Flight 7 might also take longer since it will be the first V2 ship. S33 only just did its cryo test last week. They still need to static fire the booster and ship, then do any necessary wet dress rehearsals.

You don’t think their current business model is viable?

Which of VG’s airframes fell apart?

Drrr… drrr…

I forgot that the adults talked in the early comics, even if we didn’t see them.

Starbase activities (2024-11-06):

• Nov 5th cryo delivery tally.
• Pad B: CC8800-1 crane disassembly continues. Two more truckloads of parts depart. (ViX, NSF 1, NSF 2, NSF 3, Gisler 1, Gisler 2, Gisler 3)
• RGV Aerial post a recent flyover photo of the launch site.
• Some sort of box/cover is lifted into place at the tank farm. (clwphoto1)
• Construction on passageway between Starfactory and offices continues. Window installation in progress. (Gisler)
• Build site: The A4:4 LOX section for B16 moves from Starfactory to Megabay 1. (ViX)
• Sanchez: Construction continues on launch mount B. All four corner sections are in place. (ViX 1, ViX 2)
• The pez load has shrunk. (ViX)

IFT-6:

• FAA NOTAMN is posted for Nov 18th through 26th. (LabPadre)

• SpaceX announce November 18th as the NET date for flight 6, and post info on mission objectives and changes since flight 5. Highlights:

  Hardware upgrades for this flight add additional redundancy to booster propulsion systems, increase structural strength at key areas, and shorten the timeline to offload propellants from the booster following a successful catch. Mission designers also updated software controls and commit criteria for the booster’s launch and return.

  An additional objective for this flight will be attempting an in-space burn using a single Raptor engine, further demonstrating the capabilities required to conduct a ship deorbit burn prior to orbital missions.

  The flight test will assess new secondary thermal protection materials and will have entire sections of heat shield tiles removed on either side of the ship in locations being studied for catch-enabling hardware on future vehicles. The ship also will intentionally fly at a higher angle of attack in the final phase of descent, purposefully stressing the limits of flap control to gain data on future landing profiles. Finally, adjusting the flight’s launch window to the late afternoon at Starbase will enable the ship to reenter over the Indian Ocean in daylight, providing better conditions for visual observations.

https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1854315232543514626

Standing down from tonight’s @Starlink launch from pad 40 in Florida. Now targeting Thursday, November 7

My apologies. Both jokes went straight over my head.

They are amusing, now that I read them in a humorous context.

https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1854275372482764983

Teams are targeting back-to-back Falcon 9 launches from Florida and California tonight

I believe that render is outdated. The Long March 9 has undergone a quite a few redesigns over the years.

The original ARS Technica article this Wired article was based on includes a more recent mockup of Long March 9: