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Ship 30 (S30) was a Starship second stage prototype. It underwent 3 successful cryogenic proof tests, 2 successful static fire tests and a successful spin prime test. S30 flew with Booster 12 (B12) on Starship Flight Test 5 and successfully completed its mission, touching down on target for a soft splashdown in the Indian Ocean.

Ship 30 underwent a full replacement of its heatshield, which, according to SpaceX, will be twice as strong and has a layer of insulative material underneath it for further protection. According to Elon Musk, this secondary shield is for "resilience to tile failure and reduced refurbishment times"[1][2]. This ablative shield was tested on Ship 29 on flight test 4.[3] He also mentioned that they scrapped transpirational cooling and active regeneration cooling scrapped due to weight.[2] Furthermore S30's payload bay door has been removed and re-installed. Compared to previous ships, new black boxes were spotted by each of the four flaps, likely hinge cameras.[4]

History[]

Ship 30 was first spotted around September 2022, and begun stacking on the 21st of July 2023. It completed stacking on the 18th of August 2023 and on the 23rd of November 2023, Ship 30 was removed from the High Bay to make space for Ship 28 (S28), but was later rolled back in before being transported to Massey Outpost on 30th of December 2023. Its testing campaign started on the 3rd of January 2024 with a cryogenic proof test of both tanks. S30 was on 9/10 January rolled back to the Rocket Garden.

On the 10th/11th of January S30 rolled in High Bay where it stayed until April 4th when it was rolled to Mega Bay 2 for engine installation and placed on the center back work stand. On April 8th S30's first Raptor Vacuum engine rolled into Mega Bay 2 and under the work stand where it was placed onto the raptor lift and raised in S30's aft engine section. Over the next 24 hours the remaining 5 engines were installed.

On the 1st of May 2024, S30 was rolled to the Launch Site to undergo engine testing. On May 7th, a partial cryogenic proof test of S30's LOX tank was conducted followed by an aborted Static Fire attempt. On May 8th a full 6 engine Static Fire Test went ahead successfully and prototype was rolled back to High Bay on May 10th-11th. In June, engines were replaced, thus another static fire program at Massey's test site became necessary: On July 20th, Ship 30 was relocated to Mega Bay 2 for lifting onto the Static Fire Stand. The day after, Ship 30 was rolled to Massey's for engine testing. On Friday, July 26th, Ship 30 underwent a successful, full duration 6 engine static fire, and then was rolled into Mega Bay 2 to be lifted off of the static fire stand, and to replace some heat shield tiles, then it was rolled to the Rocket Garden and later it was moved back to Mega Bay 2 to get a new Rvac and to be put back on the static fire stand. It was then rolled back to the Massey's outpost for a Spin Prime test on 6 August 2024. After the Spin Prime test on 7 August 2024, it was rolled back the next day to Mega Bay 2 to be put on a ship transport stand. It was then moved back to the rocket garden for final prep work and decal installation.

On 20 September, Ship 30 was rolled out to the launch site, and stacked atop Booster 12 the following night. Currently it is speculated that it will undergo a wet dress rehearsal with B12 on September 23.

Timeline[]

