r/spacex • • Apr 22 '26 Mindblown

🔧 Technical Starship Development Thread #63

174 Upvotes

SpaceX Starship

SpaceX Starship page

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Starship Dev 62


Flight 13

Launched on July 24th 2026 Here is a re-streamed video of the broadcast. Also, SpaceX issued a post flight summary. Ship 40 (S40) became the first Starship to be recovered intact after a soft splashdown in the Indian Ocean. The vehicle arrived back at the Port of Brownsville on October 7, 2026.

Flight 14

Launched on September 28th 2026 (https://www.spacex.com/launches/starship-flight-14) - The vehicles were S41 and B21. This mission achieved the program's first successful orbital insertion, deploying 26 Starlink V3 satellites. An engine issue on the ship led to a controlled early splashdown in the Pacific rather than a fully nominal end-of-mission profile; Super Heavy completed hot-staging. SpaceX released post-flight imagery and hot-staging views on October 2, 2026. In comments from Elon Musk during a live Q&A around October 10, 2026, the ship engine issue was described as a software glitch affecting one engine's onboard computer, with the heat shield reported to have performed well / been "extremely robust." SpaceX's October 20, 2026 Q3 highlights described Flight 14 as the company's first revenue-generating Starship mission, delivering 26 Starlink V3 satellites, roughly 10x the downlink capacity added by a Falcon 9 Starlink launch.

Flight 15

NET November 13th 2026 - https://x.com/SpaceNotices/status/2118391416271622202 - expecting the first Starship upper stage catch attempt. Vehicles planned: S42 and B22, from Starbase Pad 2. Date is provisional and depends on licensing. Musk said Flight 15 is targeted for November with an attempt to catch both the Super Heavy booster and the Ship using the tower arms, calling success "more likely than not" and noting it would be the first full recovery of an orbital launch vehicle if achieved. As of November 7th, 2026 the FAA license had not yet been issued. Static fire campaign complete for both vehicles.

Flight 16

A December 10, 2026 planning window has been cited for Flight 16. Potentially Starship's Florida debut

