Orbital Launch and Integration Tower(OLIT) and the Orbital Launch Mount(OLM)


I posted info on the OLIT and OLM on an earlier post HERE. The NSF Update is dated. Here is the latest NSF Update - Starship Flight 14 Nears

Oh so many memories of Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and the Space Shuttle

Thank you for keeping us up to date Orion

Test flight 14 launch has bumped up to Sept 22nd at 8:15 am EST. This will be Starship's first orbital flight. Starship has been launching from Texas and splashing down in the Indian Ocean an hour and fifteen minutes later after deploying 20 Starlink satellites in low Earth orbit. This first orbital flight is a test for flight 15 possible ship catch. Ship S42, test flight 15, was transported to pad 2 and was run through a series of test preparing for a ship catch. Changes were made to the chopsticks after flight 13 prepping for a ship catch

NSF Latest Update - Another very good update. You can scroll to 4:50 for S42 test at the launch pad again prepping for a possible ship catch on test flight 15. All has to go right on flight 14

Launch date set for Sept 28th at 8:15 am EST

SpaceX will attempt a 10 orbit flight able to cut short if an issue occurs. The flight will last 10 hours. Starship is planned to splash down in the southeast Pacific Ocean west of Chile after completing its planned orbits (targeting roughly six to ten orbits depending on the specific profile updates for Flight 14) during its roughly 10-hour mission. You can catch the launch on SpaceX and NSF

NSF Launches - Click on Starship Flight 14 for info

Flight 14

It's one week to Starship Flight 14... Again - Countdown to Launch

So you caught a Starship... now what?" - Starbase Summary - A sign of things to come, as Flight 15’s Ship 42 underwent a series of simulations involving Pad 2’s Mechazilla system at Starbase. Should the upcoming Flight 14 go as planned, this sight could become the reality of Flight 15’s conclusion

Space Coast Live: 24/7 Views of NASA - Space Coast Live provides 24/7 views of SpaceX and NASA launch operations in Florida including the new Starship pad at LC-39A

Booster(B21) was transported to launch pad 2 Sunday - SpaceX rolls Super Heavy Booster 21...Rolls & Stacks Ship 41 For Flight 14

Ship(S41) was transported to pad 2 and stacked onto B21 preparing for test flight 14 on Sept 28th at 9:30 am EST- SpaceX Rolls & Stacks Ship 41 For Flight 14


ADDED:

! Live coverage event starting 7am EST on the 24th - Starship Wet Dress Rehearsal - This is the first time a fully stacked Starship will be loaded with propellants then ignited on the launch pad testing the booster and other Starship parameters. A launch rehearsal

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SpaceX shoots for first orbital flight of Starship - SpaceX is on the cusp of sending its massive Starship rocket to orbit for the first time in program history

Timetable:

00:00 Introduction
01:04 Going orbital
02:37 Road to Ship reuse
06:20 Super Heavy booster
08:46 Starlink V3
10:18 Artemis importance - Artemis 3 and Starship docking for lunar landing

think I missed the testing...

They start loading propellants at 11 am EST, static fire shortly after soot. Wet dress rehearsal is live now - Starship Wet Dress Rehearsal. EDIT: Live WDR has ended now recorded

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EDIT: SpaceX did not run a Static Fire Test (SFT) for what reason it is not yet known. This rehearsal might have just been a complete countdown run checking all changes and updates to Starship and pad leading up to Monday's launch making sure it is ready for its 10 hour 6 orbital flight

Yes Orion ... rehearsals are an impotant step in any/all complex missions ... did them all the time many moons ago. Thanks again for your updates!

After Thursdays launch rehearsal SpaceX destacked the ship from the booster and set it on its transporter where it sat next to the launch pad. It was set back on top the booster Saturday

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** I forgot to add this link for the timeline - Highlights of the launch rehearsal:

Timeline

1:29:25 -Tank Farm Starting/Running. The tank farm is situated behind launch pads 1 and 2. Here liquid methane and liquid oxygen are stored. Both are chilled before being delivered, in massive volumes, to the ship and booster. Combined at the engines thrust is created to lift Starship off the pad. There are 33 Raptor engines on the booster and 6 on the ship. The tank farm also supplies the water for the Orbital Launch Mount (OLM) deluge system

2:08:50 - Booster shown fully loaded with propellants

2:13:25 - a complete run up Starship

2:22:25 - Ship shown fully loaded with propellants

2:39:40 - Detanking begun


Raptor engines being tested at SpaceX's Massey testing grounds. Scroll around - Testing


Starship Eyes Orbit, NASA’s Moon Base Plans Take Shape - Moon discussion starts 5 min in. NASA is very serious about this lunar base

Thanks, Orion!

