Shadowing Practice: Starship Testing Takes an Unexpected Turn | Starship Update - Learn English Speaking with Video
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It's been a game of musical starships at Starbase, as Ship 40 and Ship 41 have been treating the Massey's test site like a hot potato.
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What's up with that?
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We've also got a bunch of hardware to discuss at SpaceX's Roberts Road, Launch Complex 39A, and even Space Launch Complex 37.
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And if you're thirsty for more, Power 2 performed more deluge testing, including catch simulations as SpaceX prepares to bring the booster back to the launch site.
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From Florida's Space Coast to South
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We're starting this week's episode over at the production site,
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where Booster 21 has now been fully stacked inside Mega Bay 1 and is being prepared for its cryogenic testing campaign.
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However, the turntable inside Mega Bay 1 did not remain empty for long, as stacking has already begun on Booster 22.
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With Booster 22's liquid oxygen tank already standing four sections tall, the vehicle is progressing through stacking much faster than Booster 19.
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process.
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But Booster 22 was not the only vehicle being stacked.
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Over in Mega Bay 2, Ship 42's nose cone was rolled in, ready for stacking.
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Ship 42 currently consists of its nose cone, PES dispenser, payload bay section and forward dome.
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Just as we're seeing with the boosters, SpaceX is wasting no time with ship production either.
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Just like how you shouldn't waste any time with pressing that subscribe button.
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Vehicles aren't the only things growing at the production site.
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Construction of the final level of the Gigabay is continuing, while be the last level they are required to build.
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Just as we have seen over at Roberts Road, a crawler crane will be used to both dismantle the tower cranes and to complete the roof.
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After all, the tower cranes cannot exactly finish the roof while they are still sticking through it.
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Two turntable pieces, likely destined for the Gigabay, have also arrived from Huddleston, SpaceX's storage facility just down the road.
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Just like the Megabays, the Gigabay will use turntables to weld barrel sections together during vehicle stacking.
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Looking inside the last week has received six smaller flanges beneath the large flange.
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These smaller flanges could allow additional actuators to push or pull on hardware inside the nose cone.
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However, that's only speculation so we will have to keep watching for further developments surrounding this nose cone.
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Over at Massey's, SpaceX was playing a game of musical chairs with its ships this week, as Ship 40 and Ship 41 swapped places more than once.
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Ship 41 rolled out to Massey's last week after Ship 40 unexpectedly returned to the production site, having completed only a single engine static fire test.
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But if that was not strange enough, Ship 41 only carried out two cryogenic tests on the same
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night before SpaceX decided it had spent enough time at the truss structure for the moment.
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It was then rolled back to the production site so
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that Ship 40 could return to Massey's and complete its static fire testing campaign.
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One possible explanation is that SpaceX identified an issue
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that prevented a six engine static fire but did not stop them from carrying on the static fire stand,
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they took advantage of the opportunity and completed that single -engine static fire last week.
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During Ship 40's return to the production site, SpaceX appears to have resolved whatever was preventing the six -engine static fire
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while Ship 41 began the first stage of its cryogenic testing campaign.
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Once the two ships had swapped over again, Ship 40 was loaded with cryogenic propellants and even carried out both forward
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and aft flap tests that finally cleared the way for the long -awaited 60 -second six -engine static fire. With
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that milestone complete, Ship 40 was rolled back to the production site for its final pre -flight preparations ahead of Flight 13.
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With this data in hand, when do you think Flight 13 will take place?
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Let us know in the comments.
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With Ship 40 back at the production site, it was then Ship 41's turn to return to Massey's and complete the rest of its cryogenic testing campaign.
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One thing is for certain, the rollout team's got plenty of experience this week.
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its static fire testing campaign it can put its feet up in Mega Bay 2
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and make the most of the final days of the summer
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sail at shop .nasaspaceflight .com where you can save 10 to 20 % on the summer collection.
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It's perfect for
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when it eventually splashes down in the Indian Ocean to join the super heavy swim club or
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if it needs to patch up its heat shield with the
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Starship heat shield grill apron after getting thoroughly cooked by the plasma of re -entry.
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For Ship 41 however the completed no visible testing whatsoever,
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but it could have done ambient testing.
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After all, an ambient test can uncover issues with a vehicle.
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Just ask Booster 18.
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As Ship 41 is now sitting inside Mega Bay 2 on the engine installation stand, the next time it rolls out, it should be for a static fire test.