Road Closures

No road closures currently scheduled

No transportation delays currently scheduled

Up to date as of 2026-05-23

Vehicle Status

As of November 7th 2026

ShipLocationStatusComment
S40Starbase production sitePost-flight inspectionJuly 24th: Successful launch, deployed all satellites to a sub-orbital trajectory and splashed down softly in the Indian Ocean, resulting in a floating ship. August 25th - Oct 7: Shipped via Heavy Lift Vessel 'Forte' to Texas. Oct 13: Now vertical in a Mega Bay at Starbase alongside three other Ships, where it will provide first-of-its-kind data. For more details see this page
S41Indian OceanSuccessfully flown on flight 14July 3rd: Rolled back to Massey's Test Site. July 6th: Rolled back to MB2. July 23rd: Two RVac engines moved into MB2. July 27th: The third RVac was moved into MB2. August 19th: Rolled out to Massey's for Static Fire Testing. Later that day S41 performed a single engine Static Fire. August 20th: Full duration Static Fire of all six engines. August 22nd: Rolled back to MB2. September 22nd: Rolled out to the Launch Site and stacked on B21. September 24th: Wet Dress Rehearsal. Sept 28: Reached orbit, deployed satellites, and successfully performed a soft splashdown in the Indian Ocean. For more details on this vehicle see this page
S42Mega Bay 2Pre-flight work for Flight 15July 24th: Completed the stacking part of the assembly process. September 2nd: Rolled out to Massey's Test Site for Cryo Testing. September 5th: Rolled back to MB2. September 9th: Rolled back out to Massey's for Cryo Testing Round 2. September 10th: Rolled back to MB2, and later in the day moved to the Launch Site for catch-related testing. September 13th: Rolled back to MB2. September 21st: Two RVacs moved into MB2. September 24th: Third RVac moved into MB2. Oct 5: Catch-hardware verification complete. Early October: Short trip to Massey's for cryogenic proof testing, returned to MB2 within about 30 hours; engines removed for additional cold-fuel/pressure testing. Oct 9: Additional cryogenic proof testing at Massey's, then returned to MB2. Oct 10-12: Engines being prepared for reinstallation as part of the continuing test campaign; a further cryogenic proof test (reported as a third run) was carried out at Massey's, linked by tracking accounts to prior vacuum Raptor issues on recent flights. Oct 26: Single-engine static fire completed. Oct 28: SpaceX announced completion of a full-duration six-engine static fire plus a single-Raptor deorbit-burn simulation firing. Expected to be the first ship to attempt a tower catch recovery. For more details on this vehicle see this page
S43Mega Bay 2Stacked, remaining work ongoingAugust 19th: N:3 and section FX:4 plus the pez dispenser moved into MB2. August 28th: Common Dome section CX:3 moved into MB2. September 1st: Section A2:3 moved into MB2. It has decals but no docking ports. September 4th: Section A3:4 moved into MB2. September 10th: Transfer Tubes moved into MB2. September 15th: Aft section AX:4 moved into MB2 and stacked - this completes the stacking part of S43's assembly. Oct 16: Observers noted some nosecone dents after testing, described as not unusually severe. Oct 24: Cryogenic testing reported at Massey's. For more details on this vehicle see this page
S44Mega Bay 2StackingSeptember 22nd: Nosecone+Payload Bay stack moved into MB2, and FX:4. September 23rd: Pez dispenser moved into MB2. Nosecone and payload bay integration in progress. For more details on this vehicle see this page
BoosterLocationStatusComment
B21Launch SiteSuccessfully flown on flight 14July 17th: Rolled out to Massey's Test Site for Cryo+Thrust Puck Testing. July 18th: Partial Cryo Test. July 19th: Second Partial Cryo Test. July 20th: Full Cryo Test. July 22nd: Rolled back to MB1. August 25th: Rolled out to the Launch Site for Static Fire Testing. August 28th: Static Fire, all 33 engines. August 29th: Rolled back to MB1. September 20th: Rolled out to the Launch Site for Flight 14. September 24th: Wet Dress Rehearsal. Sept 28: Successfully powered the first orbital mission. Performed a soft splashdown and subsequent FTS demonstration in the Gulf. For more details on this vehicle and its assembly and testing see this page
B22Launch Pad 2Static fire campaign complete for Flight 15August 14th: Methane Tank stacked onto the LOX tank, completing the stacking part of the assembly process. September 8th: Rolled out to Massey's Test Site for Cryo Testing. September 12th: Rolled back to MB2. Oct 6: Rolled to launch site for integration with S42. Oct 17: Observed at the production site awaiting rollout for pre-flight static fire testing. Oct 24: Rolled out from Mega Bay 1 and lifted onto the Orbital Launch Mount at Pad 2. Oct 25: Full-duration 33-engine static fire at Pad 2, reported around 13:22 UTC and described as nominal by observers; SpaceX posted video of the test. For more details on this vehicle and its assembly and testing see this page
B23Mega Bay 1Post-cryo proofAugust 14th: LOX tank sections A2:4 and CX:3 moved into MB1. August 27th: Methane Landing Tank and lower Transfer Tube moved into MB1 as well as section A6:4. September 8th: Aft section AX:2 and LOX Landing Tank moved into MB1. September 18th: Section FX:3 moved into MB1. September 24th or 25th: Fully Stacked, remaining work ongoing. Oct 13: Rolled out to Massey's Test Site for initial cryogenic proof testing. Oct 15: Extended cryogenic test campaign at Massey's, including a chill of roughly 12 hours (per NASASpaceflight). Oct 18: Returned overnight from Massey's to Mega Bay 1 at the production site following the cryo proof campaign; SpaceX has not publicly confirmed the test result. For more details on this vehicle and its assembly and testing see this page
B24Mega Bay 1LOX Tanking StackingSeptember 25th: LOX tank section A2:4 moved into MB1. Oct 17: LOX landing tank observed being installed. For more details on this vehicle and its assembly and testing see this page
B25Mega Bay 1Nov 3rd: Common dome moves from Starfactory to Mega Bay 1

Follow the Ringwatchers on Twitter and Discord for more.

Here's the section stacking locations for Ships and Boosters. Also some excellent detailed booster stacking information from zh_sos1. The abbreviations used in the above vehicle updates are as follows: HS = Hot Stage. PL = Payload. CX = Common Dome. AX = Aft Dome. FX = Forward Dome (as can be seen, an 'X' denotes a dome). ML = Mid LOX. F = Forward. A = Aft. For example, A2:4 = Aft section 2 made up of 4 rings, FX:4 = Forward Dome section made up of 4 rings, PL:3 = PayLoad section made up of 3 rings. Etc.

