Uploaded December 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This week at Starbase with the holiday spirit in the air, SpaceX celebrates with a drone show and Booster 14 celebrates with a static fire. Several new cryo tanks are sent to the launch site as work continues to expand the capacity of the tank farm, and SpaceX files paperwork for incorporation into Cameron County. Meanwhile in Florida, Falcon 9 launch and recovery operations roll on while activity continues on the Starship infrastructure at Historic LC-39A, and NASA pushes forward with work on the SLS Block 2 Mobile Launch Platform.
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This week at Starbase with the holiday spirit in the air, SpaceX celebrates with a drone show and Booster 14 celebrates with a static fire. Several new cryo tanks are sent to the launch site as work continues to expand the capacity of the tank farm, and SpaceX files paperwork for incorporation into Cameron County. Meanwhile in Florida, Falcon 9 launch and recovery operations roll on while activity continues on the Starship infrastructure at Historic LC-39A, and NASA pushes forward with work on the SLS Block 2 Mobile Launch Platform.
Thanks for watching this week's LabPadre Update!
If you would like to get involved with our community or learn more about Rockets and Space, please feel free to join our LabPadre Discord server at discord.gg/labpadre
X: https://x.com/LabPadre
Instagram: instagram.com/labpadre
Browse our online store!
shop.labpadre.com
Support us on Patreon and get special perks!
patreon.com/labpadre
Other ways you can support:
PayPal - paypal.me/labpadre
Cashapp - $LabPadre
Venmo - @LabPadre
BitCoin Wallet: bc1q7w0932yn2xk9ympkm2uzn28pnm90qzmplr4yew
Patreon Royalty: Admiral Radish, Arthur Carty, Cassidy Scott, Eric Beavers, Marcus House, Stumpy, Peter Lehrack
Patreon Elite: Carl Fürstenberg, Colin Smith, Dave Willow (WX Dave), Dragon Drop, Eagle Eye Chuck, Eric Sowder, Grenadine, Matt Lowne, Matthew Bundy, Randall Davis, Robert Castle, Seth Count, Steve Roberts, Taniel, Unreal Patch, Wil Schweitzer
Special thanks to:
Audio/Video Editors: Lucid, Kind Padre, timmy
Videography: LabPadre, Greg Scott
Clip Capture Bot: Arc, azatht
Clip Reporting: 61Naps, DaOPCreeper, Kalim, MLGPure, Vix, WLAnimal
Script Editors: 61Naps, WLAnimal
Script Writers: RotoSequence
Images may not be used without written consent from LabPadre Media or their rightful owner.
![Watch Starship Flight 12 Live - Commentary [Take 2]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/BiLe0i8pShY/mqdefault.jpg "Watch Starship Flight 12 Live - Commentary [Take 2]
12th test flight of the two-stage Starship launch vehicle. Maiden Flight of Starship V3.
The flight test’s primary goal will be to demonstrate each of these new pieces in the flight environment for the first time, with each element of the Starship architecture featuring significant redesigns to enable full and rapid reuse that incorporate learnings from years of development and test.
The Starship upper stage will target multiple in-space and reentry objectives, including a payload deployment of 20 Starlink simulators, similar in size to next-generation Starlink V3 satellites, and two specially modified Starlink satellites. The two modified satellites will test hardware planned for Starlink V3 and will attempt to scan Starship’s heat shield and transmit imagery down to operators to test methods of analyzing Starship’s heat shield readiness for return to launch site on future missions. Several tiles on Starship have been painted white to simulate missing tiles and serve as imaging targets in the test. The Starlink simulators will be on the same suborbital trajectory as Starship. A relight of a single Raptor engine while in space is also planned.
For Starship entry, a single heat shield tile has been intentionally removed to measure the aerodynamic load differences on adjacent tiles when there is a tile missing. Finally, the ship will perform experimental actions tested on previous flight tests, including a maneuver to intentionally stress the structural limits of the vehicle’s rear flaps and a dynamic banking maneuver to mimic the trajectory that future missions returning to Starbase will fly.")
