Starship Development Thread October 2026

17 days ago by threelonmusketeers to c/spacex

FAQ

When next launch? (Flight 15) NET Nov 8th.
When previous launch? (Flight 14) Starship Flight 14 (Starlink Group 31-1) launched on 2026-09-28.
What was the result? B21 soft splashdown on target. S41 becomes the first ship to perform an orbital insertion burn. 26 Starlink v3 satellites are deployed. S41 performs a deorbit burn, followed by nominal ship reentry, landing burn, and splashdown.

Previous Flights

Click to expand

Flight 1: S24 and B7. First full stack launch, RUD before stage separation.
Flight 2: S25 and B9. Successful stage separation, booster RUD during boostback burn, ship RUD shortly prior to scheduled SECO.
Flight 3: S28 and B10. Booster performs a successful boostback burn, but experiences RUD during landing burn. Ship makes it past SECO, but loses attitude control and is destroyed on reentry.
Flight 4: S29 and B11. First successful booster water landing. Ship survives reentry despite burn-through on forward flap, and performs a successful water landing.
Flight 5: S30 and B12. First booster catch with chopsticks. Ship performs successful water landing.
Flight 6: S31 and B13. Booster offshore divert due to damage to catch tower during launch. Ship performs successful water landing.
Flight 7: S33 and B14-1. First V2 Ship launch. Harmonic oscillation on ship causes RUD before SECO. Booster is caught by chopsticks.
Flight 8: S34 and B15-1. Engine failure on ship causes RUD before SECO. Booster is caught by chopsticks.
Flight 9: S35 and B14-2. First booster reflight. Ship makes it past SECO, but loses attitude control and is destroyed on reentry. Booster RUD upon landing burn startup prior to planned splashdown.
Flight 10: S37 and B16. All mission objectives fulfilled. First V2 ship to make it through reentry to landing burn and splashdown. First successful deployment of Starlink simulators. Booster successfully tested landing without one centre engine, using an engine on the middle ring to compensate.
Flight 11: S38 and B15-2. All mission objectives fulfilled. Ship performs successful landing burn and splashdown, despite intentional missing tiles on heatshield. Second successful deployment of Starlink simulators. Booster successfully tested a 13-5-3 engine landing profile.
Flight 12: First V3 launch. Successful liftoff. Booster boostback burn is incomplete, and landing burn fails. Ship experiences an R-vac out shortly after stage separation, but limps to orbit on 5/6 engines. In-space raptor relight is cancelled, but payload deployment is nominal. Ship reentry, landing burn, and splashdown are nominal.
Fight 13: Successful liftoff and staging. B20 had a good boostback burn, but landing burn had insufficient engines. S40 performs perfectly, with nominal payload deploy and in-space raptor relight. Ship reentry, landing burn, are nominal, and S40 remains intact after splashdown.
Flight 14: B21 soft splashdown on target. S41 becomes the first ship to perform an orbital insertion burn. 26 Starlink v3 satellites are deployed. S41 performs a deorbit burn, followed by nominal ship reentry, landing burn, and splashdown.

Quick Links

2026-04-27 SpaceX Starship Update Video

Road closures, road delays, and beach closures

Vehicle Status

*As of 2026-10-13

Ship	Location	Status	Comments
S39.1 (test tank)	Massey's	Testing	Returns from Massey's Jul 26th. (NSF, ViX, TrackingTheSB) Rolls back out to Massey's Oct 5th.
S40	Megabay 2	Post-flight inspections	Stacking took place from Nov 12th through March 2nd. Cryo testing from May 3rd through May 6th. Engine testing Jun 24th through 26th. Launched Jul 24th. Returns to Megabay 2 Oct 12th.
S41	Pacific Ocean	Destroyed	April 17th: Pez Dispenser moved into MB2. April 20th: Nosecone+Payload Bay stack N:3 moved into MB2 and later that day lifted over the Pez Dispenser. Later that day the Pez Dispenser was installed. April 21st: Forward Dome section FX:4 moved into MB2. April 28th: Common Dome Section CX:3 moved into MB2. May 2nd: Section A2:3 moved into MB2. Cryo testing Jun 28th to Jul 6th. Static fired Aug 19th and 20th. FTS installed Sep 3rd. WDR Sep 24. Launched Sep 28th.
S42	Megabay 2	Pending engine installation	Stacking began Jul 11th. Cryo tested Sep 3rd and 4th. Chopsticks testing Sep 11th and 12th.
S43	Megabay 2	Stacking	Stacking began around Aug 19th.
S43.1 (test tank)	Massey's	Testing
S44	Megabay 2	Stacking	Stacking began Oct 2.
S45