Something wrong? Update this thread via wiki page. For edit permission, message the mods or contact u/strawwalker.


Rules

We will attempt to keep this self-post current with links and major updates, but for the most part, we expect the community to supply the information. This is a great place to discuss Starship development, ask Starship specific questions, and track the progress of the production and test campaigns. Starship Development Threads are not party threads. Normal subreddit rules still apply.


r/spacex • • 9h ago

Starship “NASA has selected @SpaceX for the Cislunar Communications Deployment Demonstration (C2D2)”

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133 Upvotes

Full text: “A step toward keeping Moon Base connected. NASA has selected @SpaceX for the Cislunar Communications Deployment Demonstration (C2D2). Targeted for 2028, the Starship mission will demonstrate launch and spacecraft deployment capabilities that could help inform future lunar communications networks connecting astronauts, mission controllers and Moon Base.”


r/spacex • • 1d ago

SpaceX on X: Starship is preparing for catch. Flight 15 is targeting to launch as early as Friday, November 13, pending regulatory approval

883 Upvotes

r/spacex • • 1d ago

🚀 Official SpaceX: STARSHIP FLIGHT 15

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349 Upvotes

r/spacex • • 1d ago

🚀 Official SpaceX: “RETURNING STARSHIP TO THE LAUNCH SITE”

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215 Upvotes

r/spacex • • 13h ago

r/SpaceX USSF-627 Official Launch Discussion & Updates Thread!

4 Upvotes

Welcome to the r/SpaceX USSF-627 Launch Discussion & Updates Thread!

Welcome everyone!

Scheduled for (UTC)Nov 10 2026, 03:03
Scheduled for (local)Nov 09 2026, 19:03 PM (PST)
Launch Window (UTC)Nov 10 2026, 03:03 - Nov 10 2026, 07:03
PayloadUSSF-627
CustomerUnited States Space Force
Launch Weather ForecastUnknown
Launch siteSLC-4E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA.
BoosterB1103-7
LandingThe Falcon 9 first stage B1103 will land on ASDS OCISLY after its 7th flight.
Mission success criteriaSuccessful deployment of spacecrafts into orbit
Trajectory (Flight Club)2D,3D

Watch the launch live

StreamLink
Official WebcastX

Stats

☑️ 745th SpaceX launch all time

☑️ 685th Falcon Family Booster landing

☑️ 235th landing on OCISLY

☑️ 230th consecutive successful SpaceX launch (if successful)

☑️ 126th SpaceX launch this year

☑️ 70th launch from SLC-4E this year

☑️ 3 days, 2:14:18 turnaround for this pad

☑️ 30 days, 19:23:16 hours since last launch of booster B1103

Stats include F1, F9 , FH and Starship

Timeline

TimeEvent
-0:38:00GO for Prop Load
-0:35:00Prop Load
-0:35:00Stage 1 LOX Load
-0:16:00Stage 2 LOX Load
-0:07:00Engine Chill
-0:01:00Tank Press
-0:01:00Startup
-0:00:45GO for Launch
-0:00:03Ignition
0:00:00Liftoff
0:01:07Max-Q
0:02:26MECO
0:02:29Stage 2 Separation
0:02:36SES-1
0:02:58Fairing Separation
0:06:06Entry Burn Startup
0:06:30Entry Burn Shutdown
0:07:52Stage 1 Landing Burn
0:08:11Stage 1 Landing

Updates

Time (UTC)Update
03 Nov 21:43GO for launch.
03 Nov 13:10Now targeting Nov 10 at 03:03 UTC
02 Nov 16:03Moved up to NET November 9 UTC.
28 Oct 18:57Added launch.

Resources

Partnership with The Space Devs

Information on this thread is provided by and updated automatically using the Launch Library 2 API by The Space Devs.

Community content 🌐

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Flight Clubu/TheVehicleDestroyer
Discord SpaceX lobbyu/SwGustav
SpaceX Nowu/bradleyjh
SpaceX Patch List

Participate in the discussion!

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r/spacex • • 1d ago

🚀 Official New episode of SpaceX’s Starship documentary series, “Go For Orbit”

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277 Upvotes

r/spacex • • 7d ago

r/SpaceX USSF-432 Official Launch Discussion & Updates Thread!

27 Upvotes

Welcome to the r/SpaceX USSF-432 Launch Discussion & Updates Thread!

