The story was edited.
(Note: at 6 pm ET on Wednesday, the FAA issued the following statement).
"The SpaceX Starship mishap investigation remains open," the agency stated. "The FAA will not authorize another Starship launch until SpaceX implements the corrective actions identified during the mishap investigation and demonstrates compliance with all the regulatory requirements of the license modification process."
According to Musk Sep 6, 2023 · 1:30 AM UTC, "Starship is ready to launch, awaiting FAA license approval".
But an Other Place comment from u/space_rocket_builder here was
Aiming for launch readiness as early as next week and the launch as early as start of mid September. FAA process expected “soon” but we could still be a few weeks away.
I think they've asserted themself to be a good source, but I am not sure.
Another comment (someone else) asserted that the propellant farm has not been loaded yet, and that takes a lot of trucks.
I don't know whether to post these here or off the main page.
Jerry Pike Photo has some nice pictures on Instagram of booster return at Cape Canaveral. The rusty ASDS really gives an interesting "gritty space" feel to it. These are links to each image, but you can just click on the first and use the ">" arrow on the image to go to each in turn.
The, or one of the, most successful rockets ever? And people are taking pictures and videos of the launches anyway.
Some Xer, Cowboy Dan @CowboyDanPaasch, wrote (Nitter link) Sep 2, 2023 · 11:58 AM UTC,
Boat #SpaceX used for ops during first orbital flight test is inbound to #Starbase atm. The former GLADYS D had been offgrid last three weeks around Pensacola FL. #SpaceXArmada
... a passenger fastboat by trade, appears she's been outfitted w/ some extra gear. Worked LZ/recon ops during first orbital test flight. Now mooring in Port Isabel Texas. (@jessica_kirsh cam) piped.video link that doesn't work for me
Kevin Mock @kevmk04 replied,
The GLADYS D's sister ship was used on the first Dragon recovery mission. The GLADYS S
I can't really find full confirmation of that. I do find an Xmission from Gav Cornwell @SpaceOffshore Apr 20, 2023 · 10:54 AM UTC,
Fast boat Gladys S departed from Port Isabel this morning to support the SpaceX launch.
Still not exactly sure what role the vessel is playing but it's confirmed to be involved based on its AIS designation of 'Texas Launch' and the fact it has two Starlink dishes mounted...
And a bit later, with pictures,
A look at the Gladys S, which appears to have been supporting the SpaceX launch in some capacity offshore.
Spot the Starlink terminals!
Retweeting Jenny Hautmann @JennyHPhoto Apr 20, 2023 · 9:35 PM UTC.
RGV Aerial Photography @RGVaerialphotos Sep 2, 2023 · 4:35 PM UTC wrote,
Notice they filled in the heat tiles with some type of epoxy/clay instead of replacing these damaged tiles. Indicator Ship 25 probably isn't expected to survive reentry.
125-megapixel image link: https://www.easyzoom.com/imageaccess/ad67522c147c4746bc055c5a80704e55
But they look like regular tiles to me, just with adhesive smeared around messily. Marcus House, in his weekly update at 5:31, zooms in and says, "we can see that a few surrounding tiles were damaged during the process [of adding tiles to cover lifting points], but these were to be replaced soon after this shot was taken.". At 5:44 on, he explained and showed a worker using the suction cup device: one tile passed, one pulled off.
Zack Golden @CSI_Starbase (Nitter link) Sep 2, 2023 · 3:45 AM UTC has a multi-post speculation about Super Heavy testing at Boca Chica.
I am now 95% confident that SpaceX is in the process of building not one, but two Super Heavy Static Fire Test stands. One will be located near the Suborbital tank farm, and the other will be at the Massey's test site.
These test stands are essentially mini versions of the Orbital Launch Mount. There are a few major differences though:
- These stands will not have launch capability so they will be much simpler....
- Because of the location of these test stands, and severe limitations on space, the method of testing engines will have to be different than how its done on the OLM. [flame trenches]
Why?
- Well at some point, launches will become much more frequent. This means the OLM will be nearly always be busy preparing for the next launch....
- The Orbital Launch Mount, with its new Bidet system is limited to Static fire tests of less than 10 seconds. It is truly designed for Launching Full stacks, and not for long duration tests purely due to the volume of water stored in the tanks.
- The OLM is also believed to be limited to Static Fire tests with thrust values at or around 50%. This is a result of the design of the hold down clamps. Also, the skirt of the booster is likely not designed for the kind of forces it would experience if it was being held down at max thrust....
So if this speculation is true, what should we be on the lookout for?
- The areas where these will be located will either be built up to accommodate a flame trench, or they will soon begin excavating large holes into the ground for this purpose.
- The suborbital tank farm will likely need to be expanded in order to increase its LOX and CH4 storage capabilities. I believe SpaceX is already in the beginning stages of this massive renovation.
- CH4 storage tanks will need to be added to the Massey's test site. They will also need additional GSE equipment for filling Booster COPV's. This includes Helium storage, CO2 for the engine skirt purge system.
- There will likely also need to be additional water tanks installed for traditional deluge systems for both of these tests stands....
He says he'd do a video if he weren't already in the middle of two deep-dives.
u/Alvian_11 in The Other Place says that a "flame diverter/ramp" is different from a "flame trench" and that a flame diverter/ramp makes much more sense.
Zack Golden @CSI_Starbase (Nitter link) Aug 31, 2023 · 4:24 AM UTC states "They have been testing [tiles on ship 28] with a suction device to see if they would fall off. A large number of them failed the test."
Starship Gazer @StarshipGazer 11:31 AM · Aug 29, 2023:
A close look at Starship 25 tiles this morning. 8/29/23
Specifically, the tip of S25's nosecone. In images 3 and 4, note that two tiles have cracked-off chunks.
The Ars Technica story was edited based on an FAA ... tweet.