Booster	Location	Status	Comment
B18.1	Massey's	Testing
B18.3	Massey's	Testing
B20	Gulf of Mexico	Destroyed	Stacking took place from Feb 5th through Apr 30th. Cryo tested Jun 6th through Jun 8th. Launched July 24th.
B21	Gulf of Mexico	Destroyed	Stacking began Jun 4th, completed Jun 28th. Cryo testing Jul 17th through Jul 22nd. Static fired Aug 28th. FTS installed Sep 3rd. WDR Sep 24. Launched Sep 28th.
B22	Megabay 1	Pending engine installation	Stacking started Jun 29th. Cryo tested Sep 9th.
B23	Megabay 1	Pending engine install or transport to Florida	Stacking started around Aug 14th. Cryo testing Oct 13th through Oct 18th.
B24

Resources

LabPadre Channel | NASASpaceFlight.com Channel
NSF: Boca Chica Production Updates Thread
NSF: Elon Starship tweet compilation
SpaceX: Website Starship page | Starship Users Guide (2020, PDF)
FAA: SpaceX Starship Project at the Boca Chica Launch Site
FAA: Temporary Flight Restrictions NOTAM list
NASA: Starship Reentry Observation (Technical Report)
Hwy 4 & Boca Chica Beach Closures (May not be available outside US)
Production Progress Infographics by @RingWatchers
Raptor Tracker by @SpaceRhin0
Acronym definitions by Decronym
Tim Dodd: Starbase Tour with Elon Musk, Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Tim Dodd: 2022 Elon Musk Interviews, Starbase/Ship Updates | Launch Tower | Merlin Engine | Raptor Engine
Tim Dodd 2024 Elon Musk Interviews: Starfactory tour | Pad tour and post-IFT-4 interview
Tim Dodd 2025 pre-Flight-9 Elon interview

threelonmusketeers 4 points 17 days ago

2026-10-01:

Flight 15 and 16: "What boxes still need to be checked before Starship starts flying in Florida?" "We, uh, intend to do, um, at least one more launch from Starbase before our next launch out of the Cape." (Julianna Scheiman, director, NASA Science and Dragon Programs, SpaceX)
"What is the status of 39A to support Starship?" "We're through the main construction, beginning to step into acceptance testing and operational testing prior to activation." (Julianna Scheiman)
Artemis III: "[What] is the plan to launch Starship from Florida for Artemis III? Would [Pad 39A] be preferred or might it go out of Texas?" "The primary mission with that you're thinking of is Artemis III is from 39A, and we'll be supporting propellant refilling flights from both [Texas and Florida], to my understanding." (Julianna Scheiman)
Starbase/McGregor/Florida/Louisiana: No Starship development activities reported.

Were all the cameras trained on the Falcon triple-header today?

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threelonmusketeers 4 points 16 days ago

2026-10-02:

Flight 14: Hotstaging videos are posted. (SpaceX)
Starlink deployment and ship engine bay photos. (SpaceX)
Flight 15: The FCC licence (not FAA) has been granted as of Sep 30th. (Thanks, Straumli_Blight)
Production site: Two more sea level engines were removed from Megabay 2, bringing the total number of engines in the building to... negative one? There must have been a delivery which went unnoticed. (Avid Space, SpaceRhin0)
S43 is visible in Megabay 2. (NSF)
S44's nosecone, forward dome, and common dome sections are moved into Megabay 2 and have been stacked. (Blobifie)
Massey's: Road delay for "Production to Masseys" is posted for Oct 2nd 23:59 to Oct 3rd 03:59. (Avid Space)

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ptfrd 3 points 16 days ago

So, how much is known about the upcoming ship serial numbers, with regards to what variants they will be?

I'm assuming S42 will definintely be the pez dispenser variant? (And I'm very tempted to assume it'll be loaded with 42 Starlink sats!)

But what about 43? 44? At some point they need to start their propellant transfer tests.

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threelonmusketeers 3 points 15 days ago

Interesting questions. I don't think we've yet seen any hardware that would suggest they have started building dedicated tanker ships yet. S42 (Flight 15) is definitely the pez dispenser variant (door slot is visible), and S43 must be as well, as Flight 16 has been referred to as "Starlink 30-1" in some documents.

