SpaceX Starbase Pad Ripped Apart and Massive Site Changes Coming!

1-2 = 22% OFF, 3 = 33% OFF available until December 24th, 2023, excl. Limited Editions and Lumino. Discount applies automatically at checkout.

Well, this week has been really weird. It's a tail of SpaceX Starbase Equipment Destroyed with them rapidly tearing down Suborbital Pad A (where they have don't Starship static fires in the past). It seems there may be a lot more destruction to come as a second tower at the Gateway to Mars may be coming faster than you think. Massive Site Changes Coming with reconfiguration and head scratching updates around Masseys. Outside that, a bunch of missions and events, some going to plan, but not so for others? One thing for sure, there never seems to be a boring week of space news in
2023.

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[MarcusHouse]

1-2 = 22% OFF, 3 = 33% OFF available until December 24th, 2023, excl. Limited Editions and Lumino. Discount applies automatically at checkout.

[jonathanoriley]

That shtick about the government denying funding to Starlink because of "inability to provide proper service" for rural America is bulls**t. The truth is very likely that they are being lobbied by the various cable and ISP companies that more or less have small monopolies out there in the rurals. I have many friends out in rural America who only have access to the internet via one single company, which often charges high rates for what was considered bad internet speeds a decade ago. Starlink is a huge threat to their control over those parts of the country, and these companies are going to fight to maintain that control.

[CosmicalChief]

Thanks for the super shoutout Marcus, and for the moral support and friendship throughout the time I've been down here at Starbase. Happy Holidays to all & hope to see some of these awesome fans & supporters over on X and Patreon. Come along and let's see what we can see together. 🚀🤙

[nedflanders]

The subsidy rejection smells political to me. 😮

[LabyrinthMike]

The thing that amazes me is that SpaceX is moving them massive vehicles around with just small transports while the SLS requires a huge crawler. Now, I know that the SLS is fully integrated while the Starship is mounted to the booster at the pad but still the difference in sizes is rather amazing.

[RobertCraft-resf]

I LOVE how the Falcon 9 boosters look so rugged and tarnished after so many successful launches. and then the core that is expended looks brand new.

[charleshutcheson]

SpaceX, keep on keeping on. The FCC & their lobbyists will not hold you back!
(Sent from rural farm via Starlink).

[christopherpardell]

I think testing with engines in place enables them to test more things simultaneously. Like, All the fuel supply connections to the fixed and gymballing engines. As they gain confidence on the manufacturing process for the boosters, they do not expect ordinary tank failures thru simple visual and X-ray weld inspection.

[robfive]

Another generous helping of chunky space goodness .. Thank you MH + Team for the upload

[michaellee]

What's up with all the heart attack inducing thumbnails lately?! Geez I just about lost my shit when I saw this one... I knew that Star base wasn't lightning any fires this week, but damnit, man. This guys' brain went a hundred different directions! Thanks, Marcus...

[Adak]

I think the new launch tower at BOCA is definitely going to be a catch only tower. It took six months to build the water suppression system, but it took almost a year to build the launch table (it's highly complex). If it is a catch only tower, you don't need either and can get it up fast. I think the key for it's use will be it's placement. If it is not at the launch site, then it's a catch tower for sure. Protects the launch site and tank farm from being destroyed if catch fails.

[themodernnomad]

You don't need flaps when landing on the moon. Could be an early full size HLS prototype.

[emiliodevirgilio]

@MarcusHouse is the Golden Retriever of space documentaries! ❤🚀

[roy]

Saturday is Marcus Day! Pulling all the good stuff together in one video. Even my wife calls it Marcus Day now.

[lukegrinder]

Marcus should be at 1 million subs already! This is the best space new content on YouTube!

[disorganizedorg]

Initial cryo tests with the engines installed do suggest increased confidence, but the production rate of Raptors (and apparently low cost) certainly factors into things. I imagine they consider the risk of mishaps damaging the engines acceptably low, especially as such a failure would likely cause sufficient delay that replacement Raptors would not be the limiting factor for testing. Or perhaps Raptor 2 production is over and Raptor 3s are incompatible with the puck in SH v1?

[DrEnginerd]

I love the bow on the Florida tower section

[StefanBartelski]

Marcus, thanks for all these interesting videos. Regarding Ship 26, how about it being prepped for an upcoming orbital rebuilding test. The lack of heat shield tiles might mean that it would be scrapped, after the test by bringing it down in the atmosphere. Might be a good test to see if there stainless steel would survive without tiles

[MarcusAgrippa]

Santa was waving at everyone, but Comet or Cupid was looking like roadkill.

[kncc]

I'd love to see a critical path chart for all these activities. With all this re-configuration and new construction the coordination of manpower and materials must be insanely fluid. That they have accomplished this (so far) without a major incident is remarkable.