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23 OF OUR SPACEX AND STARBASE WEEKLY UPDATES. WE GOT A GOOD ONE FOR YOU TODAY....SO LETS DIG IN!
JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT ON THE 5TH, AN SPMT LOADED WITH COUNTERWEIGHTS ROLLED INTO
THE RING YARD FOLLOWED BY ONE OF SPACEX'S GROVE CRANES.
LATE THAT MORNING, BOOSTER 8 WAS SHIFTED OUT OF THE MEGA BAY DOORWAY, MAKING
ROOM FOR BOOSTER 7'S IMPENDING DEPARTURE.
A FEW MINUTES LATER, A GROVE CRANE LIFTED A RAPTOR ENGINE INTO MEGA BAY, LIKELY FOR
INSTALLATION ON BOOSTER 7
THAT AFTERNOON, IN FLORIDA, SPACEX SUPPORT SHIP DOUG TOWED A SHORTFALL OF
GRAVITAS OUT TO SEA AHEAD OF THE STARLINK 4-26 LAUNCH.
BACK AT STARBASE, ROVER CAUGHT A CONTEMPLATIVE ELON WATCHING AS CREWS PREPARED
BOOSTER 7 FOR ITS RETURN TO THE PAD FOLLOWING WEEKS OF INSPECTION AND REPAIR.
LATER THAT NIGHT, PREPARATIONS WERE COMPLETE AND THE BOOSTER ROLLED OUT OF MEGA
BAY TO BEGIN ITS FOURTH TRIP TO THE LAUNCH SITE.
ELON TWEETED THAT THEY WERE LOOKING TO TEST THE OUTER 20 ENGINES
AND THE BOOSTER MOVED WITH ONLY THOSE RAPTORS INSTALLED. AT THE LAUNCH SITE,
THE BOOSTER HEADED TO GET IN POSITION FOR A MECHAZILLA LIFT.
AS THE BOOSTER APPROACHED THE LAUNCH TOWER A CLOUD OF MIST BLEW OUT FROM THE
CHOPSTICKS. THANKS TO ANOTHER TWEET FROM ELON, WE KNOW THAT THIS WAS DUE TO A
HYDRAULIC FAILURE WHICH ENDED THE HOPES FOR A NIGHT LIFT.
WITH THE CHOPSTICKS TEMPORARILY
UNAVAILABLE WHILE CREWS WORK TO REPAIR THE HYDRAULICS, SPACEX'S LR11000 CRANE WAS MOVED
INTO POSITION AND LIFTED THE BOOSTER TO THE LAUNCH MOUNT ON SATURDAY.
ONCE THE BOOSTER WAS SECURE ON THE LAUNCH MOUNT,
THE HOOD WAS RAISED AND THE QUICK DISCONNECT WAS CONNECTED.
IN HIGH BAY, THE SHIP 24 THRUST AND OXYGEN TANK
SECTION ROTATED ON THE TURNTABLE AS THEY WERE WELDED TOGETHER.
SUNDAY, A NEW SHIP TRANSPORT STAND WAS MOVED INTO HIGH BAY
READY TO RECEIVE THE SHIP AFT SECTION AFTER WELDING.
AN SPMT ARRIVED AT THE LAUNCH SITE AND PARKED UNDER THE NEW RAPTOR MAINTENANCE
PLATFORM'S STAND.
THE SPMT PICKED UP THE STAND AND MOVED IT IN THE DIRECTION OF THE ORBITAL LAUNCH
MOUNT WHERE THE PLATFORM WAS BEING USED.
IN THE EARLY HOURS OF MONDAY MORNING, SHIP 25 WAS BEING WELDED ON THE TURNTABLE
WHILE A GORGEOUS MOON WAS SETTING BEHIND IT.
AS CREWS WORKED TO PREPARE FOR THE DAY'S TESTING, THE RAPTOR MAINTENANCE
PLATFORM WAS LOWERED FROM THE LAUNCH MOUNT TO ITS WAITING STAND.
