This week has been a busy one for the SpaceX team as they continue to work towards their next major milestone: the first orbital flight of the Starship launch system. As part of this effort, the team has been using a new load tester to verify the strength and durability of the outer 20 clamps on the orbital launch mount. These clamps are a crucial part of the launch system, as they are responsible for holding the Starship Superheavy stack in place during propellant loading and up until liftoff.
In addition to the load testing, the team also lifted ship 24 off the suborbital pad. It is currently unclear what will happen to Ship 24, but current speculation is that it will undergo a full stack wet dress rehearsal, which is a test of the complete launch system including the Superheavy booster and the Starship second stage before launch.
The team also moved booster 10’s methane tank to the midbay, this is either to make room for Superheavy booster 7’s rollout to the launch site or in preparation for the stacking of booster 11.
Finally, over in Florida, the team transported the chopstick carriage to launch complex 39A, this will be used to help the arms move up and down the launch tower.
Overall, it has been a productive week for the SpaceX team as they continue to make progress towards their next major milestone: the first orbital flight of the starship system. This will be a major achievement for the program and a significant step towards the eventual goal of launching humans to the Moon and Mars using a fully reusable spacecraft.
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