Starbase Surge sees SpaceX speed ahead with Booster 4 and Ship 20 - NASASpaceFlight.com - NASASpaceflight.com

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In a marked increase to the already-impressive production cadence at SpaceX Starbase, it’s all hands on deck with Booster 4 and Ship 20 preparations ahead of the duo being sent to the launch site

Elon Musk has since confirmed that Starbase is in a “Warp 9” surge

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 29, 2021

Tweaks to the forward plan remain on the cards, with Elon Musk tweeting, “Grid fin designs clearly work, but do they maximize payload

However, its actual pad destination has yet to be confirmed, as much as it’s highly likely to be the Orbital Launch Site (OLS) based on recent tweets from Elon Musk

The 370-ton piece of hardware will host the booster and provide the hold-down points, receiving the title “Stage Zero” from Chief Engineer Elon Musk on Twitter

Stage Zero, which is everything needed to launch & catch the rocket, is at least as hard as the booster or ship

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 31, 2021

However, a lot of work remains before a Booster can be fully tested on the table, which led to the assumption Booster 4 would first pay a visit to the Suborbital launch site

As per usual, Elon Musk often provides good clues to the near-term plans, referencing the Launch Table installation with “Needs to be level & match booster fittings

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 24, 2021

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 25, 2021