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Last week we saw that the Super Crusher had its cap removed, indicating that this configuration has now completed testing.
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This week we also saw the ship skirt section removed as
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installed on top of it
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and was used to simulate how a ship would press against the integrated hot stage ring during all phases of flight.
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The future of B18 .3 is somewhat uncertain, but it is possible that SpaceX will go on to test the grid fin motors.
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At present, only the sockets where the grid fins are mounted have undergone structural testing, not the motors that actually rotate the grid fins themselves.
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Understanding how these motors perform will help SpaceX determine how quickly the booster can make attitude adjustments during re -entry, improving its ability to steer through the airflow.
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As some of you may have noticed, we carried out a flyover of Cape Canaveral this past week, which gave us an updated view of components currently under construction.
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This includes Roberts Road, Launch Complex 39A, and Space Launch Complex 37, all of which are at various stages of development.
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First off, the Giga Bay at Roberts Road began construction around March 2025, when the foundation work started with continuous flight auger piles.
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Since then, crews have made significant progress.
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As of July 2026, the structural steel is complete, with cladding and roofing now nearing completion.
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Both smaller doors on the north side of the building have been installed, with work now progressing on the two large doors on the south side, through which completed vehicles will eventually roll out.
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The penthouse section of the Giga Bay, which is the final floor below the roof, does not appear to cover the entire footprint.
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There will be areas where workers can look down into the aisles below and observe vehicles being worked on.
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At present, it is not yet known what SpaceX will install on this level.
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It is possible it could house an updated launch control facility for Cape Canaveral, given the eastern side provides a clear view of the launch pads.
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beginning to take shape next to Hangar X2.
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These appear to follow a different design from those currently used in Mega Bay 1 and Mega Bay 2 at Starbase.
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It will become clearer how they function once similar units are built at Starbase, but the potential booster work stand currently appears to have six arms rather than ten, as seen in Mega Bay 1.
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Another interesting piece of hardware spotted in this area is a possible jig being assembled under a tent,
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which may be used to assist in transitioning boosters between horizontal and vertical orientations.
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Launchpad work is also Roberts Road, with construction of the Slick 37A launch mount now underway and all eight first -level sections in place.
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This design, which has already been completed twice, has so far taken crews around six months to reach this stage before being rolled out to the pad.
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At least three of the four top -deck dilute sections have also been spotted.
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Nearby, two manifolds required to supply water to the top deck are also visible.
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Other equipment seen around Roberts Road includes valve skids and
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intended for either the liquid oxygen system at 39A or for Slick 37 once construction reaches that stage.
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Finally, a pair of new buildings is under construction at Roberts Road.
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One is Hangar X3, while the other remains unnamed.
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It is not yet clear what these will be used for, whether warehouses or fabrication facilities.
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Moving on to LC39A, which resumed work in February 2025, progress on the launch pad is now on the home straight,
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with it likely only a few months away been significantly faster nor slower than Pad 2 at Starbase.
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While crews already had a tower and chopsticks at LC -39A, both were effectively empty shells, whereas at Starbase Pad 2,
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crews already had the required propellant storage tanks in place.
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A major indication that the Pad is nearing operational status is that ridge cap and bucket deluge testing has now begun.
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So far, only a few tests have been observed, but this is a positive sign as SpaceX still needs to refine the new
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SpaceX has added additional gas generators to each water deluge subsystem.
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This means the deflector buckets now have five generators, the ridge cap has three, and the top deck has four.
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For reference, Pad 2 currently has four for the buckets, two for the ridge cap, and three for the top deck.
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This is an upgrade that Pad 2 at Starbase will likely receive later on once there is sufficient downtime, while Pad 1 is likely to receive the upgrade more immediately.
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Another Beyond the flame trench exits, there are dips in the concrete with drainage at the base,
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designed to help recapture as much unused deluge water as possible.
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SpaceX does not have the room to install a system like this at Starbase, but it could potentially be installed at both planned Svig 37 pads.
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Another major test was also completed recently.
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The IB -proofing structural test and alignment tool was used on the launch mount.
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This piece of equipment was built at Starbase to help load test and align all 20 hold -down arms and clamps.
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at Cape Canaveral for use on Slic 37A or return to Starbase for pad one, although both uses are still at least 12 months away.
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Moving on, the service structure now appears to have most, if not all, of its cadding installed.
