WELCOME BACK AND THANKS FOR TUNING IN TO EPISODE 35 OF
LABPADRE'S SPACEX AND STARBASE WEEKLY UPDATES. NOW LET'S DIG IN!
FRIDAY AFTERNOON THE SHIP QUICK DISCONNECT WAS DETACHED FROM SHIP 24
WHILE IT SAT ON TOP OF BOOSTER 7.
A FEW HOURS LATER, THE QUICK DISCONNECT WAS EXTENDED,
ALIGNED, AND RECONNECTED TO THE PORTS ON SHIP 24.
IN FLORIDA THE THREE HORIZONTAL CRYO TANKS THAT WERE REMOVED FROM LAUNCH
COMPLEX 39A WERE SEEN LEAVING PORT AND HEADING TO BROWNSVILLE.
EARLY THE NEXT MORNING, TUG CROSBY SKIPPER TOWED
JUST READ THE INSTRUCTIONS OUT TO SEA IN SUPPORT OF THE HOTBIRD 13G MISSION.
BACK AT STARBASE, TWO OF SPACEX'S SELF PROPELLED MODULAR TRANSPORTERS
WERE ROLLED DOWN HIGHWAY 4 ON THEIR WAY TO THE LAUNCH SITE.
SPACEX'S LR11000 CRANE PICKED UP THE SHIP LOAD SPREADER AND
WAS ATTACHED TO SHIP 25 WHICH WAS SITTING ON TEST STAND A.
THAT AFTERNOON, THE SHIP WAS DISCONNECTED FROM THE
CRANE AFTER WORKERS HAD PERFORMED INSPECTIONS INSIDE OF ITS TANKS.
THAT NIGHT, IN MEGA BAY, CREWS WERE SPOTTED INSTALLING BOOSTER 9'S CHINES
WHICH WILL COVER THE COPV'S AS WELL AS THE BATTERIES ON THIS UPDATED VEHICLE.
AT HISTORIC LAUNCH COMPLEX 39A ON SUNDAY NIGHT
SPACEX ROLLED THEIR FALCON HEAVY BACK TO THE HORIZONTAL ASSEMBLY FACILITY.
IN THE HANGAR, CREWS LATER ATTACHED THE SPACE
FORCE'S PAYLOAD AND THE FAIRINGS TO THE CENTER CORE OF THE ROCKET.
MONDAY MORNING AT THE STARBASE LAUNCH SITE,
BOOSTER 8 WAS ROLLED ACROSS THE LANDING PAD AND ONTO HIGHWAY 4.
THE VEHICLE WAS MOVED DOWN THE ROAD BEFORE BECOMING THE NEWEST ADDITION IN THE ROCKET GARDEN.
AT PORT CANAVERAL, GATOR CAM SPOTTED SPACEX SUPPORT VESSEL
BOB AS IT HEADED OUT TO SEA FOR THE LAUNCH OF THE HOTBIRD 13G MISSION.
THAT AFTERNOON, SPACEX ONCE AGAIN ROLLED THEIR
FALCON HEAVY BACK OUT OF THE HORIZONTAL ASSEMBLY FACILITY.
THIS TIME WITH ITS PAYLOAD FULLY INTEGRATED ON THE TOP OF THE SOON TO BE EXPENDED CENTER CORE.
THE VEHICLE WAS TRANSPORTED UP THE RAMP TO THE HISTORIC LAUNCH PAD.
BACK AT STARBASE, A NEW ROUND OF TESTING WAS UNDERWAY AT THE LAUNCHSITE.
THIS TIME, BOOSTER 7'S LOX TANK WAS PARTIALLY LOADED
WITH CRYOGENICS BEFORE DETANKING.
THEN, THE SHIP QUICK DISCONNECT WAS DETACHED FROM THE SHIP AND IT WAS SEEN VENTING FROM
MULTIPLE PORTS BEFORE RECONNECTING TO THE VEHICLE WHILE STILL VENTING.
MONDAY EVENING SPACEX RAISED THE USSF-44 MISSION'S FALCON HEAVY LAUNCH VEHICLE
TO VERTICAL AT HISTORIC LAUNCH COMPLEX 39A IN PREPARATION FOR ITS LAUNCH THE FOLLOWING DAY.
