SpaceX Starship Hot Staging Updates, Blue Origin New Glenn Pad Redesign, and NASA Lunar Rover Plans

Marcus House

SpaceX Starship Development Updates

Starship Ship 40 Static Fire and Preparation [0:32]

• Ship 40 initially returned after a single-engine static fire, with the cause of the early return remaining unknown but not a major issue as it quickly returned for retesting. [0:32]
• A full six-engine static fire test was successfully conducted at Masseys, confirming tank integrity at expected levels. [2:20][2:41]
• The Starship's engine startup sequence for Flight 13 has changed from Flight 12, now involving both leeward side vacuum Raptor engines firing first alongside one sea-level engine, followed by the remaining engines to accelerate to orbit. This is crucial for achieving the optimal flip direction for hot staging. [3:00]

Starship Ship 41 Cryogenic Testing [0:54]

• Ship 41 was moved to a test stand and underwent its first cryogenic proof test. [0:54][1:42]
• The ship was then detanked and refilled hours later for further testing. [1:58]
• After initial testing, Ship 41 was moved back to the cryo stand for more alterations and retesting on Friday morning. [3:43]

Starship Ship 42 Production Begins [4:07]

• Construction for Ship 42 has begun, with its nose cone, forward section, and pez dispenser components already passing through the production site. [4:07]

Super Heavy Booster Stacking [4:21]

• Super Heavy Booster 20 is nearing completion of its preparations for a static fire, which is the final step before Flight 13. [4:21]
• Super Heavy Booster 21 completed its stacking process this week, with its forward dome and two methane tank sections being integrated. [4:31]
• Construction of Super Heavy Booster 22 has begun, with the common dome and first two liquid oxygen tank sections being rolled in for stacking. [5:12]
• Hardware for horizontal Super Heavy transport is being built in the Sanchez area, equipped with leveling systems for 360-degree movement, allowing the booster to be lifted, hooked to an aft rig, and rotated 90 degrees into a horizontal transport position. [5:50]

Starbase and Florida Launch Site Construction

Starbase Pad 2 Updates [6:50]

• Scaffolding was actively removed from the center of the launch mount, indicating preparation for launch operations. [6:50]
• Full-speed launch clamp and ship quick disconnect retraction tests were performed, alongside new water deluge tests that appeared in pairs (one full pressure, one lower pressure), simulating the Super Heavy being caught by the tower. [7:11]
• Excavation of materials alongside the commodity lines entering the back of the tower suggests the addition of an extra insulated cryogenic pipeline, potentially to reroute the liquid oxygen dump vent back down the tower, addressing previous issues from Flight 12. [8:05]

Starbase Pad 1 Rebuild [8:43]

• The actuator from the back of the ship quick disconnect arm was removed, and connections between sections were severed, suggesting a rebuild of the launch mount components. [8:43]
• Load spreaders were laid out, with larger ones for the elbow and smaller ones for the quick disconnect extension. [9:00]
• Scaffolding now surrounds the base of the tower for maintenance and upgrades, and a brand new roof behind the tower is nearing completion. [9:13][9:25]
• The new flame trench below is reaching its final depth, revealing hundreds of steel and concrete piles that supported the previous launch mount. [9:34][9:45]
• Sections of steel for the trench walls are being welded as long sections. [10:29]

Kennedy Space Center LC-37 Progress [12:48]

• Pieces for the fourth orbital launch mount, destined for the second tower at LC-37, are in place, with pedestals ready for welding. [12:48]
• The first tower at LC-37 is well underway, with the third and fourth tower modules recently stacked, making it over half the height of the full tower. [13:13]

Kennedy Space Center LC-39A Starship Pad Commissioning [13:45]

• Transport stands, previously shipped from Starbase, are likely being used to commission the Starship pad. [13:45]
• The proof test rig used to qualify the launch mount clamps has been removed. [13:59]
• Cladding installation has finally begun to appear on the tower. [14:07]
• The Florida Giga Bay is much further along than its Texas counterpart, with cladding nearing the top, tower cranes removed, and the roof almost completely covered, including the concrete floor of the penthouse. [12:22][14:10]

