WELCOME BACK AND THANKS FOR TUNING IN TO EPISODE 34 OF LABPADRE'S SPACEX AND STARBASE WEEKLY
UPDATES.
WE'VE GOT SOME GREAT INFO AND AWESOME FLYOVER PHOTOS FOR YOU.
SO LET'S DIG IN!
AT BOCA CHICA, FRIDAY MORNING BEGAN WITH AN ENGINE SWAP ON BOOSTER 7.
THE REMOVED ENGINE WAS CARTED AWAY AROUND 3:30
AM.
BY 4:40, THE MOBILE WORK PLATFORM WITH THE NEW REPLACEMENT RAPTOR WAS BEING RAISED AHEAD
OF INSTALLATION ONTO THE BOOSTER.
IN THE EARLY DAYLIGHT HOURS AT LAUNCH COMPLEX 39A, THE UPPER DOME FOR THE INNER STORAGE
TANK AT THE STARSHIP LAUNCH PAD WAS LIFTED INTO PLACE.
RETURNING TO BOCA CHICA, A MEDICAL EMERGENCY HELICOPTER WAS SEEN LANDING AT THE TRACKING
STATION, PRACTICING AND TRAINING FOR EMERGENCY MEDICAL EVACUATION.
AS A SMALL CROWD LOOKED ON, THE HELICOPTER DEPARTED FROM THE TRACKING STATION ABOUT AN
HOUR LATER, FLYING LOW ALONG HIGHWAY 4 TOWARDS BROWNSVILLE.
WITH BOOSTER 8 ON STANDBY AND BOOSTER 7 ON THE PAD, A BOOSTER TRANSPORT STAND AT THE
LAUNCH PAD WAS BROUGHT BACK TO THE BUILD SITE.
ON THE EAST COAST, BOB RETURNED TO PORT CANAVERAL WITH ONE FAIRING HALF AFTER THE LAUNCH OF
STARLINK 4-36.
THE SECOND HALF WAS APPARENTLY UNABLE TO BE RECOVERED.
WITH ITS NEXT FOUR RING STACK SUSPENDED BELOW THE UPPER TANK SECTION, BOOSTER 10'S METHANE
TANK WAS FULLY STACKED IN MEGA BAY ON SUNDAY.
TURNING BACK TO PORT CANAVERAL ONCE MORE, THE CROSBY SKIPPER RETURNED WITH A SHORTFALL
OF GRAVITAS AND B1062 FOLLOWING THE STARLINK 4-36 MISSION.
AS CREWS PREPARED TO LIFT B1062 ONTO THE DOCKS, ONE OF THE WEIGHTED BUCKETS SWUNG WILDLY DURING
THE LIFTING CAP'S DESCENT.
THE TRANSPORTER ERECTOR, RECONFIGURED FOR FALCON HEAVY, WAS LOWERED AHEAD OF ROLLBACK
IN PREPARATION FOR THE USSF-44 MISSION FOR THE UNITED STATES SPACE FORCE.
BACK AT THE PORT, FALCON 9 BOOSTER B1062 WAS FINALLY LIFTED OFF OF A SHORTFALL OF GRAVITAS
AND ONTO THE DOCKS.
EARLY MONDAY MORNING, THE TRANSPORTER ERECTOR WAS ROLLED BACK TO THE HANGER TO PICK UP THE
FIRST FALCON HEAVY IN THREE YEARS AHEAD OF STATIC FIRE TESTING.
EARLY THAT AFTERNOON, VENTING COULD BE SEEN FROM STARSHIP 24, THE FIRST SIGN OF MONDAY'S
TESTING ACTIVITIES AT BOCA CHICA.
THE FIRST FULL STACK CRYOTEST OF STARSHIP 24 AND BOOSTER 7 BEGAN WITH LARGE VENTS IN
THE GROUND SYSTEMS AND THE LAUNCH TOWER.
ONCE CHILLED IN, THE LIQUID OXYGEN TANKS IN THE BOOSTER AND SHIP WERE PARTIALLY FILLED,
BEFORE COMING TO A STOP.
AFTER SITTING FOR ABOUT AN HOUR, TESTING WAS CONCLUDED AND BOOSTER 7 AND SHIP 24 WERE DETANKED
THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS.
ON TUESDAY, THE B6.1 TEST TANK SHIP AFT SECTION WAS RELOCATED FROM THE SANCHEZ SITE TOWARDS
MID BAY AND TENT 1.
TUESDAY EVENING, OUR FRIENDS AT SPACEFLIGHT NOW CAUGHT SPACEX
ROLLING THE USSF-44 FALCON HEAVY ROCKET OUT TO THE PAD.
