Category: general

**This Week at Starbase: Rapid Construction, Demolition, and Major Spaceflight Updates**

This week at Starbase, while various construction projects continue at the usual rapid pace, crews have begun scrapping Booster 17, test article B18.1 underwent another round of cryo testing, and the Pad 1 launch mount practically disappeared right before our eyes. SpaceX is known for their fast production, but just how quick is the demolition work at Pad 1? Let’s dive into this week’s update and find out.

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### Starbase Construction & Testing Updates

**Starship Progress**
Starting off, Starship 39.1, a test tank for Block 3 engineering validation, was brought out of Mega Bay 2 and returned to the Star Factory. Mega Bay 2’s door was opened again the next day, revealing Starship 39 on the middlework stand, still waiting on its aft dome while the rest sits on wood blocks.

A newly made nose cone lifting jig was brought into Star Factory to accelerate ship production. Inside, Starship 40’s nose cone was stacked onto its payload bay section, bringing the second Block 3 ship another step closer to completion.

**Booster 17 Scrapping**
The protective weather cap was removed from Booster 17 in the rocket garden for a planned move to Mega Bay 1, but workers realized there wasn’t space inside. After some shifting back and forth, the booster was eventually set down near the garden for further disassembly. Crews began dismantling the chine covers, exposing the booster subsystems and fire suppression COPVS underneath.

**Launch Mount Demolition**
At Pad 1, after wrapping up removal of the outer armor from the orbital launch mount, demolition crews turned to the inner part of the top half of the original ring. Each section was cut apart with plasma lances and hoisted out by crane until the launch table was bisected and the internals removed. Workers then began cutting through lower ring supports and the remaining structures bridging the launch mount legs. Some cut segments were lifted out, while others were dropped onto dirt padding below.

The cable chain used to anchor and carry the chopstick’s electrical systems was also removed from Tower 1 as crews continue removing legacy systems from the pad.

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### Pad 2 Construction Continues

Despite the demolition at Pad 1, construction at Pad 2 progressed. Both pad’s booster quick disconnect covers arrived. Before installation, the new clamp arm test structure was lifted, rotated, and lowered into position for testing. The liquid oxygen cover was the first to be installed, completing the armored housing that protects the booster’s LOX ground systems during launch. About 24 hours later, the cover for the methane quick disconnect was also installed.

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### Mega Bay & Gigabay Updates

Inside Mega Bay 2, composite deck sheets for a new access platform were lifted into place. At the Gigabay, multiple steel beams were raised and slotted sequentially into place while ironworkers bolted each together. On Friday, old engine access platforms were removed from Mega Bay 2 workstations and replaced with new platforms.

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### Testing Highlights

Back at the launch site, qualification work on Pad 2’s various systems was conducted. The methane side of the ground support equipment bunker was purged, clearing out debris. The pad’s deluge system was also tested with water sprayed into the air and flame trench.

A Starship cryogenic test stand, loaded with hydraulic rams to simulate engine flight loads, arrived at the build site after leaving Massiey’s outpost. On Friday, the stabilizer arms on the Pad 2 chopsticks underwent actuation testing as the clamp arm tester, dubbed “ibroofen,” was rotated to another set of clamp arms.

At Massie Outpost, the Booster 18.3 test tank underwent another round of testing as the Block 3 booster verification process continues.

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### Issues at the Construction Site

The westernmost tower crane at the construction site had trouble, spinning around for several hours—a situation that repeated later. While cranes are designed to weather vane in the wind, they’re not meant to keep spinning like that. The cause is unclear; feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!

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### Falcon 9 Operations

This week in Cape Canaveral saw the launch of the Starlink Group 10-51 mission on Falcon 9 booster 1069 from launch complex 39A, delivering another batch of SpaceX’s telecommunication satellites before landing downrange on “A Shortfall of Gravitas.” The booster and barge were successfully brought back to port, unloaded, and sent to Robert’s Road for refurbishment.

Starlink Group 6-87 was the second Falcon 9 launch, with preparations starting two days in advance. “Just Read the Instructions,” joined by “Bob,” headed out to sea to catch the booster and fairings. Falcon 9 booster 1096 lifted off from Slick 40 for its third flight, carrying 29 satellites before landing and returning to the coast. Both booster and fairing halves were recovered after the flight.

SpaceX ended the week with a double header from Florida: first, the Starlink Group 6-89 mission lifted off from historic LC39A on booster 1092, carrying another 29 satellites; then, about 3.5 hours later, booster 1078 blasted off from Slick 40, also carrying 29 satellites.

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### Other Space News

Blue Origin prepared its second New Glenn launch vehicle for its first daytime launch, but range issues including a yacht, a cruise ship, and solar storms delayed liftoff. After 4 days, New Glenn launched from complex 36 with the NASA Escapade mission. Following successful ascent and stage separation, the “Never Tell Me the Odds” booster performed a soft landing on the ship “Jacqueline”—the first for New Glenn. The Escapade spacecraft, a pair of Rocket Lab-built satellites, successfully separated and will investigate Mars’ magnetosphere after loitering near Earth’s L2 point until their Mars transfer window opens in November 2026.

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### Artemis Program Update

NASA continues acceptance testing of engines for the fifth Space Launch System launch, firing the second of four RS25 engines at Stennis Space Center. Airbus shipped the fourth European service module, which will propel Orion on Artemis 4. NASA released new photos of the fully stacked Artemis 2 launch vehicle in the Vehicle Assembly Building, scheduled for early 2026—marking the first crew mission to lunar orbit since the 1970s.

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### Rocket Lab & Relativity Space News

Rocket Lab published its Q3 2025 earnings report, highlighting growing revenue, a backlog of Electron rockets, and work to bring the partially reusable two-stage Neutron rocket to Wallops launch site by early 2026.

Relativity Space released their October highlights for the Terran R program, including progress on design reviews, component installations, expansion of machine shop for 3D printed parts, friction stir welded structures, and acceptance testing of their stage 1 flight engine. Work continues on their A2 test stand at Stennis. At Cape Canaveral’s Launch Complex 16, work continues on their horizontal integration facility, fuel farm infrastructure, and water tower. Relativity will launch satellites for SCES aboard Terran R rockets once they enter service.

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### Additional Industry Updates

Vast Space announced a partnership with Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Digital Technologies to explore human spaceflight aboard their upcoming Haven 1 space station.

Firefly updated on the Alpha Flight 7 first stage, tracing a September ground test event to engine chamber contamination with stray hydrocarbons. Corrective actions have been implemented, and another Alpha vehicle is ready for the next mission.

The Canadian Space Agency awarded Nordspace a $1 million Canadian Space Technology Development grant to develop additive manufacturing for liquid-fueled rocket engines.

Lockheed Martin shared images from a burst test of a full-scale coreless inflatable space station module, reaching a safety factor of 14.7 at 224 PSI before failure.

Sierra Space advanced pre-flight testing of their Dream Chaser spacecraft, verifying landing gear performance and completing electromagnetic compatibility testing.

Amazon announced Project Kuiper, their LEO satellite network, is now renamed Amazon LEO.

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### Closing Starship Construction Note

Construction at launch complex 39A’s Starship site continues, with the lower section of the liquid oxygen booster quick disconnect box being lifted into place on the launch map.

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**As always, it was another exciting week in the world of spaceflight. We at Lab Padre were here to cover it! If you don’t want to miss another update, make sure to click those fancy buttons below to subscribe and stay informed.**

*Thank you to all our supporters! Until next time, this is Kaden from Lab Padre.*
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