They should be able to perform propellant transfer tests with the current ships simply by loading fewer (or no) Starlink satellites, leaving more residual propellant.

I think the limiting factors for starting propellant transfer tests will be how quickly they can launch two ships back-to-back, and how long a ship can remain in orbit. I recall that they mentioned that the batteries on ships limit their operational life time to a few hours, and that this was one of the factors which led to their decision to bring S41 back after two orbits rather than six. They need to either extend this (solar panels seem the obvious solution) to exceed the turnaround time of Pad 2 at Starbase Texas, or wait until LC-39A in Florida comes online, which seems like it could be imminent.

Which do you think is more likely for propellant transfer tests? Back-to-back launches from the same pad, or one launch from each?

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ptfrd 4 points 15 days ago

They should be able to perform propellant transfer tests with the current ships

Interesting, thanks. Now that you mention it, I do think I've seen some potential refilling hardware (probe-and-drogue?) on recent Starships. Presumably that's just for the sake of testing and would not form part of an ongoing pez dispenser variant in the long term?

Back-to-back launches from the same pad, or one launch from each?

Well it does seem like they want LC-39A to be ready soon (potentially soon enough to launch Flight 16), so my guess is that they might as well go with the two-state solution (Texas & Florida).

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threelonmusketeers 3 points 15 days ago

2026-10-03:

Pad 2: Flyover photo of the launch mount. (RGV Aerial)
Production site: Flyover photo of B22, B23, and B24 in Megabay 1. (RGV Aerial)
Massey's: A photo of S43.1 in the structural test cage is posted, with annotations of which elements mimic forces from the chopsticks, flaps, and payload. (Killip)
Road delay for "Masseys to Production" is posted for Oct 3rd 23:59 to Oct 4th 04:00. (starbase.texas.gov, archive, Avid Space)
Brownsville Port: Road delay for "Production to Port" is posted for Oct 3rd from 23:59 to Oct 4th 04:00. (starbase.texas.gov, archive, Avid Space)
S40 recovery: Forte is passing Jamaica. Arrival at Brownsville Port is scheduled for Oct 7th. (Killip)

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Decronym 2 points 15 days ago

Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I've seen in this thread:

Fewer Letters	More Letters
FAA	Federal Aviation Administration
FCC	Federal Communications Commission
~	(Iron/steel) Face-Centered Cubic crystalline structure
HLS	Human Landing System (Artemis)
KSC	Kennedy Space Center, Florida
LC-39A	Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy (SpaceX F9/Heavy)
LOX	Liquid Oxygen
NET	No Earlier Than
NSF	NasaSpaceFlight forum
~	National Science Foundation
SPMT	Self-Propelled Mobile Transporter

Jargon	Definition
Raptor	Methane-fueled rocket engine under development by SpaceX
Starlink	SpaceX's world-wide satellite broadband constellation

[Thread #10 for this comm, first seen 4th Oct 2026, 15:05] [FAQ] [Full list] [Contact] [Source code]

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threelonmusketeers 2 points 10 days ago

2026-10-08:

Brownsville Port: What remains of Ship 40's single forward flap has been retracted. (Blobifie)
Massey's: The original can crusher moves from Sanchez to Massey's. (ViX 1, ViX 2, TrackingTheSB)
Expansion of the Massey's test site is underway. (Anderson 1, Anderson 2)
Road delays for "Production to Masseys" are posted for Oct 8th 23:59 to Oct 9th 04:00 and Oct 9th 22:55 to Oct 10th 05:00. (starbase.texas.gov, archive, interstellargw)
Production site: S44 transfer tubes are visible. (Avid Space)
S44's A3:4 section moves from Starfactory to Megabay 2. (ViX)
The ship cryo stand which was parked in front of Megabay 2 for a few days moves to the storage area, then later returns and enters Megaaby 2. (ViX 1, ViX 2)
S42 is transferred to the ship cryo stand, and exits Megabay 2. (Blobifie 1, Blobifie 2)
B24's transfer tube moves from Starfactory to Megabay 1. (ViX)
Window installation begins on the Gigabay (TX). (ViX)
Gigabay (TX) cladding is completed. Dismantling of tower cranes continues. (ViX, efraser77, Anderson, Blobifie)
McGregor: R3.267 leaves the testing area. (SpaceRhin0)
R3.78 heads towards the testing area. This engine appears to have had the shielding observed on newer engines retroactively installed on it. (SpaceRhin0)
R3.266 leaves the testing area. This engine has a mystery box. (SpaceRhin0)
R3.262 heads towards the testing area. (SpaceRhin0)
Upcoming launches: Flight 15 is now NET Nov 8th, and Flight 16 (Starlink 30-1) is now NET Dec 10th. (compass.atfm.aero, Avid Space, StarshipGazer, interstellargw)

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shadowtofu 1 point 10 days ago

Brownsville Port: What remains of Ship 40’s single forward flap has been retracted. (Blobifie)

I think the link is wrong?

