As SpaceX prepares to structurally qualify its new interstage design, intended to be used for hot staging, let’s look at the new parts that will be used for this, and what we can learn from these new parts. (1/12)

https://twitter.com/StarshipGazer/status/1685787655542378496

The test article at the Massey’s testing site is labelled the “Hot Stage Load Head”, and will be used to qualify the interstage against the aerodynamic forces it will experience during flight. There are 3 main components to this. (2/12)

🖼️ @ChameleonCir

Ship 24.2. A confusing test article with a confusing name that has had a confusing life thus far. Today we’re going to talk about how SpaceX is planning to structurally verify the Starship Payload Bay, and why this monstrosity exists. (1/16)

🖼️ @ChameleonCir Ship 24.2 will be a 7-ring tall article composed of 3 main sections: a top ring with a dome and 24 external attachment points, a Ship Payload Bay that features a PEZ dispenser rack, and a bottom ring with a hatch in the side. (2/16)

🖼️ @ChameleonCir

With this new photo from Elon Musk, there’s been a lot of discussion about what exactly we’re seeing. Today’s quick thread is going to go a bit deeper into what we can learn from this photo. (1/10)

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1678205301349130240

For starters, let’s figure out the positioning of things. The Quick Disconnect is located in the upper right of the photo, and aft flaps can be identified from the frames the motors sit in. This means that the tiled side is on the lower left of this photo. (2/10)

📸 @elonmusk

Some interesting developments have been happening lately with Starship 28, with one of the major ones being the removal of its sliding Payload Bay door. Let’s take a closer look at how this was done, and what it could mean. (1/6)

📸 @CosmicalChief On June 15th, crews attached a crane to Ship 28’s sliding door, and after somehow reorienting it inside of the vehicle, slid it out. We’ve included an animation of how it was removed if it’s hard to tell from the recording. (2/6)

📸 @NASASpaceflight
🖼️ @ChameleonCir

Ship 25 has had quite a life so far, and it hasn’t even had its first static fire. Let’s take a look at why this Starship has been so confusing, why many thought it was retired, and how it’s different from Ship 24. (1/13)

📸 @RGVaerialphotos @RGVaerialphotos Ship 25 was fully stacked in the Highbay on September 12th, 2022, and was moved to the Launch Complex for cryogenic testing on October 19th. It conducted 3 cryo tests, before being moved back to the Highbay to receive its engines. (2/13)

📸 @NASASpaceflight @LabPadre

One of the major changes on Booster 10 is the beginning of the transition to using SpaceX’s new, flatter smooth domes. While the transition to using these smooth domes hasn’t been as smooth as many hoped, let’s take a closer look at this Super Heavy. (1/6)

📸 @CosmicalChief @CosmicalChief August 18th, 2022 saw one of these new domes lifted onto the sleeving stand, and it was sleeved by a Booster common dome sleeve shortly thereafter. The common dome separates the CH4 and LOX tanks inside of the vehicle. (2/6)

🎥 @CosmicalChief @NicAnsuini

A nosecone, a dome section, and a handful of ring sections. These are among some unusual Starship parts that we have been following for quite a while now, that are widely speculated to be related to the HLS Lander. Let’s take a look at some of these. (1/21)

📸 @RGVaerialphotos @RGVaerialphotos So, fair warning, this is going to be a long one, but a lot has been happening and while we wanted to get this out sooner in a more concise manner, every time we got close, some new paradigm-shifting piece would show up. (2/21)

Super Heavy’s engine shielding is quite an impressive system, and Elon Musk has been talking a lot about this with Booster 9. Let’s take a closer look at how SpaceX isolates and protects all 33 engines on the Booster. (1/14)

📸 @CosmicalChief
Animations provided by @ChameleonCir @CosmicalChief @ChameleonCir Getting right into it, the covers are unsurprisingly made of stainless steel, and many areas beneath the vehicle are covered in this black material, which could be related to the extra heating in that area. (2/14)

📸 @SpaceX @RGVaerialphotos

Starship's Flight Termination System is a crucial safety feature, allowing the vehicle to be remotely detonated if it deviates off course, or has a chance of putting people in danger. Let's take a look at our understanding of this system. (1/10)

📸 @CosmicalChief @CosmicalChief There are 4 remote charges on the Full Stack. 2 on the Booster and 2 on the Ship. This creates a redundant system so if 1 charge fails on one of the stages, there is a 2nd to do the job. (2/10)

📸 @RGVaerialphotos

Merry Christmas everybody! Many people have been wondering what exactly is new with Superheavy Booster 9, and while many of the revisions are understood, there are some details that haven't been covered yet. Let's take a look! (1/12)

📸 @RGVaerialphotos @RGVaerialphotos The biggest change that has been noticed by the community was the removal of the Hydraulic Power Units on the side of the vehicle, which were used to power the Thrust Vector Control (gimbaling) system. On B9, electric TVC is now used. (2/12)

📸 @RGVaerialphotos @StarshipGazer

Ship 29 is the newest oddity at the Production Site, but we may know what's happening this time around. Let's take a look at this new article that SpaceX is producing, and why we believe it may be a Structural Test Article. (1/13)

📸 @ChameleonCir @ChameleonCir Starting off looking at S29's nosecone, we can see some TPS pins on the side. This is likely because S29 was intended to be a normal Ship. With the cone now outside of the tent and having other work done, the pins will likely not be finished. (2/13)

📸 @nomadd13

The 3 interstage clamps that connect Starship and Superheavy together are a critical piece in the Starship full stack, but there isn’t much documentation of how they work and how they have changed through the generations of vehicles. Let’s change that. (1/14)

📸: @ChameleonCir @ChameleonCir Two designs of these clamps have been used on Starship to date, with test article B2.1 being the first to have them. Notice how they have a much wider lip. This style was used until S21 and B6. (2/14)

📸: @BocaChicaGal

And that’s the end of that! During a test that occurred earlier this week, EDome was tested to failure… but you may remember that it, like that one kid from high school that was WAY older than everyone else, has failed before. Here’s what’s up. (1/12)

https://twitter.com/RGVaerialphotos/status/1586430487085686788

Made with the 3rd and 5th smooth domes manufactured, EDome was stacked on June 3rd and rolled out to the pad on the 8th. During its stay at the Launch Site, EDome wouldn’t be tested, rolling back to Sanchez on August 24th. (2/12)

📸: @LabPadre @NASASpaceflight @RGVaerialphotos

12 days ago we tweeted about some strange production deviations spotted with Ship 26, and today's thread is an update on that situation with additional observations. If anything, we're in for an interesting ride with S26. (1/9)

https://twitter.com/RingWatchers/status/1559567871902113794

Since that tweet, S26's nosecone has seemingly been completely detiled, with the TPS attachment pins remaining attached. It is currently unknown if SpaceX will remove the pins from the 4 sections that are pinned, however we think this is unlikely. (2/9)

📸: @BocaChicaGal