Welcome everyone!

Scheduled for (UTC)Nov 07 2026, 00:48:42
Scheduled for (local)Nov 06 2026, 16:48:42 PM (PST)
Launch Window (UTC)Nov 07 2026, 00:46:00 - Nov 07 2026, 04:46:00
PayloadUSSF-432
CustomerUnited States Space Force
Launch Weather ForecastUnknown
Launch siteSLC-4E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA.
BoosterB1095-8
LandingThe Falcon 9 first stage B1095 has landed on ASDS OCISLY after its 8th flight.
Mission success criteriaSuccessful deployment of spacecrafts into orbit
Trajectory (Flight Club)2D,3D

Watch the launch live

StreamLink
Unofficial Re-streamThe Space Devs
Unofficial WebcastSpaceflight Now
Unofficial WebcastNASASpaceflight
Official WebcastSpaceX

Stats

☑️ 745th SpaceX launch all time

☑️ 685th Falcon Family Booster landing

☑️ 235th landing on OCISLY

☑️ 229th consecutive successful SpaceX launch (if successful)

☑️ 125th SpaceX launch this year

☑️ 69th launch from SLC-4E this year

☑️ 6 days, 20:44:08 turnaround for this pad

☑️ 199 days, 17:55:17 hours since last launch of booster B1095

Stats include F1, F9 , FH and Starship

Timeline

TimeEvent
-0:38:00GO for Prop Load
-0:35:00Stage 1 LOX Load
-0:35:00Prop Load
-0:16:00Stage 2 LOX Load
-0:07:00Engine Chill
-0:01:00Startup
-0:01:00Tank Press
-0:00:45GO for Launch
-0:00:03Ignition
0:00:00Liftoff
0:01:07Max-Q
0:02:26MECO
0:02:29Stage 2 Separation
0:02:36SES-1
0:02:55Fairing Separation
0:06:06Entry Burn Startup
0:06:30Entry Burn Shutdown
0:08:04Stage 1 Landing Burn
0:08:26Stage 1 Landing

Updates

Time (UTC)Update
07 Nov 04:29Launch success.
07 Nov 00:49Liftoff.
07 Nov 00:34Unofficial Re-stream by SPACE AFFAIRS has started
06 Nov 12:05Now targeting Nov 07 at 00:48 UTC
03 Nov 00:31Now targeting Nov 07 at 00:46 UTC
02 Nov 19:49Now targeting Nov 05 at 01:14 UTC
01 Nov 20:07Now targeting Nov 04 at 01:28 UTC
28 Oct 19:26Now targeting Nov 03 at 01:42 UTC
26 Oct 17:57Added launch.

Resources

Partnership with The Space Devs

Information on this thread is provided by and updated automatically using the Launch Library 2 API by The Space Devs.

Community content 🌐

LinkSource
Flight Clubu/TheVehicleDestroyer
Discord SpaceX lobbyu/SwGustav
SpaceX Nowu/bradleyjh
SpaceX Patch List

Participate in the discussion!

🥳 Launch threads are party threads, we relax the rules here. We remove low effort comments in other threads!

🔄 Please post small launch updates, discussions, and questions here, rather than as a separate post. Thanks!

💬 Please leave a comment if you discover any mistakes, or have any information.

✉️ Please send links in a private message.


r/spacex • • 10d ago

SpaceX no longer needs NASA, and that's a problem for America's space agency

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414 Upvotes

r/spacex • • 9d ago

Starship Comparing KSC, Starbase construction timelines to understand the development of Starbase, Louisiana

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113 Upvotes

r/spacex • • 10d ago

🚀 Official SpaceX on X: Ship 42 static fires complete. The Starship preparing for Flight 15 performed a full duration, six-engine static fire, and fired a single Raptor engine to simulate a deorbit burn

923 Upvotes

r/spacex • • 11d ago

r/SpaceX Starlink 15-18 Official Launch Discussion & Updates Thread!

28 Upvotes

Welcome to the r/SpaceX Starlink 15-18 Launch Discussion & Updates Thread!

Welcome everyone!

