SpaceX Collects Starship Prototypes at Space Speed

Not long ago, Elon Musk said that thousands of Starship ships would be required to colonize Mars and announced the goal of producing them in 10 years. Continuing the trend of giant rockets built in days and weeks, not months, the next SpaceX prototype is already approaching its first trials.


On April 12, docking of 3 out of 4 structural elements was completed. Source: NASASpaceflight - bocachicagal

The third full-scale Starship prototype - also known as SN3 - was destroyed due to an operator error on April 3. He only partially passed cryogenic tests when his upper tank - almost completely filled with chemically neutral liquid nitrogen - actually crushed the lower oxygen tank and pulled the rest of the prototype.

Less than nine days after the destruction of Starship SN1 during testing, Starship SN2 - turned into a special test tank instead of a full ship - successfully passed tests confirming that the defect that destroyed SN1 has already been fixed.


Prototype SN2 on a test bench in preparation for pressure tests. Source: NASASpaceflight - bocachicagal

Three weeks after the successful test campaign SN2, SpaceX completed the assembly of Starship SN3 and moved the prototype to the launch pad on March 29. Five days later, SN3 exploded during a second cryogenic resistance test.

Following the Starship SN1 and SN3 prototypes, SN4 will be the third full-featured, functional Starship prototype created in a few weeks thanks to the many improvements and upgrades that SpaceX has made in recent months. Although the loss of any particular prototype is undoubtedly a failure, such a high speed and low production cost means that no failure should be a serious obstacle to progress, allowing SpaceX to iterate through iteration incredibly quickly. At the same time, even the design of the Raptor engine is by no means frozen and each subsequent assembled engine is slightly different from the previous one.

This speed also means that any single failure should cause delays of no more than a few weeks, provided that the cause of the failure can be quickly identified and eliminated. While Starship SN4 is probably one or two days from the final assembly stage, fans also discovered numerous large parts for the next prototype, Starship SN5, such as the upper and lower tank bulkheads.


All three Starship SN5 fuel tank domes are in the late manufacturing stages and should be ready for integration with steel rings in a few days. Source: NASASpaceflight - bocachicagal

Soon, all sections of SN4 will be fully docked and welded and after delivered on the road from the factory to the nearest launch and test site, both located directly on the coast of the bay in southern Texas.

On April 12, SpaceX experts turned over the stern of the Starship SN4, and the dome of the lower bulkhead for the liquid oxygen tank and the mounting points for the three Raptor engines fell into the frame. Starship SN3 reached the same point around March 18th - just ten days before it was moved to the launch pad.


Mounting points for three engines are visible and pipes are presumably installed in a circle to ensure the boost of the tanks. Source: NASASpaceflight - bocachicagal.

It is expected that the prototype will have small wings installed on SN5 or SN6 - aerodynamic surfaces on the bow and stern of the ship to test the planning technique when returning from orbit. This technique will allow you to slow down and reduce the amount of fuel needed for landing.

To maintain this pace, the company hired another 250 employees, ensuring a 24/7 production cycle. Work is carried out around the clock in 3 shifts.
Given the above terms, there is no doubt that SpaceX has everything you need to make progress. Ahead we are still waiting for the creation of the first accelerator for Starship - Super Heavy - after which flights to orbit will begin. PS

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Below is a video with the latest news and the coolest animation of the prototype assembly process