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As it prepares for Starship Flight 7, SpaceX has shipped yet another Starship upper stage nosecone and payload section to its assembly facilities in Boca Chica, Texas. Footage from local media shows that the component might belong to the ship designated to fly on Starship Flight 9. The latest move conforms to SpaceX's hardware-rich nature of the Starship test program, which provides the firm with ample hardware to conduct test flights and improve its rockets rapidly.
Along with shipping the combined nosecone and payload bay to the assembly facilities, SpaceX also maneuvered the tower catch arms of its Starship launch tower at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the first time in two years.
SpaceX Maintains Pace With Starship Construction Ahead Of Flight 7
SpaceX Starship Flight 7 is currently speculated to fly in January, and unlike most previous tests, the firm is heading towards the test after having secured the FAA's approval weeks in advance. The FAA granted SpaceX its Flight 7 launch license earlier this month as it outlined a series of mishaps that would not require an extensive investigation should they occur during the test.
Flight 7 will fly a new Starship upper stage spacecraft, potentially setting the stage for the highly anticipated tower catch of the upper-stage Starship. The redesigned Starship upper stage also features larger tanks, an upgraded forward (upper) fin design, and new heat shield tiles. SpaceX builds its rockets in portions that are manufactured in its Starfactory and then assembled in tall bays before tanking and static fire tests.
As it prepares for Starship Flight 7, footage from local media shows that SpaceX has partially completed work on the upper stage that might fly on Starship Flight 9. Visuals show the rocket's upper portion leaving Starfactory and heading toward the assembly facility.
This particular component of the Starship second stage includes its nosecone and the payload bay. SpaceX manufactures some portions of the rocket using robots in Starfactory. Following fabrication, once the metal is shaped into cylinders and assembled with the tanks, the components are stacked and welded inside its bays. After being stacked, they are tested and then prepared for flight.
While SpaceX has conducted several pre-Starship Flight 7 tests, the firm has yet to stack the rocket at the launch pad. A surprise test earlier this month saw the firm fire a single Raptor engine at its new engine test facility. This test emulated an in-space Raptor re-ignition, which is key to securing the FAA's certification for an orbital Starship test flight.
The firm's long-term goals with the Starship program aim to fly the rocket from the KSC in Florida. On this front, additional footage shows the tower catch arms at the KSC moving at the pad long after SpaceX built the tower at the site.
Starship Flight 7 can take place in January, and as SpaceX has built a second launch tower at the site, it could further increase the pace of launches by cutting down the time it takes to refurbish the launch tower post-launch. SpaceX has completed static fires of the 232-foot-tall Super Heavy booster and the upper-stage for Starship Flight 7, which leaves few milestones before the rocket can fly for the seventh time.
Ship 35’s nose cone and payload section took a stroll from the Starfactory into Mega Bay 2. Let the stacking continue! 🤩🚀🔥@NASASpaceflight pic.twitter.com/RW25vl3gU5
— Mary (@BocaChicaGal) December 26, 2024
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