
-And then, fire! At 13:04:00, the Detonation Suppression System started: this is a bunch of water and nitrogen that’s sprayed under the OLM to prevent explosions and fires, which comes at about T-20s. This was followed by the Water Deluge System at 13:04:15, using an incredible amount of water thrown from under the OLM to prevent damages to the infrastructure, and it comes at about T-5s!
Finally, at 13:04:19, the first batch of 13 engines ignited, followed less than 1 second later by the second batch of 15 engines, and lastly the third batch of 5 engines less than 1 second later! Shutdown occurred at 13:04:27, marking the end of a successful static fire test!
Following the successful test, detanking operations began, and the road was reopened at 15:42.
The rest of the day at Pad A continued with inspections on the Booster and the launch site, and preparation for its incoming lift, with the BTS (Booster Transport Stand) coming at the launch site late that night.
June 7th - Saturday
We start at Pad B, where 2 new vertical tanks arrived shortly after midnight. After unloading, inspections, and preparations, the first of these tanks was lifted and installed over the course of 2 hours in the middle of the night, first by the LR11k crane and then by a smaller one.
The second tank was lifted in the same way, over 1 hour in the early afternoon! We don’t know yet what these tanks may be for.
Later that afternoon, the second section of the BQD (Booster Quick Disconnect) cover for Pad B was delivered! This section will be lifted and installed just under the hood, which was installed last week.
Going nearby at Pad A, it was a bit of a weird lift for Booster 16: over the course of the night, the SQD arm was retracted, and the chopsticks lowered and hugged the Booster, securing to it and ready for lift; this lift came in the early morning, just after dawn, and Booster 16 was interestingly lifted to the top of the tower, something that previous boosters skipped. After remaining there for several minutes, it began translating over the transport stand, and it descended in just 7 minutes, an unprecedented pace! But as always, it was a bit of a problem to get it on the BTS safely: there were several issues to get it into the proper alignment, before engaging the stabilizer pins on the BTS (which help keep the Booster steady). After they were engaged, the stabilizer arms on the chopsticks let go of the Booster, causing an uneven distribution of the weight, which is why at least one of these arms should stay attached at all times; and then, for some weird reason, the stabilizer pins gave out, and nothing held the Booster
Traveling at nearby Pad A, it was a bit of a day for Booster 16: preparations for its lift were ongoing throughout the night, first retracting the SQD arm and then lowering the chopsticks, attaching them to the Booster: when chopsticks attach to a Booster, they lift it by the catch points, but there are also 2 points below named “stabilizers”, which serve the purpose of stabilizing the Booster during a lift; remember this because it will be important for later.
Shortly after dawn, Booster 16 was lifted off the OLM and raised to catch height at the top of the tower, where it remained for about 20 minutes before translating over the BTS: it then only took 7 minutes to go from the top of the tower to the transport stand, an unprecedented speed in such case. Once it was over the BTS, there were several issues in getting it aligned, so teams used what are called “stabilizer pins”: these pins are used both on the BTS and the OLM, and they serve the purpose of keeping the Booster stable when it’s in the air, and help with alignment and orientation. Since the stabilizer pins were installed, the stabilizer arms (connected to the aforementioned stabilizer points) were disconnected, leaving Booster steadiness just to the stabilizer pins down below. The release of the stabilizer arms caused an uneven distribution of weight, which is why usually at least 1 always must remain attached to the Booster; this uneven distribution of weight was kept steady by the stabilizer pins below, until they both gave out… with nothing to hold the Booster still, it swung towards the side, bumping the BTS multiple times before stopping. This may have caused slight damage to the BTS and/or to the engine shielding and Raptor nozzles; as a result, the stabilizer arms were reattached and the stabilizer pins put in, and after a few attempts of securing the clamps, it was finally put on the transport stand. The road delay for rollback, initially set for 5-9 am, was delayed to 22 pm-2 am due to these problems.
Around 22, it then started rolling towards the production site for repairs and pre-launch preparations: if all goes according to plan, the next time it’s going to roll to the launch site will be for Flight 10.
Meanwhile, at the production site, Gigabay construction continued, with more sheet piles being driven into the ground.
Raptor testing
These sections will be placed at the bottom of the article for now, but tell us whether you would like them elsewhere, like at the bottom of every day for example!
June 2nd
- Raptor vertical - 09:11:43 - 140s / 2m20s
- Raptor vertical - 15:53:10 - 51s
- Raptor south - 16:41:14 - 30s
- Raptor south - 16:41:53 - 20s
- Raptor south - 16:50:40 - 20s
Total fire time: 261s / 4m21s
-Raptor vertical: 191s / 3m11s
-Raptor south: 70s / 1m10s
June 3rd
- Raptor vertical - 10:10:46 - 64s / 1m4s
- Raptor horizontal - 10:11:36 - 387s / 6m27s
- Raptor vertical - 15:20:25 - 52s
- Raptor horizontal - 16:13:48 - 300s / 5m
- Raptor vertical - 20:42:35 - 52s
Total fire time: 855s / 14m15s
-Raptor vertical: 168s / 2m48s
-Raptor horizontal: 687s / 11m27s
June 4th
- Raptor horizontal - 11:48:04 - 300s
- Raptor vertical - 16:49:22 - 52s
- Raptor south - 17:19:47 - 1s
- Raptor south - 17:20:02 - 1s
Total fire time: 354s / 5m54s
-Raptor vertical: 52s
-Raptor horizontal: 300s / 5m
-Raptor south: 2s
June 5th
- Raptor horizontal - 10:55:10 - 207s / 3m27s
- Raptor south - 12:07:00 - 1s
- Raptor south - 12:07:02 - 1s
- Raptor horizontal - 14:20:35 - 142s / 2m22s
Total fire time: 351s / 5m51s
-Raptor horizontal: 349s / 5m49s
-Raptor south: 2s
June 6th
- Raptor horizontal - 11:06:58 - 186s / 3m6s
- Raptor south - 16:56:21 - 30s
- Raptor horizontal - 19:40:37 - 184s / 3m4s
Total fire time: 400s / 6m40s
-Raptor horizontal: 370s / 6m10s
-Raptor south: 30s
Weekly stats
Total fire time: 2221s / 37m1s
-Raptor horizontal: 1706s / 28m26s
-Raptor vertical: 411s / 6m51s
-Raptor south: 104s / 1m44s
References
Starbase Live: 24/7 Starship & Super Heavy Development From SpaceX's Boca Chica Facility
McGregor Live: 24/7 SpaceX Engine Testing & Development for Starship and Falcon 9 Rockets
