Weekly Space Report: TF11 Soon?

No highlights today. Traveling.

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I recruited ChatGPT to extract highlights from a transcript of this show:


:fire: Major Events & Updates

Ship 36 Explosion Aftermath

  • New wide-angle footage of the explosion.
  • Significant damage at Massey’s site, especially to the quick disconnect arm and tank farm.
  • Cleanup underway, including crane incidents and large debris relocation.
  • Explosion gave 3D artists insights into internal Block 2 structures.

Pad 2 Cryogenic System

  • Active testing of cryogenic lines; 8 of 9 liquid oxygen pumps frosted.
  • New bolted flange system replaces welded pipes — easier for maintenance.
  • New boiloff gas dispersal fans installed to reduce oxygen-poor environments and camera fog.

Water Tank Farm Progress

  • Four large tanks now connected to gas manifolds; speculation that baby Raptors may be used for tank pressurization.

:rocket: Starship Development & Infrastructure

Starship Pad 2 Construction

  • Progress on flame trench, rebar wall for blast protection, and tower cladding.
  • Crew access hatch installed on tower arm.
  • New dual booster quick disconnect system coming online.

Booster Quick Disconnect & Flame Trench

  • Two quick disconnect hoods being installed, replacing previous single design.
  • Flame trench floor and angled exhaust plates nearing completion.

Starship Build Site

  • Hot staging ring moved back into Mega Bay 1 — possible storage/weather protection.
  • Ship 38 seen on transport stand

Gigabay Foundation

  • Foundation work progressing with gravel, geotextile, rebar, and pile cap.
  • Structure supports likely for 24 total workstations (4x6 layout).

:building_construction: Expansion at Other Sites

Starship Pad 39A (Florida)

  • Pad 39A’s flame trench mirrors Pad 2 design.
  • Rapid progress on trench and tented launch mount construction.
  • 17 tower segment assembly areas suggest multiple towers (possibly for LC-37 too).

Blue Origin Updates

  • New Glenn and Blue Moon manufacturing expanding rapidly.
  • Hints of a special delivery — likely related to the Blue Moon Mark 1 lunar lander.

:microscope: Science & Launch Highlights

SLS Booster Test

  • Solid rocket booster test ended with nozzle failure.
  • Early test stages looked promising; thrust vector control system worked until failure.

Transporter 14 Mission

  • 70 payloads delivered via Falcon 9, including:

    • Otter Pup 2 (Starfish Space) — aiming for first commercial docking.
    • Allarisat (Australia) — water quality monitoring from orbit.
    • VA Space reentry capsule — pharmaceutical research.
    • Exploration Company’s “Mission Possible” — memorial flight with cremated remains.

Axiom Mission to ISS

  • Axiom 4 launched from Pad 39A.
  • Smooth ride to orbit; beautiful booster return.
  • Mission focused on intensive scientific research and future private space station plans.

Starlink & Kuiper Launches

  • 5 Falcon 9 launches in a week — record pace.
  • Amazon’s KuiperSat-2 launched on Atlas V (27 satellites for internet constellation).
  • Tight FCC deadline: Amazon needs ~1,600 more satellites in orbit by July 2026.

Rocket Lab

  • “Get The Hawk Outta Here” mission launched with Hawkeye 360 and Kestrel payloads.
  • Another mission, “Symphony in the Stars,” was pending at the time of video creation.

:milky_way: Rubin Observatory & Astronomy Discoveries

Rubin Observatory First Data

  • 3,200 MP camera starting LSST survey.
  • Observes wide-field images every 3 nights — unprecedented data volume.
  • Expected to increase known asteroids 5x and detect standard candles (Cepheid variables) over 1 million light years away.

Deep Sky Images

  • Images like “Cosmic Treasure Chest” and “Cosmic Abundance” reveal:

    • Millions of galaxies.
    • Shockwaves of stars from galactic collisions.
    • Motion blur showing nearby objects (e.g., asteroids).
  • Data accessible via online tools — a boon for public and amateur astronomers.


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TLDR: They might MacGyver a replacement Starship test stand by welding a Starship transport stand to the orbital launch mount.

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ChatGPT combined two segments. They separately mentioned Ship 38 was being assembled on a stand and that a transport stand was being moved toward the launch site to possibly serve as a test stand. The test would be of Ship 37 on that MacGyvered test stand.

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