Mechazilla Chopsticks Upgraded | SpaceX Boca Chica

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Published 2024-04-13

A new actuator was installed on the launch tower's chopsticks, Ship 29's TPS tiles were worked on, and work on the flame trench for the ship static fire stand at Massey's continued.

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🎥 Video from Mary (@BocaChicaGal), Sean (@SeanKD_Photos), and Starbase Live.
✂️ Edited by Thomas (@_thomashayden).

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Timestamps:
0:00 BQD Cover Removed
0:14 Starfactory Construction
1:02 Missing Tiles From Ship 29
1:19 Nosecone Tiles Installed on Ship 29
4:44 Ship 30 in the New High Bay
5:01 SPMT on the Move
5:18 BQD Closed
5:30 Chopsticks Restrained
5:44 Flame Trench Component Lifted
5:57 Massey’s Test Site
6:33 The Orbital Launch Site
6:44 The OLM and Chopsticks
9:49 The Booster Quick Disconnect
10:14 Work Continues on the OLM
10:42 Linkage Removed From the OLM
11:22 The Ship QD Arm
11:53 Concrete Forms
12:20 New Piping Installed
13:45 Ship 29 in the High Bay
14:11 Booster 14 in the Mega Bay
14:25 Ship 30 in the New High Bay
14:40 The New Office Building
15:35 Chopstick Actuator Retracted
15:50 Actuator Pin Removed
16:02 Chopstick Actuator Removed
16:43 The Ground Fabrication Building
16:55 Tower Sections
17:05 The Rocket Garden
17:53 Rebar Work for the Parking Garage
18:21 Work Continues on Starfactory
18:36 Ship 29’s Nosecone
18:48 Development Dome Section
19:08 Development Payload Barrel
19:22 The Production Site
19:34 Upgraded Actuator Installed
21:13 The Orbital Launch Mount
21:40 Concrete Wall at End of the Berm
22:22 Starhopper
22:35 New BQD Front Cover Insta

All Comments (21)

@corradoborean 14 days ago

I’m happy to state that the guy with the hat at 19:25 is… me!!! Thanks Sean Doherty to involuntarily capture this brief but unforgettable moment of my life.
@Tommork-bq6ms 14 days ago

I can't properly express how much I appreciate these non vocal postings... Thank you...
@AmiGanguli 14 days ago

These guys will get to tell their grandchildren about the time they built the first ever fully reusable rocket. "Yeah, sonny, I was up on a crane carefully placing each tile by hand! Robots weren't able to do work like that back then."
@thomasklughammer6586 14 days ago

the men on the cranes are doing an incredible job
@arleencandiotti3328 14 days ago

Wow! it looks so big with people working there !
@smavtmb2196 14 days ago

I'm happy and not suprised to see SpaceX upgrading the chopstick hydraulic actuators. Apparently these should allow the chopsticks to close/open faster. This is very good news as I've always been skeptical whether the chopsticks are fast enough for a booster catch. However the booster will not only need to come in too the exact location/position of the chopsticks but also turn its self so it's in the correct orientation for the two lift arms to line up and land in the long c-channels/rails on the chopsticks. I really hope SpaceX pulls it off. However I think they should probably have 2 successful simulated tower catches over water first.
@dasfoot 14 days ago

Dude putting the tiles on had a Buc-ee's sticker on his hardhat.
@dangorneanu9616 14 days ago

Lookin like SpaceX is really on track to catch B12!
@darrellmcever340 14 days ago

Moving the world's largest rocketship down a old Texas Beach road where my buddies and I would go surfing in the 60's. Remember imagining a spaceport like Cape Canaveral in that area being batted around at NASA way back then.
@e4tango347 14 days ago

Absolutely love Mary's perspective!
@jebediahkerman3946 14 days ago

Wow! That is one massive ant hill!
@MrKellymcilrath 14 days ago

Great video work Mary, Sean, and all at NSF, Thank you!!
@rockykropp 14 days ago

Quote when this all started: “… we’re going to need a bigger crane..” 😊
@corrinastanley125 14 days ago

Thanks NSF team great update.
@cmm90871 14 days ago

So just watched egv stream and the new system for pressurizing the deluge system is stupid smart and I'm so impressed. Using the heat mass of the deluge water itself to drive the heating and expansion of liquid nitrogen pumped at the high pressures in liquid form similar to the expansion reasons used on the rocket. Absolutely brilliant as maintaining pressure through the entire volume displaced will be easy.
@Booster-13ALIVE 14 days ago

Ship 30s heat shield looks nice
@HughMann 14 days ago

Well I'm here early Edit: I got here before YouTube gave me the notification. Talk about timing. "Posted 2 seconds ago" definitely wasn't what I was expecting to see this morning.
@doitatit 13 days ago

That looks back breaking laying those tiles!!! Hard on the knees and lower back!!
@arnoldsmith5754 14 days ago

watching the endless work going on
@karlwest437 14 days ago

Must be satisfying when they put in that last tile 😀