Space X

[ngatimozart]

Space X have a build and launch facility a Boca Chico, East Texas, USA. It's quite an impressive facility and something that I have been watching video feeds of for the last few weeks. This is where they are building there Super Heavy Boosters and Starships.

This video is the moving of Super Heavy Booster 4 from the high facility where was stacked to the Orbital Launch Platform 1. You will notice that it moves down Highway Four for part of its journey. Wonder if they pay road taxes

On its trip to the launch platform, you will notice another booster on a launch platform. That's Super Heavy Booster 3 which is on Sub Orbital Launch Platform 1. It was used for a ground testing and a test firing of 3 Raptor rocket engines. It's unknown if another test firing will be conducted using it, or what it's future entails. Most likely it will end up being scrapped.

They will use the Frankencrane to lift booster #4 off its transporter onto the launch table which is on top of the launch platform. The Frankencrane is a Liebherr 13000 crawler crane with a 234m reach, capable of lifting 11,000 tonnes. The other large crane there is a Liebherr crawler crane 11000 with a 220m reach, capable of lifting 1,000 tonnes.

 

[ngatimozart]

Booster 4 has been lifted on tothe launch platform. Ship 20 has been stacked in the high facility. A quick look on the live feed before showed it being transported out to the launch facility. The short video of that will be posted by Boco Chico Gal later today NZ time.

 

[ngatimozart]

Ship 20 moved to the OLP to be stacked on top of Booster 4.

Ship 20 stacked and first complete Starship

Raptors removed from Ship 20 and Ship 20 destacked

Boost 4 removed from OLP.

Booster 4 moves back to to the High Bay. Ship 20 moved out of High Bay prior to Booster 4 arrival. GSE Tank 6 leaves Production Area for the Launch Area. Meet Booster 4 part way down Highway Four and has to pull into a layby to let Booster 4 pass.

It appears that aftersome testing Ship 20 will be moved to the Sub Orbital Launch Platform. Whether this is for a Raptor engine test or a sub orbital launch remains unknown.

 

[ngatimozart]

A tour through the Space X complex with Elon Musk.

 

[bearnard19]

An interesting information about Space X. Till September 2021 Space X is gonna cover the whole planet with a Starlink internet connection and it's gonna launch 42 thousand of satellites. How do you relate to the number of satellites in the orbit of Earth?

 

[bearnard19]

According to Musk`s words, Starlink satellites are going to have a special self desposal function. It means that when the time of the usage of satellites gets to the end, satellites will be able to lead themself to the atmosphere of Earth, where they will burn down and not to increase the number of space junk.

 

[bearnard19]

Actually it is a clever decision, as the big number of space junk can damage expensive spacecrafts The growing number of space items can lead to the state where he object density is so high that one collision is enough to generate a cascade effect, leading to further collisions.

 

[ngatimozart]

According to Musk`s words, Starlink satellites are going to have a special self desposal function. It means that when the time of the usage of satellites gets to the end, satellites will be able to lead themself to the atmosphere of Earth, where they will burn down and not to increase the number of space junk.

It's cool that you're commenting on these posts but howabout providing links for claims such as these that you make.

 

[ngatimozart]

Over the last 2 weeks SN20 has made its way to the Sub Orbital Launch Area. Super Heavy Booster 3 that was on Sub Orbital Launch Platform 1 has been dismantled and mostly sent to the scrap yard. They have started construction of SN21, Super Heavy Booster 5, and High Bay 2.

In this video they have finished building the Quick Release Arm for the Star Ship. It supplies fuel to the ship right up until launch and literally swings out of the way at the last moment. There is also a flyby by trainee astronauts.

 

[kato]

According to Musk`s words, Starlink satellites are going to have a special self desposal function. It means that when the time of the usage of satellites gets to the end, satellites will be able to lead themself to the atmosphere of Earth, where they will burn down and not to increase the number of space junk.

It should be noted that this is nothing particular to Starlink or any sort of "environmental consciousness" of SpaceX, but instead a required function.

In the USA it is/will be legally required by the FCC under rules which entered the adoption process in April 2020. As Starlink operates under a FCC license it is legally obligated to fulfill disposal under these rules for any satellites launched after these rule changes become active. Since they're working off of a standardized design they implemented the capability from the start (everyone knew such rules were coming).

It should be noted that even during regular operations Starlink satellites by now account for 500 close encounters with spacecraft of other operators per week, thus themselves presenting a sizable risk to orbital operations - and that's in addition to 1100 close encounters per week within the constellation itself due to extremely tightly spaced orbital regimes.
Such close encounters included a SpaceX satellite on collision course with a ESA research satellite in September 2019 in which SpaceX refused to yield and move out of the way as well as any claimed automatic collision avoidance system on the SpaceX satellite apparently not functioning, thus setting a rather ugly precedence.