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threelonmusketeers 2 points 9 days ago

Thanks; fixed.

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threelonmusketeers 2 points 9 days ago

2026-10-09:

Massey's: Overnight, S42 moves from Megabay 2 to Massey's. (NSF, Avid Space, ViX, Starship Gazer, TrackingTheSB, Blobifi 1, Blobifie 2, Zhang)
S42 performs a cryo test overnight. (ViX)
During the day, S42 performs another cryo test. (ViX)
Construction of Massey's expansion continues. (RGV Aerial, Anderson)
Construction of a service road to join Milky Way with Massey Way is also imminent, estimated completion by mid-December. (Anderson)
Road delay for "Masseys to Production" is posted for Oct 9th 23:59 to Oct 10th 04:00.
Production site: Two strand jacks are delivered to Gigabay (TX), presumably to hoist the bridgecranes. (ViX 1, ViX 2, ViX 3)
Temporary beams and bracing are removed from Gigabay (TX). ([ViX](https://x.com/VickiCocks15/ status/2108654185780781229))
Launch site: What looks like a new quick disconnect mechanism is lifted to the Pad 2 launch mount. (ViX)
Brownsville Port: A ramp is deployed onto the deck of Forte and two SPMTs are staghttps://x.com/... to drive onto the ship. (NSF, interstellargw, RGV Aerial)
Road delay for "Port to Production" is posted for Oct 10th 22:55 to Oct 11th 05:00. (starbase.texas.gov, archive, ViX 1, ViX 2)
McGregor: R3.78 returns from the testing area. (SpaceRhin0)

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threelonmusketeers 2 points 5 days ago

2026-10-13:

Production site: Overnight, sparks are observed near the top of Gigabay (TX). (Avid Space)
More bridge crane tests are observed. (ViX)
SpaceX post video and photos of S40's return to Megabay 2. S42, S43, and S44 are also visible in the group photo. (SpaceX)
In Megabay 2, S40 is removed from the transport stand, and presumably transferred to a work stand. (VickiCocks15, Blobifie)
One sea-level and two R-vac engines enter Megabay 2, presumably for S42. (ViX, SpaceRhin0)
Massey's: Overnight, B23 moves from the production site to Massey's. (ViX, StarshipGazer, TrackingTheSB, efraser77, Blobifie 1, Blobifie 2)
Tank farm activity suggests that B23 may be undergoing an ambient-temperature pressure test. (ViX)
Pad 2: A new interface plate is installed on the booster methane quick disconnect. (ViX)
Other: SpaceX have submitted a proposal for up to 456 annual launches and up to 912 annual landings at Starbase Texas. (FAA, Starship Gazer)
McGregor: R3.106 (R-vac) is delivered to the testing area. (SpaceRhin0)
R3.272 leaves the testing area. (SpaceRhin0)

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threelonmusketeers 2 points 4 days ago

2026-10-14:

Massey's: Overnight, testing of S43.1 is observed. B23 may have undergone ambient-temperature pressure testing. (ViX)
Recent flyover photo of land clearing and road construction progress. (RGV Aerial)
Pad 2: A damper is removed from the right chopstick. (ViX)
The chopsticks are raised and lowered. (ViX, RGV Aerial)
Cladding is added to the balcony at the base of the tower. (ViX)
Pad 1: Recent flyover photo of flame trench construction progress. (RGV Aerial)
Production site: B24's LOX landing tank moves from Starfactory to Megabay 1. (ViX, TrackingTheSB, RGV Aerial)
The four-point ship lifting jig is moved from Sanchez to Megabay 2, and is hoisted. (ViX)
A rainbow sheen is visible on S40's heatshield. (Anderson / Gisler, Anderson)
Recent a recent flyover photo of the Gigabay (TX). (RGV Aerial)
McGregor: Some sort of hybrid of R3.78 and R3.137 leaves the testing area. (SpaceRhin0 1)
Some sort of hybrid of R3.76 and R3.137 is delivered to the testing area. (SpaceRhin0 1, SpaceRhin0 2)
Florida: You'll Thank Me Later arrives in Port Canaveral. (NSF 1, NSF 2, NSF 3)
FCC (not FAA) licence for Starlink 31-3 (NET Flight 16) is posted. (FCC)

