Booster 12, the Super Heavy booster to be used for Starship Flight 5, was rolled out from Mega Bay 1 to the Orbital Launch Site on Tuesday, July 9. It was lifted onto Pad A’s orbital launch mount by the Mechazilla “chopstick” arms that evening.
Testing for Booster 12 commenced with a partial propellant load on Thursday, July 11, potentially including offloading propellant after a simulated catch with the Mechazilla arms. On Friday, July 12, the booster conducted a 33-engine spin prime test, where the engines’ turbopumps are spun up to flight speed without ignition.
This was the first spin prime on a Super Heavy since Booster 9 in August 2023, likely to test internal upgrades or ensure proper performance ahead of the planned catch attempt during Flight 5.
Following the spin prime, a static fire was conducted at 10:13 AM CDT (15:13 UTC) on Monday, July 15, lasting approximately eight seconds. The booster’s grid fins, used for steering during atmospheric entry and recovery, were tested by moving through their range of motion. The ship quick disconnect arm high on the tower was also moved several times to test its function.
Upgrades on Booster 12 appear to include a new flight termination system box, four Starlink antenna fittings, and remove before flight covers for the Raptor boost quick disconnects.
While preparations for Starship Flight 5 are underway with Booster 12 at Pad A, SpaceX is also making significant progress on constructing the second launch pad, Pad B, at the Orbital Launch Site. This new pad will enable SpaceX to increase the Starship program’s launch cadence substantially.
The base for Pad B’s launch tower has already been installed, incorporating lessons learned from the construction of Pad A. On July 11, the first segment of the new launch tower, Tower Module 1, was lowered onto this base. Subsequently, Tower Module 2 has been rolled out to the Pad B site as well.
Additionally, Tower Modules 4 and 5, outfitted with fittings to accommodate the quick disconnect arm at higher levels for future iterations of Starship, have arrived at Starbase from the port of Brownsville. All nine tower modules, pre-outfitted with electrical and fluid lines, are now either at the Starbase Sanchez site or at Pad B, ready for assembly.
The construction of Pad B is an important element in SpaceX’s ambitious plan to increase the Starship system’s launch cadence from Starbase to 25 launches, as well as 25 Starship and 25 Super Heavy landings per year. SpaceX has filed a request with the FAA to increase the currently allowed launch cadence from 10 launches per year, and the draft of the tiered environmental assessment (EA) is scheduled for public release later this month.
Several public meetings have been scheduled to discuss this draft EA, including:
- Tuesday, August 13: 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM CDT and 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM CDT at the City of South Padre Island Convention Center
- Thursday, August 15: 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM CDT and 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM CDT at the Port Isabel Event & Cultural Center
- Tuesday, August 20: 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM CDT (virtual meeting)
In addition to the increased flight cadence from Starbase, SpaceX is also planning for up to 44 Starship launches per year from LC-39A at the Kennedy Space Center and up to 76 launches per year from SLC-37B, totaling up to 145 launches of the powerful Starship rocket annually.