Click to view the timeline:
  • 14 September 2022: S30 AD in dome yard. Unfinished; S30 AS:4 spotted in the ring yard.
  • 19 September 2022: S30 AS:4 moved into Starfactory.
  • 06 December 2022: S30 nosecone in tent 3.
  • 04 February 2023: S30 nosecone moved out of tent 3 with tiles in place, moved into Low Bay.
  • 04 March 2023: S30 PL:5 (Quinton XI) receives its Starlink dispenser.
  • 22 March 2023: S30 FX:3 is confirmed assembled in Starfactory.
  • 23 March 2023: S30 NC mostly tiled.
  • 27 March 2023: S30 likely nosecone TPS tile installation; a payload section spotted as well in tent 3.
  • 01 April 2023: S30 NC moves out of tent 3.
  • 07 April 2023: S30 AX:4 fully tiled.
  • 02 June 2023: S30 and S31 NCs leave tent 3.
  • 03 June 2023: S30 and S32 NCs move to the ring yard.
  • 20 July 2023: S30 payload bay section moved into High Bay for stacking.
  • 21 July 2023: S30 nosecone moved into High Bay for stacking; S30 nosecone stacked on its payload section inside High Bay, now 2/6 sections tall.
  • 26 July 2023: S30 fwd dome moved into High Bay at around 14:30.
  • 31 July 2023: S30 stacked onto fwd dome section in High Bay, now 3/6 sections complete.
  • 02 August 2023: S30 cmn dome section moved into High Bay at around 10:40 am.
  • 04 August 2023: S30 stacked onto common dome; S30 mid-lox section moved into High Bay for further stacking.
  • 09 August 2023: S30 stacked on midlox section inside High Bay, now 5/6 sections tall.
  • 17 August 2023: S30 aft section moved into High Bay and placed onto the turntable.
  • 18 August 2023: S30 stacked onto its aft section in High Bay - stacking complete.
  • 23 August 2023: S30 fully stacked and lifted off the turntable onto the transport stand.
  • 10 October 2023: Aft flap installed on S30.
  • 13 October 2023: S30 has its second flap installed.
  • 20 November 2023: S30 rolled out of the High Bay into the ring yard.
  • 21 November 2023: S30 rolled back in the High Bay.
  • 22 November 2023: S30 rolled out of the High Bay again.
  • 23 November 2023: S30 rolled back in the High Bay.
  • 30 December 2023: S30 rolled to Massey Outpost.
  • 3/4 January 2024: S30 conducted a cryogenic proof test of both tanks.
  • 6 January 2024: S30 conducted a second cryogenic proof test of both tanks.
  • 9/10 January 2024: S30 rolled back to the Rocket Garden.
  • 10/11 January 2024: S30 rolled back to High Bay
  • 4 April 2024: S30 moved into Mega Bay 2
  • 8 April 2024: S30 engine installation begins; 2 Raptor Vacuum and 1 Raptor Center spotted and installed
  • 9 April 2024: 1 Raptor Vacuum and 1 Raptor Center spotted
  • 1 May 2024: S30 rolled to the Launch Site
  • 7 May 2024: S30 completed a successful cryo but aborted an SF
  • 8 May 2024: S30 completed a successful SF
  • 10-11 May 2024: S30 rolled back to High Bay
  • 5 June 2024: Raptor Vacuum Engine 378 removed from S30
  • 11 June 2024: S30 full tile removal begins
  • 27 June 2024: "The new 2X stronger heat shield tiles and the new secondary ablative layer are currently being applied to Starship 30 in preparation for test flight 5." [Starship Gazer]
  • 20 July 2024: S30 moved to Mega Bay 2 and lifted onto Static Fire Stand
  • 21 July 2024: S30 rolled to Massey's
  • 26 July 2024: S30 Static Fire
  • 28 July 2024: S30 rolled to Mega Bay 2 to be lifted off of the static fire stand and have some heat shield tiles replaced
  • 29 July 2024: S30 rolled to the Rocket Garden
  • 3 August 2024: RVac 384 spotted moving to Mega Bay 2 while RVac 398 moved out, indicating another engine swap on S30
  • 6 August 2024: S30 rolled to the Massey's Outpost
  • 7 August 2024: S30 Spin Prime test
  • 8 August 2024: S30 rolled back to Mega Bay 2
  • 9 August 2024: S30 rolled to the Rocket Garden
  • 20 September 2024: S30 was rolled to the launch site and stacked on top of Booster 12 (B12).
  • 23 September 2024: A partial wet dress rehearsal (WDR) was conducted, with S30 and B12 undergoing partial tanking tests with liquid oxygen (LOX) and methane (CH4).
  • 30 September 2024: S30 and the hot-stage ring (HSR) were destacked for further testing, including water bag checks on the launch tower's chopsticks.
  • 6 October 2024: S30 was restacked atop B12.
  • 7 October 2024: A second partial WDR was performed, focusing on tanking procedures.
  • 13 October 2024: The Start of the fifth integrated flight test of Starship

Testing Campaign[]

Overview, without full stack tests:

Testing Campaign[]

Date Test type Outcome Details
3 January 2024 Cryogenic Proof Success Ship 30 conducted a cryogenic proof test of both tanks.
6 January 2024 Cryogenic Proof Success Ship 30 conducted a cryogenic proof test of both tanks.
7 May 2024 Cryogenic Proof Success Ship 30 conducted a partial cryogenic proof test of its LOX tank with less than 1 ring of LOX loaded.
7 May 2024 Static Fire Aborted Ship 30 attempted a Static Fire test; however, it was aborted around 15 minutes before the expected T-0.
8 May 2024 Static Fire Success Ship 30 conducted a full 6-engine static fire.
26 July 2024 Static Fire Success Ship 30 conducted another full 6-engine static fire.
7 August 2024 Spin Prime Success Ship 30 conducted a spin prime of at least 1 engine.

30 December 2023 - Roll out to Massey's[]

On 30 December, one day after Booster 12, Ship 30 was moved to Massey's Outpost to start the test campaign. Timeline according to LabPadre discord:

  • 00:06 S30 lifted off its stand in the High Bay using a 2-point lifting jig; thrust simulator moved into the bay
  • 02:57 Entered highway 4
  • 07:03 Arrived at Massey's

3/4 January 2024 - Cryogenic Proof test #1[]

On 3 January 2024, Ship 30 conducted a Cryogenic proof test at Massey's outpost. Timeline according to NSF livestream:

  • 19:04 S30 LOX and CH4 tanks fully loaded
  • 20:57 Detanking started
  • 2:47 S30 fully detanked

