The launch pad is good shape:

• Elon Musk: Launch pad is in great shape
• Kate Tice: Happy to report that following today’s super successful test flight, launch pad and Mechagodzilla are both in good shape.
• Starship Gazer photos: First look at the launch mount
• RGV Aerial Photography: Starship IFT-1 vs IFT-2

The fate of S25:

• astroferg on Twitter managed to get a shot of the S25 nosecone after the FTS was triggered
• It is possible that this was what was observed reentering near Puerto Rico
• NOAA weather radar data showing the track of the debris cloud

FAA/SpaceX mishap investigation has been triggered. Given that the FTS seems to have worked, and there is minimal damage to the ground infrastructure, I'm hoping that this investigation will be shorter.

Scott Manley investigation report is already completed: Starship & Superheavy Become The Biggest Rocket In Space.... Before Exploding

• He speculates that B9 engine failure during boostback was due to either fuel slosh, fluid hammer, or a combination of both. It's unclear whether the booster FTS was triggered or whether the Booster RUD happened on its own.
• For S25, he notes that a puff of gas just after T+7 minutes coincides with a drop in the LOx gauge. This indicates an oxygen leak of some sort, which could have any number of causes.

Starbase activities (2023-11-27):

• Pipework delivered for the tank farm
• Long SPMT (26 axles) moved to the Launch site, likely for tank installation operations.
• Huge cryo tank delivered (video)
• Arrival at the launch site
• Tank transferred from delivery trailer to SPMT
• SPMT moves tank into position
• TPS work on S28 continues
• OLM work continues, and a lift was observed near the chopsticks.

Unsourced rumour that a large spherical tank will be moved from Florida to Starbase.

Starbase activities (2023-11-23):

• S28 moved from Rocket Garden to High Bay, likely for work on completing the heatshield
• S28, S29, and S32 are inside the High Bay, S30 is just outside, S20, S26, and S31 are in the rocket garden.
• OLM work continues

Starbase activities (2023-11-21):

• Testing performed on SQD and chopsticks
• S29, S30, and S31 were shuffled in and out of the High Bay.
• Mystery structure rolled into the build site, possibly a new transport stand.

IFT-2:

• astroferg uploaded stabilized tracking video of S25's nose cone after FTS was triggered
• SpaceX has updated their IFT-2 page. Nothing too surprising. They verified that S25 FTS was triggered, but have not said the same for B9.

This thread maybe, next thread definitely!

Busy day at Starbase yesterday:

• Inspections of OLM, B9, and S25 continue
• Net was removed from beneath OLM
• Chopsticks raised to lifting position on S25
• "Dance floor" work platform lowered onto an SPMT and removed from under the OLM
• SPMT moves the raptor install stand from near hopper to near sub orbital pad A
• Welding observed on several of the OLM legs

IFT-2 slips to NET November 15th. Road closures for the 13th and 14th have been cancelled, and the Mexican NOTMAR has been updated.

Dear Moon officially slips to NET 2024 :)

Starbase activities (2023-11-29):

• 4th cryo tank arrives (video)
• 4th cryo tank installed (video)
• The letters "WAY TO M" in "gateway to mars" were installed
• 5th cryo tank arrives (video)
• 5th cryo tank installed (video)
• Raptor truck delivering to Massey's
• TPS work on S28 coming along nicely
• Work continues on the chopsticks
• Booster stabilization pins reinstalled on OLM

Starbase activities (2023-12-05):

• Weird-looking ring spotted. Purpose unclear. Any guesses?

• Booster transport stand moved to Megabay 1

• B10 loaded onto transport stand

• B10 exits Megabay 1

• B10 rolled out to the Sanchez site

• Chopsticks raised and lowered

• NASA astronauts spotted at Starbase

Starbase activities (2023-12-03):

• Window installation continues on Megabay 2
• Concrete being torn up near the orbital tank farm, likely in preparation for constructing a new wall.
• Several boom lifts observed at the chopsticks

Starbase activities (2023-11-28):

• 2nd cryo tank arrives (video)
• 2nd cryo tank installed (video)
• 3rd cryo tank arrives (video)
• 3rd cryo tank installed (video)
• Large letters delivered for a new sign at the launch site, likely reading "gateway to mars". For some reason, they installed the "R" first, then "ARS"...
• TPS work on S28 continues.
• Welding work observed on the OLM and the chopsticks.

B9 needing a replacement "grid fin actuator"

Seems launch delayed til Saturday, works out specifically for me!

Starbase activities (2023-11-26):

• Not much happened today.
• TPS work on S28 continues.
• Fog rolled in mid-afternoon, so I guess we should be glad they aren't launching anything like SN11 :)

Starbase activities (2023-11-24):

• S28, S29, S30, and S32 are all nestled in the High Bay.
• Workers cleaning S28 ahead of remaining TPS installation
• Starkitty sighted
• OLM work continues

New CSI Starbase video: Superheavy’s Massive Fire Suppression System Dramatically Increases Performance

Ringwatchers article: What Changed on Starship 25 & Booster 9?

