Orbital Launch and Integration Tower 1 (OLIT #1), simply referred to as Tower 1, is a Starship launch tower at the Boca Chica, Texas SpaceX site. It was the first launch tower ever constructed for Starship and is currently the only operational Starship tower.
The tower consists of the tower with chopstick arms to stack and catch the stages, a launch stand (orbital launch mount, OLM), and supporting equipment. The tower and arms are mostly the same as in towers built later (OLIT-2 and OLIT-3), but the launch mount is notably different. It consists of a circular launch ring that is held up by six metal legs to a total height of around 20m.
The ground beneath the launch mount used to be concrete. However, during the launch of Integrated Flight Test 1, the booster's 33 engines cracked the concrete and dug a massive hole as they went up to full power. This was presumably because the sand beneath the concrete compressed. Later it was replaced with a large water-cooled steel plate ("shower head") that absorbs the pressure and heat, with concrete piles underneath. This has been working well since Flight Test 2.
The chopstick arms are around 25% (one element) longer than the ones used on OLIT-2 and OLIT-3.
Construction History[]
- 21 April 2021: Module 1 Stacked
- 24 May 2021: Module 2 Stacked
- 28 May 2021: Module 3 Stacked
- 13 June 2021: Module 4 Stacked
- 16 June 2021: Module 5 Stacked
- June 2021: Module 6 Stacked
- 1 July 2021: Module 7 Stacked
- 18 July 2021: Module 8 Stacked
- 28 July 2021: Module 9 Stacked
- 29 August 2021: Starship Quick Disconnect arm installed
- 20 October 2021: Starship Chopsticks Catch System Installed
Construction History[]
26 June 2024 - Chopstick Test[]
B14.1 Conducted Chopsticks Slaps Test, of about 4 "slaps". This was for testing chopstick procedures during a possible catch attempt. Timeline according LabPadre discord. Videos of the tests can be found on discord here[1] and here[2].
- 08:07 Road closed for testing
- 10:02 Chopsticks closed in on B14.1
- 11:00 "Slap" test
- 11:34 "Slap" test
- 11:50 "Slap" test
- 16:01 "Slap" test
- 16:29 "Slap" test
- 16:49 "Slap" test
- 19:49 "Slap" test
- 19:59 "Slap" test
- 20:26 Road opened
27 June 2024 - Chopstick Test[]
The chopsticks were extensively tested with the help of Booster test tank B14.1. Timeline according to LabPadre discord:
- 8:51 First "slap" test of chopsticks on B14.1
- 9:11 Second "slap" test
- 9:17 Third "slap" test
- 12:00 Road partially closed at Orbital Pad area
- 12:22 B14.1 "slap" testing re-started
- 13:05 First ever chopsticks rail dampening test, left stick pushed against B14.1 lifting pin
- 13:22 Full speed rail dampening test simulating a booster catch
- 14:58 Road opened
c SpaceX
15-16 August 2024 - Chopstick Tests[]
On 15 and 16 August 2024, the Chopsticks on OLIT-1 conducted catch testing which included B14.1 as a test object. Timeline according to LabPadre discord:
- 06:56 One chopstick arm moved away from B14.1
- 12:33 After being raised, right chopstick (as viewed from tower) underwent quick movement tests for the first time since its actuator got upgraded
- 14:55 Full speed close of both chopsticks at the same time
- 17:24 Chopsticks now open around B14.1 with landing rails extended
- 22:20 Compression testing of landing rails of both chopsticks with B14.1
- 09:27 Rapid close-and-slap of both chopsticks on B14.1 for the first time
Gallery[]
