Booster 12 and Ship 30 fully stacked in preparation for Flight 5, conducts testing before actual stacking
On September 21, 2024, at approximately 12:30 PM CDT, Booster 12 and Ship 30 were fully stacked at Starbase Orbital Launch Pad 1 (OLP-1). This is made in preparation for Starship Flight 5, which is currently pending regulatory approval. Before and after it was fully stacked, SpaceX’s teams conducted various tests with both the Booster and Ship. They also rolled out both vehicles in different configurations. In this article, we will discuss the journeys both of these vehicles endured and the various testing that they have done to these vehicles this current week.
On September 20, 2024, at approximately midnight CDT, Booster 12 started rolling out from the build site, with its Hot Staging Ring separated. The move was live-streamed by NASASpaceflight.
On September 20, 2024, at approximately 7:00 AM CDT, Booster 12 started getting lifted from its self-propelled modular transporter (SPMT). The Booster was lifted higher than its typical lifting height as SpaceX teams started testing the Mechazilla Arms to prepare itself for Flight 5’s Booster Catch Attempt. It was lifted to a specific height, where it was expected to be its catch height during typical booster catch attempts.
- Once the needed tests were complete, the Booster was lowered back to the Orbital Launch Mount in preparation for the Hot Staging Ring stacking and Ship 30’s arrival, where it gets stacked above the booster later on when it arrives on the pad.
[CC: Flight 5 Starship moved to the pad at Starbase (SpaceX)]
On September 20, 2024, at approximately 12:00 PM CDT, the same day where Booster 11 got lifted to the Orbital Launch Mount, SpaceX teams wasted no time and rolled out Ship 30 to Starbase Orbital Launch Pad 1. The journey was relatively smooth as the Ship successfully arrived to OLP-1.
The night before Ship 30 was lifted above the rocket, SpaceX teams took the time to stack the Hot Staging Ring (HSR) above Booster 12. The cause why the HSR was not stacked in advance before the transport of the Booster is that teams tested the catching mechanism of the arms, which does not require the HSR as it is jettisoned before the Booster comes back to the launch pad.
After the day of the HSR stacking, Ship 30 was lifted above Booster 12, which brings us back to the photo attached at the start of the article. To conclude, SpaceX teams conducted various new things to these vehicles, specifically during the roll-out and stacking portions which are:
Roll-out Booster 12 without a hot-staging ring above it to complete a specific phase of testing;
Test the Mechazilla Catch Arms by lifting Booster 12 to a specific height, which is known to be the catch height during Flight 5’s catch attempt in the future;
(and much more, together with the future-planned Wet Dress Rehearsal for the fully-stacked vehicle)
All of these testing will help SpaceX teams tame and tune the systems needed for the next flight of Starship Flight 5 while also preparing for the booster catch attempt during this specific flight.
This is KYNNMASTER 123 for The Weekly Spaceman, see you in the next one! 😊
(all sources are below each photo; credits to SpaceX and NASASpaceflight for all the photos and explanations needed for this article)