BACK IN FLORIDA, BOB TOWED JUST READ THE INSTRUCTIONS INTO PORT WITH FALCON 9
BOOSTER B1052 FOLLOWING THE SUCCESSFUL
LAUNCH OF THE KOREAN PATHFINDER LUNAR ORBITER MISSION.
AT STARBASE, AFTER THE SUBORBITAL FARM WAS SPUN UP,
SHIP 24 HAD 2 DIFFERENT SPIN PRIME TESTS OF ITS RAPTOR ENGINES.
A SHORT TIME LATER, DETANKING STARTED
AS THE SHIP'S TESTING WAS FINISHED FOR THE NIGHT.
LATER, ACTIVITY PICKED UP AT THE ORBITAL FARM AS SPACEX SWITCHED GEARS, RAMPING UP
FOR A ROUND OF TESTING ON BOOSTER 7.
IN FLORIDA, A SUNSET MOVE OF THE 6TH MODULE OF THE NEW LAUNCH TOWER TO LC-39A
WAS UNDERWAY. SINCE THE CRYOGENICS STOP AT THE QD ARM IN MODULE 5, THIS MODULE
HAS NO PRE-INSTALLED PIPING, BUT DOES HAVE
PULLEYS FOR THE CABLE THAT WILL RAISE AND LOWER THE CHOPSTICKS.
AS THE MODULE WAS ROLLING IN FLORIDA
SPACEX WAS PERFORMING A SINGLE ENGINE SPIN PRIME TEST ON BOOSTER 7 BACK AT STARBASE.
THIS TEST WAS FOLLOWED JUST A SHORT TIME
LATER BY A SECOND SPIN PRIME TEST FROM THE SAME ENGINE.
ENGINE TESTING DONE FOR THE NIGHT, BOOSTER 7 PERFORMED
A DEPRESS VENT CAUGHT HERE ON PREDATOR CAM.
TUESDAY, A PIECE FELL OFF THE BOOSTER LIFTING CAP AND HIT ONE OF B1052'S LEG STRUTS.
A FEW HOURS LATER, WITH THE CRANE NOW PROPERLY AND SECURELY CONNECTED, THE
OCTOGRABBER WAS ABLE TO RELEASE THE BOOSTER TO ALLOW FOR FURTHER PROCESSING.
CREWS NEXT GOT TO WORK REMOVING THE NEWLY DENTED LANDING LEG STRUT.
AT STARBASE, THE SPMTS FROM BOOSTER
7'S RECENT MOVE WERE SEEN HEADING BACK TOWARDS THE BUILD SITE.
A FEW MINUTES LATER SPACEX'S LR11000 CRANE REMOVED THE TANK
FROM THE TOP OF THE CAN CRUSHER TOP HAT.
THAT AFTERNOON, DURING FINAL TESTING PREP
A QUICK TEST OF THE PAD B WATER SYSTEM WAS SEEN.
A FEW HOURS LATER, ALL OUR WAITING PAID OFF AS WE SAW THE FIRST STATIC FIRE OF A
RAPTOR 2 AT STARBASE AS WELL AS THE FIRST STATIC FIRE EVER FROM THE ORBITAL LAUNCH
MOUNT AS BOOSTER 7 FIRED A SINGLE ENGINE FOR A DURATION OF ABOUT 4 SECONDS.
BACK AT PORT CANAVERAL, WITH THE DAMAGED STRUT REMOVED AND THE LEG TEMPORARILY
SECURED, B1052 WAS FINALLY MOVED TO THE DOCK.
WHILE TESTING WAS UNDERWAY, WORK CONTINUED UP THE ROAD AS A SHIPPING CONTAINER
WAS RELOCATED BEHIND THE TRACKING STATION.
ONCE THE BOOSTER'S ROUND OF TESTING WAS COMPLETE, THE CHOPSTICKS WERE LOWERED
BACK TO THE BASE OF THE LAUNCH TOWER.
STEPPING INTO THE SPOTLIGHT, SHIP 24 STATIC
FIRED 2 ENGINES LESS THAN 3 HOURS AFTER THE BOOSTER.
AND TO CAP OFF A BUSY DAY FOR SPACEX, FALCON 9 BOOSTER B1073 LAUNCHED 52 MORE
STARLINKS TO ORBIT FOR THE STARLINK 4-26 MISSION.
EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING THE RAPTOR MAINTENANCE PLATFORM WAS LIFTED BACK TO
THE BOTTOM OF THE LAUNCH MOUNT.
MEANWHILE, AT LC-39A, THE RECENTLY ARRIVED 6TH MODULE OF THE STARSHIP ORBITAL
LAUNCH TOWER WAS LIFTED AND INSTALLED, LEAVING JUST 3 MORE MODULES TO STACK.
IN HIGH BAY, SHIP 24'S NEWLY JOINED LOX
AND AFT SECTIONS WERE REMOVED FROM THE TURNTABLE.
ALSO ON WEDNESDAY, CREWS FINISHED PAINTING THE NEW PAYLOAD BUILDING WHITE, WHICH
SHOULD HELP TO KEEP THE BUILDING COOL IN THE TEXAS HEAT.
AT THE ORBITAL TANK FARM, THE PUMP MOTOR WAS REMOVED FROM ONE OF THE METHANE
PUMPS AND PLACED ON A NEARBY PALLET.
ABOUT AN HOUR LATER, THE PUMP ITSELF WAS REMOVED. DURING THIS REMOVAL, CREWS
WERE VERY CAREFUL TO APPLY WRAP TO KEEP THE PUMP CLEAN.
AND NEXT THE CASING FOR THIS PUMP WAS RELOCATED TO THE PUMP STATION NEXT TO IT.
AT PORT CANAVERAL, SPACEX SUPPORT SHIP BOB RETURNED TO THE DOCK AFTER SPENDING
TIME OFFSHORE FOR FAIRING RECOVERY
TRAINING OPERATIONS WITH THE NEW RECOVERY APPARATUS.
FRIDAY MORNING, AS SPACEX PREPARED FOR ANOTHER DAY OF TESTING, THE RAPTOR
MAINTENANCE PLATFORM WAS AGAIN LOWERED FROM THE LAUNCH MOUNT.
BACK IN FLORIDA, THE DOCKSIDE CRANE RAISED THE LIFTING CAP AND REATTACHED TO B1052,
THIS TIME WITHOUT THE WEIGHTS AT THE END OF THE LEG LINES.
AS FINAL PREPARATIONS FOR MORE BOOSTER TESTING WERE UNDERWAY, THE CHOPSTICKS
WERE RAISED TO JUST BELOW THE QD ARM, LIKELY FOR PROTECTION.
THE SHIP QUICK DISCONNECT WAS THEN
EXTENDED AS SPACEX CONTINUES TO TEST THE TOWER SYSTEMS.
A FEW HOURS LATER, WE WERE TREATED TO ANOTHER SINGLE ENGINE STATIC FIRE FROM
BOOSTER 7. THIS STATIC FIRE LASTED FOR A WHOPPING 20 SECONDS. THANKS TO A TWEET
FROM ELON, WE KNOW THAT THIS LONG DURATION WAS TO TEST THE BOOSTER'S
AUTOGENOUS PRESSURIZATION SYSTEM.
FALCON 9 B1052'S LEGS WERE FINALLY FOLDED BACK UP, LEAVING THE BOOSTER READY FOR
TRANSPORT TO SPACEX REFURBISHMENT FACILITIES.
ONCE THE ROAD WAS REOPENED AT STARBASE, TWO SPMTS WITH COUNTERWEIGHTS ARRIVED
AT THE LAUNCH SITE, LIKELY SIGNALING BOOSTER 7'S RETURN TO MEGA BAY.
FINALLY FOR THIS WEEK, OVERNIGHT THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY A PARADE OF CENTER RAPTORS
HEADED TO MEGA BAY TO BE INSTALLED ON BOOSTER 7 UPON ITS RETURN FROM THE PAD
AND THERE YOU HAVE IT. ANOTHER SPACEX AND STARBASE WEEKLY UPDATE BROGHT TO YOU BY LABPADRE.
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WE'LL SEE YOU NEXT WEEK AND THANK FOR WATCHING... LABPADRE– OUT