BFR Developments

[Yazata]

Good launch
Good stage separation and boost-back
Good Booster Catch
Several engines on the ship quit prematurely like last time
The ship didn't explode but did start tumbling uncontrollably
And the Flight Termination System appears to have detonated south of the Florida Keys this time.



My guess is that they will have to rethink the changes to the fuel feed plumbing that they put in the Version.2 ships. The Version.1 ships performed better while both of the V.2 ships that have flown appear to have failed in very similar ways.

https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1897794546781532408

https://x.com/PettitFrontier/status/1897795025162928419

https://x.com/oha_alex/status/1897797548263313631

https://x.com/JennyHPhoto/status/1897824523694543293

https://x.com/NorcrossUSA/status/1897796234502349117

[Image: GlZ82OLWcAIcElq?format=jpg&name=medium]

[Yazata]

SpaceX says:

https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/...p-flight-8

"Starship’s eighth flight test lifted off from Starbase in Texas at 5:30 p.m. CT on Thursday, March 6. The Super Heavy booster successfully lit its 33 Raptor engines and propelled Starship through a nominal first-stage ascent.

Approximately two and a half minutes into flight, the Super Heavy booster shutdown all but three of its Raptor engines as planned for hot-staging separation. Starship then successfully lit its six Raptor engines and separated from the Super Heavy booster to continue its ascent to space.

The Super Heavy booster then relit 11 of 13 planned Raptor engines and performed a boostback burn to return itself to the launch site. As Super Heavy approached the launch site, it relit 12 of the planned 13 engines at the start of its landing burn to successfully slow the booster down. The three center engines continued running to maneuver the booster to the launch and catch tower arms, resulting in the third successful catch of a Super Heavy booster.

Starship continued its ascent to its planned trajectory. Prior to the end of the ascent burn, an energetic event in the aft portion of Starship resulted in the loss of several Raptor engines. This in turn led to a loss of attitude control and ultimately a loss of communications with Starship. Final contact with Starship came approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds after liftoff.

Starship flew within a designated launch corridor to safeguard the public both on the ground, on water, and in the air. Following the anomaly, SpaceX teams immediately began coordination with the FAA, ATO (air traffic control) and other safety officials to implement pre-planned contingency responses.

Any surviving debris would have fallen within the pre-planned Debris Response Area. There are no toxic materials present in the debris and no significant impacts expected to occur to marine species or water quality. If you believe you have identified a piece of debris, please contact your local authorities or the SpaceX Debris Hotline at 1-866-623-0234 or at recovery@spacex.com.

With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s flight will help us improve Starship’s reliability. We will conduct a thorough investigation, in coordination with the FAA, and implement corrective actions to make improvements on future Starship flight tests."

nsNS

[C C]

After two fails that scream major redesign, it's surely going to be well more than a month for the next launch. So much for two of the 2025 goals:

5. Ship to ship propellant transfer

9. Double-digit launches in one year

[Yazata]

Video of the Flight 8 launch from a totally unexpected direction.

Taken by the world's bravest and most bad-ass camera! (It's estimated to be ~4,700 degrees F there, to say nothing of incredible acoustic energy!)

The video is very slowed down so that the engineers can observe details. You can see how the engines don't all light at once but in an ignition sequence instead. It all happens very fast, in fractions of a second.

https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1898805142868357240

[Image: elmo-fire.jpg]

[Yazata]

The State of Texas is finally proposing to make major improvements in highway 4, the Boca Chica road through Starbase to the beach. Right now the road is two lanes with narrow shoulders and is afflicted by horrific potholes that can wreck your car. Part of the problem is that since Starbase has arrived, traffic has increased tremendously. Not just several thousand workers and contractors, but an endless succession of large trucks with very heavy loads. (To say nothing of giant spaceships!)

So Texas is proposing to widen the road from two lanes to four, with wide paved shoulders. They even propose a bike lane from the new Rio West development to Starbase. Even though it's Texas we're talking about, they still require a host of California-esque public hearings, environmental approvals etc., so they don't anticipate even putting it out for bid until summer 2026.

[Image: GlyVf4EXcAAug3P?format=jpg&name=large]

[Yazata]

They are beginning a giant concrete pour at the flame trench for the new Pad B. They expect ~30 cement trucks per hour for two days. The first have arrived. The pour is expected to include the walls on the left and right as well as the floor and slopes at both ends which are currently a very dense network of rebar. They don't want any more more craters halfway to China.

And while that's happening, preparations are underway to demolish the Highbay, which will be replaced by a much larger 'Gigabay' able to accomodate the upcoming stretched boosters.

https://x.com/INiallAnderson/status/1901424778570764439

[Image: GmM7E2baUAAdket?format=jpg&name=medium]

[Yazata]

View of the big concrete pour, which is underway right now.

(Photo by Starship Gazer)

[Image: GmRi-bmWMAAxQpS?format=jpg&name=medium]

(Photo by Carlos Nunez)

[Image: GmScwdebUAAEgM-?format=jpg&name=medium]

[Yazata]

Terrorists better not even THINK about it. A Tesla battle-bot spotted at Starbase today.

Actually, It's the boom part part of a huge crane being assembled to help demolish the Highbay to make way for the new Gigabay. The truck part is just to its left and will drive under it to have the boom part installed on top.

It sure looks cool though... like a mechanical monster!

[Image: GmkofWfaEAQC9Ut?format=jpg&name=medium]

I'm told that it's a Liebherr LTM 11200 mobile crane.

[Image: liebherr-ltm-11200-9-1-1026739.jpg]

[Yazata]

The first phase of the concrete pour is completed. All they filled was the flat floor of the trench, not the sloping ends or the walls on either side. So several more big concrete pours remain. Big sections of double armor plate are being installed and welded together into trench walls that will be filled with concrete.

The Liebherr LTM 11200 in the post above is fully assembled. It took less than 24 hours from arrival to operational. Those crane guys know their business. I believe that the crane is rented and comes with its own crew.

https://x.com/ENNEPS/status/1903506208931344462

Demolition of the highbay continues. Today determined guys with cutting torches are cutting off the roof, sparks everywhere. (A big safety area has been fenced off around the doomed highbay, so nothing falls on anyone's head.) Then we expect the mobile crane to lift out the bridge crane that was installed in the bay for lifting spaceships. No reason not to reuse it. Apparently they plan to cut the highbay apart and lower pieces by crane, rather than collapsing the whole thing in a spectacular crash like they did with the midbay.

[Yazata]

At the recent Tesla All-Hands meeting, Elon said this:

“I do own a piece of property that's just across the river [near Starbase].

I want to do this gigantic art project there that looks like an alien planet.

People could visit it.

I might live there occasionally.

It's an alien planet art project.

That'd be cool.”

Source: Tesla All-Hands Meeting, March 20, 2025

https://x.com/MarioNawfal/status/1904058097552724146

nsNS