THE PAYLOAD SECTION WAS NOTICEABLY MISSING, AS
SPACEX WILL ROLL BACK AFTER THE STATIC FIRE FOR PAYLOAD INTEGRATION.
IN THE PRE-DAWN HOURS OF WEDNESDAY, SHIP 26'S COMBINED NOSECONE AND PAYLOAD SECTION WAS
MOVED FROM THE HIGH BAY INTO THE MID BAY.
SHIP 27'S LIQUID OXYGEN TANK SECTION, WHICH SITS BETWEEN THE THRUST AND COMMON DOMES,
WAS THE NEXT COMPONENT TO BE MOVED INTO THE HIGH BAY.
SEVERAL CRYO TANKS THAT HAD BEEN ORIGINALLY MEANT FOR THE STARSHIP PAD BEFORE BEING REMOVED
FROM LAUNCH COMPLEX 39A WERE SHIPPED OUT OF PORT CANAVERAL.
BACK IN BOCA CHICA, BOOSTER 7 UNDERWENT ANOTHER ROUND OF CRYO TESTING, FILLING UP THE BOOSTER'S
LIQUID METHANE TANK TO A PARTIAL FILL LEVEL AND HOLDING, BEFORE DETANKING ONCE AGAIN.
SHIP 27'S COMMON DOME SECTION WAS MOVED INTO THE HIGH BAY, AS THE LATEST STARSHIP CONTINUES
TO MOVE TOWARDS FINAL ASSEMBLY.
HAVING A BIT OF FUN, THERE WAS A ROUND OF "SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMING" PERFORMED BY PORT
CANAVERAL'S TUGBOATS FOR THE CAMERAS.
ON WEDNESDAY, THE ROAD WAS AGAIN CLOSED FOR TESTING AT
STARBASE.
AFTER THE ORBITAL TANK FARM WAS COOLED DOWN, CRYOGENICS WERE AGAIN LOADED INTO BOOSTER
7'S METHANE TANK.
UNLIKE THE PREVIOUS TEST, HOWEVER, WE SAW LOADING IN SHIP 24'S
METHANE TANK AS WELL.
JUST A SHORT TIME LATER, SPACEX DETANKED BOTH VEHICLES,
SIGNALING AN END TO THIS MOST RECENT FULL STACK TESTING.
JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT, SHIP 27'S COMMON DOME AND MID LOX SECTIONS
WERE LIFTED AND PLACED ON THE TURNTABLE IN HIGH BAY FOR
STACKING.
ABOUT 2 HOURS LATER, IN FLORIDA, THE FALCON HEAVY WAS RAISED TO
VERTICAL ON THE LAUNCH PAD AHEAD OF ITS STATIC FIRE TESTING.
BACK AT STARBASE, THE RAPTOR MAINTENANCE PLATFORM WAS RAISED
UNDER THE ORBITAL LAUNCH MOUNT, GIVING WORKERS EASY ACCESS TO
THE ENGINE BAY.
WHILE WATCHING THE FALCON HEAVY AT HISTORIC LAUNCH COMPLEX 39A,
SPACEFLIGHT NOW'S CAMERA CAUGHT A COUPLE OF DOLPHINS IN THE
VAB'S TURNING BASIN.
THURSDAY MORNING, BOOSTER 9'S COMPLETE LOX TANK WAS LIFTED
ONTO A TRANSPORT STAND IN PREPARATION FOR THE VEHICLE'S FINAL
STACKING.
WORKERS WERE REMOVING CLADDING TABS FROM TWO SIDES OF THE
LOWER LAUNCH TOWER.
THIS COULD MEAN THESE AREAS WILL SEE DIFFERENT CLADDING THAN INITIALLY DESIGNED.
THAT EVENING, BOOSTER 9'S METHANE TANK WAS PLACED ON THE
WAITING LOX SECTION, COMPLETING STACKING OPERATIONS FOR
SPACEX'S NEWEST AND MOST ADVANCED SUPER HEAVY BOOSTER.
BACK AT CAPE CANAVERAL, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MORE THAN 3 YEARS, A
FALCON HEAVY BREATHED FIRE ON THE LAUNCH PAD AS SPACEX
PERFORMED A SUCCESSFUL STATIC FIRE ON THE VEHICLE, MOVING ONE
STEP CLOSER TO LAUNCH.
THIS WEEK WE ARE HAPPY TO ONCE AGAIN BRING YOU AN UPDATE FROM
THE CAPE THANKS TO SOME GREAT AERIAL SHOTS FROM GREG SCOTT.
