Excitement is brewing as SpaceX gears up for its next Starship launch at Boca Chica Beach in South Texas, scheduled for no earlier than November 18 at 7:00 a.m. CT. Engineers have implemented significant improvements, not only to the launch vehicle but also to “Stage Zero,” the critical launch infrastructure supporting takeoff and landing at Starbase.
“Stage Zero” comprises the launch pad, launch tower mount, flame suppression system, propellant tanks, and other ground systems essential for Starship operations. The current design features a reinforced concrete pad, recently fortified with stainless steel, capable of withstanding the intense heat and forces generated by Starship’s Raptor engines.
Following the first fully-integrated Starship launch on 4/20, SpaceX enhanced the Starbase launch pad foundation, reinforcing it with thicker concrete. Steel plates were also installed over the foundation, incorporating a water-cooling element, or deluge system, to safeguard against potential out-of-control fires, pad breakup, and associated debris.
The FAA granted a spaceflight license for SpaceX to conduct a second fully-integrated flight test at the Starbase launch site, as detailed in the “Written Re-evaluation of the 2022 Programmatic Environmental Assessment for Starship/Super Heavy.” The document released by FAA on November 15, has details about the two fire suppression systems: FireX and the newest water deluge system integration was nicknamed “mega-steel pancake” by Elon Musk during an 𝕏-Spaces discussion.
FireX
According to the document, the FireX system is designed to “be activated only in the event of a fire on the launch pad.” SpaceX’s FireX is a fire suppression system located on the Orbital Launch Mount (OLM), designed to protect the mount and nearby infrastructure from fires caused by rocket launches. The system uses a combination of high-pressure water and nitrogen gas to extinguish flames and prevent the spread of fire.
The FireX system was first tested in July 2023, and it has been used several times since then during static-fire tests of the Starship Raptor engines. The system has been successful in extinguishing flames and preventing the spread of fire.
Key features of the FireX system:
• High-pressure water spray: The system uses a network of water nozzles to spray high-pressure water onto the launch mount and surrounding area. The water is atomized to create a fine mist that can penetrate and cool hot surfaces.
• Nitrogen gas displacement: The system also uses nitrogen gas to displace oxygen from the area around the launch mount. This helps to prevent the spread of fire by reducing the amount of oxygen available to combustion.
• Automated fire detection: The system uses a network of sensors to detect flames and smoke. When a fire is detected, the system automatically activates the water spray and nitrogen gas systems.
• The FireX system can release 120,000 gallons of water, with an estimated 20,000 gallons utilized depending on the fire’s intensity. Most of the water not vaporized by the fire would be collected in retention areas on the vertical launch area (VLA).
The Mega-Steel Pancake
The “mega-steel pancake” is a flame diverter system made out of thick perforated steel plates that sit directly underneath the rocket at the Starbase launch pad. It is sprayed with water from multiple huge water jets to keep it cool, even as it is bombarded with flames from the rocket engine. Watch video clip linked below.
It involves pushing approximately 358,000 gallons of potable water from ground tanks into steel plates. This water is then released through holes in the steel plating during engine static-fire tests and rocket launches. The system rapidly cools the plates, creating a barrier between them and the rocket exhaust. This not only reduces heat and absorbs sounds to reduce noise levels, but also facilitates the reusability of the steel plates.
Elon Musk described the system during an 𝕏-Spaces discussion —“[…] We have a sort of a steel sandwich, which is basically two thick plates of steel that are welded together with channels going through perforations in the top so it will actually shoot a lot of water out,” he said on June 24. “Think of it like a gigantic upside-down shower head. It’s going to basically blast water upwards while the rocket is over the pad to counteract the massive amount of heat from the booster. The booster is basically like the world’s biggest cutting torch with a massive amount of heat, but also a massive amount of force,” he explained. Musk said that builders added roughly 1,000 cubic meters of steel-reinforced high-strength concrete under the Starbase launch tower. The modifications should leave “the base of the pad in much better shape than last time,” he said.
“It’s a mega-steel pancake. This thing’s a beast!” said Musk. Both fire suppression systems are important parts of SpaceX’s efforts to make Starship launches as safe as possible.
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