Tag: Starbase
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Eye on the future, as SpaceX prepare Pad 2 and Block 3 at Starbase
As SpaceX prepares for Flight 11 of Starship, the company is also making significant strides at its Starbase facility in South Texas, with an eye to the future. Pad 2 at the launch site is edging closer to operational readiness, and the first Block 3 vehicle is set to fly from this pad on Flight…
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Ten flights in, the Starship Program has had successes and failures
SpaceX has had a long journey through 10 flight tests of Starship. Teams have endured explosions and failures, but also achieved triumphs through amazing reentries, catches of Boosters, and even the reuse of a Booster. After 10 flights of Starship, the Program stands on the doorstep of a new generation of vehicles and possible ship…
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The Starship Program rises from the ashes of Block 2 with Ship 37
Going into Flight 10, SpaceX was having a down year with the Starship program. Following the successes of Block 1, the hope was to have immediate success with Block 2 and possibly catch a Starship in 2025. However, with four straight ship failures, including one during ground testing, SpaceX needed a win. Flight 10 gave…
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Ship 37 Completes the Redemption Arc and Lands in the Indian Ocean
SpaceX had not experienced much success with the Block 2 version of Starship since its introduction earlier this year. What was intended to usher in a new era for the program, including a possible ship catch in 2025, has instead devolved into SpaceX repeatedly attempting to achieve the same objectives that were targeted across several…
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Launch preview: SpaceX tries for third time to launch Starship Flight 10 from Starbase, Texas
SpaceX’s Starship rocket is pictured at sunset at Starbase, Texas, following a mission scrub for Flight 10 on Monday, Aug. 25, 2025. Image: SpaceX SpaceX is hoping that with two successive days of scrubs behind it, it will be able to launch its massive Starship rocket on its third launch attempt on Tuesday evening. It’s…
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Poor weather delays Starship Flight 10 to Tuesday
Several people wander the dunes surrounding Launch Pad A at Starbase, Texas, to marvel at the fully integrated Starship rocket designed to launch Starship Flight 10. Image: Stephen Clark / Ars Technica Update Aug. 25, 8:22 p.m. EDT: An anvil cloud forced a mission scrub. The launch is now scheduled for no earlier than Tuesday…
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SpaceX has built the machine to build the machine. But what about the machine?
STARBASE, Texas—I first visited SpaceX’s launch site in South Texas a decade ago. Driving down the pocked and barren two-lane road to its sandy terminus, I found only rolling dunes, a large mound of dirt, and a few satellite dishes that talked to Dragon spacecraft as they flew overhead. A few years later, in mid-2019,…
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Starbase Pad 2: Design Advancements from Pad 1
SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, continues to evolve as the company pushes the boundaries of rocket development with its Starship program. Following the operational experience gained from Pad 1, significant design advancements have been implemented for Pad 2, aiming to enhance efficiency, reliability, and safety for future Starship launches. This includes key modifications…
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Launch Roundup: SpaceX, Chinese, and Russian missions make up busy week
Two Chinese rockets, a pair of Russian missions, a trio of Falcon 9 launches, a New Shepard, an Electron, and the long-awaited tenth flight of Starship were scheduled to fly this week. In Russia, a Soyuz rocket launched a modernized version of the Vostok capsule that flew crewed missions in the 1960s from Baikonur, while…
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FAA approves Starship Flight 10 after mishap probe, eyes August 24 launch
SpaceX has received clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to conduct the 10th test flight of its Starship rocket, with a targeted launch date of August 24. The approval for Flight 10 comes after the closure of an investigation into anomalies during the vehicle’s previous mission, marking a key step forward in SpaceX’s test…