Starbase Sunday #6
This article was written by Magnum, logan_sx27, OneMarsyboi, and Phantime.
17 November 2024 - 23 November 2024
Welcome to the 6th article of Starbase Sunday! You don’t want to miss this one, because this week, Starship Flight 6 launched! However, we won’t cover it in detail in this article because we’ve already done it here!
Sunday 17th
Starbase
Today, Starship conducted a partial tanking test in preparation for the launch. It is only the second time that a full WDR (Wet Dress Rehearsal) is skipped in favor of a partial test.
• 01:05am - The dance floor is lowered from the OLM (Orbital Launch Mount).
• 01:26am - The dance floor rolls away.
• 03:49am - DSS (Detonation Suppression System) tested.
• 07:19am - The road is closed ahead of testing.
• 07:43am - Pope vent starts.
• 08:38am - Chopsticks open wide and rise.
• 09:40am - OLM vent starts, indicating that the lines that carry propellant to the Booster are chilling.
• 09:42am - Tower vent starts, indicating that the lines that carry propellant to the Ship are chilling as well.
• 10:12am - Tower vent stops, indicating propellant is flowing through the lines for Ship.
• 10:17am - Frost line on the LOX tank of Ship
• 10:18am - Frost line on the CH4 tank of Ship.
• 10:20am - Frost line on the CH4 tank of Booster.
• 10:24am - Frost line on the LOX tank of Booster.
• 10:33am - Propellant loading stops on the Booster’s LOX tank.
• 10:35am- Propellant loading stops on the Ship’s LOX tank.
• 10:37am - Propellant loading stops on the Ship’s and Booster’s CH4 tanks.
• 10:57am - Detanking started.
• 11:47am - Detanking is completed, although it was already mostly done by 11:23am.
• 12:20pm - Road opened.
• 12:51pm - Chopsticks lower and close around Ship.
McGregor Raptor tests
There were no Raptor tests conducted at McGregor today.
Monday 18th
Starbase
This was the final day before launch: inspections were conducted all day long to prepare for the big day!
• 01:05am - The Ship’s transport stand returns to the Sanchez Lot. This confirms that Ship 31 won’t be destacked, and therefore the FTS (Flight Termination System) has already been installed.
• 01:15am - Ship 34’s aft section is brought inside MegaBay 1 from the StarFactory.
• 11:50am - People are on the OLM, inspecting the base of the Booster.
• 15:45pm - 2 lifts go up inspecting Booster 13’s body.
• 19:18pm - Inspections under the OLM.
McGregor Raptor tests
We apologize, but we didn’t cover this day’s McGregor Raptor tests.
Tuesday 19th - Launch day!
Starbase
Today was launch day! Starship Flight 6 lifted off today at 4pm CST; the main objectives were: Booster catch, in-space relight of one of Starship’s engines, more aggressive reentry and descent of Ship, and several heatshield experiments.
• 09:00am - Tank farm chilldown process begins.
• 09:34am - Pad clear.
• 09:56am - Chopsticks open and rise.
• 10:14am - Landing rails heightened.
• 10:35am - The Booster’s transport stand is parked at the roadblock, ready to roll to the launch site when and if Booster 13 is caught.
• 13:21pm - Pope vent starts.
• 14:36pm - Tower vent starts, indicating that the propellant lines for Ship are chilling down.
• 14:40pm - OLM vent starts, indicating that the propellant lines for Booster are chilling down as well.
• 15:09pm - Booster 13’s chines are frosty because CO2 is being loaded for the Fire Suppression System.
• 15:11pm - Tower vent stops: propellant loading is starting on the Ship.
• 15:18pm - Frost line starts forming on the Ship’s LOX tank.
• 15:19pm - Frost line starts forming on the Ship’s CH4 tank.
• 15:21pm - OLM vent stops; this indicates that propellant load of the Booster has started.
• 15:22pm - Frost line starts forming on the Booster’s CH4 tank.
• 15:25pm - Frost line starts forming on the Booster’s LOX tank.
• 15:57pm - Ship propellant load has ended.
• 15:58pm - Booster propellant load has ended.
• 16:00pm - Launch
• 16:01pm - Chopsticks slightly close beginning automated health checks.
• 16:04pm - Chopsticks open again, detecting something wrong, and Booster is deemed NO-GO for catch.
• 16:07pm - Booster 13 lands in the Gulf of Mexico, 30 km offshore, as part of the abort maneuver.
• 16:47pm - Chopsticks close, translate to the side of the tower, and descend into a resting position.