JUST NORTH OF NASA'S MASSIVE VEHICLE ASSEMBLY BUILDING, CRAWLER
TRANSPORTER 1 IS SITTING UNUSED.
UNLIKE CRAWLER TRANSPORTER 2, WHICH WAS UPGRADED FOR THE ARTEMIS PROGRAM,
THIS VEHICLE IS NOT RATED FOR USE WITH ANY OF THE ACTIVE ROCKETS
AT THE CAPE.
NEARBY, A CRANE HAS BEEN ASSEMBLED POSSIBLY FOR WORK
CONSTRUCTING A SECOND MOBILE LAUNCH PLATFORM FOR LATER
LAUNCHES IN THE ARTEMIS PROGRAM.
JUST TO THE NORTH AT THE SHUTTLE LANDING FACILITY, NASA'S SUPER
GUPPY CARGO PLANE WAS SPOTTED FOLLOWING ITS DELIVERY OF THE
ARTEMIS 3 ORION HEAT SHIELD TO CAPE CANAVERAL.
SEVERAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE VEHICLES AND FIRST RESPONDERS
WERE SEEN NEARBY, PERHAPS AS PART OF TRAINING EXERCISES.
EAST OF THE SHUTTLE LANDING FACILITY, LAUNCH COMPLEX 39B REMAINS
EMPTY, BUT NOT FOR MUCH LONGER AS NASA IS MAKING PREPARATIONS
TO RETURN THEIR SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM ROCKET TO THE PAD AS SOON
AS NOVEMBER 4TH.
JUST TO THE SOUTH IS HISTORIC LAUNCH COMPLEX 39A WHERE SPACEX IS
PREPARING FOR THEIR FIRST FALCON HEAVY LAUNCH IN OVER 3 YEARS,
WHILE CONTINUING TO BUILD OUT THE SITE'S STARSHIP INFRASTRUCTURE.
DURING THE FLYOVER, THE FALCON HEAVY LAUNCH VEHICLE WAS
VERTICAL ON THE LAUNCH PAD AHEAD OF ITS STATIC FIRE WHICH
OCCURRED JUST A FEW HOURS AFTER THESE PICTURES WERE TAKEN.
FOLLOWING THE SUCCESSFUL STATIC FIRE, IT WAS ROLLED BACK TO THE
HORIZONTAL ASSEMBLY FACILITY FOR PAYLOAD INTEGRATION AHEAD OF
ITS LAUNCH.
AT THE STARSHIP SIDE OF THE PAD, THE INNER DOME FOR THE NEW
VERTICAL TANK HAS BEEN ADDED, LEAVING JUST THE OUTER DOME LEFT
TO COMPLETE THE TANKS CONSTRUCTION.
NEXT TO THIS TANK, WE CAN SEE THAT 3 OF THE 6 HORIZONTAL TANKS AT WHAT
IS LIKELY THE LIQUID OXYGEN PART OF THE FUEL FARM HAVE BEEN REMOVED
FOR UNKNOWN REASONS.
IT IS LIKELY THAT REPLACEMENT TANKS WILL ARRIVE SOON AS
THESE THREE TANKS WERE LOADED ONTO A BARGE THIS WEEK.
ON THE NEAR SIDE OF THE RAMP TO THE FALCON LAUNCH
PAD, A SECOND NEW GRAY HORIZONTAL TANK HAS ARRIVED FOR INSTALLATION.
AT SPACEX SPACE LAUNCH COMPLEX 40, EVERYTHING APPEARED QUIET
THIS WEEK AS THE BUSY LAUNCH PAD WAS BETWEEN MISSIONS WITH
HOTBIRD 13G NOT SCHEDULED TO LAUNCH UNTIL NEXT WEEK.
MOVING TO THE SOUTHWEST, SPACEX'S ROBERTS ROAD FACILITY
CONTINUES TO BE A HIVE OF ACTIVITY.
THE RECENTLY PAVED PARKING LOT ON THE NORTH SIDE OF HANGAR X IS
NOW SEEING REGULAR USE AS THE BUILDING TRANSITIONS FROM
CONSTRUCTION TO NORMAL OPERATIONS.
THE LARGE WALL OF WINDOWS, ONE OF THE MOST STRIKING FEATURES
OF THE RECENT EXPANSION OF THE BUILDING, SHOULD PROVIDE
AMAZING VIEWS OF THE UPCOMING FALCON HEAVY LAUNCH.
AT THE SOUTH END OF THE HANGAR, WHAT APPEARS TO BE A BRAND NEW
FALCON HEAVY CENTER CORE WAS SEEN ON THE FALCON 9 SPMTS.
ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE ROBERTS ROAD SITE, SPACEX CONTINUES TO
BUILD OUT THEIR STARSHIP PRODUCTION FACILITIES AT A FAST PACE.
TOWER 3 CONSTRUCTION IS NOW WELL UNDERWAY.
THE FIRST TWO MODULES APPEAR TO BE STRUCTURALLY COMPLETE,
WHILE THE THIRD HAS ALL 4 COLUMNS IN PLACE AND MORE THAN HALF
OF ITS STEEL BEAMS.
THE COLUMNS FOR THE FOURTH MODULE HAVE NOW ARRIVED ON SITE
AND THE FOURTH JIG BASE APPEARS READY FOR ASSEMBLY OF THAT
SECTION TO BEGIN.
THE CABLE CHAIN FOR THE 2ND TOWER IS STILL STAGED IN THE AREA
AWAITING TRANSPORT TO LAUNCH COMPLEX 39A.
JUST WEST OF THE TOWER 3 ASSEMBLY AREA, WORK CONTINUES ON
TOWER 2'S CHOPSTICKS AND QUICK DISCONNECT ARM.
NEW WHITE BRACKETS HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THE END OF THE
CHOPSTICKS, LIKELY AS RESTS FOR THE SLEDS THAT ARE USED TO PUSH
THE BOOSTER TO ITS PROPER POSITION.
THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT WE SAW ON THE ARMS AT STARBASE, AND MAY BE
NEEDED HERE SINCE THE ARMS ARE SO MUCH SHORTER.
CREWS CONTINUE TO WORK ON THE CARRIAGE PREPARING IT FOR INSTALLATION.
ALSO, WE CAN SEE THAT ADDITIONAL PIPING AND CONDUIT HAVE BEEN ADDED
TO THE QD ARM IN RECENT WEEKS.
IT IS NOT IMMEDIATELY CLEAR WHAT SPACEX IS DOING IN THE NORTHWEST
CORNER OF THE SITE.
OVER THE SUMMER, THIS AREA WAS FIRST A LARGE DIRT PILE.
SINCE THEN, IT WAS BROUGHT DOWN TO GRADE, DUG OUT,
BROUGHT UP TO GRADE AGAIN, AND NOW HAS BEEN DUG OUT ONCE
MORE.
IN THE SOUTHWEST CORNER, THE ROBERTS ROAD STARFACTORY
CONTINUES TO PROGRESS AT AN AMAZING RATE.
CREWS APPEAR TO BE WRAPPING UP THE STEEL, CLADDING, AND ROOF
FOR THE ENTIRE LOWER PORTION OF THE BUILDING.
NEW TALLER STEEL IS NOW GOING UP FOR THE FINAL PORTION OF THE
STARFACTORY WHICH NEEDS THE EXTRA HEIGHT FOR NOSECONE
CONSTRUCTION.
FOUNDATION WORK APPEARS TO BE NEARLY COMPLETE WITH THE FINAL
COLUMN FOOTINGS AND THE LAST POURS FOR THE FLOORING SLAB
LIKELY TO COME BEFORE OUR NEXT FLYOVER.
UNFORTUNATELY, THE SAME KIND OF PROGRESS HAS STILL NOT BEEN
SEEN ON THE FIRST OF THE ROBERTS ROAD MEGA BAYS.
WHILE WE STILL HAVE NOT HEARD WHAT THE ISSUE IS, IT SEEMS LIKELY
THAT THEY ARE WAITING ON SOME KIND OF PERMIT OR INSPECTION
BEFORE MOVING FORWARD WITH CONSTRUCTION.
WHILE WAITING, IT APPEARS THAT THEY HAVE CONTINUED TO STAGE THE
STEEL AROUND THE SITE WHICH SHOULD ALLOW THEM TO MOVE QUICKLY
AS SOON AS CONSTRUCTION STARTS BACK UP.
SPACEX USES THE AREA BETWEEN THE STARFACTORY AND MEGA BAY AS
A PARKING LOT AND STORAGE YARD.
THIS IS ALSO WHERE THE TWO TENTS ARE WHICH SPACEX HAS BEEN
USING IN ORDER TO PREPARE THE PIPING AND CONDUIT, WHICH ARE
INSTALLED ON THE TOWER MODULES PRIOR TO ROLLOUT.
BLUE ORIGIN'S CAPE PRODUCTION FACILITIES ARE LOCATED JUST A FEW
MILE TO THE SOUTH OF ROBERTS ROAD.
THE SOUTH HALF OF THE FACILITY IS STILL DOMINATED BY THE
CONSTRUCTION CURRENTLY UNDERWAY.