Blue Origin New Glenn Developments

LC-36 Rebuild and Design Change [16:53]

• Blue Origin is moving ahead with an entirely new pad configuration at LC-36, abandoning the original design after the New Glenn explosion in late May. [17:07]
• They are switching to a hybrid horizontal-to-vertical integration approach. [17:19]
• The first and second stages will still be mated horizontally, but a new transporter will carry the fully assembled vehicle to the pad. A massive crane will then lift New Glenn into its vertical launch position and install the payload. [17:28]
• The second landing tower will not be returning, and the support tower has undergone significant modifications. [17:59][18:29]
• Despite these changes, Blue Origin hints that New Glenn could fly before the end of the year, although the video expresses skepticism about this ambitious timeline due to the extensive work required. [19:24]
• An enormous 600-foot crane has been assembled to work on the main tower. [18:47]
• The existing tower is being carefully dismantled section by section to allow for repair or modification of individual segments before reassembly. [19:05]

NASA Moon Missions and Rover Plans

Future Lunar Missions [20:00]

• NASA provides regular monthly updates on the progress of its Moon base architecture. [20:00]
• Astrobotic has received two more Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) contracts for Moon base missions with its smaller Peregrine lander design. [20:32]
• Intuitive Machines was awarded one CLPS contract using their Nova-C lander, and Firefly's Blue Ghost lander was awarded another. [20:40][20:44]
• These contracts total another $600 million, with all four new missions aiming for the Moon in late 2028. [20:48]

PROMISE Rover for Lunar Exploration [21:00]

• NASA is considering sending the PROMISE rover, which is the full-scale engineering model of the Perseverance Mars rover, to land on the Moon. [21:00]
• The PROMISE rover would be powered by a Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG), allowing it to operate through the long, 14-Earth-day lunar nights and explore the lunar South Pole without communication delays. [21:17]

Other Space News

Falcon 9 Launches [14:34]

• SpaceX successfully launched Starlink Group 17-40 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, with Booster 1088 completing its 17th recovery. [14:34]
• This was followed by the SiriusXM SXM-11 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 in Florida, marking Booster 1085's 17th mission and deploying the 12th high-powered satellite for SiriusXM. [14:51]

Atlas V Launch and Starliner Delays [15:53]

• United Launch Alliance (ULA) launched the next Amazon Kuiper Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) mission on an Atlas V rocket. [15:53]
• This is the last Atlas V launch for a LEO satellite stack, as the remaining four Atlas V rockets are all allocated to Boeing's Starliner crewed missions. [16:04]
• Starliner's certification delays are noted to have increased costs and risks to NASA's crew transportation capabilities, with human-rating certification potentially delayed to mid-2027, and post-certification missions reduced from six to four. [16:15]

ISS Canadarm2 Repair [22:23]

• Astronauts Chris Williams and Jessica Meir conducted a spacewalk to successfully repair a faulty wrist joint on the International Space Station's Canadarm2. [22:23]
• The spacewalk, lasting 7 hours and 20 minutes, involved removing the faulty wrist joint and installing a spare. The repaired arm is now undergoing motion tests and is expected to be fully operational soon. [22:51]
• The faulty joint will be returned to Earth for inspection and potential repair. [23:27]

LINK Spacecraft Mission [23:35]

• The LINK spacecraft, designed to boost the orbit of NASA's Swift Observatory, successfully launched from the Marshall Islands on Friday morning. [23:35]
• After reaching orbit and deploying its solar panels, the team established communications and will assess its systems over several weeks before approaching Swift for a survey and capture maneuver, followed by a months-long process to push it into a higher orbit. [23:45]

Rocket Lab Acquires Iridium [24:20]

• Rocket Lab announced its acquisition of Iridium, which will enable Rocket Lab to become a "vertically integrated powerhouse" as a launch provider, spacecraft creator, and gain access to Iridium's valuable L-band spectrum and constellation. [24:20]
• This acquisition aims to scale up into untapped markets and pioneer new space-based services. [25:00]