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threelonmusketeers 2 points 3 days ago

2026-10-15:

Production site: The first Gigabay (TX) bridge crane is lifted into position. (NSF, Avid Space, Blobifie)
Massey's: Slight crumpling is observed on the S43.1 nosecone. (NSF, RGV Aerial)
B23 undergoes its first cryo test. (StarshipGazer, NSF, RGV Aerial, Blobifie)
Pad 1: The first of four launch mount legs is installed. (Blobifie)
Pad 2: A series of catch simulation chopsticks tests are observed. (efraser77, Blobifie)
Workers are observed doing the wave. (efraser77, Anderson, Blobifie)
McGregor: The mystery tents at McGregor are revealed to have been used for testing the cold gas thruster system for the Tesla Roadster 2, not Starship HLS. (Anderson, mcrs987 1, mcrs987 2, mcrs987 3, mcrs987 4, mcrs987 5, mcrs987 6, mcrs987 7, mcrs987 8, mcrs987 9, mcrs987 10, mcrs987 11, mcrs987 12)
Florida: The Starship work stand and the Starlink loader are offloaded from You'll Thank Me Later at the KSC turn basin. (NSF 1, NSF 2)

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threelonmusketeers 2 points 2 days ago

2026-10-16:

Production site: Timelapse of the previous day's bridge crane lift is posted. (Avid Space, ViX)
S44's transfer tubes move from Starfactory into Megabay 2. (ViX)
Massey's: Overnight, B23 completes its first cryo test. (NSF, ViX, Blobifie)
Road delay for "Masseys to Production" is posted for Oct 17th 23:59 to Oct 18th 04:00. (starbase.texas.gov, archive, ViX 1, ViX 2)
Launch site: The new cryo offload points are operational. (ViX)
The Pad 1 flame diverter apex support beam is lowered into the flame trench, and a new piece of drawworks balcony wall is set in place. (ViX)
The yellow rented LR11000 crane is lowered. (ViX)
Pad 2 chopsticks testing is observed. (ViX)
McGregor: R3.260 is delivered to the testing area and R3.137 returns from the testing area. (SpaceRhin0)

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threelonmusketeers 2 points a day ago

2026-10-17:

Production site: Decals have been applied to S44, and the ship has been transferred to the transfer tube installation jig. (ViX, Blobifie)
Massey's: Land clearing and road construction progress is visible on recent Copernicus imagery. (Anderson)
Additional photos of S43.1's crumpled nosecone. (Gisler / Anderson)
Road delay for "Masseys to Production" is listed for Oct 17th 23:59 to Oct 18th 04:00. (starbase.texas.gov, archive)

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threelonmusketeers 2 points 14 days ago

2026-10-04:

Production site: Overnight, a ship cryo stand arrives from Massey's, likely to pick up S42 for additional cryo testing. (ViX 1, ViX 2, RGV Aerial, Blobifie)
Massey's: Construction suggests a test stand for 35-engine boosters. (RGV Aerial)
Road delay for "Production to Masseys" is posted for Oct 4th 23:59 to Oct 5th 04:00. (starbase.texas.gov, archive, Avid Space, ViX)
Pad 1: Flame trench construction continues. (RGV Aerial)
Pad 2: The new work platform is still in the launch mount. (ViX)
Brownsville Port: Road delay for "Production to Port" is posted for Oct 4th 23:59 to Oct 5th 04:00. (starbase.texas.gov, archive, ViX)

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threelonmusketeers 2 points 8 days ago

2026-10-10:

