Starship (BFR) production
In March 2024 Elon Musk said that the Starship version2 using the new version 3 Raptor engines will be able to launch 250 tons to LEO fully reusable or 400 tons if expendable.
SpaceX Starship (BFR) production - note: Elon Musk did a much anticipated update in Mid September 2019
SN15 on Pad (12 April 2021) before its successful launch and Landing on the 5th May 2021.
Starship SN15 first flight 5th May 2021 (It may fly again)
Starship SN10 landed but blew up on the landing pad 8 minutes later, SN11 blew up before landing unsuccessful low level test flight (March 2021)
Elon Musk's Starship Announcement in 8 Minutes
External link to Boca Chica Highway 4 Road closures
External link to Boca Chica NOTAM Select TX and click Go
LabPadre Main Cam https://youtu.be/6uVaAugi5gs
Two Starship ORBITAL prototypes, were currently being built as of May 2019, Mk1 at Boca Chica South Texas and a second one Mk2 at Cocoa, Florida near KSC.
By Feb 2020 MK1 and MK2 were used as construction test articles, 300 workers are starting to mass produce Starships with SN01 is almost complete while SN02, SN03 etc at the fast growing Boca Chica Starship Manufacturing hub, SpaceX's plan is to build upto SN20 rapidly for a fast test to destruction and learn quickly for the next test article so Starship is working to launch into orbit by the end of 2020.
Full Starship production with 3000 workers is then set to move even faster at 1 every 2 weeks with an eventual target of two every week.
SpaceX has been tooling up and making parts for the BFR since 2017 and the new Raptor engines have successfully been completed having been first tested in 2016.
The first test of a Starship ORBITAL prototype will be the Mk1 at Boca Chica Beach in South Texas and is expected in late 2019.
Starship Mk1 29 Sept 2019
Starship SpaceX Latest Plan Watch Elon Musk Unveil His Latest Plan For Conquering Mars
Meanwhile SpaceX is rapidly developing its Pad 39A at KSC for Starship use.
SpaceX Starship prototype to fly from Florida
Starship ORBITAL prototype Mk2, development at Cocoa, Florida near KSC.
SpaceX Starship 'Hopper' (StarHopper) test article was built at Boca Chica Beach, South Texas using an updated version of Stainless steel construction using a different alloy mix. super 300 Series Stainless!
This test version will use just a single new design Raptor Engine while the Starship ORBITAL prototype Mk1 built at Boca Chica Beach.
First Test flight was in April 2019
Starship Test Article 23 Dec 2018 at Boca Chica Beach.
Elon Musk stated about the heat shield system 'Leeward side needs nothing, windward side will be activity cooled with residual (cryo) liquid methane, so will appear liquid silver even on hot side'
As of 16 Jan 2019, “To streamline operations, SpaceX is developing and will test the Starship test vehicle at our site in South Texas."
The first Starship (BFR) tests article 'StarHopper' was in flowen upto Aug 2019 in short test flights (hopper style) of the StarHopper from Boca Chica Beach in south Texas being the test site.
A test launch site and mount can be built there quickly once approved in early 2019.
The StarHopper tests article was a shorter version of the Starship but having the full 9 meter Diameter.
Boca Chica Beach is on the coast ideal for transportation Port of Brownsville
The first BFR booster 'Super Heavy' test will follow in late 2019 when Musk hopes to make the first Orbital test of the complet system (Booster and Spaceship)
The aspirational target is to launch the first two cargo Starships to Mars in 2022 followed by four more launches in 2024 to Mars two of which will be manned.
Musk is also looking at an unmanned Starship landing on our Moon as soon as 2021 to prove to NASA SpaceX is the way to go, (comment: this could be the death of NASA's SLS rocket program).
Boca Chica Starship Gigafactory construction
March 2020
SpaceX Boca Chica - Starship SN3 exits high-bay ahead of roll to the pad
Future
There are some interesting variations of the Starship(BFR) that will take shape particularly of the upper section, the BFS(Starship) being the test article, this will be followed by a cargo version (BFC) a Tanker version (BFT) and a Earth Point to Point version. These versions may well be produced at a different factory location next to a launch site, SpaceX is currently working at Cocoa near KSC and Boca Chica Beach.
Elon Musk has also proposed a MASSIVE new rocket called the StarShip generation 2 system that is proposed to have an 18 meter diameter.
OLD PLANS (NOW CANCELED)
Since SpaceX's pivot to stainless steel – rather than advanced carbon composites, As of January 2019 SpaceX terminated a lease agreement it had held with the Port of Los Angeles(Feb 2020 now being reinstated) for a large berth meant to be developed into a dedicated factory for BFR’s massive spaceship upper stage and booster, whose 9m (~30 foot) diameter would have been highly impractical to build somewhere that wasn’t either at the rocket’s launch site or directly adjacent to a port. With its headquarters in Hawthorne, CA (southwestern Los Angeles), SpaceX’s first choice was unsurprisingly the Port of LA, a location that would have allowed its 5000+ local employees to have seamlessly transferred to the BFR program without requiring highly disruptive relocations
One big development is that of a large 18 acre BFR production and F9 refurbishment factory at Berth 240, S Seaside Ave, San Pedro, Port of Los Angeles. the Port of LA.
SpaceX San Pedro site under construction early 2018
"the site would be used to develop and manufacture prototypes and first-generation [BFR/BFS] vessels and develop the manufacturing processes prior to implementing production on a larger scale."
Berth 240 development
First SpaceX Portacabin Jan 2018
4 Fairings stored June 2018
How will SpaceX transport the Starship BFR?
Primal Space