HEY HEY HEY…IT'S LABPADRE!
WELCOME BACK AND THANKS FOR TUNING INTO EPISODE 28 OF LABPADRE'S SPACEX AND STARBASE WEEKLY UPDATES.
WE HAVE A SHORT ONE FOR YOUR TODAY SO LET'SDIG IN!
FOLLOWING A SUCCESSFUL TEST CAMPAIGN, CREWS BEGAN PREPPING B7.1 FOR ROLL-BACK BY PULLING
OFF THE TOP-HAT FROM THE CRUSHER.
LATER IN THE AFTERNOON, B7.1 ITSELF WAS LIFTED OFF THE CRUSHER AND PLACED IN A TRANSPORT
STAND FOR ROLLBACK.
IN THE PREDAWN HOURS ON SATURDAY, THE EIGHTH SECTION OF THE ORBITAL LAUNCH TOWER AT LAUNCH
COMPLEX 39A WAS LIFTED INTO PLACE.
RETURNING TO BOCA CHICA, ANOTHER WORK PLATFORM WAS MOVED INTO THE MEGA BAY AHEAD OF FINAL
INSTALLATION.
LATE IN THE EVENING, THE WORK PLATFORM WAS ULTIMATELY LIFTED AND INSTALLED INSIDE THE
MEGA BAY.
FALCON 9 BOOSTER B1058 CARRIED OUT A RECORD 14TH LAUNCH FROM PAD 39A IN FLORIDA, CARRYING
STARLINK GROUP 4-2 AND BLUEWALKER-3 INTO ORBIT.
ON SUNDAY, THE NINTH AND FINAL MODULE OF THE STARSHIP ORBITAL LAUNCH INTEGRATION TOWER
WHICH HAS ALREADY BEEN FITTED OUT WITH ITS CROWN BLOCK AND SHEAVES FOR RIGGING WAS ROLLED
OUT TO LAUNCH COMPLEX 39A.
BACK IN BOCA CHICA, STARSHIP 25'S TANK SECTION WAS LIFTED ONTO THE WELDING TURNTABLE AHEAD
OF FINAL STACKING.
JOINING IN MONDAY'S ACTIVITIES, THE CAN CRUSHER BASE WAS CARTED OUT OF THE LAUNCH SITE.
THE CRUSHER WAS ROLLED DOWN HIGHWAY 4 INTO THE STORAGE YARDS.
WITH THE LAUNCH SITE CLEARED, THE CHOPSTICKS WERE RAISED AHEAD OF ANOTHER ROUND OF BOOSTER
TESTING.
DISPLAYING THE FIRING SEQUENCE OF THE ENGINES, BOOSTER 7 CONDUCTED ANOTHER SPIN-PRIME TEST
STARTING WITH THE THREE CENTER ENGINES, BEFORE MOVING TO THE INNER RING AND THEN THE OUTER
RING WHICH APPEAR TO BE IGNITED IN STAGGERED OPPOSING PAIRS.
OVER AT THE BUILD SITE, THE LOAD SPREADER WAS ATTACHED TO SHIP 25'S NOSE AND FORWARD
SECTION IN PREPARATION FOR STACKING.
WITH EVERYTHING IN PLACE IN THE HIGH BAY, SHIP 25'S UPPER HALF WAS LIFTED AND PLACED
ABOVE THE LOWER HALF FOR FINAL ASSEMBLY OF THE HULL.
WITH CREWS WORKING THROUGH THE NIGHT AT THE CAPE, CONSTRUCTION WORK IS PROGRESSING INSIDE
THE NEW ORBITAL LAUNCH TOWER AT PAD 39A.
AFTER BOOSTER 7'S SPIN PRIME TESTING, WORKERS MOVED THE RAPTOR PLATFORM UNDERNEATH
THE OLM TO WORK ON THE BOOSTER.
IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF TUESDAY, THE PLATFORM WAS HOISTED INTO PLACE IN A QUICK
LIFT.
THUNDERSTORMS RAGED OVERNIGHT AT THE CAPE, HERALDING THE RETURN OF SEASONAL WEATHER THAT
OFTEN SCRUBS LAUNCHES AT THIS TIME OF YEAR.
IN CALMER DAYLIGHT SKIES, BOOSTER B1052-7 WAS LOWERED ONTO ITS TRANSPORTER AHEAD OF
ITS RETURN TO THE ROBERTS ROAD FACILITIES FOR MAINTENANCE.
MAKING ITS FIRST APPEARANCE OUTSIDE OF TENT THREE, THE NOSECONE OF SHIP 26 WAS MOVED OUTDOORS.
FROM THERE, THE NOSECONE WAS MOVED INTO THE RING YARD.
CURIOUSLY, WHILE THIS NOSECONE HAS THE
MOUNTING STUDS FOR THERMAL TILES, IT HAS NOT BEEN FITTED WITH ANY.
THE ORBITAL LAUNCH MOUNT HAS BEEN EVOLVING CONTINUOUSLY, WITH NEW COMPONENTS LIKE
THIS METAL PLATE FREQUENTLY BEING LIFTED AND INSTALLED.
ON WEDNESDAY EVENING, THE MAINTENANCE PLATFORM WAS LOWERED FROM THE LAUNCH MOUNT.
THE INDICATOR-WARNING LIGHTS ON THE LAUNCH TOWER, WHICH SIGNAL THE STATE OF THE LAUNCH
SITE, WERE SEEN IN USE ABOUT AN HOUR LATER.
ASSEMBLY OF BOOSTER 9 CONTINUED WITH THE RIGGING OF ANOTHER FOUR RING SECTION TO THE BOTTOM OF
THE MAIN LIQUID OXYGEN TANK ASSEMBLY, WHICH WAS THEN LIFTED TO THE WELDING TURNTABLE.
OVERNIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING, A TEMPORARY WORK PLATFORM WAS ATTACHED TO STARSHIP 24 ON
TEMPORARY WELDED FIXTURES, RESTING JUST BELOW THE STARLINK DISPENSER DOOR.
THE OLD CIVIL WAR TRAIL SIGNPOST, HAVING ENDURED MANY YEARS OF HARSH WINDS AND ROCKET TESTING
SUDDENLY FELL OVER IN THE QUIET OF THURSDAY NIGHT.
AFTER ITS RECORD-SETTING 14TH FLIGHT, BOOSTER 1058 RETURNED TO THE CAPE AND WAS UNLOADED
FROM A SHORTFALL OF GRAVITAS.
WRAPPING THIS EPISODE I’D LIKE TO GIVE A SPECIAL THANKS TO SPACEFLIGHT NOW FOR WORKING
WITH US AT CAPE CANAVERAL.
MAKE SURE YOU CHECK OUT THEIR WEBSITE AND YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOR MORE GREAT ROCKET COVERAGE.
WE'LL SEE YOU NEXT WEEK AND THANKS FOR WATCHING.
LABPADRE...OUT!