Starbase Sunday #9
This article was written by Magnum, logan_sx27, OneMarsyboi, and Phantime.
8th December 2024 - 14th December 2024
Welcome back to our Starbase Sunday articles! First of all, we greatly apologize for having missed Starbase Sunday #7 and #8: management and time-related problems have caused us to miss these 2 articles, and we’re deeply sorry. Going forward, we aim to make sure to cover as much as possible of the activity at Starbase and McGregor and to bring you the latest updates of the Starship program. Said this, let’s dive right in!
Sunday 8th
Starbase
The day was filled with inspections of Booster 14, which had conducted a spin prime on Saturday and was expected to conduct a static fire on Monday.
• 00:20am - Workers start inspecting the base of Booster 14 on the OLM following testing.
• 01:18am - A lift goes up inspecting Booster 14’s sections.
• 08:50am - The first of 2 lifts starts inspecting the Booster’s structure, mainly around the cowbell vents. In the meantime, inspections are ongoing on the OLM and the Booster Quick Disconnect.
• 17:03pm - Booster 14 undergoes an igniter test.
• 22:30pm - A lift goes up inspecting the Booster.
McGregor Raptor tests
There were no Raptor tests conducted today.
Monday 9th
Starbase
SpaceX wasted no time today and performed a static fire of Booster 14! This comes just 20 days after Flight 6, and is a good sign that the vehicle and the launch site are nearing flight readiness.
• 02:30am - 2 tanks roll down Highway 4 towards the Production Site. These tanks are likely part of SpaceX’s expansion plan of the OTF (Orbital Tank Farm).
• 06:23am - Chopsticks open wide.
• 06:29am - Chopsticks rise to the top of the tower, ahead of today’s static fire test of Booster 14.
• 07:18.57am - The Detonation Suppression System (DSS) is tested: this is a “cloud” of nitrogen and water that gets shot under the OLM to prevent fires that could generate from eventual fuel leaks.
• 07:59am - Fluid bunker starts venting.
• 08:03am - The road is closed.
• 08:13am - CH4 subcoolers start venting.
• 08:25am - Pope vent starts.
• 09:09am - OLM vent: the lines carrying propellant to the Booster are chilling down in preparation for loading.
• 09:39am - OLM vent stops, meaning that propellant load on the Booster has started!
• 09:41am - Visible frost line on the LOX tank.
• 09:43am - Visible frost line on the CH4 tank.
• 09:59:11am - Engine chill vent starts.
• 10:14am - CH4 loading has ended, with a few rings full.
• 10:16:17am - OLM vent resumes, meaning that LOX loading has also ended, with a tank almost full.
• 10:18:19am - T-40s vent starts.
• 10:18:40am - Detonation Suppression System starts.
• 10:18:54am - The Water Deluge System is activated.
• 10:18:59am - Booster 14’s static fire! Looks like all 33 engines successfully ignited for 10 seconds; later, SpaceX shared a video of the static fire, featuring an engine view.
• 11:29am - The detanking is completed on the CH4 tank.
• 12:01pm - The detanking is completed on the LOX tank; a depress vent follows the completion of the operations.
• 12:21pm - Road open.
• 14:20pm - A 1-ring section is brought from the Starfactory to the Scrap Yard.
• 17:17pm - The new LR11k crane at Pad B moves.
• 19:00pm - Teams start inspections of Booster 14 and the launch site after its successful static fire.
• 22:45pm - The Booster’s Transport Stand arrives at the Launch Site.
McGregor Raptor tests
• 16:25:00pm - Raptor Horizontal Stand - 80s / 1m20s
• 16:37:04pm - Raptor Vertical Stand - 10s
• 18:12:55pm - Raptor Vertical Stand - PB (Pre-Burner)
Tuesday 10th
Starbase
Another exciting day at Starbase! Booster 14 was rolled to the Production Site, and new ground infrastructures made their appearance!
• 01:40am - One of the 2 CH4 tanks stored at Sanchez, and one LOX tank that arrived from the Port of Brownsville yesterday, start rolling towards the Launch Site, arriving at 03:15.
• 04:25am - The chopsticks go, while open, around the base of Booster 14. At 04:50 they then start to rise around the lift points of the Booster.
• 06:10am - Booster 14 is lifted off the OLM.
• 07:14am - Booster 14 is placed on the Transport Stand.
• 08:30am - The chopsticks are lowered to the base of the Booster, while still around it.
• 09:12am - Booster 14 starts rolling.
• 10:23am - A 4-ring barrel section is brought from the Starfactory to the Scrap Yard.
• 11:23am - Booster 14 arrives at the Production Site.
• 11:55am - Booster 14 is inspected by lifts after its arrival.
• 12:28pm - The new LR11k crane is attached to one of the new CH4 tanks at the Orbital Tank Farm, however it’s not lifted, probably due to weather.
• 14:50pm - Booster 14’s grid fins are inclined to allow it to enter Mega Bay 1.
• 14:55pm - Booster 14 starts entering Mega Bay 1, where it will now be prepared for launch. The next time that we’re going to see it roll out, it’s likely when it’s going to launch.
• 15:00pm - Ground work starts at Pad B.