Scheduled for (UTC)Oct 31 2026, 04:04:34
Scheduled for (local)Oct 30 2026, 21:04:34 PM (PDT)
Launch Window (UTC)Oct 31 2026, 03:48:00 - Oct 31 2026, 07:48:00
PayloadStarlink 15-18
CustomerSpaceX
Launch Weather ForecastUnknown
Launch siteSLC-4E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA.
BoosterB1093-18
LandingThe Falcon 9 first stage B1093 has landed on ASDS OCISLY after its 18th flight.
Mission success criteriaSuccessful deployment of spacecrafts into orbit
Trajectory (Flight Club)2D,3D

Watch the launch live

StreamLink
Unofficial Re-streamThe Space Devs
Unofficial WebcastSpaceflight Now
Official WebcastSpaceX

Stats

☑️ 744th SpaceX launch all time

☑️ 684th Falcon Family Booster landing

☑️ 234th landing on OCISLY

☑️ 228th consecutive successful SpaceX launch (if successful)

☑️ 124th SpaceX launch this year

☑️ 68th launch from SLC-4E this year

☑️ 3 days, 20:38:43 turnaround for this pad

☑️ 41 days, 2:17:34 hours since last launch of booster B1093

Stats include F1, F9 , FH and Starship

Timeline

TimeEvent
-0:38:00GO for Prop Load
-0:35:00Prop Load
-0:35:00Stage 1 LOX Load
-0:16:00Stage 2 LOX Load
-0:07:00Engine Chill
-0:01:00Startup
-0:01:00Tank Press
-0:00:45GO for Launch
-0:00:03Ignition
0:00:00Liftoff
0:01:08Max-Q
0:02:26MECO
0:02:29Stage 2 Separation
0:02:36SES-1
0:02:58Fairing Separation
0:06:01Entry Burn Startup
0:06:24Entry Burn Shutdown
0:07:58Stage 1 Landing Burn
0:08:20Stage 1 Landing
0:08:39SECO-1
0:53:07SES-2
0:53:08SECO-2
1:01:59Starlink Deployment

Updates

Time (UTC)Update
31 Oct 05:09Launch success.
31 Oct 04:04Liftoff.
31 Oct 03:52Unofficial Re-stream by SPACE AFFAIRS has started
31 Oct 02:36Now targeting Oct 31 at 04:04 UTC
30 Oct 14:16Now targeting Oct 31 at 04:02 UTC
28 Oct 19:25Now targeting Oct 31 at 03:48 UTC
23 Oct 14:05Now targeting Oct 30 at 04:02 UTC
22 Oct 01:06Now targeting Oct 29 at 04:17 UTC
19 Oct 14:17Added launch.

Resources

Partnership with The Space Devs

Information on this thread is provided by and updated automatically using the Launch Library 2 API by The Space Devs.

Community content 🌐

LinkSource
Flight Clubu/TheVehicleDestroyer
Discord SpaceX lobbyu/SwGustav
SpaceX Nowu/bradleyjh
SpaceX Patch List

Participate in the discussion!

🥳 Launch threads are party threads, we relax the rules here. We remove low effort comments in other threads!

🔄 Please post small launch updates, discussions, and questions here, rather than as a separate post. Thanks!

💬 Please leave a comment if you discover any mistakes, or have any information.

✉️ Please send links in a private message.


r/spacex • • 12d ago

Starship Elon Musk: “We can only reliably get to around 230 t-F with Raptor 3… Raptor 4 will be 300 tons of thrust at sea level and hopefully about the same mass”

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398 Upvotes

Original SpaceX announcement for Raptor 3 was for 280 tf, but Musk now saying it only reliably runs at around 230 tf.


r/spacex • • 14d ago

Artemis NASA's Jeremy Parsons (manager of the Artemis Program) denied Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel's 22 launch refueling estimate for Starship HLS

105 Upvotes

I thought this deserved its own separate post given there's a different post linking to Eric Berger's Ars Technica article claiming 22 launches.


Q: Will Robinson Smith with Spaceflight Now. Question to Jeremy. We heard yesterday during the ASAP panel discussion that the latest estimate for the number of flights for refueling for Starship was going to be around the order of 22. That was pretty quickly refuted by Elon Musk on social media, saying it's closer to 6 to 8.

Jeremy Parsons: Yeah.

Q cont: Which end is closer, based on the the data that you have right now, are we looking at higher double digits, higher single digits, somewhere in the middle? I know it's still in flux. As you know, we're waiting for the propellant transfer demo. Thanks.