Monday Sept 28 at 8:15 am EST Starship will be launching from Texas. Starship’s first orbital mission is expected to fly at an altitude approximately 275 km, 178 miles, above Earth and complete approximately six orbits around the planet over the course of a nearly 10-hour flight with splashdown targeted in the Pacific Ocean to the west of Chile. This is the first early morning launch since flight 5 and the first time Starship will orbit the earth. The flight will take 10 hours providing all goes well. Watch the deployment of 26 Starlink satellites 34 minutes into flight. [/url] The 10 hour test flight will be covered by SpaceX and NASAspaceflight (NSF)

If all goes well with this test flight SpaceX is looking to catch both booster and ship on flight 15


SpaceX - Coverage starts 7:45 am EST. As usual coverage will be in and out as milestones hit

NSF - Coverage/commentary starts 4:15 am EST. NSF is suppose suppose to cover the entire flight pre launch to splashdown

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Starbase Summary - This is a very good 10 minutes summary of ship stacking/destacking after the Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR) Thursday and a look at the WDR itself. There is a massive amount of construction happening at the Port Connector, Starbase link to the gulf


Starship Live

Good launch yesterday.

Starship lifted off at 8:49 am EST, there was a 34 minute delay. 26 Starlink satellites were deployed. Starship made it into orbit only completing 1 orbit of 6 planned. Both booster and Starship made successful splashdowns, booster in the Gulf of America and Starship in the Pacific Ocean, despite having a 2 Raptor engine fail on the booster and 1 engine fail on Starship

Starship Flight 14 Timeline - SpaceX

0:34:30 - Beautiful early morning launch. This is an amazing launch pad getting perfected, very sophisticated. This is gonna take them to Mars

0:38:00 - Booster separation. This booster, after separation, maneuvers away from the ship then ignites a few engines sending it back to the launch pad. It is called "boost back". It will splashdown offshore today but will eventually be caught by the tower, both booster and Starship

1:00:45 - Orbital Insertion Burn (OIS). Watch the craft speed bottom left and engine diagram bottom right for engine startup and shutdown. Nice views of Earth as Starship orients itself for satellite deployment. This engine burn puts Starship in an orbital config

1:07:50 - A look at the Satellite Pez Dispenser inside Starship and the payload door open on the outside

1:10:50 - Satellite deployment starts - Starlink V3 Satellites

2:48:00 - Deorbit burn sending Starship back to Earth

3:26:00 - Starship entering Earth's atmosphere

3:39:30 - Starship gliding to splashdown. Very nice descent!

3:48:00 - Watch to the end, another satellite will deploy

There are 2 SpaceX launches scheduled for Thursday Oct 1st

1. Falcon 9’s launch of Dragon’s 13th operational human spaceflight mission (Crew-13) to the International Space Station from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Launch is targeted for 11:10 a.m. EST. Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage will land on Landing Zone 40 (LZ-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station

Watch on SpaceX and/or NSF

Dragon

International Space Station ...... Livestream from the ISS

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2. Falcon Heavy’s launch of the NROL-97 mission from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff is targeted for 11:53 p.m. EST, a night launch. Following stage separation, Falcon Heavy’s two side boosters will land on SpaceX’s Landing Zones 1 and 2 (LZ-1 and LZ-2) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Watch on SpaceX and/or NSF

Falcon Heavy

NROL 97 - Classified payload for the US National Reconnaissance Office. This classified mission is operated by the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), the U.S. government agency responsible for designing, building, and operating reconnaissance satellites. NRO missions support national security by providing critical intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities from space

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Inspections have begun after Starship Flight 14 - Starship Live