• 18:50pm - Inspections of the Launch Site begin.
McGregor Raptor tests
• 08:55:14am - Raptor Vertical Stand - 42s
• 08.59:11am - Raptor Horizontal Stand - 3s
• 13:45:06pm - Raptor Horizontal Stand - SP (Spin Prime)
• 14:17:50pm - Raptor Horizontal Stand - PB (Pre Burner)
Wednesday 20th
Starbase
As inspections and refurbishment of the launch site continued, Ship 26 met its end.
• 01:40am - Ship 26 starts rolling… to its demise.
• 01:56am - Ship 26 reaches and enters the High Bay.
• 02:35am - Ship 26 is hooked to the lifting crane.
• 03:31am - The Booster’s transport stand returns lonely, without a Booster atop.
• 09:46am - Scaffolding is lifted on the OLM.
• 15:43pm - Aft section of Ship 26 exits the High Bay, confirming that its scraping is underway.
• 22:50pm - The section of Ship 26 is rolled away to the Scrap Yard.
McGregor Raptor tests
• 09:15:13am - Raptor Vertical Stand - 8s
• 09.25:16am - Raptor Horizontal Stand - 9s
• 09:44:47am - Raptor Vertical Stand - 164s / 2m44s
• 12:49:09pm - Raptor Horizontal Stand - 10s
• 15:31:32pm - Raptor Vertical Stand - 8s
• 18:08:52pm - Raptor Horizontal Stand - 10s
• 20:56:11pm - Raptor Vertical Stand - 186s / 3m6s
Thursday 21st
Starbase
Today, inspections continued. Meanwhile, the construction of a new crane has begun at Pad B.
• 01:30am onwards: a great traffic of lifts and workers is ongoing at the Launch Site.
• 01:45am - The Booster’s transport stand is moved from the Ring Yard to the Sanchez Lot.
• 10:27am - Another section of Ship 26 is taken out of the High Bay.
• 11:00am - Construction of a new crane starts at Pad B.
• 14:58pm - Another section of Ship 26 is taken out of the High Bay.
• 15:25pm - Scaffolding is constructed around Tower 1’s lightning and communications tower ahead of repairs.
• 20:10pm - Cable equipment (possibly chopsticks-related) was brought at Pad B.
McGregor Raptor tests
• 09:12:08am - Raptor Horizontal Stand - 64s / 1m4s
• 10:06:32am - Raptor Vertical Stand - 36s
• 12:32:36pm - Raptor Horizontal Stand - PB (Pre Burner)
• 16:48:15pm - Raptor Vertical Stand - 120s / 2m
• 16:52:33pm - Raptor Horizontal Stand - 64s
• 20:49:28pm - Raptor Vertical Stand - 102s / 1m42s
Friday 22nd
Starbase
The usual work continued at Pad B. Work and inspections were conducted throughout all the elements of the launch site at Pad A, including the lighting and communications tower that was damaged during launch; in the morning, it was straightened.
• 02:32am - A new tank for the tank farm is lifted.
• 03:00am - The new tank is positioned into place.
• 08:33am - Additional parts of the new crane are offloaded at Pad B.
• 10:55am - Construction of the new crane resumes at Pad B.
• 13:26pm - Another section of Ship 26 is taken out of the High Bay.
• 20:10pm - A lift is inspecting Booster 12.
• 20:25pm - Another section of Ship 26 is taken out of the High Bay.
McGregor Raptor tests
• 09:01:01am - Raptor Vertical Stand - 8s
• 09:09:00am - Raptor Horizontal Stand - 105s / 1m45s
• 09:34:35am - Raptor Vertical Stand - 112s / 1m52s
• 12:22:25pm - Raptor Vertical Stand - 167s / 2m47s
• 17:03:35pm - Raptor Vertical Stand - 113s / 1m53s
• 20:54:03pm - Raptor Vertical Stand - 40s
Saturday 23rd
Starbase
Work continued throughout the day on launch site refurbishment and Pad B construction.
• 02:02am - The Booster’s transport stand is rolled away from the Ring Yard.
• 03:20am - Welding work was conducted on the OLM plumbing, which received much inspection in the previous days compared to post-Flight 5.
• 05:29am - Booster 16’s aft section is rolled out of the Starfactory and in front of MB2.
• 08:35am - Booster 16’s aft section is rolled inside MB2 (Mega Bay 2).
• 08:51am - A safety net is lifted and installed around Tower 2.
McGregor Raptor tests
There were no Raptor tests conducted today.
