On this same day, along with starting to install the GSE tanks, the foundation for the Integration tower was built and the first steel pillar of the tower was added to the foundation. During this surge, GSE 2 was rolled out on April 19 and lifted onto its place in the tank farm. Then, during SN15’s test campaign, the construction work at the OLP stepped up, because SpaceX was reaching a point in the program where they needed to test the entire stack and not just the ship. Teams also began the installation of piping for the tank farm.Īn important milestone was reached on April 5, 2021, when GSE tank 1 was rolled out and then lifted onto its mount in the tank farm 3 days later.
While the testing campaigns of SN9, SN10, and SN11 were taking place, SpaceX started working on the OLP again by beginning to lay the foundations for the tank farm and the associated GSE bunkers. Once the pillars were completed, there wasn’t much progress on the Orbital Launch Pad (OLP) as the focus shifted to flying the SN8 and SN9 vehicles. After building up steel rebar for reinforcement, a steel cylinder was sleeved over the rebar and each pillar was filled with concrete, covered, then left to cure. SpaceX started construction of the orbital launch pad on June 22, 2020, when teams began to install the concrete rebar for the six pillars of the orbital launch mount. Over a year of construction has brought the complex’s various elements to the verge of launching the most powerful rocket in history. With the maiden orbital flight of Starship approaching, Orbital Launch Pad A in Starbase, Texas, is being built up to launch readiness.
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