Ryan Weber

Saint Paul

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Articles

As Ship 35 Static Fires, SpaceX has a Fleet a Vehicles Getting Ready for Flight

1 week ago | nasaspaceflight.com | Ryan Weber

1 SpaceX continues to build and test Starships, with a current fleet of four boosters undergoes refurbishment and testing, along with numerous Ships. Flight 9 might be only a few weeks away, with Ship 35 having completed engine testing; however, it might not have been a nominal test. ShipsShip 35 finished stacking in early February of this year. With the failures of Ship 33 and Ship 34, SpaceX has spent extra time preparing this Ship for flight.
Starship program laying groundwork for huge facilities in Texas and Florida

3 weeks ago | nasaspaceflight.com | Ryan Weber

1 SpaceX is busy creating launch and production capacity for the future of its Starship program, focusing on huge Gigabays at both Starbase in Texas and Roberts Road in Florida. To cater for this future production cadence, SpaceX’s launch sites for Starship are also a focus of its attention, with the second pad at Starbase making solid progress, while activity at the Starship site at KSC’s 39A is now in full swing.
Booster 14 Completes Milestone Static Fire Ahead of Flight 9

1 month ago | nasaspaceflight.com | Ryan Weber

1 SpaceX has now completed the first-ever static fire of a flown Super Heavy Booster, Booster 14, which is set to fly on Flight 9. Ship 35, which is also set to fly on Flight 9, is expected to be the next milestone ahead of flight, as it waits to complete engine testing at Masseys. Booster 14 Static FireOn April 1, SpaceX rolled Booster 14 out to the launch site and placed it on Orbital Launch Pad A.
SpaceX Continues Progress on Next Generation Facilities

1 month ago | nasaspaceflight.com | Ryan Weber

1 With the downtime between Flight 8 and Flight 9, SpaceX is continuing to build Orbital Launch Pad B and has started the demolition of High Bay. Pad B is SpaceX’s next-generation Orbital Launch Pad, while the demolition of High Bay will make way for Gigabay, the next-generation construction and servicing facility. Orbital Pad BSpaceX has continued progressing on Orbital Launch Pad B over the past few weeks.
SpaceX press on with pre-launch testing while working Ship issue mitigation

2 months ago | nasaspaceflight.com | Ryan Weber

1 SpaceX continues to press on with pre-flight testing for Flight 9, while internally looking to resolve issues with the Ship that has resulted in the loss of the first two Block 2 vehicles. Ship 35 and Booster 16 – the potential pairing for Flight 9 – have been cryotested at the Masseys test site. Booster 15 As was the outcome of Flight 7, the only successful part of Flight 8 was the Booster.
SpaceX set for Starship Flight 8

2 months ago | nasaspaceflight.com | Ryan Weber

2 SpaceX is preparing to launch the eighth flight of Starship on Monday, with the goal of completing the objectives set out during Flight 7 when Ship 33 was lost during its post-staging burn. Flight 8 will attempt the third successful booster catch, while Ship 34 will splashdown in the Indian Ocean. Flight 7Starship Flight 7 flew back on Jan 16, 2025, and was the first flight of a Block 2 ship.
Starship Flight 8 vehicles prepare to join forces at Pad A

2 months ago | nasaspaceflight.com | Ryan Weber

1 SpaceX has completed the engine test campaigns for both Ship 34 and Booster 15, which are slated to fly on Starship Flight 8. However, the Mishap Investigation for Flight 7 is still open and needs to be closed before Flight 8 can be approved to launch. Despite this requirement, SpaceX appears confident of approval by next week at the latest, after documentation showed launch opportunities opening on Feb. 26.
Starship Program at the Cape Kicking into Gear

Feb 13, 2025 | nasaspaceflight.com | Ryan Weber

1 After building a Launch Tower at LC-39A in 2022, building what was to be the Roberts Road Starfactory, and then putting all of the plans on hold, SpaceX has since started ramping up the Starship Program at Cape Canaveral. With the redesign of the Starship Pad at LC-39A and a much larger production facility at Roberts Road, SpaceX is on its way to having a large Starship presence in Florida.
Starbase making progress on second launch pad

Feb 7, 2025 | nasaspaceflight.com | Ryan Weber

1 SpaceX is making progress on its next-generation orbital launch pad at Starbase, Pad B. This will be a massive upgrade for refurbishment and general pad reliability. So far, the Chopsticks have been installed on the tower, and there is tons of progress on the Tank Farm and the Flame Trench. ChopsticksSpaceX has been working at pace on Orbital Launch Pad B in the last few months. Both chopstick arms and the carriage were recently rolled out to the launch site.
Following Flight 7 SpaceX line up future Starships

Jan 29, 2025 | nasaspaceflight.com | Ryan Weber

1 SpaceX continues to press forward with preparations for Flight 8 of Starship, ranging from vehicle testing and launch site readiness. While SpaceX may have lost Ship 33 during Flight 7, Booster 14 was still caught. This outcome opens many possibilities for the combinations of vehicles that may fly and the possible objectives of the flight. Flight 7 RecapSpaceX launched Starship Flight 7 on Jan 16 in another afternoon launch.