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This does not necessarily mean the interior is complete, as there may still be significant finishing work ongoing inside.
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The final remaining items to be installed include the methane booster quick disconnect door, the rear hoods for both BQDs,
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milestone is that the chopsticks are finally reaved, meaning they can now move up and down the tower.
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The chopstick carriage was installed on the LC -39A tower in January 2023, three months before Starship Flight 1 launched,
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meaning it has largely been sitting idle on the tower for several years.
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It does raise questions about how rusted the bearing skates may have become after such a long period in the Florida weather.
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Looking more closely at one of the chopsticks, we can see that has these installed as well.
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The tower itself, which has been stacked since September 2022, has recently begun receiving cladding, marking another major milestone in construction progress.
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The drawworks housing at the rear of the tower base has also been modified to include a sloped protective roof, similar to what is seen on the Starbase Pad 2 tower base.
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One of the final pieces of the tower will be the installation of the new cladded roof,
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which still requires final Federal this roof is planned to include a 10 -foot lightning tower on top,
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which is far more necessary in Florida than South Texas.
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Another area of interest is the blast wall constructed to protect the tank farm from extremely powerful launches.
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It is worth noting that more of this blast wall still needs to be built, so it extends all the way to the far end of the methane side of the tank farm.
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Speaking of the tank farm, two additional liquid oxygen storage tanks were installed a few months ago, bringing the total to six.
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There are still empty positions for further storage tanks on both the liquid oxygen and liquid methane sides of the tank farm, as well as additional liquid nitrogen storage tanks on both sides.
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likely already has sufficient capacity for a full stack plus reserves for a scrub, meaning they should be able to launch with the current configuration if necessary.
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Additional storage can then be added over time.
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SpaceX is also storing many additional parts near LC -39A, including several vaporizers and three smaller sub -coolers,
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which could very well end up being installed on the methane side of the LC -39A tank farm.
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Just inside LC -39A, there are also three transport stands that were barged over transport stands and one booster transport stand,
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currently located in front of the Horizontal Integration Facility.
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There are still many milestones remaining for the 39A Starship pad, including launch mount top -deck water deluge testing, full launch rehearsal retracts, vehicle tanking tests,
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and a booster static fire, among others.
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Just recently, booster 22 and ship 42 began stacking in their respective megabays.
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If everything proceeds smoothly on flights 13 and 14, potentially by the end of the year.
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Moving over to SpaceX's second Starship launch complex at the Cape, located at Slick 37, construction is continuing to make steady progress.
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So far at 37A, the LR13000 crane has stacked four out of nine modules for the tower.
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Each of these tower modules has been fitted with more hardware
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ahead of stacking than the other three towers SpaceX has assembled so far, thanks to the LR13000 crawler crane being the most powerful crawler crane in the world.
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excavated and rebar installation for the three sections of the trench floor is currently underway.
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Meanwhile the other major components of Slick 37A, the ship quick disconnect arm, chopsticks and carriage are all being worked on off to the side.
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The carriage and chopstick arms were assembled months ago at Roberts Road and then transported to Slick 37.
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It is worth noting however that they arrived in a fairly bare state
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so there is still a significant amount of work left to
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complete on them at this site before they can be installed on the tower.
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Three also arrived and are now awaiting installation in their respective positions within the launch complex.
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Pedestals for all of the tanks have now been moved into place in the suspected Deluge farm location
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and pedestals for storage tanks on one side of the suspected tank farm area have also been installed.
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SpaceX is likely waiting for additional orders of cryogenic storage tanks to arrive over the next few years.
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There is also considerable groundwork taking place near the slick 37A tower modules that are still due to be stacked.
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This area SLIC -37B, the second Starship pad at this launch complex.
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In addition, new electrical work is underway along one side of the suspected tank farm.
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We will likely see much more of this across the rest
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of SLIC -37 as SpaceX continues developing the site for its two planned Starship launch pads.
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It will likely be a few years before even one of these pads is fully operational, mainly due to lead times for cryogenic storage tanks and other key hardware.
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But that's not everything.
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In fact, our flyover covers more companies than just SpaceX, including Blue Origin, Stokes Space, Relativity and of course, NASA's operations.
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To see those, make sure to check out our next Space Coast update.
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Taking a look at the only Starship pad that is currently online, Pad 2 saw a total of four deluge tests this week.
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Three of these tests used the flame bucket, ridge cap and even the top deck.