Massey's: Overnight, S42 moves from Massey's to the production site. (NSF, ViX, TrackingTheSB, Blobifie 1, Blobifie 2)
Test tanks B18.1, B18.3, S39.1, S43.1, and the LOX landing test tank are still at Massey's. (RGV Aerial)
Production site: Gigabay (TX) a bridge crane trolley is tested on the ground, prior to hoisting. (Avid Space, ViX)
Pad 1: The rented yellow LR11000 crane lifts some trench wall sections into place. (ViX)
Brownsville Port: S40 is offloaded from Forte. (NSF, StarshipGazer 1, StarshipGazer, TrackingTheSB, efraser77, Blobifie 1, Blobifie 2, Blobifie 3)
Road delay for "Port to Production" is listed for Oct 10th 22:55 to Oct 11th 05:00. (starbase.texas.gov, archive)
You'll Thank Me Later departs. (RGVaerialphotos)
Flight 15: Booster catch and ship catch "hopefully on the next flight". (OwenSparks / Elon, teslaownersSV full livestream)
Improvements to the rocket [since Flight 14] have have involved "going inside the tank". (OwenSparks / Elon, teslaownersSV full livestream)

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threelonmusketeers 2 points 13 days ago

2026-10-05:

Massey's: Overnight, Test Tank S39.1 moves from Sanchez to Massey's. (ViX, StarshipGazer, RGV Aerial, efraser77, Blobifie 1, Blobifie 2)
A road delay for "Production to Massey's" is posted for Oct 5th 23:59 to Oct 6th 04:00, but is subsequently removed. (ViX 1, ViX 2)
Brownsville Port: A Pez loader box departs from the production site to Brownsville Port. (ViX, StarshipGazer, RGV Aerial, efraser77, Blobifie)
Signet Warhorse and You'll Thank Me Later arrive. (Killip, JConcilus)
Production site: A ship lifting jig is hoisted inside Megabay 2. (ViX)
S44's A:3 section moves from Starfactory to Megabay 2. (ViX)
Launch site: Rain causes minor flooding of the road. (ViX, jrxcket)
Parts for a Kobelco CK2000 II crane are delivered near Pad 1. (ViX)

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threelonmusketeers 2 points 12 days ago

2026-10-06:

Production site: Overnight, the first ship workstand is installed inside the Gigabay. (Avid Space)
Gigabay cladding nears completion. (NSF, Anderson)
Launch site: More heavy rain, subsiding in the afternoon. (Avid Space, ViX)
The Kobelco CK2000 II crane is erected. (ViX)
Massey's: A road delay for "Massey's to Production" is posted for Oct 6th 23:59 to Oct 7th 04:00. (ViX)
While performing its 16th cryo test, the booster landing test tank ruptures near the bottom. (NSF, Golden 1, Golden 2)
McGregor: R3.261 left the testing area the previous day. (SpaceRhin0)
R3.235 leaves the testing area. (SpaceRhin0)
S40 recovery: Forte is crossing the Gulf of Mexico. ETA at Brownsville Port is Oct 7th 10:19 UTC, 05:19 local. (interstellargw 1, interstellargw 2, interstellargw)

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threelonmusketeers 2 points 11 days ago

2026-10-07:

Massey's: While performing its 16th cryo test, the booster landing test tank ruptures near the bottom. (ViX 1, ViX 2)
Road delays for "Production to Masseys" are posted for Oct 7th 23:59 to Oct 8th 04:00 and Oct 8th 23:59 to Oct 9th 04:00. (starbase.texas.gov, archive, Avid Space)
Brownsville Port: Forte arrives, carrying S40. (NSF 1, NSF 2, Avid Space 1, Avid Space 2, Avid Space 3, Avid Space 4, ViX 1, ViX 2, sparkyinfinity, StarshipGazer 1, StarshipGazer 2, Starship Gazer YouTube 4k, Pike, Priel, Gisler 1, Gisler 2, Gisler 3, Gisler 4, Gisler 5, RGV Aerial 1, RGV Aerial 2, Killip, cnunez 1, cnunez 2, cnunez 3, Anderson / Gisler, Gomez 1, Gomez 2, Zhang 1, Zhang 2, Zhang 3, NSF full livestream, RGV Aerial livestream)
You'll Thank Me Later is also in port. (Anderson 1, Anderson 2, Anderson 3 / Gisler)
Production site: Vehicle tracking diagram. (TrackingTheSB)
B24's A:6 section moves from Starfactory to Megabay 1. (ViX)
B24's methane landing tank moves from Starfactory to Megabay 1. (ViX)
Pad 2: Full speed chopsticks testing. (Avid Space, ViX 1, ViX 2, NSF 1, NSF 2, RGV Aerial, Blobifie)
McGregor: R3.259 left the testing area the previous day. (SpaceRhin0)
A 557-second test fire is observed on the north Raptor stand. This is the second longest test fire, and the longest test not to destruction. (NSF)
Louisiana: SpaceX file preliminary plans for a marine logistics hub near Pecan Island, consisting of a 70.88-acre wharf, a 58.97-acre laydown yard, and a 43.83-acre basin dredged to 16 feet below sea level. There is another 89.56-acre temporary yard for construction. Proposed construction period 2027-03-01 to 2032-09-01. (LunarCitizens)