WE CAN SEE THAT FOUNDATION WORK HAS NOW BEGUN ON BOTH THE
NEW VERTICAL ASSEMBLY AND REEF PATHFINDER BUILDINGS.
THE LOT JUST SOUTH OF THE FUTURE REEF PATHFINDER BUILDING IS
STILL BEING USED AS A STAGING GROUND FOR THE ADDITION TO THE
NEARBY WAREHOUSE BUILDING.
THE STRUCTURE FOR THIS ADDITION NOW APPEARS TO BE ABOUT
HALFWAY COMPLETE.
THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE FACILITY APPEARS MUCH QUIETER, WITH
THE 2CAT BUILDING BEING THE ONLY CONSTRUCTION IN THIS AREA.
THIS NEW BUILDING WILL BE USED FOR CLEANING AND TESTING OF NEW
GLENN SECOND STAGES AND APPEARS TO BE COMING ALONG NICELY.
WORK IS ALSO CONTINUING AT BLUE ORIGIN'S LAUNCH COMPLEX 36.
A NEW TENT IS BEING BUILT NEXT TO THE RAMP TO
THE LAUNCH PAD AND CREWS ARE ALSO WORKING ON SOMETHING AT THE
BASE OF THAT RAMP.
ULA'S SPACE LAUNCH COMPLEX 41 IS CURRENTLY QUIET AS IT AWAITS ITS
NEXT ATLAS V LAUNCH WHICH COULD COME AS SOON AS DECEMBER.
SIMILARLY, ULA'S SPACE LAUNCH COMPLEX 37 IS ALSO QUIET, HAVING NOT
SEEN A LAUNCH IN ALMOST 2 YEARS AND NOT EXPECTING ANOTHER ONE
UNTIL SPRING OF 2023 AT THE EARLIEST.
THE PAD AT RELATIVITY SPACE'S LAUNCH COMPLEX 16 IS STILL AWAITING
THE RETURN OF THEIR ROCKET.
THE FIRST STAGE WAS MOVED INTO THE HANGAR BEFORE LAST MONTH'S HURRICANE.
IT IS EXPECTED TO RETURN TO THE PAD SOON FULLY STACKED WITH PAYLOAD
INTEGRATED TO COMPLETE ITS TESTING CAMPAIGN AHEAD OF LAUNCH.
SWITCHING OVER TO THE PORT, THE THREE CRYO TANKS THAT WERE
REMOVED FROM PAD 39A WERE SPOTTED STILL IN THE AREA.
THE TANKS WERE LOADED ONTO A BARGE THAT WAS THEN MOVED OUT OF
THE TURNING BASIN AND DOCKED AT THE BEYEL BROTHERS MERRITT
ISLAND MARINE FACILITY LOCATED ON THE CANAVERAL BARGE CANAL
JUST OFF THE BANANA RIVER.
FRIDAY EVENING, THE TANKS WERE TOWED OUT OF PORT CANAVERAL WITH BROWNSVILLE LISTED
AS THEIR DESTINATION.
IN A RARE OCCURRENCE, ALL OF SPACEX'S MARINE ASSETS WERE
DOCKED AT PORT CANAVERAL DURING THIS FLYOVER.
SUPPORT SHIPS BOB AND DOUG WERE DOCKED AT ONE OF THE CRUISE
SHIP TERMINALS LOCATED IN THE WEST TURNING BASIN.
ON DOUG'S UPPER DECK WE CAN SEE THE NEW FAIRING RECOVERY
APPARATUS SPACEX HAS BEEN TESTING LATELY.
A SHORTFALL OF GRAVITAS, SPACEX'S NEWEST AND MOST ADVANCED
DRONE SHIP WAS DOCKED NEXT TO DRAGON RECOVERY VESSEL
SHANNON.
THE OCTOGRABBER, WHICH SPACEX USES TO SECURE FALCON 9
BOOSTERS DURING THEIR TRIP BACK TO PORT, WAS SEEN BEING
INSPECTED ON THE DRONESHIP'S DECK.
AND FINALLY FOR THIS WEEK, SPACEX'S OTHER EAST COAST DRONE SHIP JUST READ THE INSTRUCTIONS
WAS DOCKED NEARBY ALONG WITH TUG CROSBY SKIPPER THAT IS USED TO TOW THE SHIP TO AND FROM THE
LANDING ZONE.
AND THERE YOU HAVE IT.
ANOTHER SPACEX AND STARBASE WEEKLY UPDATE WITH A SPLASH OF BLUE ORIGIN AND REALITIVITY
SPACE BROUGHT TO YOU BY LABPADRE.
WE'LL SEE YOU NEXT WEEK AND THANKS FOR WATCHING.
LABPADRE -- OUT!