After Hurricane Beryl passed through the Brownsville area without seriously damaging Starbase, preparations for Starship Flight 5 were advanced to a new level with the launch of Booster 12 to the orbital launch pad and subsequent static fire on Monday, July 15.
While Booster 12 is being tested, arrangements are also underway for the second Starbase launch tower on Pad B, and the Starfactory has had new equipment delivered. SpaceX also proposes to increase the cadence of Starship flights from Starbase to 25 flights and landings per year as the hardware is seen for Starship Block 2.
BOOSTER 12
The super-heavy booster that will be used for Flight 5, Booster 12, was brought from Mega Bay 1 to the orbital launch pad on Tuesday, July 9, to be prepared for critical tests to prove the booster’s flightworthiness. The booster was lifted onto Pad A’s orbital launch pad by Mechazilla’s “wands” that evening.
Tests of Booster 12 began with a partial fuel load on Thursday, July 11, and tests related to fuel unloading after capture with Mechazilla’s weapons may have been performed. On Friday, July 12, the booster conducted a primary test with 33 engines. The “initial spin” is when the propellants are loaded and the engines’ turbopumps spin up to flight speed, but the engines do not fire.
This was the first major spin performed on the Super Heavy since Booster 9 performed one in August 2023, possibly to test internal upgrades to the booster or simply as a precaution to ensure the vehicle was operating properly as it would have attempt to capture Flight 5.
The next step after centrifugation was static fire. A static fire occurred at 10:13 a.m. CDT (15:13 UTC) on Monday, July 15, and appeared to last eight seconds.
The booster’s lattice fins, used to guide the vehicle through the atmosphere for its recovery at the launch site, were tested by moving through their range of motion. The ship’s quick disconnect arm high on the turret was also moved several times to test its function.
Booster 12 is at launch pad A before pre-flight testing. (Credit: Jack Beyer for NSF/L2)
Booster 12 appears to have upgrades from previous super heavy vehicles. These include a new canister with a flight termination system designed to allow rapid destruction of the missile in the event of an anomaly. Four Starlink antenna fittings are also available, as well as new “remove before flight” covers for the Raptor’s quick disconnects.
There are now planned closures for next week that can be used for testing, including the static launch that has been done. The first closure was on Monday, July 15, from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. CDT (11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. UTC). Secondary closures are set for Tuesday July 16 and Wednesday July 17 at the same time, but if the test is successful they may not be used.
Turret Module 1 is lowered onto the base of the Pad B launch tower on the orbital launch pad. (Credit: Jack Beyer for NSF/L2)
LAUNCHING AREA B
The Orbital Launch Site is getting a second launch pad that will allow SpaceX to increase the launch rate of the Starship program. Pad B, as the second pad is known, can also prove useful in the event that some problem puts Pad A out of action for a significant amount of time.
The launch tower base on Pad B is now installed and the base appears to have incorporated the lessons learned from Pad A. The first element of the new launch tower is now installed on the base. This segment was installed on July 11th, and Tower Module 2 is now in place at the Pad B site.
In other news from the turret section, Turret Modules 4 and 5, with additional fittings to allow the quick-detach arm to be moved higher in the turret to support future versions of the Starship, were moved to Starbase from the Port of Brownsville. All nine modules of the new tower, which are pre-equipped with electrical and fluid lines, are now either in place on Starbase Sanchez or on Pad B.
Tower module in motion after arrival in Texas. (Credit: Jack Beyer for NSF/L2)
Pad B is a key element in increasing the Starship launch rate from Starbase, which SpaceX now proposes to increase to 25 Starship system launches, as well as 25 Starship and 25 Super Heavy landings per year. SpaceX has filed a request to increase the cadence from the currently allowed 10 launches per year with the FAA, and a draft of the graded environmental assessment (EA) is scheduled for public release later this month. Public meetings on this EA project are scheduled for Tuesday, August 13, Thursday, August 15, and Tuesday, August 20, 2024.
There are two meetings scheduled for August 13. The first meeting is between 13:00 to 15:00 CDT (18:00 to 20:00 UTC) and the second meeting is between 17:30 and 19:30 CDT (22:30 UTC Tuesday to 00:30 UTC Wednesday, 14 August.) Both meetings are at the South Padre Island Convention Center.
We are committed to assessing the environmental impact of all FAA-licensed commercial space operations. We will hold public meetings on @SpaceXThe proposal to increase the number of Starship/Super Heavy Vehicle launches and landings in Boca Chica, Texas. https://t.co/nqmmKrVMcB pic.twitter.com/PGzamCSHa0
— FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) July 12, 2024
The next two-match series is scheduled for August 15, with the first match also between 13:00 and 15:00 CDT (18:00 to 20:00 UTC). The second meeting is also between 17:30 to 19:30 CDT (22:30 UTC Thursday to 00:30 UTC Friday, August 16). This time, however, the meetings will be at the Port Isabel Event & Cultural Center.
The last scheduled public meeting on the EA project is a virtual meeting online. It is scheduled for August 20th from 17:30 to 19:30 CDT (22:30 UTC Tuesday to 00:30 UTC Wednesday, August 21). Besides the flight beat, this EA also applies to vehicle upgrades.
In addition to requesting up to 25 launches per year from Starbase, SpaceX also plans up to 44 Starship launches per year from LC-39A at the Kennedy Space Center, as well as up to 76 launches per year from SLC-37B. That would bring the total to 145 Starship launches per year, a rocket more powerful than the Saturn V that launched the Apollo missions to the moon.
A possibly redesigned arm to hold the new orbital launch pad, seen during a flyby of SpaceX’s facility in McGregor, Texas. (Credit: Gary Blair for NSF)
STARFACTORY, SHIP 33 ETC.
The giant Starfactory has now received its portal crane as it nears completion. In addition to the Starfactory, work continues on upgrading the tank park for the orbital launch pad. Still working on Ship 30’s heat shield tiles in High Bay and Ship 31 is in Mega Bay 2 after being tested at Masseys. In addition, a bow section for Ship 33 – the first Block 2 vehicle – has already been seen at Starbase.
The front fins for the new version are mounted further forward on the nose, further away from the belly and heat shield tiles, and are also thinner than the original flight version’s fins. A possible flight article for an operational payload bay for a Block 2 craft has also been seen, indicating that SpaceX is closer to operational flights of the system. The full-size Starlink v3 satellites are expected to be the first operational payload flown by Starship.
The Starbase silhouette at night. (Credit: Sean Doherty for NSF/L2)
The tests that Booster 12 is undergoing are important to getting Flight 5 off the ground, but the flight time may depend on how long it takes to upgrade the heat shield on Ship 30. The FAA also needs to approve a license modification because of the planned test to catch the booster in flight.
While preparations for Flight 5 are underway, the next version of Starship is taking shape and preparing to fly in 2025. Operational flights and their hardware are being refined even as the company’s current launch vehicle satellite — the Falcon 9 — works its way back to flight after the failure of Starlink 9-3 on July 11.
(Main image: Booster 12 test launch on July 15, 2024. Credit: Sean Doherty for NSF)
