Launch Pad work continues at Starbase as Flight 5 delayed by FAA

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SpaceX is still preparing for Flight 5 of Starship but may have to wait at least six more weeks for regulatory approval from the FAA. With Booster 12 and Ship 30 patiently waiting for rollout and integrated testing, workers are busy continuing to prepare the launch site for the catch of the former, which would mark a significant milestone in SpaceX’s rapid reuse aspirations.

Orbital Launch Pad B Work

SpaceX is continuing to build up Orbital Launch Pad B, where crews are finishing the installation of sheet piles for the flame trench area.

Crews are expected to start digging out the dirt inside this area over the next several weeks. This preparation will allow the trench’s floor and walls to be built before concrete is filled in.

The installation of the chopstick system on the second tower will begin with the arrival of the assembly jig. The other required piece is a reconfigured crane, which was laid down last week and has since had its jib assembly removed ahead of more pad work.

Ship 31 Engine Testing and Test Tank 16

Flight 6 engine testing has started, with Ship 31 rolling out to SpaceX’s test site at Masseys on Sept. 6.

Ship 31 at Masseys with Test Tank 16 in the Test Stand (Credit: BocaChicaGal for NSF/L2)

Then, on Sept. 8, SpaceX loaded propellant into Ship 31 for what might have been a possible spin prime. However, with the weather conditions at the time, it was hard to get any visual indication if a test was completed or if there was an abort.

Ship 31 is still out at Masseys, awaiting static fire testing before heading back to production for additional heat shield work. Before heading out, crews did little work on Ship 31’s heat shield, unlike Ship 30, which now has a new set of TPS (Thermal Protection System). 

Test Tank 16 all buttoned up with the Can Crusher (Credit: BocaChicaGal for NSF/L2)

The other hardware at Masseys is Test Tank 16, a test article for testing the new Block 2 ship aft section. Currently SpaceX has it hooked up with the new can crusher cap and has tested it a couple of times so far with liquid nitrogen. This will help SpaceX verify the design changes to the Block 2 ship aft.

Starhopper

With all of the ongoing work with the launch site for a second orbital pad, SpaceX needed to move Starhopper out of the way. On Sept. 3 crews moved the venerable vehicle to the danger lot just across Hwy 4 from the launch site.

Starhopper Parked at Danger Lot (Credit: BocaChicaGal for NSF/L2)

Starhopper had spent almost five years parked at the entrance to the launch site.

Orbital Launch Pad A Work

Over the last few weeks, crews have constantly worked on the Chopsticks and the Tower for Orbital Launch Pad A (OLP). An entire new set of bumpers has been added on the landing rails, with a wear indicator coating for when Booster 14.1 rolls back out for more testing.

Crews have also been adding larger gusset plates near the top of the tower. These plates help connect the diagonal and horizontal truss beams of the tower’s main structure. This will, in turn, help stiffen the tower during catch operations, as SpaceX intends to catch near the top of the tower.

Larger Gusset Plates Installed at the top of Tower A (Credit: Jack Beyer for NSF/L2)

One of the major events over the last few weeks was a full launch and catch simulation with the launch pad systems. Crews closed the Booster Quick Disconnect (BQD) and swung out the Ship Quick Disconnect Arm (SQD), and about eight minutes later, about the time for the booster to return to the launch site, the chopstick arms began to close in a simulated catch.

During this, the launch tower bent forward and made a small twisting motion, which SpaceX may have to lessen before an actual catch is made.

SpaceX crews continue to add reinforcements to all the major weld lines on the chopstick structure and are slowly progressing with finishing them up. 

Flight 5 News

Flight 5 is expected to be delayed until late November due to environmental concerns over bringing back Booster 12 and catching said booster. These environmental concerns are related to the launch license, which SpaceX requested to modify so that a booster catch could be attempted.

This news initially came from a large update posted by SpaceX on its website titled “Starships Were Meant to Fly,” which mentioned that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had communicated that the license would not be ready until late November.

During this update, SpaceX stated that the Flight 5 vehicles had been ready to fly since the beginning of August, which echoes the social media post around that time.
SpaceX also acknowledged that teams are trying to pull off something no one has ever attempted: catching the largest rocket booster ever built. This comes with its issues, and in the statement, SpaceX is trying to call out the fact that it is taking the FAA extra time to complete this license modification due to this change in flight plan from Flight 4.

According to the FAA, which responded to an inquiry by Adrian Beil for NSF, “SpaceX’s current license authorizing the Starship Flight 4 launch also allows for multiple flights of the same vehicle configuration and mission profile. SpaceX chose to modify both for its proposed Starship Flight 5 launch which triggered a more in-depth review.

“In addition, SpaceX submitted new information in mid-August detailing how the environmental impact of Flight 5 will cover a larger area than previously reviewed. This requires the FAA to consult with other agencies.”

The statement confirmed that the final license determination is not expected before late November 2024. This news comes while SpaceX is still figuring out how to actually catch a booster with chopsticks, having completed several tests with launch pad hardware.

Crews Installing Reinforcements onto the Chopsticks following testing (Credit: BocaChicaGal for NSF/L2)

As noted in the FAA statement, SpaceX could fly Ship 30 and Booster 12 using the same flight profile as Ship 29 and Booster 11 without a modification, assuming Orbital Launch Pad A is ready to support an orbital launch.

Either way, SpaceX now has a couple more months to complete the work required to catch a booster and possibly even static-fire Booster 13. Unfortunately, though, with this news, SpaceX will likely fall behind its projected launch cadence, putting it even farther behind in getting flights under its belts and gathering data for its Artemis program contract.

Featured Image: Orbital Launch Site (Credit: BocaChicaGal for NSF/L2)

The post Launch Pad work continues at Starbase as Flight 5 delayed by FAA appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.



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