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Transcript pt 4

So with all these neat updates out of the way, how is SpaceX progressing toward this epic double catch mission? At the launch site at Pad 2, we are still eagerly awaiting the rollout of Booster 22 to perform its static fire test. Well, throughout the week, we watched them clear out the pad, removing the service platform from the center of the launch mount, they purged the booster quick disconnect hoods, and even performed a couple of activations of all those deluge systems, including the top deck! This has all been alongside some more impressive catch simulations with both arms at the top of the tower making sure everything checks out before the next Starship chapter! Practice makes perfect!

Now the drawworks bunker area down here at the bottom of the tower has also received some additional cladding just like some other parts of the tower to protect all these internals. What they’re really doing is reinforcing everything necessary just in case anything at all goes wrong with either catch attempt incoming! There is more risk in this than any previous mission to date. Now just as a quick side note, I’ve seen a number of people in the comments asking whether or not they could use both pads for this double catch.

I mean, down the line when Pad 1 is also active, that may likely be the case, but considering the amount of work that is still yet to take place over at Pad 1, we are still quite a long way off that being possible. Instead, SpaceX will need to catch the Super Heavy with Pad 2, have it safed, and then it lifted down and transported away within hours of it being caught. I would then expect the SpaceX team to get in there and swarm over the tower to make sure all systems are still healthy and ready for another catch of the Starship roughly 20 hours after the launch.

Now while we’re here, of course, it is worth mentioning the huge ongoing work getting Pad 1 upgraded to match the new Flame Trench design. As you can see, thanks to the latest flight by RGV Aerial Photography, the bucket and apex supports in the center of the flame trench are all in place and awaiting the completion of the flame buckets and apex themselves in the Sanchez area near the build site.

They’ve also begun installing the launch mount legs on top of the steel trench walls, and one of the trench exit ramps was poured not so long ago. This’ll be cured and ready for the rest of the sections to be lifted in shortly. We can also see work on Tower 1’s own drawworks bunker has also resumed this week with both side wings lifted and being welded into place. Ok, so heading up the road to the build site there are more vehicles receiving attention.