MEANWHILE, AS STAGE ZERO WAS WINDING DOWN FROM THE DAYS TEST,
BOTH OF OUR ROVER CAMS CAUGHT A LIGHTNING STORM DESCENDING ON STARBASE.
IN THE EARLY HOURS OF TUESDAY MORNING, THE RAPTOR MAINTENANCE
PLATFORM WAS ONCE AGAIN HOISTED INTO POSITION UNDERNEATH THELAUNCH MOUNT.
LATER THAT MORNING, THE FIRST FALCON HEAVY IN 3 YEARS TOOK OFF FOR THE USSF-44 MISSION.
BOTH SIDE BOOSTERS LATER RETURNED TO TOUCH DOWN AT LANDING ZONES 1 AND 2.
BACK AT STARBASE JUST A FEW HOURS LATER, SHIP 27'S MID 8 STACK MOVED
FROM HIGH BAY TO MID BAY SWITCHING PLACES WITH SHIP 26'S MID 8 STACK.
OVER AT TEST STAND A AT THE LAUNCH COMPLEX, SHIP 25 WAS UNDERGOING A FRESH ROUND OF TESTING.
DURING THE TEST, BOTH THE OXYGEN AND METHANE TANKS WERE LOADED
WITH CRYOGENICS BEFORE DETANKING FROM AN APPARENTLY SUCCESSFUL FIRST CRYO PROOF.
ON WEDNESDAY, THE ROAD WAS ONCE AGAIN CLOSED AS SHIP 25 WAS SUBJECTED TO ITS
SECOND STRAIGHT DAY OF CRYOGENIC PROOF TESTING.
BOTH TANKS WERE EVENTUALLY FILLED BEFORE DETANKING.
LATE WEDNESDAY, THE HOTBIRD 13G LAUNCH LIT UP THE NIGHT SKY AS FALCON 9 BOOSTER B1067
LOFTED THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE TOWARDS GEOSTATIONARY ORBIT FROM LAUNCH COMPLEX 40.
THURSDAY MORNING ROVER CAM CAUGHT THE RAPID PROGRESS BEING MADE ERECTING A NEW TENT,
SIMILAR TO THE PRODUCTION TENTS, AT THE SANCHEZ SITE.
DOWN THE ROAD, THE LAUNCH SITE WAS CLOSED AND CLEARED FOR ANOTHER ROUND OF FULL STACK TESTING.
SPACEX STARTED BY PARTIALLY FILLING BOTH BOOSTER 7'S AND SHIP 24'S METHANE TANKS BEFORE DETANKING.
MEANWHILE, A SHIP TRANSPORT STAND WAS ROLLED OUT OF HIGH
BAY AND DOWN HIGHWAY 4 TOWARDS THE DOME YARD.
BACK AT THE LAUNCH SITE, SPACEX FINISHED THE DAY'S FULL STACK
TESTING BY PARTIALLY FILLING THE LOX TANKS ON BOTH VEHICLES BEFORE DETANKING ONCE MORE.
AND FINALLY FOR THIS WEEK, JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT FRIDAY MORNING, NASA ONCE AGAIN
ROLLED THEIR SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM ARTEMIS 1 ROCKET OUT OF THE VEHICLE ASSEMBLY BUILDING.
THE ROCKET RETURNED TO THE VAB AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER TO SHELTER FROMTHE HURRICANE.
DURING ITS MORE THAN 5 WEEK STAY IN THE BUILDING
NASA PERFORMED VARIOUS INSPECTIONS AND MAINTENANCE TASKS INCLUDING
BATTERY SWAPS AND WORKING TO TROUBLESHOOT THEHYDROGEN LEAKS EXPERIENCED IN SEPTEMBER.
WITH THE VEHICLE HAVING AGAIN SAFELY ARRIVED AT THE LAUNCH PAD, CREWS WILL
CONTINUE TO PREPARE FOR THE NEXT LAUNCH ATTEMPT, CURRENTLY SCHEDULED FOR THE 14TH OF NOVEMBER.
AND THERE YOU HAVE IT ANOTHER SPACEX AND STARBASE WEEKLY UPDATE BROUGHT TO YOU BY LABPADRE.
THANKS AGAIN FOR WATCHING AND WE'LL SEE YOU NEXT WEEK. LABPADRE--OUT!