Elon tweets:

• Four more Starships, the last of V1
• Version 2 of the ship holds more propellant, reduces dry mass and improves reliability
• Re: N1, importance of engine isolation: If an engine failure is isolated, then many engines greatly increases reliability (Starship only loses <3% of thrust). If not, then reliability is terrible. The difference is at least 2 orders of magnitude.
• Starship is intended to carry a lot of people on tens of thousands of flights, so needs to be extremely reliable over time. It will be.
• Re: CSI Starbase: Good video

Starbase activities (2023-11-25):

• Scrapping of SN15 continues.
• OLM work continues. (lifts go up, lifts go down)
• Some concrete being torn up by orange digger in the vicinity of the OLM. (~11:00 CST on Starbase Live)
• 

Elon on SSTO: Yeah, wrong planet for SSTO. No problem on Mars with ~37% Earth gravity.

Starbase activities (2023-11-22):

• S30 moved out of High Bay
• SPMTs then left for the Rocket Garden, possibly to retrieve S28.
• Close-up of S30 and overview of Starships in production.
• Mystery stand moved out of the build site.
• Starbase's cat is still around after IFT-2.
• Lifting squid was removed and reattached to S28.

Elon on next-gen Raptor:

Could make them faster, but engine production is not the limiting factor.

I’m very excited about the next-gen Raptor engine that is robust enough not to require a heat shield. Will also have more thrust, higher Isp and many other improvements.

Starbase activities (2023-12-02):

Not too much action today:

• Storage structure at the launch site was dismantled, likely to free up space for a new wall surrounding the orbital tank farm.
• Ongoing work on the chopsticks, OLM, and S28 TPS

Starbase activities (2023-11-30):

• No new cryo tank deliveries. The 26-axle SPMT is taking a break.
• S33 aft section was scrapped a few days ago. With S32 being the last V1 Starship, it is expected that all components of S33+ will be scrapped in preparation for Starship V2.
• "Gateway to mars" sign was completed. (timelapse video)
• Installation of top windows for Megabay 2 has begun
• TPS work on S28 continues
• OLM work continues
• Chopstick work continues

McGregor:

• Shockwaves from Raptor testing: https://nitter.net/AdamCuker/status/1730407352325538096#m

Bonus:

• Tesla finally released the footage of the drone collision with an R-Vac a while back. (timestamp 1:37)

The past day’s Starbase activities (2023-11-14):

• Weather improved!
• TPS repairs were done on S25.
• A new cryo storage tank (possibly for methane) arrived at Masseys.
• Inspections and minor work took place on B9 and the OLM.

IFT-2 news:

• A temporary flight restriction (TFR) was posted for November 17th, "From the surface up to Unlimited".
• Still no launch license yet, but all signs point to November 17th as the current target date.

The past day’s Starbase activities (2023-11-11):

• LR11000 crane raised back up.
• S25 was destacked from B9 (again).
• LR11000 raises lifting jig up to the top of B9 in preparation for hot stage ring removal.
• Wind and rain continue :)

The past day’s Starbase activities (2023-11-13):

• Poor weather continues :)

Other Starship related stuff:

• The CEO reported that regulatory approval "should happen in time for a Friday launch". He does not specify which Friday :)
• IFT-2 is now reflected on the FAA ATC Current Operations Plan Advisory (permalink). This is not the launch license, but it may indicate that one is on the way.
• November 15th's road closure was revoked, but a road closure was posted for November 17th, with the 18th and 19th listed as alternate dates.
• Ringwatchers posted an interesting analysis of SpaceX's recent IFT-2 hype video.

Launch license received!

S25 is being stacked back on B9! NSF are live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DB_FzncBgq0

Starbase activities (2023-12-01):

• Starkitty sighted
• Rear cover of Booster QD removed and placed on an SPMT (video)
• "Gateway to mars" sign illumination testing. At least the letters "TO MA" work.
• TPS work on S28 continues
• Chopstick work continues (4+ lifts working simultaneously, welding observed)

Rumour is that IFT-3 (B10, S28) is NET Feb 2024.

Starbase activities (2023-11-19)

• B11 moved from Masseys to Build Site.

IFT-2 aftermath:

• S25 lost several tiles on ascent.
• B9 debris cloud picked up on NOAA weather radar
• SQD obtained minor damage
• Elon reiterates that the launch pad is in great condition, with "no refurbishment needed to the water-cooled steel plate".
• He also states that "Starship Flight 3 hardware should be ready to fly in 3 to 4 weeks"

Starbase activities (2023-12-06):

• B10 moved to rocket garden (video)
• A better shot of the weird-looking ring section from yesterday. It has a denser arrangement of pins. Why? More pins per tile? Smaller tiles?
• Starbase gains a silly road sign.
• About a dozen Starlink ground stations spotted at the back of the Sanchez site today
• Work on the OLM, chopsticks, and Megabay 2 continues
• S28 TPS looks to be nearing completion

Other Starship news:

• Potential road closures posted for December 8th, 11th, and 12th. Is this the start of B10's testing campaign? Or S28?

