Pad 1 conversion ongoing, with Flight 12 nearing

Date:
Tue, 05 May 2026 18:23:55 +0000

Description:
Over six months after the end of Flight 11, the old design, Pad 1, was The post Pad 1 conversion ongoing, with Flight 12 nearing appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .

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Over six months after the end of Flight 11, the old design, Pad 1, was demolished, and conversion to the newer pad design, like Pad 2, is underway. In that time, crews have made impressive progress, with excavation of the trench about to start.







Pad 1 Conversion

Since the end of Flight 11, SpaceX and its contractors have made significant progress in converting Pad 1 to the new launch pad configuration. Currently, all of the major Continuous Flight Auger piles, Sheet piles, and deep soil mixing have been completed for the new trench.

With these out of the way, crews can start excavating the trench and installing tiebacks to help hold the sheet piles in place during excavation and construction. There is still a way to go before the entire trench is excavated and ready for the concrete floor pour, but crews are making good time so far. Methane Tank farm at the Launch Site, the six smaller tanks have since been removed

As for what will go into the trench and over it, parts for the Pad 1 water buckets have begun to arrive at Sanchez for assembly. This time around, crews are doing a slightly different construction method.

For Pad 2, the buckets were built one pipe at a time before being installed into the trench. This time, sections of five pipes are being preassembled to reduce on-site assembly time.

For the actual launch mount, parts for the second level, which contains the hold-down arms, have started arriving in Sanchez. Currently, these parts will likely sit to the side until crews are ready to start assembling the second level.

Once construction starts, it will take about six months to build the mount before installing it over the trench, assuming the trench is ready.

Another change in construction compared to Pad 2 and LC-39A is that crews
are building out the side service structure in a staging area next to the trench. With the trench and surrounding ground not yet ready, crews are getting a head start by preassembling the service structure.

Once complete and the ground is ready, crews will likely use the Buckner LR11000 crane with the V-frame and counterweight tray to lift the entire structure into place. Pad 1 Service Structure Preassembly

That same crane was just used to remove the six small liquid methane (LCH4) tanks, one of which was never used. These were rolled to the port connector road and may be transported to another SpaceX facility or sold to another party.

These tanks are too small to be of much use to LC-39A or SLC-37. The other
two older ribbed LCH4 tanks were moved next to the newer set of six, bringing the total to eight LCH4 tanks; this will be SpaceXs methane storage farm for the foreseeable future.

The next job for the Buckner LR11000 will be to remove the Pad 1 Ship Quick Disconnect arm. This design is obsolete and will either need to be
retrofitted or SpaceX will scrap this entire arm and build a new one from scratch.

SpaceX and its contractors still have a lot of work to do before Pad 1 is fully converted, but in just six months, significant progress has been made.

Pad 2 Readiness

As for the pad on which the conversion is based, SpaceX appears to be
nearing the final touches on Pad 2 before launch, possibly sometime in mid to late May.

With the full stack getting closer and closer, crews have been testing the ship side of the tank farm, including activating the tower vent and purging the propellant lines to the ship quick disconnect plate. Four-box synced angles of what appears to be a full integrated retraction test of Pad 2

: https://t.co/5b1GE4zkY9 @NASASpaceflight https://t.co/BOh7yD7a4R pic.twitter.com/Q9uCwinzVT

Erik Fraser (@efraser77) April 30, 2026



These are major milestones before stacking a ship on a booster and hooking the quick disconnect plate to the ship. SpaceX has also performed a couple of full retraction tests for the entire launch pad. This is where teams retract the booster hold-down clamps and arms, the booster quick disconnects, and the ship quick disconnect arm in sequence. This is a launch rehearsal for the entire pad to make sure everything is done in the correct sequence.

The water deluge system, however, has had a few issues during testing. Both Booster 19 static-fire aborts were due to pressure and/or sensor issues with the deluge system. And on May 2, during a full deluge test that included the top deck plate, a gas generator for the top deck plate exploded. Luckily for SpaceX, this only failed at the top, blowing the top off the combustor and
the grate covering it.

It is unknown why this failure occurred, but given the issues SpaceX has encountered, another static fire of Booster 19 seems certain to ensure everything is working before flight. During a deluge test today, what seems
to be an explosive event was observed in the deluge farm followed by the deluge shutting down.

https://t.co/GXLJIx8VoE | @NASASpaceflight pic.twitter.com/SnCTOvOwYt

StarbaseTracking (@TrackingTheSB) May 3, 2026



Flight 13: Booster 20 and Ship 40

With Flight 12 getting closer to launching, the next set of vehicles to fly are Booster 20 and Ship 40. Recently, Booster 20 completed stacking in Mega Bay 1 and will now undergo final construction before going to Masseys for cryo-proof testing. It is unknown exactly when this booster will be ready for flight, but based on current timelines, it may not be ready until late July
or August.

Its other half, Ship 40, recently rolled out to Masseys for cryo proof testing on the newly built ship cryo thrust sim stand. Ship 40 at Masseys for Cryo Proof Testing

This stand uses the footprint of the static fire crab stand and features six rams to simulate Raptor engine thrust during cryo-proof operations. Ship 40
is also having its forward and aft flaps tested, as with Ship 39, using the truss structure over the static fire trench.

Its going to be a while before both vehicles are ready for flight, but hopefully, the period between Flights 12 and 13 will be only a few months
this time.

Featured Image: Pad 1 Flyover on April 15th (Ceaser G for NSF)



The post Pad 1 conversion ongoing, with Flight 12 nearing appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .



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Link to news story: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2026/05/pad-1-conversion-flight-12-nearing/


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