 

[ngatimozart]

There's been plenty going on. Super Heavy Booster 4 is now back on the Orbital Launch Platform, Super Heavy Booster 5 is being stacked in the High Bay, parts for Super Heavy Booster 6 have been spotted, the work on the foundations for High Bay 2 is progressing, and the heat shield protection repairs on SN20 are just about complete. Both it and Super Heavy Booster 4 have their full compliment of Raptor engines installed. A static test of both SN20 and Super Heavy Booster 4 has been programmed for this week. Mechzilla Chopsticks and the Claw used in the recovery of the Boosters when they return to the launch tower after launch are nearing completion.

 

[cdxbow]

The latest Ars Technica Rocket Report Rocket Report: Next Falcon Heavy launch date set, Soyuz 5 engines clear tests | Ars Technica had a comment which is a little off topic, but very funny

Hey, where's the news of Sue Origin sending the first lawyer to the Moon?
I can already imagine the headlines:
"One small lawsuit for a man, one giant trial for mankind!"
"Houston, we have a subpoena!"
"Failure to appear is not an option!"

 

[ngatimozart]

There's been a bit happening. Booster 4 hasn't been tested as of yet and has been removed from the Orbital Launch Platform and placed on a separate platform near to the Orbital Launch Platform whilst its still been worked on. Ship 20 has undergone to cryogenic fuel pressure tests and a simulated engine vibration test. The cryogenic pressure tests resulted in some reentry tiles being loosened and the vibration testing saw them dropping off. Apart from that it appears that Ship 20 has passed both tests.

Ship 21 is being stacked and its reentry tiles are being attached. Ship 22 and Booster 6 parts have been spotted. Booster 5 is continuing to be stacked in the High Bay. I was wrong about Frankencrane's designation, it is in fact a Liebherr 11350. It has just had its boom reduced and in the video below can be seen moving Mechzilla's moving carriage to the stands for I presume the installation of the chopsticks. This is the part that catches the returning Super Heavy Booster and is also part of the stacking operation when the ship is stacked on the booster. Elon likes his names.

Two very large propellant tanks have been delivered by truck, with the second on this video. The concrete foundations for the Wide High Bay are continued to be poured. At this point no confirmed dates have been made for any Raptor tests.

The FAA have released their draft environmental report for Space X's facilities at Boca Chico and their Super Heavy program. It's detailed in the following video.

 

[ngatimozart]

Update.

Preburner testing on Ship 20 happened and the Chopsticks had a test lift prior to installation.

The Chopsticks were lifted onto the launch tower for installation.

The first test fire of Ship 20's Raptor engines. Two test fires occurred with the first being a single engine and the second being an atmospheric Raptor and a vacuum Raptor test fired at the same time.

The Chopsticks are now standing on their own with Frankencrane being disconnected. So Mechzilla’s fully installed.

 

[ngatimozart]

No further details on when Ship 20 will be tested again or when Super Heavy Booster 4 will be tested.

Space X have acquired their own Liebherr 11,000 crane and it's being assembled at the launch facility. Frankencrane has been disassembled and is no longer required on site. The last thing evident in the latest video is the main power unit and cab assembly which looks like it's still sitting on the tracks. They sure must use a heap of flat deck trucks moving that around the country.

 

[ngatimozart]

At the end of December Ship 20 did two test fires which looked like to be part of a planned series.

In the last few days, the Chop sticks have been undergoing a full range of movement testing. Also what remains of Super Heavy Booster 3 is being dismantled and dumped.

Super Heavy Booster 5 has been completed and is being stored in the production area, as is Ship 21. Super Heavy Boosters 6 and 7, along with Ships 22 and 23 are under construction. The Wide High Bay construction has powered ahead, with the second level now underway. Elon Musk has unveiled a Raptor 2 engine which is far more powerful than the current Raptor 1 engines. Little is known about it at the moment, but when fitted to the Super Heavy Booster should be capable of lifting 150 tonne payloads into LEO (Low Earth Orbit).

 

[ddxx]

capable of lifting 150 tonne payloads into LEO

This is going to be the real game-changer. Imagine how quickly the ISS could have been built with such lift capability.

From memory, the Space Shuttle was limited to around 27 tonnes to LEO.

 

[kato]

Imagine how quickly the ISS could have been built with such lift capability.

Not really much faster, given the construction time of ISS was mostly actual in-orbit assembly time and moving construction teams up there for that.

 

[ddxx]

Not really much faster, given the construction time of ISS was mostly actual in-orbit assembly time and moving construction teams up there for that.

Absolutely re in orbit construction - however, if Starship meets their claimed stats, some components which would have previously required assembly in orbit could be delivered in one piece.

That’s on top of being able to get the same mass of components up there in one launch instead of 5-6.

 

[ngatimozart]

A bit of a spectacular failure when pressure testing in the GSE-4 test tank. It was pressure tested to failure.

An engine test on the prototype Raptor 2 engine. This was done at another SpaceX facility.