SN16 was the second prototype of the second generation of fully stacked Starship prototypes after SN15. It never flew and was scrapped around the Summer of 2022 as SpaceX moved their focus away from suborbital testing to preparing their orbital launch site (tank farm, launch tower,...) for an orbital flight as soon as possible.
Timeline[]
- 01 Feb 2021: Nosecone barrel section spotted
- 02 Feb 2021: Thrust dome sleeved, unclear
- 03 Feb 2021: Leg Skirt moved
- 10 Feb 2021: Leg Skirt spotted??
- 10 Feb 2021: Aft dome section has been flipped and moved
- 11 Feb 2021: Aft skirt (2 rings and feet) and thrust section (3 rings, dome inside) mated
- 11 March 2021: 4-ring section now spotted in mid bay
- 24 March 2021: Aft section moved into tent 1
- 24 March 2021: GSE 1 fuel aft dome spotted in front of SN16 aft section (including leg skirt)
- 04 Apr 2021: [?] nosecone spotted in tent 3 SN15 still attached to crane, detached late in the evening
- 05 Apr 2021: Nosecone barrel section "Nose Quad" with work platform spotted
- 12 Apr 2021: Section spotted with approx. 960 heat shield tiles, biggest part covered yet
- 14 Apr 2021: Mid-lox section stacking in mid bay
- 15 Apr 2021: 4-ring section lifted into mid bay for stacking
- 20 Apr 2021: Aft section (5-ring stack) moved into mid bay, other sections stacked onto it
- 21 Apr 2021: Tank section now fully stacked in mid bay
- 22 Apr 2021: 2 Nosecones [SN16, SN17?] inside tent 3
- 23 Apr 2021: Tank section fully stacked in mid bay
- 23 Apr 2021: Nosecone with flaps installed in tent 3, moved next to wind break, near a 4-ring stack with work platform
- 24 Apr 2021: Nosecone RCS testing
- 25 Apr 2021: New [Sn16?] nosecone washed in front of low bay; Other nosecone [Sn17?] in tent 3
- 26 Apr 2021: Nosecone stacked on its barrel section
- 28 Apr 2021: Nosecone removed from crane; a stack covered with TPS tiles near it
- 29 Apr 2021: Tank section moved from mid bay to high bay (19:27-19:48)
- 30 Apr 2021: Nosecone moved to high bay, attached to bridge crane; stacked onto tank section
- 2 May 2021: Still attached to crane
- 3 May 2021: Still attached to crane; crews entered through access hatch
- 4 May 2021: Still attached to crane
- 5 May 2021: Remained attached to bridge crane, work platform still there
- 6 May 2021: Work continued; received one aft flap
- 7 May 2021: Detached from crane and work platform removed, second aft flap added
- 8 May 2021: Moved to the side of high bay, possibly to make place for booster assembly
- 9 May 2021: Work continued; work platform being removed