6 January 2024 - Cryogenic Proof test #2[]

On 6 January 2024, Ship 30 conducted a second Cryogenic proof test at Massey's outpost. Timeline according to RGV discord:

  • 18:32 Cryogenic loading started

9/10 January 2024 - Roll back to the Rocket Garden[]

On 9 January 2024, S30 was rolled back to the Rocket Garden after completing 2 cryogenic proof tests. Timeline according to LabPadre discord:

  • 23:26 S30 started rolling
  • 00:47 S30 entered highway 4
  • 2:28 S30 arrived at the Rocket Garden

1 May 2024 - Roll out and Lift[]

Early on 1 May 2024, S30 was rolled out to the launch site and lifted on SoLS Pad B for its static fire test campaign. Timeline according to LabPadre discord:

30 April 2024

  • 14:39 2-point lifter attached to S30 in mb 2
  • 15:56 Another 2-point lifter on the move to launch site
  • 17:27 S30 lifted off work stand in Mega Bay 2
  • 23:19 2-point lifter detached from S30 in Mega Bay 2

1 May 2024

  • 00:03 S30 left Mega Bay 2
  • 00:13 Entered hwy4
  • 00:50 Arrived at Launch site
  • 03:08 Attached to 2-point lifter and LR11000X
  • 04:46 Lift completed

7 May 2024 - Cryogenic Proof Test #3[]

Timeline from Labpadre:

  • 8:02 Road Closed
  • 10:51 Pad Clear
  • 11:23 Prop Load Started

7 May 2024 - Static Fire Attempt[]

Timeline from Labpadre:

  • 16:05 Frost spotted again
  • 16:22 Detanking started

8 May 2024 - Static Fire[]

Timeline from Labpadre and NSF live stream:

  • 8:04 Road Closed
  • 10:04 Tank Farm Venting
  • 10:41 Frost spotted
  • 11:28 Engine Chill Started
  • 11:58 Siren
  • 11:58:56 Static Fire
  • 14:35 Road open

10 May 2024 - Roll back[]

S30 was rolled back to the HB after completing a static fire test of 6 engines.

21 July 2024 - Roll out to Massey's outpost[]

S30 was placed onto the SF stand and rolled to the Massey's outpost for another static fire test after replacing a Rvac engine. Timeline according to Labpadre discord:

  • 01:16 2-point lifter detached
  • 01:43 Moving towards hwy 4
  • 03:05 Entered hwy4
  • 02:16 Arrived at Massey's

26 July 2024 - Static Fire[]

S30 conducted another 6 engine static fire test. SpaceX confirmed it to be full duration. Timeline according to Labpadre discord:

  • 15:55 (or earlier) Tank farm active
  • 16:21 Prop load started on LOX tank
  • 16:57 Engine chill started
  • 17:32:39 Static fire

27-28 July 2024 - Roll back[]

S30 was rolled back from Massey's test site to the build site. Timeline according to LabPadre discord:

  • 13:20 Moving towards hwy4 at Massey's
  • 13:56 Entered hwy4
  • 15:33 Arrived at Build site
  • 18:10 Arrived in Mega Bay 2
  • 22:46 2-point lifter attached in Mega Bay 2
  • 01:27 Static fire stand left ring yard
  • 01:28 Touched down on transport stand
  • 03:07 2-point lifter detached
  • 04:00 Moving towards rocket garden
  • 04:17 Parked at rocket garden

03 August 2024 - Roll[]

S30 was rolled from the Rocket Garden to Mega Bay 2. Timeline according to LabPadre discord:

  • 07:17 Move from Rocket garden started
  • 07:43 Arrived at ring yard

06 August 2024 - Roll out to Massey's outpost[]

S30 was again placed onto the SF stand and rolled to the Massey's outpost for more engine testing after replacing another Rvac engine.

07 August 2024 - Spin Prime[]

S30 performed a spin prime test of at least 1 engine after a Rvac replacement. Timeline according to LabPadre discord:

  • 18:33 Tank farm active
  • 19:00 LOX load started
  • 20:07:12 Spin prime

08-09 August 2024 - Roll Back[]

S30 was rolled back to the production site, to the rocket garden. Timeline according to LabPadre discord:

  • 23:56 Entered Hwy 4
  • 02:53 Arrived at build site
  • 05:12 Entered Mega Bay 2, 2-point lifter attached
  • 08:19 Lifted off Massey's Static Fire stand, set down onto a transport stand in Mega Bay 2
  • 10:50 Staged near Hwy4
  • 11:00 Moved down Remedios Avenue towards Rocket garden

20 September 2024 - Roll out[]

S30 was rolled to the launch site ahead of full stack testing. Timeline according to NSF stream:

  • 12:07 S30 entered HWY4
  • 12:59 S30 arrived at the launch site

21 September 2024 - Stacking[]

See Starship 12/30 for details on full stack testing.

Gallery[]

References[]

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