The future of Starship’s Pad 1 tower and launch mount

With the last Block 2 flight lifting off on Oct. 14th, 2025, SpaceX has no more need for Pad 1’s current infrastructure. However, Pad 1 still has a significant future ahead; it is undergoing major rework and redesign that will enable it to accommodate Block 3 launches, resembling Pad 2, but without starting entirely from scratch.

After flight 11, SpaceX completed all the Block 2 launches and is getting ready for the new and improved Block 3 Starships; the vehicles aren’t the only ones getting a redesign.

SpaceX is in a rush to get Pad 2 operational for the new Block 3 version of Starship to accommodate all of these new changes and push Starship to be rapidly reusable without the need for any major refurbishments on either the vehicles or support infrastructure.

Deluge

The Block 3 Starship redesign renders the old Pad 1 launch infrastructure unusable and requires SpaceX to demolish the launch mount, the upside-down shower head, and remove or modify hardware on the tower.

Pad 1 was functional enough to launch 11 Starship flights with variable levels of success. After a launch, the launch pad needed extensive refurbishment to support the next Starship. Starship needs to be rapidly reusable, meaning that both the vehicle and the launch infrastructure have minimal downtime during refurbishments.

The hole in the ground forced SpaceX to install the “upside-down shower head” to absorb the forces from booster engine testing and lift-off. The system proved sufficient for the 10 launches that followed.

Starship flight 1 kicking up debris (Credit: Jay Deshetler for NSF)

For the new launch pad design, SpaceX will use a classical flame bucket, with Block 3 being much more powerful, requiring a more powerful deluge system that also allows SpaceX to use it more often in a shorter time span.

At liftoff, the exhaust of 33 Raptor engines from the booster hits the top of the launch mount, launching every one or two months. Metal shielding is used to protect the launch mount and Booster Quick Disconnect (BQD) system. 

With rapid reusability a requirement, using only metal shielding requires a lot of refurbishment of the launch mount. SpaceX wants to resolve this issue by adding a water plate on the deck of the launch mount to cool and absorb the exhaust of the booster for both launch and landings, removing the need for refurbishment of the top of the launch mount.

Driving the pressure to force out the water from both the flame bucket and the top deck is a new gas generator system that burns oxygen and methane at the tank farm. This will result in heating up Liquid Nitrogen, turning it into high-pressure nitrogen gas. Pad 1’s deluge farm created high-pressure nitrogen gas with vaporizers.

Pad 2 launch mount with cowbell vents on the Service Structure (Credit: Ceaser G for NSF)

Service Structure

To prevent fires or detonations inside the service structure and the launch mount, the inside is filled with nitrogen gas to make the air inside inert.

Pad 1 used a Detonation Suppression System (DSS) that sprayed a mixture of water and nitrogen gas to prevent any future unwanted detonations occurring after seeing what happened with Booster 7’s Spin Prime explosion that occurred on July 12, 2022.

Yeah, actually not good. Team is assessing damage.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 11, 2022

Cowbell vents located on the service structure allow nitrogen gas to escape during liftoff, enabling the structure to fill with a normal atmosphere and thereby reducing the risk of asphyxiation due to oxygen deficiency in the air. The Pad 2 service structure features reinforced doors, similar to those found in a vault, to withstand the pressure at liftoff.

Booster Quick Disconnect

Loading Liquid Methane (LCH4) and Liquid Oxygen (LOX) will be different with the new launch mount, now featuring a separate BQD for LOX and LCH4. The new design for the BQDs also allows SpaceX to integrate the 20 Raptor Quick Disconnects (RQDs) into the BQD. On the old Pad 1, the RQD that starts the outer 20 Raptor turbines is located next to the hold-down arms.

Ship Quick Disconnect

Just like the BQD, the Ship’s Quick Disconnect (SQD) arm has upgrades over the SQD on the tower at Pad 1 and was installed on Nov. 23, 2025, on the tower at Pad 2.

The forearm part of the SQD arm is at Sanchez and is being kitted out with piping, electrical wiring, and the ship’s umbilical plate that connects to the ship.

SQD extension being installed at Pad 2 (Credit: Ceaser G for NSF)

Spotting differences between existing parts of both SQD arms reveals that, rather than routing the piping inside the shoulder, Pad 2’s SQD shoulder has its piping and wiring routed outside on top of the shoulder of the arm. A walkway has also been installed, allowing workers to walk inside of the shoulder. 

Much has changed between Ship Block 1/2 and Block 3 plate; the plate itself is now much wider, almost looks like the Block 1 BQD plate.

The SQD plate for Block 3 has several changes from the Block 1 and 2 plates, such as the LCH4 and LOX ports being farther apart, and the remaining pipe ports being above the LCH4 and LOX ports. Pistons are also positioned at the corners of the SQD plate; these could help smooth the attachment and detachment of the SQD plate from the ship.

Chopsticks

Although the tower’s structure remains, the hardware is changing, even beyond the SQD arm. The draw works that lift the chopsticks have been removed; the draw works of Tower 1, which have seen all 11 launches, were removed Nov. 6, 2025. The exact reason the draw was removed is unknown, but it was either for upgrades and maintenance or to replace it with an improved version once Pad 1 is back in construction.

The travelling block is the hook connecting the carriage system to the draw works cable. The difference between the two travelling blocks is that the block at Pad 1 has the cable running through it five times, while the block at Pad 2 has it running through six times, allowing the chopsticks to lift more. The travelling block at Pad 1 will likely have the same type of travelling block as on Pad 2.

Shortened Chopsticks (Credit: Ceaser G for NSF)

The chopsticks themselves are not spared either; one very noticeable difference between Pad 1’s and Pad 2’s chopsticks is that Pad 2’s chopsticks are a lot shorter. When a booster, or in the future a ship, is being caught by the chopsticks, it only needs a small part of the chopsticks to land on, rendering the extra length that Pad 1’s chopsticks have useless. Pad 1’s chopsticks have already been cut as a result.

With the lifting sockets removed from Block 3 ships, there is no need for specialized ship-lifting hardware; the Block 3 ships will use the lifting points as the boosters do.

Pad 1 will be offline for a while, but flight 11 won’t be the last launch it supports.

Featured Image: Pad 1 and 2 (Credit: Ceaser G for NSF)

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