Starbase 4 Months of Rapid Changes ... SpaceX is Gearing Up for a Huge Increase in Starship Ops!

I was at Starbase for Starship's Flight 6, testing the booster and ship through all kinds of different flight regimes as they finish up the first iteration of Starship and get ready to start with the second generation in early 2025.

In addition, SpaceX has a very ambitious slate of activates coming up next year, including a 6X increase in launch operations, expanded flight envelope & mission elements during further development missions designed to mature the Starship launch vehicles, the launch site, and prepare to bring humans back to the lunar surface as part of NASA's Artemis program sometime in 2026 or 2027.

To do this, much of the infrastructure at Starbase is going through a period of rapid changes and additions, including the new Star Factory which is nearing completion, a new parking garage and administration building, a new testing location at Masseys with enhanced static fire, cryogenics & structural testing capabilities, and a second launch tower with a full-fledged flame trench.

I was last at Starbase in June 2024 for the 4th flight of Starship and in the four or so months since, Starbase has changed almost beyond recognition. I decided to do an update video showing the major changes at the production and launch sites to help the viewer better put into context the enormous and rapid changes that have taken place with much more to come as 2024 comes to a close and 2025 opens as perhaps the most important year of development in SpaceX history.

I hope you enjoy what I am able to show and discuss in this video and that you find it helpful.

Finally, if you have never been to Starbase, or it has been several years since you were last here, I highly recommend you come back as soon as you can. With all the construction, changes to infrastructure and the potential for further developments that may further restrict what you can see and do at Starbase, the sooner you can visit, the better, I have a feeling the days of walking around and seeing the flight hardware up close may come to an end as the Starship program matures and becomes an integral part in NASA's and the national security apparatus of the United States.

[runningray]

Leaving a comment for those YT bots. Great content Joe.

[mikepallister]

Just appreciative of your time and effort thank you Joe

[rickfearn]

Joe: Absolutely brilliant compilation of the history of SpaceX. You have exceptional talent at explaining and educating. Thanks.

[tommytea]

That was an excellent video as per usual Joe. We are lucky to have you being able to explain the differences between the old and new in such a clear and concise way.

[jed]

Joe, I went there for launch 5 and toured the site. It's incredible how open and accessible everything is. Great video, thank you !!

[GrantHodgsonWnNZ]

Great coverage yet again Joe, much appreciated!

[DouglasJMark]

Well done Joe. This is like your videos of Giga Texas. You put a lot of effort into this and all your videos. Keep up the great work!

[AFeigenbaum]

Thanks, Joe. Great to see the changes ... bodes well for the collective continuation of humanity ... a relatively lofty goal for a mission statement ... unlike any other, I dare say ... bravo SpaceX et al ...

[johnhjic]

Hello Joe, One more great tour, Thank you.

[marksown]

Ha ha 😂 Joe the new SpaceX update Director 😎👍 love it!

[Spacedude.]

I love your coverage of Starship and Starbase! I would love to see more of that here on your channel.

[jimholmes]

Very informative update, Joe! Thank you!

[franktaylor]

Hey Joe, great work as always. I especially appreciated your footage here since I haven't been able to attend a launch and see all the changes to the site since IFT3. But, I'll be back soon.

[MikesTropicalTech]

Thanks for the update Joe! I was there about 3 years ago when they were attaching the chopsticks to the first tower and I walked right up next to the rocket garden, shame we can't get in there anymore.

[yoyo-jcqg]

being there live in person just hits different, great views

[biovmr]

Thanks JOE, great update! My Fun Prediction: Full Stacks on BOTH Starbase launch towers for the next 4th of July. 223 days and counting. Based on the changes in the last 223 days, this seems more than reasonable. Whether or not they'll launch within hours of each other is a "stretch" question. Possibly by the end of 2025. Head still spinning from Gwenn Shotwell's comment "I would not be surprised if we fly 400 Starship launches in the next 4 years" during her interview with Baron Capital on 15 November. That would mean a roughly 33% exponential (Starship) launch cadence acceleration per QUARTER for the next 16 quarters (4 years, November 2028). By comparison, Falcon 9 launches began mid-2010 & just passed 400th launch. To launch 400 starships in the next 4 years would be a 6X faster increase in launch cadence than Falcon 9 had. That's what it means to have FULL Reusability/rapid relaunch. At the END of 4 years (Nov, 2028), the Starship launch cadence would be approximately 1 launch every 23 Hours or a RATE of 397+ launches per year. One way to look at that rate would be 4 Starship orbital launch complexes operating a launch rate of one launch every 3.7 days for each of the 4 launch pads. Presumably, Falcon 9 would be retired no later than the following year (2029) due to it being economically outdone by Starship, having completed about 900 to 1000 launches in 19 years. Just playing with numbers, based on what Shotwell said. We'll see what actually happens. Can't wait (but I will, of course). Thanks, JOE!

[sageakporherhe]

So, while you were recording at this time 2:50, Ellie was also interviewing someone as well. 😄

[marksown]

Nice Work ❤😊🎉 love the format 😎🤙 interesting

[sagecoach]

Just look at the traffic on the only road out there. That is a lot of business and jobs going on.
More launch towers are coming soon. Reiterating as they learn test after test, 25 flights in 2025.
And Florida will boom at the same time, Moon flights, from test to manned for work.

[gverran]

Hey Joe, with the new car garage structure up, are there still many cars parked in front of the Starbase sign as you approach the build site?

Both you and Ellie remind us that there is always a possibility that at some point SpaceX could start to lock down access. I'm actually petrified of this because it is my dream, my top of the top of my list to come to Starbase and when I have enough funds to travel to the US to go to Starbase, that access would be super limited. My biggest concern is that some idiot does something really stupid that compromises the security of Starbase that forces SpaceX's hand. Positive thoughts! :)