Tag: Starship
-
Flight 12 vehicles readying for 2026 opener
SpaceX is rapidly advancing the assembly of Super Heavy Booster 19 at its Starbase facility, completing stacking before the end of December, minimizing delays to the program’s next orbital flight test following the failure of Booster 18 last month. With Ship 39 also at an advanced stage of preparation, both vehicles will next undergo a…
-
SpaceX advances Starbase upgrades at the launch site
SpaceX continues rapid infrastructure improvements at its Starbase facility in South Texas, with demolition work progressing on the original Pad 1 while construction and testing advance on the newer Pad 2, along with a new ASU facility for on-site commodities. These efforts are aimed at supporting future versions of the Starship vehicle and increasing launch…
-
SpaceX Roberts Road a focal point for East Coast Starship preparations
SpaceX’s Roberts Road facility, the company’s primary hub for Starship operations on Florida’s Space Coast, is experiencing a surge of activity as the company prepares for a significant increase in Starship launches from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in 2026 and beyond. A major milestone in 2025 was the return of…
-
SpaceX gets Environmental Approval for Starship at SLC-37
After waiting the requisite time for an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), SpaceX now has environmental approval to build a Starship launch complex at SLC-37. Not much has changed between the draft and final EISs, but there is still tons of information about where the launch pads will be built, along with some new statistics on…
-
Booster 19 stacking begins as SpaceX pushes forward from B18 anomaly
Following the anomaly with Booster 18, SpaceX is pushing ahead with the construction of Booster 19 and the subsequent testing of the Block 3 test tanks. However, ahead of Flight 12, there are still many milestones to finish, including building a new booster and completing the new launch pad. Booster 18, Booster 19, B18.1, and…
-
SpaceX’s Newest Starship Booster Suffers Major Damage During Early Test in South Texas
SpaceX’s latest Starship first-stage booster sustained significant damage during pre-launch testing early Friday in South Texas, marking a setback for the company’s next-generation rocket program. The vehicle, known as Booster 18 and representing the first “Version 3” Starship design, was rolled out only a day earlier as SpaceX announced the start of its test campaign.…
-
Booster 18 suffers anomaly during proof testing
SpaceX rolled out the next generation of Starship to Masseys for testing, but during a routine gas system pressure test as SpaceX calls it, the Liquid Oxygen Tank ruptured. This leaves SpaceX with no Block 3 Boosters to test with after just finishing stacking Booster 18, 16 days ago. Booster 18 See Also SpaceX Starship…
-
Preparing pads for SpaceX’s future Starship cadence
As SpaceX ramps up production and testing of its Starship vehicles and engines, significant advancements are unfolding across key launch infrastructure, ranging from the readiness of Pad 2 at Starbase and 39A at KSC to the demolition of parts of Pad 1 ahead of its alignment with SpaceX’s standardized launch site for the future. From…
-
SpaceX Marks 500th Reused-Rocket Orbital Mission With Launch of EU Ocean-Mapping Satellite
SpaceX launched a European ocean-monitoring satellite from California early Monday, completing the company’s 500th orbital mission using a flight-proven rocket booster. The Sentinel-6B spacecraft lifted off atop a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 12:21 a.m. EST (0521 GMT). “Sentinel-6B rising, extending nearly four decades of the precise sea-level record from space,” NASA…
-
SpaceX progress on Starship Pad realignment for the future
SpaceX has intensified demolition efforts at Starbase’s Pad 1, in tandem with making significant steps toward constructing an advanced launch infrastructure for its Starship program at Starbase and the Kennedy Space Center. Eventually, all three pads are expected to be near mirrors of each other, hosting the next generation Starship launches. Over at Starbase’s Pad…