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The remaining tests involved the ridge cap and top deck as well, but did not use the bucket itself.
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This is the first time since Flight 12 that the system has been
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value system to protect the pad against launch
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and then firing it again a few minutes later to protect the pad against the exhaust of a returning super heavy booster.
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We can tell that the second run is for a landing not only
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because of the timing but also because the sequence of when each part starts is different to launch.
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With the scaffolding now removed from the launch mount it appears
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B20 could be heading to the launch site soon as the launch mount side of things looks ready.
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Of course the booster itself still needs to be as we saw them simulating a booster lift onto the mount.
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On top of that, the chopsticks also performed three high -speed simulated vehicle catches and landing rail movements.
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With SpaceX having added world doublers to the chopsticks and carried out work on the landing rails a few weeks ago, these small tests appear to be aimed at confirming
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that nothing major arises before they are put into action during an actual booster or ship lift.
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While neither Booster 20 nor Ship 40 will be caught at the launch site, it is encouraging to see SpaceX looking ahead
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and using this downtime to carry out this work to minimize gaps between launches in preparation for
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when they eventually do a booster catch or ship catch, possibly even on flight 14 with booster 21.
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The ship quick disconnect arm also appears to be receiving attention
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as SpaceX has installed scaffolding around the shoulder of the arm where the engine chill line is located.
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Engine chill down is performed to cool the engines while they are running by flowing cryogenic propellant through the engine bell.
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Flowing this cryogenic prop through the engine bell must be ramped up gradually in
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the cold cryogenic fluid would otherwise expand too rapidly due to the large temperature difference between the propellants and the engine hardware.
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The pressure generated by the rapid temperature change could become severe enough to damage the engine.
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Gradually increasing the flow allows the engines to cool down slowly and keeps pressures within operational limits.
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It's time for our McGregor Minute where we saw as usual
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a new record -breaking Raptor 3 serial number pass by our 24 -7 McGregor Live cameras.
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The Raptor serial number in question was 188.
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Being a sea -level Raptor engine, for either a future booster or a ship.
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However, we also saw a vacuum Raptor engine roll by this week with an unknown serial number.
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That engine was not the only Raptor scene moving through the site, as a total of eight engines were observed in all, two of which were Raptor vacuum engines.
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With Flight 13 getting closer and closer and Ship 40 testing now complete, the launch site is getting ready for a static fire campaign.
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Hopefully we'll see Booster 20 rolling out soon.
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But for now, I've been Ryan Caden for NSF, thanks for watching and goodbye.
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Context & Background
In this video update, we delve into the recent developments at SpaceX's Starbase, where activities surrounding Starship testing have taken some unexpected twists. The speaker discusses the dynamic movements of different starship models and their testing processes, shedding light on the logistics behind the production and preparation for imminent flight tests. This engaging dialogue not only conveys crucial information about aerospace engineering but also presents an opportunity for English learners to enhance their listening and speaking skills through active participation.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- “What’s up with that?” – A casual way to ask for clarification about a situation.
- “Wasting no time” – An expression indicating efficiency and promptness in action.
- “Rollout team” – Refers to the group involved in deploying vehicles for testing.
- “Complete its testing campaign” – Phrase used to indicate finishing a series of required tests.
- “Keep watching for further developments” – Encourages ongoing attention to updates in a situation.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
The shadowing technique is an excellent method to improve your English speaking practice, especially when dealing with technical dialogues like those in the Starship update video. Here’s how to effectively use shadowing with this content:
- Watch the Video: Start by watching the video once without distractions. Focus on the speaker's pronunciation, intonation, and rhythm.
- Listen and Repeat: Play the video again, this time pausing frequently. Repeat what the speaker says after each phrase. Use a shadowing app to record yourself if possible.
- Analyze Phrases: Take note of the top phrases listed and practice them in different contexts. Try to use them in sentences relevant to your daily life or interests.
- Engage with Context: Research terms and concepts mentioned in the video to understand the context better. This enriches your vocabulary and comprehension skills.
- Interactive Practice: Use a shadowing site to connect with fellow learners. Discuss the video’s content and share your recordings to get feedback.
Incorporating these techniques into your IELTS speaking practice will sharpen your skills and enable you to communicate more effectively about complex subjects like aerospace technology.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | It's been · has now been · has already begun |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | being stacked · was rolled · are required |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | Bay, which is · design, which has · itself, which has |
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.