Wiki Super Heavy/Starship at KSC, Florida - General Development Discussion

[Cosmacelf]

Chopsticks being installed! Mechzilla assemble!

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1611315418039476224

 

[ecarfan]

To back up a bit, here is a 3 month old video with an overview of the SpaceX Rocket Road facility in Florida. At that time the Stage Zero tower had been topped out but new tower components had been spotted in the construction and staging yard. Two towers in Florida! There are various locations where the next tower could be built but so far no foundations have been spotted.

Next to the new Stage Zero tower at 39A that is about to have its chopsticks arms installed, there is an enormous LOX tank under construction. Quite a contract to the multiple much smaller LOX tanks at Boca Chica. I assume the multiple horizontal tanks next to it are for CH4.

 

[scaesare]

I find it interesting they're moving forward with tower/chopstick infrastructure while they haven't even proven out the "booster catch" they expect the chopsticks to do... Perhaps they are useful enough for stacking operations that even if they were to have to significantly modify the chopstick design for catching, or even abandon it all together and go back to landing legs, that it's worthwhile to install them to eliminate the need for cranes.

 

[ecarfan]

Quite a contract to the multiple much smaller LOX tanks at Boca Chica

Sorry, that should be “Quite a contrast…”

I find it interesting they're moving forward with tower/chopstick infrastructure while they haven't even proven out the "booster catch"

It’s a real gamble for SpaceX to allocate resources to build a second Stage Zero when the first Stage Zero has yet to prove that it will work, not just to land the SH and Starship but even to launch the full stack.

 

[ecarfan]

At the Roberts Road facility, there are 7 of the 9 segments for a third Stage Zero tower. Which is pretty incredible. Where will that tower be located? We don’t know.

Screen captures from this NSF video.

 

[ecarfan]

QD arm parts for the next tower.

And the current state of the Roberts Road Starfactory building.

 

[ecarfan]

Beginning of the process of installing the chopsticks on the new Stage Zero. They seem to be much shorter than the ones at Boca Chica.

 

[ecarfan]

From the latest NSF video, more building progress at Rocket Road. The tower sections for a third Stage Zero are still being worked on, flooring is being added to the various levels.