Ship 31 (S31) is a Starship second stage prototype, located in the Indian Ocean near Australia. It has flown with Booster 13 (B13) as Starship 13/31 on Starship Flight Test 6. It splashed down softly on target in the Indian Ocean as planned, despite noticeable discoloration and warping on the sections where the heat shield was removed. Furthermore, it is the last V1 ship to be launched on a test flight, as Ship 32, the last V1 ship to be produced, was scrapped.
History[]
Ship 31 was possibly first seen on the 22nd of August 2022 with its thrust puck being seen in the dome yard. It began stacking on the 31st of August 2023 and was completed 33 days later on the 3rd of October. On the 21st of November, Ship 31 was re-located to the rocket garden to make space for Ship 29 (S29) in the High Bay. It was then brought back on Jan 4th 2024 and aft flaps were installed between the 5-9th.
On the 11th of May 2024, S31 was rolled to the Massey Outpost for cryogenic proof testing, where its first cryo test on the 12th was aborted following an electrical anomaly. It is believed that a high-pressure cryo line burst during initial testing, severing a high-voltage electrical cable(s) which arced and caused a fire. As a result, Ship 31 was rolled back to the production site for inspection and repairs on the 15th of May 2024.
Following repairs, Ship 31 was rolled back out to the Massey Outpost on July 1st 2024, where it completed its first successful full cryo on the second prior to roll back to the production site on July 6th. On the 5th of September 2024, S31 was moved to Mega Bay 2 and placed on the ship static fire stand. It was rolled back to the build site for final upgrades, ahead of rolling out to the launch site on 11th of October ahead of a launch attempt.
Timeline[]
- 22 August 2022: Possible S31 puck in dome yard.
- 18 March 2023: S31 AX:4 moved from Starfactory to T2.
- 25 March 2023: S31 PEZ dispenser installed into payload bay in front of tent 3.
- 2 June 2023: S30 and S31 NCs leave tent 3.
- 27 July 2023: S31 PL:5 gets its door installed.
- 25 August 2023: S31 nosecone moves to the ring yard.
- 30 August 2023: S31 payload bay moved into High Bay at 20:05; S31 nosecone moved into High Bay at around 13:45.
- 31 August 2023: S31 nosecone stacked on payload section inside High Bay.
- 5 September 2023: S31 fwd dome section staged outside of High Bay for stacking.
- 7 September 2023: S31 fwd dome section moved into High Bay at around 04:25.
- 9 September 2023: S31 stacked on its forward dome section inside High Bay(3 of 6 sections tall).
- 11 September 2023: S31 cmn dome section moved into High Bay at 15:56.
- 14 September 2023: S31 stacked on its common dome section inside High Bay, now 4/6 sections tall.
- 22 September 2023: S31 ML:4 moves into the High Bay.
- 25 September 2023: S31 N:12 stacked on ML:4 creating N:16.
- 2 October 2023: S31 downcomer installed, thrust section moved into High Bay for stacking at midnight; S31 AX:4 is lifted into the highbay.
- 3 October 2023: S31 N:16 stacked atop AX:4 creating A:20, completing the construction of Ship 31 in 33 days.
- 20 November 2023: S31 moved to the Rocket Garden, taking the place of Ship 29.
- 4 Jan 2024: S31 moved back to High Bay
- 5 Jan 2024: S31 left aft flap installed
- 9 Jan 2024: S31 right aft flap installed
- 11 May 2024: S31 Rolled to the Massey Outpost
- 12 May 2024: S31 catches fire (small) likely due to an electrical problem during a cryogenic proof test
- 15 May 2024: S31 rolled back to High Bay
- 1 July 2024: S31 rolled to the Massey Outpost
- 6 July 2024: S31 rolled back to the production site and put in MB2
- 22 July 2024: 3 engines moved into MB2 for S31; Raptor Center 374; Raptor Vacuum 320; Raptor Vacuum 391
- 23 July 2024: 3 engines moved into MB2 for S31; Raptor Center 386; Raptor Center ?; Raptor Vacuum 376
- 26 July 2024: S31 moved to the High Bay
- 5 Aug 2024: Tiles starting to be removed from S31
- 5 Sep: S31 moved to Mega Bay 2
- 6 Sep: S31 rolled out to Massey's test site
- 8 Sep: S31 aborted testing at Massey's test site
- 14 Sep: S31 aborted testing at Massey's test site
- 18 Sep: S31 completed a full 6 engine static fire
- 11 Nov: S31 currently being Rollout
Testing Campaign[]
| Date | Test type | Outcome | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 May 2024 | Cryogenic Proof | Aborted | Ship 31 attempted a cryogenic proof test of both tanks however it was aborted due to a fire, likely due to an eletrical problem |
| 2 July 2024 | Cryogenic Proof | Success | Ship 31 completed a full cryogenic proof test of both tanks |
| 3 July 2024 | Cryogenic Proof | Success | Ship 31 completed a partial cryogenic proof test with some vent testing, both tanks frosted partially |
| 8 September 2024 | Static Fire | Aborted | Ship 31 attempted a static fire however it was aborted close to the expected T-0 |
| 14 September 2024 | Static Fire | Aborted | Ship 31 attempted a static fire however it was aborted slightly further from the expected T-0 than the previous attempt |
| 18 September 2024 | Static Fire | Success | Ship 31 completed a full duration 6 engine static fire |
01 July 2024 - Roll out[]
S31 was rolled out Massey's test site for its cryo testing program. Timeline according LabPadre discord:
- 23:08 [30 June] S31 lifted onto ship shucker, then disconnected from 2-point lifter
- 00:42 S31 moved out of High Bay
- 02:00 Roll out started
- 04:59 Arrived at Massey's
06 September 2024 - Roll out[]
SpaceX rolled S31 out to Massey's test site. Timeline according to LabPadre discord:
- 00:00 Entered hwy4
- 04:10 Arrived at Massey's
08 September 2024 - Aborted test[]
S31 appeared to have aborted its test. Timeline according to LabPadre discord:
- 10:45 Propellant loading in progress
- 12:40 Detanking in progress
14 September 2024 - Aborted test[]
Timeline according to LabPadre discord:
- 11:05 Ship static fire pad GSE activity started
- 11:56 Cryo loading in progress
- 12:16 Detanking underway
18 September 2024 - 6 Engine Static Fire[]
c SpaceX
c SpaceX
Low Resolution. High resolution here
On 18 September 2024, SpaceX completed a six engine static fire test of S31, the flight 6 Ship. Timeline according to LabPadre discord:
- 17:35 Cryo loading underway
- 18:03 6 seconds duration static fire test
20 September 2024 - Roll back[]
Timeline according to LabPadre discord:
- 01:23 Roll back started
- 02:58 S31 arrived at build site
- 04:54 S31 entered Mega Bay 2 and was being attached to 2-point lifter
11 November 2024 - Roll out[]
Timeline according to LabPadre discord:
- 19:02 Moved out of high bay
- 19:14 S31 entered hwy 4
- 20:32 Arrived at launch site
14 November 2024 - Stacking[]
On the 14th of November 2024 SpaceX stacked Ship 31 on Booster 13. Photo's from SpaceX.[1] Timeline according to NSF Stream and LabPadre discord:
- (For booster stacking see B13 or Starship 13/31 articles)
- 10:45 Ship lifting pins deployed on the chopsticks
- 11:36 BQD connected
- 13:59 S31 moved between chopsticks
- 19:34 SQD arm retracting
- 19:54 Lifting started
- 22:10 S31 placed on B13, completing the stacking
- 00:41 SQD attached to S31
Gallery[]