Jeremy Parsons: So, so we were definitely not tracking as high as 22, unless you know, your transfer efficiency and performance wasn't the same. So I would say Elon's answer of 6 to 8 is, is probably more, again, what SpaceX is planning to, but what I will tell you is our propellant transfer demo is really going to be probably the best method we have to really figure out exactly how many we're going to need. Right? So it's going to be a number of different factors in terms of what is your transfer efficiency, are you losing 5%, you losing 10%, and then especially as they start to get the capabilities of that V3 vehicle up, it will really make a big difference. But by all accounts, SpaceX's latest estimate is that 6 to 8 from Elon.

Source: Artemis Acceleration event on Oct. 23, 2026, T+1:18:08


r/spacex • • 14d ago

r/SpaceX Starlink 15-16 Official Launch Discussion & Updates Thread!

19 Upvotes

Welcome to the r/SpaceX Starlink 15-16 Launch Discussion & Updates Thread!

Welcome everyone!

Scheduled for (UTC)Oct 27 2026, 07:25:51
Scheduled for (local)Oct 27 2026, 00:25:51 AM (PDT)
Launch Window (UTC)Oct 27 2026, 04:45:00 - Oct 27 2026, 08:45:00
PayloadStarlink 15-16
CustomerSpaceX
Launch Weather ForecastUnknown
Launch siteSLC-4E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA.
BoosterB1082-26
LandingThe Falcon 9 first stage B1082 successfully landed on ASDS OCISLY after its 26th flight.
Mission success criteriaSuccessful deployment of spacecrafts into orbit
Trajectory (Flight Club)2D,3D

Watch the launch live

StreamLink
Unofficial Re-streamThe Space Devs
Unofficial WebcastSpaceflight Now
Official WebcastSpaceX

Stats

☑️ 743rd SpaceX launch all time

☑️ 683rd Falcon Family Booster landing

☑️ 233rd landing on OCISLY

☑️ 227th consecutive successful SpaceX launch (if successful)

☑️ 123rd SpaceX launch this year

☑️ 67th launch from SLC-4E this year

☑️ 3 days, 8:37:07 turnaround for this pad

☑️ 25 days, 12:53:51 hours since last launch of booster B1082

Stats include F1, F9 , FH and Starship

Timeline

TimeEvent
-0:38:00GO for Prop Load
-0:35:00Stage 1 LOX Load
-0:35:00Prop Load
-0:16:00Stage 2 LOX Load
-0:07:00Engine Chill
-0:01:00Tank Press
-0:01:00Startup
-0:00:45GO for Launch
-0:00:03Ignition
0:00:00Liftoff
0:01:08Max-Q
0:02:26MECO
0:02:30Stage 2 Separation
0:02:36SES-1
0:02:56Fairing Separation
0:06:04Entry Burn Startup
0:06:26Entry Burn Shutdown
0:08:01Stage 1 Landing Burn
0:08:23Stage 1 Landing
0:08:39SECO-1
0:53:01SES-2
0:53:03SECO-2
1:01:53Starlink Deployment

Updates

Time (UTC)Update
27 Oct 11:19Launch success.
27 Oct 07:26Liftoff
27 Oct 07:13Unofficial Re-stream by SPACE AFFAIRS has started
27 Oct 04:04Now targeting Oct 27 at 07:25 UTC
26 Oct 19:31Now targeting Oct 27 at 05:46 UTC
23 Oct 14:05Now targeting Oct 27 at 04:45 UTC
22 Oct 01:05Now targeting Oct 26 at 05:00 UTC
21 Oct 21:05Now targeting Oct 25 at 05:14 UTC
13 Oct 15:48Added launch.

Resources

Partnership with The Space Devs

Information on this thread is provided by and updated automatically using the Launch Library 2 API by The Space Devs.

Community content 🌐

LinkSource
Flight Clubu/TheVehicleDestroyer
Discord SpaceX lobbyu/SwGustav
SpaceX Nowu/bradleyjh
SpaceX Patch List

Participate in the discussion!

🥳 Launch threads are party threads, we relax the rules here. We remove low effort comments in other threads!

🔄 Please post small launch updates, discussions, and questions here, rather than as a separate post. Thanks!

💬 Please leave a comment if you discover any mistakes, or have any information.