IFT-3 NET 2024 as per u/space_rocket_builder (a claimed/suspected insider) in The Other Place:

Well… expect a launch sometime early 2024. Findings from the last flight have been positive so far so we are expecting a much shorter turnaround time this time but still have a lot of work to do for the next flight.

Busy couple of days at Starbase!

2023-11-16 (Incidentally, the 1 year anniversary of Artemis I):

• B9 grid fin test conducted, issue with actuator likely identified at this time
• LR11000 erected
• S25 transport stand moved to launch site
• S25 destacked from B9. NSF livestream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXEHWGi1WwM
• Hot stage ring removed from B9
• Three grid fin actuators were swapped out, and new actuators installed and tested.
• S32 fully stacked in High Bay
• Two more launch tower pieces were delivered

2023-11-17:

• Hot stage ring restacked on B9
• S25 restacked on B9 for the final_final_v2_FINAL time :)
• SQD reconnected. 21 hours and 43 minutes from disconnect to reconnect, as per @[email protected] in The Other Place.
• S25 transport stand moved to build site
• S25 flaps tested
• OLM FireX system was tested

IFT-2:

• Weather looks good for Saturday morning.
• Road closure for November 18th is in place, with 19th and 20th as alternate dates.
• SpaceX official announcement, and confirmation of morning launch attempt

Starbase activities (2023-11-20):

• B11 lifted onto the engine installation stand
• Two SPMTs moved to High Bay, likely for S30 transportation
• S30 says "peekaboo" and rolls out of the High Bay

SpaceX have posted a number of stunning photos and videos from IFT-2:

• Drone footage of liftoff
• Starship launches off the pad under the power of all 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy Booster
• Starship liftoff through successful hot-stage separation
• Tracking camera views of hot-staging separation
• Starship liftoff in slow motion
• Starship’s hot-stage separation was the first time this technique has been done successfully with a vehicle of this size
• The world’s most powerful launch vehicle ever developed, powered by 33 Raptor engines, lifting off from Starbase
• View from atop the tower at liftoff

S25 is being stacked on B9 right now! NSF are live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nr1lvg-UyfA

07:00 CT = 13:00 UTC

Starbase activities (2023-12-04):

• B10 hot stage ring was lifted and installed
• Forward section for unknown booster spotted in the Starfactory
• Progress on the Starfactory building itself is coming along nicely
• Megabay 2 window installation continues
• OLM booster clamps were swapped out and reinstalled
• "Gateway to mars" sign illuminated.

Other Starship news:

• IFT-3 will include an internal cryogenic propellant transfer

IFT-2 (launch thread):

• Launched at 07:02 CT.
• Hot staging worked well, but B9 ~~FTS was triggered~~ experienced a RUD shortly into the boostback burn.
• S25 continued on a nominal trajectory up until a few seconds before SECO, at which point signal was lost, likely due to FTS being triggered.

Starbase activities:

• A couple tanker trucks lined up to refuel the tank farm.
• Workers returned to the pad by 09:00, currently inspecting the launch site and collecting debris.
• Chopsticks lowered.

Edit: Unclear if B9 FTS was triggered or not.

The past day’s Starbase activities (2023-11-15):

• The LR 11000 restacked the hot stage ring on B9.
• The LR 11000 boom was then laid down.
• S25 was restacked on B9
• Covers were removed from the ship QD arm, and the QD connected to S25.
• Workers were observed inspecting the OLM and ship QD.
• A piece of a launch tower was delivered. It seems that a second launch tower at Boca Chica may be in the works.

IFT-2 news:

• Launch license was received!
• SpaceX are targeting Friday November 17th at 7:00 CT.

Not much happened in the past day (2023-11-12) at Starbase:

• Hot stage ring was removed from B9.
• Wind and rain continue :)

The past day's Starbase activities:

• S25 was stacked on B9 for (hopefully) the final time.
• B9's transport stand and the Raptor Installation Platform have left the Launch Site. S25's transport stand may or may not be moved prior to launch.
• A tile fell off S25.
• The hot stage ring transport stand and loadspreader moved back to the launch site, possibly indicating another destack.
• Rainy weather may have precluded additional activities.

SpaceX have announced that IFT-2 is now NET November 17th. Still no FAA launch license yet.

The past day's Starbase activities:

• OLM "dance floor" work platform transported from the launch site to the build site.
• IFT-1 debris clean up continues.
• The explosives team showed up and installed the FTS on B9 and S25. LabPadre captured footage of them looking suitably badass.
• The LR11000 crane was laid down in preparation for launch.

Still no official announcement of a launch license from the FAA.

Starbase activities (2023-12-07):

• Work on the OLM, chopsticks, Megabay 2, and S28 TPS continues
• Methane delivery occurred this afternoon.
• Road closure for December 8th is still possible, would likely be for S28 rollout/testing, not B10.

Other Starship news:

• SpaceX released an IFT-2 recap video. It features a few seconds of onboard footage (from B9) at 0:50 and 1:17. Still no footage from S25.

Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I've seen in this thread:

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