Florida Version of SpaceX Starship Looks Better Than Texas Version

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The Florida version of the SpaceX Starship looks shinier and seems to have better workmanship overall than the Texas version of the Starship.

The first two photos are the shinier Florida Starship and the third is the Texas version.

SpaceX is targeting 2021 for the first commercial launch of the Super Heavy Starship. There will be a lot of hop tests of the Starhopper and then the Starships throughout the rest of 2019 and into 2020.

24 thoughts on “Florida Version of SpaceX Starship Looks Better Than Texas Version”

  4. At one time that was not an option. I will be happy with a launch where the rocket doesn’t blow up immediately.

  5. Professor Viggers at Seattle University used to say that all the time! He also said: “The only difference between a scientist and an engineer is the number of zero’s they carry.”

  7. agreed, anyone who thinks that this is even anywhere near to being a reenrty vehicle is plain delusional. this thing looks like it has less structural integrity than your average grain silo.

  8. Actually…the shinier it is…the more polished it is…and the better aerodynamics/less friction it will have at high speeds….so yah….the shinier it is the higher it will fly.

  11. Hopefully, Elon will build a plant close to the test sites, to provide better conditions for welding. The SpaceX California plant may be OK for engines and smaller Falcons; but, has no easy way to get anything larger to a launch site. Texas has plenty of room at McGregor for a factory next to the current test launch pads; but, the residents are already complaining about the noise from rocket engines rattling their windows. Boca Chica may not have room for a factory, or a place to live for workers as in Florida. There are a lot of qualified workers already living near the pads at Kennedy Space Center or Canaveral Air Force Station; but, real estate may be impossible or very expensive to acquire. If the Starship is successful, Florida may be worth the expense.

  12. The old joke that the Air Force had a perfect flight record.
    “We have never left one up there yet.”

  15. The brown residue is likely from whatever they used for weld shielding. It’s often not possible to use an inert gas shield (MIG/TIG) if there is any wind blowing, so they probably used stick welding (SMAW). Another issue with welding a high-performance pressure vessel like this outdoors is weld quality on the unshielded back side of the weld joint. Maybe they grind away the back side of the joints and weld the area back up to required thickness.

  18. They are not real Starships anyway. Just Alpha Versions. I mean… no windows, etc.

    Didn´t they hire Water Tank manufacturers to build these?

    I suppose when they start making them for real, they will hire people with experience in building Boeing 747 or Airbus A380 jets. (Starship fuselage diameter is actually wider than those)
    https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/08/Airbus_A380_versus_Boeing_747.svg/1280px-Airbus_A380_versus_Boeing_747.svg.png

  21. Fortunately the learning curve for working with SS is going to be a not easier to navigate, than cryogenic composites. I don’t think you can really tell from looking at either of these which is better, and they may both be good enough for this point in the tests.

  23. Why the corrosion patina around some of the welds? Hopefully it’s from an added component to the rods that is meant to out-gas or otherwise exit the weld process. I would find that very concerning if these test units were actually used for high speed entry tests. Though some of the weld flux looks ground off and shiny, so it’s probably nothing.
    Also, the construction of the Texas version seems to be built of “blocks” of thicker metal, whereas the Florida version seems to be made of thick sheets with some slight buckling as they are made to fit in place. Notice that the second picture shows all the lower sheets bowed out just from the weight of the empty sections above that. The Texas version looks like a brick house in comparison. It’s possible the reason we have two versions is actually to determine the proper thickness, with both extremes represented. Or maybe the Florida version will have a dual layer with that micropore cooling system Elon has spoke of added there.

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