Starbase Update: When Will The Next SpaceX Starship Launch Happen? Progress at Starbase

Are you eager to know when SpaceX's Starship will take to the skies again? In this exciting update video, Jack from NSF delves into the latest developments at the launch site in Boca Chica, including repairs to the launch site and potential upgrades to the tank farm. Join him as he examines the progress made over the past week, from the arrival of a drilling rig to the construction of a trench along the highway, and speculates on when the site might be ready for another launch. He also provides an update on the status of prototypes Ship 25 and S26.1, and shares his predictions for when we might see the next Starship test flight. Don't miss out on this exciting and informative video!

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L2 Boca Chica (more clips and photos) from BC's very early days to today.

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[mshuC]

I'm pretty sure the entire work at the OLM will be done by the end of June, but I suspect the tank farm will take longer in case they have to upgrade it. They are working extremely fast! Testing everything might take some time tho

[justindelong]

B9 S28 will probably be next. Although I wouldn’t rule out S25 just yet. Whatever one it is, it’ll have tiles on it as they want to test the same profile as before.

[MrNucEngineer]

Thanks for keeping everyone up to date.

[corrinastanley]

Thanks for the update Jack and NSF team.

[edmondthompson]

Clear, succinct, well done! Thanks.

[SteveWalkey]

They have some super-tall cherry trees in Boca Chica! SpaceX! 🇬🇧

[berty]

The New High bay will require a lot of power, and they need to upgrade the power grid anyway, so they are doing it all at once.

[dougj]

cool update! while it does sound like a lot of work needs to happen to repair the olm (and tank farm), keep in mind, a lot of things happen in parallel.

[moodyblues]

going with b-9 and s-25, before the end of July. they really need to have successful stage separation and tile testing before moving on. how many SF tests will they do with the new deluge before launch is the big question...

[hawksboy]

I think it can be done way quicker than 4-6 months. The Raptors already did much of the excavation and removal of existing infrastructure for free! Keep in mind that this is not delicate, technical work with tiny tolerances, experimental components and many moving parts. This thing is super low-tech and most of the work can be done with heavy equipment. The construction tolerances are in inch(es), not fractions of a millimeter. It doesn't even have to be level. It's a water pump, water pipes and some big steel plates - things we've been building for 100+ years. That's doable in 1-2 months, maybe quicker with a little overtime, unless they also want to build more berms and shielding for the nearby facilities too, which could drag it out a bit. The biggest potential snafu is whether they'll need some kind of retention pond for the runoff - which would likely require an environmental permit (i.e. DELAY).

[jhdrake]

Question: I think it was the night before the Heavy launch, something fell inside of the tower the rained a shower of sparks. Did you ever figure out what that was and did it affect the launch tower? Thank you

[anonymoususer]

Thanks for the update, fingers crossed for a successful launch soon

[Aragorn]

I'm pretty sure the thing that will take the longest is the lawsuit against the FAA... It all depends upon how that proceeds of course but I wouldn't be surprised if it'll mean no new launch until 2024.

[TatersEatsCrayons]

Jack should make it a tradition to shave his beard every time a starship launches if he hasn’t already 😁

[wadewilson]

The longest lead may actually be re-certifying the Flight Termination System…

[christopherstubbs]

Much as it pains me to say it, I don't think we'll see another launch this year. My prediction is a full-scale cryo test and static fire campaign in late Q3 to verify the OLM and Tank Farm repairs/ modifications, with IFT-2 around Easter 24'.

[SpaceXfG]

Man, so happy to see your face again, looks so much better! 🤩

[Adrian-qkfn]

All of this speculation as to when SpaceX may next launch Starship/Super Heavy is mssing one vital factor.
It is not just the physical repairs to the Launch Site and OLM that will govern the timeline of when the next launch is, it is also the approval required from the FAA. THEY are ultimately going to be the deciding factor of when the next launch will occur because of them having to conduct a full investigation first before granting the next Launch Licence.
This is NOT saying that the FAA wil deliberately hinder SpaceX. It is just that they have a regulatory duty to perform and they must be seen to proceed very carefully.
After all this is uncharted territory for everybody; SpaceX as well as the FAA.

[gtpeel]

Pretty cool is an understatement. Definetly Very Cool!

[Exalerion]

7:49 Most of these sections were removed from underground, further from the OLM towards the GSE fluids bunker. The advantage of B7 having removed/damaged most of the pad is that it now makes more sense to relocate this pipework to allow the water cooled pad to be installed and connected more easily.