Tag: Boca Chica
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Second Starbase Tower rises as SpaceX gears up to Flight Five
Following the successes of Flight Four in early June, SpaceX is preparing Ship 30 and Booster 12 ready for Flight Five ahead of a launch later this summer. All this is taking place while an incredible amount of infrastructure is being created and worked on at Starbase, including the new office building and the beginning…
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Starship’s 2023: after a year filled with milestones, Starship looks ahead to an exciting future
The Starship Program had its biggest year to date in 2023, with two full stack flights, massive changes to the launch pad and surrounding systems, extending testing at Masseys, and massive changes to the production site. Shipyard At the start of 2023, the Production Site still included the Windbreak, Midbay, and Tent 1 and 2.…
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After upgrades, Starship achieves numerous successes during second test flight
With the Federal Aviation Administration and US Fish and Wildlife Service approving the final signoff and license and SpaceX saying the rocket is ready, Starship set sail from Starbase on its second test flight Saturday. Liftoff at the first attempt followed only a one day slip to fix an issue with Booster 9’s grid fin…
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SpaceX receives launch license for second integrated flight test of Starship
SpaceX has received the modified license No. VOL 23-129 Rev. 1, which will allow them to fly its Starship-Super Heavy vehicle for the second time. This came shortly after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) confirmed the completion of their investigation into the new deluge system at the orbital launch site in Starbase. FWS…
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Second flight of Starship closing in on potential November launch
The flight of Booster 9 and Ship 25 is now in the final stage of preparations, focused on regulatory approval that will allow SpaceX to set a launch date. That target is currently tracking mid-November as the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) works on the final element of the FAA’s launch license via an updated…
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Starship Update: Booster 9 wearing a crown, construction, and HLS test article
Preparations are taking place at Starbase for the upcoming second Starship test flight, with Booster 9 expected to return to the launch site in the coming days following the installation of its hot staging ring. Future vehicles are also being prepared for flight. At the same time, long-term aspirations are being worked on, with an…
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SpaceX focuses on launch site readiness ahead of Starship Flight 2
Progress toward the second flight of the world’s most powerful launch vehicle continues to take place at Starbase. With Ship 25 passing its six-engine Static Fire test, the focus has returned to completing upgrades to the Orbital Launch Mount (OLM), with the installation of a steel plate water deluge system now taking place. That will…
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Ship 25 begins engine testing as Starship launch pad work continues
Two months after Starship’s first integrated test flight, engine testing is already underway for Ship 25, the ship that will fly on the second launch of Starship. At the same time, SpaceX is approaching the final stretch of completing the foundation work needed at the orbital launch mount (OLM) from where Super Heavy and Starship…
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SpaceX making progress toward next Starship test flights
Repairs following the maiden Starship flight and preparations ahead of the second launch are ongoing at Starbase, all while SpaceX is at an all-time high in terms of Starship vehicle production with a new ship and booster soon to be completed. The current star of the show is Ship 25, which — following some testing…
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SpaceX launches largest rocket ever built, but test flight ends in explosion
SpaceX’s Starship rocket, nearly 40 stories tall, climbs off its launch pad at the Starbase launch site in South Texas. Credit: Trevor Mahlmann / Spaceflight Now After years of anticipation, SpaceX launched the first test flight of its full-scale Starship rocket Thursday from South Texas, but the mission ended four minutes later as the vehicle…