SpaceX Tuesday...

[Toaster]

Beati Dogu said:

SpaceX are moving their Starship & its booster construction work over to Boca Chica, Texas.

So the previous plan to build a factory in the port of Los Angeles is now on ice.

Clearly this will also mean they don't have to ship rockets through the Panama Canal too.


https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-spacex-port...

With Tesla laying off 3,000 workers and space X laying off 6,000 maybe the financial realities are starting to hit home you maybe able to burn money at the beginning of a technology change but you cannot keep doing it.

[Toaster]

Tallow said:

Can we keep partisan politics out of this thread, please? It's quite enjoyable just discussing space stuff and there's plenty of space for the politics in NP&E!

You have a point but politics and space stuff go hand in hand particularly if it helps or hinders projects.

[Tallow]

Toaster said:

You have a point but politics and space stuff go hand in hand particularly if it helps or hinders projects.

I don't disagree with you, but there's a big difference between making an observation of political moves that can impact the space industry (e.g. Space Force, policy plans for exploration, subsidies of the space industry, etc) and making broad brush statements that either side of the aisle (and their associated electorate) is right or wrong.

[Beati Dogu]

Elon has now clarified that ...

"The source info is incorrect. Starship & Raptor development is being done out of our HQ in Hawthorne, CA. We are building the Starship prototypes locally at our launch site in Texas, as their size makes them very difficult to transport."

So there you go,

[Beati Dogu]

Live webcam of the Boca Chica launch site area:

https://www.spadre.com/

[MartG]

Errrr....




NOT an official render

[annodomini2]

MartG said:

Errrr....




NOT an official render

I would guess taking off in that thing will hurt

[MartG]

Bad news - the top half of Starhopper has been destroyed by an overnight storm

[Eric Mc]

I think they need a bigger shed.

[MartG]

Apparently it had been removed from the bottom half while they install equipment, and last night's winds broke the tie-down ropes

[Flooble]

Is Matt Damon impaled on a radio antenna nearby?

[Beati Dogu]

Well that's a bugger. I don't think that damage will just buff out.

annodomini2 said:

I would guess taking off in that thing will hurt

Not for long.

[RobDickinson]

Top section was apparently off for fitting things inside and broke a mooring

[Beati Dogu]

I didn't expect to see it like that so soon.

[Beati Dogu]

Crew Dragon atop its rocket - ready for its static fire (likely Thursday 24th sometime)



First time they've done a static fire with the payload aboard since the Amos 6 Falcon 9 blew up on the pad in 2016.

They've painted the tower black & white to match the rocket too.

They've also started cladding a couple of the lower sections in what looks like a dark mesh material.

[MartG]

Beati Dogu said:

First time they've done a static fire with the payload aboard since the Amos 6 Falcon 9 blew up on the pad in 2016.

Because Crew Dragon can do this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9kovJ5SyjM&fb...

[annodomini2]

Musk has stated the main reasons for the switch to Stainless for Starship being:

1. Cost $200/kg for Carbon Fibre vs $3/kg for Stainless
2. Material durability, CF is limited to about 300degC, whereas Stainless is iro 800degC.

[Beati Dogu]

They'll be using 301 stainless steel it seems.


https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/rockets/a25...

[MartG]

Work underway on Starhopper

[MartG]