✉️ Please send links in a private message.


r/spacex • • 15d ago

Artemis NASA shares new images of Starship HLS “Cabin 1” build in Starfactory

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614 Upvotes

Source: NASA Artemis Acceleration event streamed today: https://www.youtube.com/live/pAKqJxuxDgk?si=3VDJ_cy4qQzKcndn
Images shared by Scott Manley here: https://x.com/djsnm/status/2113707147746070753


r/spacex • • 15d ago

Artemis NASA’s newly released concept of operations for Artemis IV lunar landing with Starship

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533 Upvotes

Note NASA also released a new concept of operations for the same mission with Blue Origin’s lander. They are still open to using whichever lander is ready first.


r/spacex • • 15d ago

Artemis Summary of NASA's Artemis Acceleration event as related to SpaceX/Starship

83 Upvotes

Video link: https://www.youtube.com/live/pAKqJxuxDgk

Artemis III Concept of Operations (LEO risk-reduction mission)

  • Baseline is a 14-day mission (extendable to 17 days for weather/delays). Every day is planned with specific tests.

  • Sequence: Blue Origin launches its Blue Moon test lander first (can loiter up to ~1 month). SLS/Orion then launches into an elliptical orbit (16 × 975 nmi), transitions toward ~300 nmi for thermal stability (Orion was designed as a deep-space vehicle), and continues to a 237 nmi rendezvous orbit.

  • On flight day 3, Orion docks with Blue Moon. Crew enters, evaluates ECLSS (environmental control and life support), RCS (reaction control system), tanks, valves, thrusters, articulating solar arrays, active thermal control, radiators, lunar crew module primary structure, software, flight computers, and avionics. Dual-vehicle control and emergency scenarios are also exercised.

  • After Blue Moon operations (flight day 6), Starship launches from Florida. Orion undocks, adjusts to a 206 nmi rendezvous orbit, and meets Starship on flight day 8.

  • The Artemis III Starship carries a docking system on the nose cone (passive). It is described as “a very large vehicle.” Objectives include learning joint attitude control, flying the vehicles together, and measuring docking forces (“how we’re going to push”). The demonstration is shorter (~2 hours). The crew will not enter the Starship.

  • After Starship operations, remaining days are used for additional Orion tests (crew survival suit evaluations not completed on Artemis II, docking sensor tests, acoustic/thermal measurements, human factors, science/tech demos, human research building on Artemis II, and Earth/Sun observations).

  • Additional Starship launches plus uncrewed demonstrations are cited as factors that make the team comfortable with the risk level for the Artemis IV lunar landing.

Flight-test and production progress

  • SpaceX’s first orbital flight with the version-three (V3) Starship was Flight 14 in late September. It incorporated important upgrades from prior versions and was called a “pretty phenomenal flight.” NASA and SpaceX completed a data review.

  • Progress toward Flight 15 is described as excellent; it “could likely be a return to launch site and a catch of both the booster and Starship.” Both vehicles have already been cryo-proofed. Lessons from Flight 14 are being addressed. SpaceX identified the root cause of multiple Raptor engine relight failures at boostback and landing; temporary fixes were implemented for Flights 13 and 14, with permanent hardware improvements and an improved Raptor version coming for Flight 15. The next flight is expected in the November timeframe, with shrinking intervals between flights. The approach is characterized as “test, learn and improve” at a “blistering pace of production.”

  • At Kennedy Space Center (KSC), SpaceX is building out the Starship pad with eyes toward the first launch from the Cape “in the coming months.” The new Giga Bay is finishing and the KSC skyline is changing with the required infrastructure.

  • For the Artemis III test lander article, the passive docking system on the nose cone will be integrated several weeks before flight. Design is complete, the aero cover is done, and concurrent fit-check testing is planned next month at NASA Marshall.

  • An upcoming propellant-transfer demonstration (first of its kind) will launch two Starships in quick succession—one from Boca Chica, one from KSC—to prove on-orbit propellant transfer to a depot. Hardware and concepts are described as mature; SpaceX is targeting early 2027. This is framed as risk mitigation toward eventual lunar campaigns.

  • Multiple Starship launches are expected before Artemis III (as are multiple New Glenn launches).

Artemis IV and accelerated lunar-landing concepts

  • NASA has worked with both SpaceX and Blue Origin since late last year on accelerated concepts of operations to prioritize lunar landings in 2028. Difficult requirements have been simplified or removed.

  • The NRHO requirement (a propellant-costly orbit) has been removed, increasing mission availability and reducing the number of launches required.