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threelonmusketeers 2 points 6 days ago

2026-10-12:

Production site: S40 approaches and enters Megabay 2. (NSF, Avid Space, ViX, Blobifie 1, Blobifie 2, Blobifie, Blobifie 4)
Lifting slings are attached to the catch pins on S40. Blobifie 1, Blobifie 2, Blobifie 3)
The ship pivot frame is positioned at the aft end of S40, and the ship is lifted onto it. (Killip, Anderson, Blobifie)
S40 is raised to vertical. (NSF, Avid Space, ViX, StarshipGazer, Golden, RGV Aerial, Killip, Liedtke, Anderson, Blobifie 1, Blobifie 2, Blobifie 3)
A ship transport stand enters Megabay 2, and S40 is transferred onto it. (ViX 1, clarification, ViX 2)
Booster thrust simulator stand enters Megabay 1. (ViX, Blobifie)
B23 is transferred to the thrust simulator stand and emerges from Megabay 1. (Avid Space, ViX, Killip, Blobifie)
Massey's: Road delay for "Production to Masseys" is listed for Oct 12th 23:59 to Oct 13th 04:00. starbase.texas.gov, archive)
Pad 2: Chopsticks testing is observed. (ViX)
McGregor: R3.2x9, R3.272, and R3.270 arrive at the testing area, and the R3.106, R3.269, and R3.268 leave. (SpaceRhin0 1, SpaceRhin0 2, SpaceRhin0 3)

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threelonmusketeers 2 points 7 days ago

2026-10-11:

Brownsville Port: S40 moves from Brownsville Port to the production site. (NSF 1, NSF 2, Avid Space, ViX, StarshipGazer, Starship Gazer 4k YouTube, Golden, RGV Aerial, Gomez, NSF full livestream)
Production site: Horizontal ship aft frame is being attached to S40. (ViX, Anderson, Killip, efraser77)
Construction of the Pad 1 launch mount, flame deflector, and ship quick disconnect arm continues at Sanchez. (ViX)
One of the Gigabay bridge cranes is labelled with a 420-tonne load limit. (Killip)
Booster thrust simulator enters Megabay 1, then exits. (ViX 1, ViX 2)
Massey's: Road delay for "Production to Masseys" is pushed back a day, now posted for Oct 12th 23:59 to Oct 13th 04:00. (starbase.texas.gov, archive, ViX 1, ViX 2)
Pad 1: Flame trench slope concrete pour is in progress. Two concrete pumps are running simultaneously, and at least 65 cement trucks have made deliveries. (ViX)

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threelonmusketeers 1 point 3 hours ago

2026-10-18:

444-acre data centre site: Recent flyover photo of construction progress. (RGV Aerial)
Massey's: Overnight, B23 moves from Massey's to Megabay 1. (ViX, RGV Aerial, Blobifie 1, Blobifie 2)
Recent flyover photo of land clearing and road construction progress. (RGV Aerial)
Production site: S44 is moved from the transfer tube installation jig to a work stand, and the jig is returned to Starfactory. (ViX)
A Raptor engine exits Starfactory and heads either into Megabay 1 or behind it. (ViX)
The horizontal transport frame is briefly observed in the ring yard. (ViX)
The pre-assembly skids used for assembling the pump farm are being adapted for the Pad 1 ground support equipment bunker. (Killip)
Pad 1: The yellow rented LR11000 crane is raised. (ViX)
Launch mount leg two of four is lifted into position. (ViX)
Pad 2: The launch mount service structure is removed from the Pad 2 launch mount. (NSF, efraser77, Blobifie)
Road delay for "Production to Pad" is posted for Oct 19th from 10:00 to 14:00. (starbase.texas.gov, archive, ViX)
Starship HLS: "Cabin 1" test article to be completed in 2026 Q4, with aperations testing in 2027 Q1, and airlock demonstrations in Q2. First tanker launch in Q3, with the uncrewed lunar landing demo mission in Q4. (lewisknaggs42, ntrs.nasa.gov (PDF warning))

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