Tag: Starbase
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Booster 9 rolls to the upgraded Starbase pad ahead of Static Fire test
Booster 9 has arrived at the Orbital Launch Site ahead of a Static Fire test, which will also be used to validate repairs and upgrades of Starship’s launch pad. That rollout is a key milestone in the campaign ahead of the second flight of the world’s most powerful rocket. SpaceX has also started the test…
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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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SpaceX making more than 1,000 changes to next Starship rocket
SpaceX will debut numerous upgrades on the second launch of its full-scale Starship mega-rocket. Those upgrades include a major change in how the rocket’s two stages separate, propulsion system improvements, and a beefed-up launch pad in South Texas that should better withstand the blast from 33 main engines. “There are really a tremendous number of…
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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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OLM mods as vehicles shuffle in preparation for upcoming test flights
Starbase continues to find itself in the midst of preparing for the next test flight of Starship, following the events of Booster 7 and Ship 24’s rise into the South Texas sky. Modifications to the launch site are the main watch item, as it readies for the installation of steel plates and a water deluge…
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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…
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Live coverage: SpaceX’s Starship rocket explodes on test flight from Texas
Live coverage of the countdown and launch of SpaceX’s first full-scale Super Heavy booster and Starship rocket from Starbase, SpaceX’s development and test facility at Boca Chica Beach, Texas. Text updates will appear automatically below; there is no need to reload the page. Follow us on Twitter. [tabby title=”SFN Live”] [tabbyending]
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Video from Starbase: SpaceX prepares for second Starship launch attempt
Spaceflight Now’s Stephen Clark reports from Starbase in South Texas as SpaceX prepares the largest rocket in history for a second launch attempt after calling off a launch attempt Monday due to a valve problem. The next launch attempt is set for Thursday at 8:28 a.m. CDT (9:28 a.m. EDT; 1328 UTC). Email the author.…
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Elon Musk’s success criteria for Starship test flight: “Don’t blow up the launch pad”
SpaceX’s fully fueled Starship and Super Heavy booster during the first launch attempt Monday, April 17. Credit: SpaceX Elon Musk, SpaceX’s founder and CEO, did his best to set low expectations heading into the first test flight of the gargantuan Super Heavy booster and Starship rocket this week. “I would consider anything that does not…