Starliner, take 2 (stream goes live in about 70 minutes)...

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Hmm. Maybe not. :(

https://i.postimg.cc/1tfCC5Pw/Screen...3-09-19-04.png

Bummer. Better to find stuff now than in the air, though.

The high bay isn't tall enough to stack Starship onto SH, right? So they'll get a big ass crane and mate them on the pad?

That's the assumption for this flight. Most of the original design shares from Elon show some form of a rotating arm on the tower to lift and stack. Tons of stuff being built around the OLT now that people are speculating might be that arm or possible mechanisms to catch the SH as it returns. I'm assuming they won't be able to transport a fully stacked Starship from the build site to the launch site.

They are also starting on a new "Wide Bay" that's supposed to be slightly taller than the High Bay but much wider. Assuming for the concurrent production of multiple SS and SH, but still only stacking at the OLT.

Thanks. I'll tune in to watch that!

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Super Heavy Booster moving to orbital launch mount <a href="https://t.co/axaDnXNm84">pic.twitter.com/axaDnXNm84</a></p>&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1422607954101084161?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 3, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Are the black rectangular things near the base landing legs?

It's kind of amazing that you can move it upright like that. I mean, I know the physics of it (vast majority of the weight is at the bottom), but still...it just looks...wrong.

Wow, almost at the OLT already! Hope I get to watch it get moved to the table before I have to leave.


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<samp class="EmbedCode-container"><code class="EmbedCode-code"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Very close to real! Arms are able to move during descent to match exact booster position. <br><br>Catch point is off to side, in case catch fails – don’t want to hit launch mount. <br><br>Booster is transferred back to launch mount for next flight. <br><br>Designed to have &lt;1 hour turnaround.</p>&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1422603106035118085?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 3, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </code></samp>

How tall is the launch tower? SH is 230 feet. It looks like at least double that.

Nevermind...

LMAO

FAA warns SpaceX that massive Starship launch tower in Texas is unapproved

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/14/faa-...ite-tower.html

Yeah, that's part of what I was getting at earlier. It seems HIGHLY unlikely to me that SpaceX actually thinks they'll be launching this thing in the next couple of weeks. In fact, if the FAA comes back and says that they've got some environmental violations, it could be months before it's all worked out.

However, the optics of the most innovative space company in the world, with contracts for both NASA and the DOD that are relying on this thing, having to sit there with this monstrosity of a rocket on the pad "ready to go" as soon as the FAA approves it...

Yeah, you have to imagine the FAA is going to try and speed things up a bit.

lolol


Yeah, they were warning SpaceX that if the environmental impact review comes back negatively, SpaceX may be forced to tear down the tower.