McGregor Raptor tests
• 09:50:19am - Raptor Vertical Stand - 10s
• 09:55:36am - Raptor Horizontal Stand - 313s / 5m13s
• 12:39:55pm - Raptor Horizontal Stand - PB (Pre-Burner)
• 12:54:15pm - Raptor Vertical Stand - 19s
• 16:24:56pm - Raptor Horizontal Stand - 282s / 4m42s
Wednesday 11th
Starbase
Ship 33 rolled at Massey’s for its engine test campaign, and the chopsticks did some catch testing!
• 08:54am - Ship 33’s lifting jig is released after it was used to place it on the Ship’s static fire stand.
• 09:44am - Ship 33 starts rolling towards Massey’s.
• 13:02pm - Ship 33 arrives at Massey’s.
• 13:08pm - Scaffolding is lifted onto the OLM.
• 16:25pm - The CH4 tank that was attached to the LR11k crane yesterday is lifted and moved into position by 17:10pm.
• 16:35pm - Booster 16’s F3:3 section is spotted in front of Mega Bay 2.
• 17:00pm - The chopsticks start opening wide and rising to the top of the tower, beginning a series of tests.
• 17:27pm - The left chopstick closes fast, then closes a little more, and then reopens wide by 17:45pm.
• 17:52pm - The left chopstick closes again, then closes a little more, and then reopens wide by 18:10pm. This process is repeated with the left chopstick closing fast 2 more times, at 18:11pm and at 18:25pm.
• 18:38pm - The chopsticks translate.
• 18:44pm - The right chopstick performs the same series of tests of the left chopstick: it closes at 18:44, 18:54, 19:05, 19:18, and 19:40. Each time it reopens at maximum width and repeats.
• 19:50pm - Both chopsticks slightly close together; the left one then reopens while the right one remains in position.
• 20:05pm - The right chopstick closes definitely, and the pair goes down into their resting position, at the base of the tower.
• 20:21pm - Ship 35’s nosecone, previously stacked atop its payload section, is rolled into the Starfactory.
• 22:45pm - Following brief inspections, the chopsticks rise for a second series of tests.
• 23:41pm - Both chopsticks close together at a slow rate, taking a few minutes to go from wide position to catch position.
• 23:51pm - The second of the ground tanks starts rolling from the Production Site to the Orbital Tank Farm.
McGregor Raptor tests
Sorry, we didn’t cover today’s tests.
Thursday 12th
Starbase
Another good day of testing, but of Ship 33! Plus, new deliveries to the OTF.
• 12:05am - The other CH4 tank starts rolling down Highway 4.
• 09:13am - After having been attached to the new LR11k crane, the tank is lifted and installed into position at 09:48am.
• 13:45pm - Scaffolding is lifted onto the OLM.
• 17:20pm - Some venting is seen near Ship 33, suggesting that the ground lines are chilling in preparation for propellant load.
• 18:56pm - Ship 33 performs a small CH4 load.
• 19:21pm - Ship 33’s small CH4 load is now completely detanked.
• 20:15pm - Propellant load in the LOX tank has started.
• 20:31pm - Propellant load in the CH4 tank has started.
• 20:49pm - Propellant load has stopped.
• 20:58:51pm - Ship 33 conducts a spin prime! During a spin prime, the engine’s turbopumps are brought up to speed, but there’s no ignition.
• 21:15pm - Ship 33 starts detanking.
• 22:34pm - Detanking is completed.
McGregor Raptor tests
Sorry, we didn’t cover today’s tests.
Friday 13th
Starbase
New arrivals at the Orbital Tank Farm.
• 01:55am - A tank is brought to the Orbital Tank Farm.
• 02:11am - Welding work is conducted on the Booster Quick Disconnect.
• 09:55am - Venting is seen at Massey’s in the area of the LN2 tanks.
• 11:10am - The tank is lifted into a vertical position and installed in place at 11:44am.
• 12:38pm - Some venting is seen from under Ship 33.
• 14:00pm - The second tank is lifted into a vertical position and installed in place at 14:28pm.
McGregor Raptor tests
• 09:42:11am - Raptor Vertical Stand - 96s / 1m36s
• 12:47:12pm - Raptor Horizontal Stand - 89s / 1m29s
• 17:18:38pm - Raptor Horizontal Stand - 85s / 1m25s
Saturday 14th
Starbase
• 06:25am - The tank farm at Massey’s starts venting.
• 08:41am - Propellant load in the LOX tank is seen; however, it’s hard to know exactly the time due to weather conditions.
• 09:11am - Propellant load starts in the CH4 tank; however, it rises for a few minutes and is then detanked by 09:24am.
• 09:16am - Propellant load is completed on the Ship’s LOX tank.
• 09:52am - Ship 33 is already underway detanking, with almost half of the LOX tank already detanked; it’s confirmed that the static fire attempt has been aborted, likely due to the weather.
• 11:20am - Ship 33 detanking is completed.
McGregor Raptor tests
Sorry, but we did not cover today’s tests.
Final note
Again, we apologize for these last absent couple of weeks. We’re now ready to bring you continuous content and keep you updated on Starship’s latest progress!