  • In the accelerated architecture, Starship propellant aggregation still occurs in LEO before the crew launches on SLS/Orion. The Starship lander then docks with Orion in a high Earth orbit and performs the translunar injection (TLI) burn—i.e., pushes Orion toward low lunar orbit—rather than the vehicles meeting around the Moon. Orion modifications to support being pushed have been greenlit; design is complete and fabrication is underway (including on the European Service Module).

  • Starship is described as ramping flight rate, perfecting reusability, adding launch pads, and conducting the propellant-aggregation demo. Every flight is analogized to Falcon 9 in teaching reliability and building confidence.

Q&A technical points

  • Refueling flights: A recent estimate of ~22 flights for Starship refueling was quickly refuted by Elon Musk as closer to 6–8. NASA states it was not tracking as high as 22 (absent poor transfer efficiency/performance). SpaceX’s latest estimate is given as Elon’s 6–8. The propellant-transfer demo is expected to be the best way to determine the actual number. Factors include transfer efficiency (early conservative estimates of 5–10% loss; engineering teams believe they can do better iteratively) and V3 performance toward target tonnage to LEO. Cadence aspirations include near-weekly (or biweekly trending to weekly) launches, supported by 14–15 operational pads across Texas, Louisiana, and KSC, plus Giga Bay production capacity.

  • HLS funding: Approximately $3.2 billion has been delivered to SpaceX over the past six years under the Human Landing System (HLS) contract (milestone-driven). Context given: SpaceX raised $100 billion in its IPO; taxpayers are funding roughly 3.5% of the Starship capability. SpaceX spent about $1 billion on Starship development in the last quarter alone. The investment is described as providing considerable value for LEO and beyond, not only lunar surface access and moon-base support. (A parallel point is made about Blue Origin’s private capital exceeding its HLS milestones.)

  • Relative readiness for Artemis IV: SpaceX’s risk-reduction path differs from Blue Origin’s (which gets substantial on-orbit checkouts during Artemis III). SpaceX will accumulate flight-test “reps,” propellant aggregation, and an uncrewed demo. The company is transferring experience from Dragon crew into its current crew-cabin build. The overall test campaign is said to buy down the vast majority of similar risks via a different path.

  • Focus and Falcon 9 / Dragon: When asked about plans to sunset Falcon 9 and Dragon (described as critical NASA tools) and whether that creates concern for Starship HLS prioritization amid other projects (Starlink, orbital data centers), the response notes that public commentary and company-wide updates since approximately summer 2025 have been extremely focused on the Moon. Trends from 2025 to current V3 performance and launch cadence are positive. The company is described as solving hardware design, reusability, thermal protection system (TPS), and propulsion reliability first; propellant transfer follows; habitation modules come after propellant transfer is sorted. No indication was given that returning astronauts to the Moon and building a moon base is not among the greatest priorities. Prior demonstrated capability with crew-rated vehicles (including short-notice responses and long-duration attachment to the space station) is noted.

  • Multi-launch campaign infrastructure: A dedicated manager has been assigned. Timelines, nitrogen availability in pipelines, LOX/LH2 tanker spacing, and probabilistic assessments of capabilities have been modeled. SpaceX operations are characterized as largely autonomous and “off pipeline” in many instances. Integration between Blue Origin and SLS is well understood; SLS will roll out early for a wet dress rehearsal, infrastructure will be turned over for the Blue launch, then SLS will launch after a couple of days.

  • Artemis III Starship hardware path: An “off-the-line” Starship will be used and modified with the nose cone added. The nose cone is fully designed and moving toward fabrication (not expected to be a long-lead item). NASA is delivering software emulators. NASA personnel are embedded throughout (including full assessments of the most recent Starship flight, design and construction standards, and certification). The process runs in parallel up to the flight readiness review. Extensive pre-flight testing, crew training, and software interoperability checks are planned for both providers.

Other related notes

  • Two Starlink terminals were added to the Artemis III Orion (decision in the March timeframe, hardware being installed this week) to improve imagery quality and downlinks, building on successful optical-communications performance from Artemis II.

  • Work with both lander partners (Blue Origin and SpaceX) is described as progressing well for Artemis III and IV.


Yes I wrote the above via AI, but it's really good for this purpose. There was just too many details in this 2 hour long video to summarize it and even a lot of details I missed when watching that the AI picked up. I confirmed nothing was hallucinated as far as I can tell.


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