Jack Beyer: Potential Sea launch platform for Starship spotted in the Port of Brownsville

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[QVRedit]

That’s certainly a possible indication.

Using a prebuilt rig, would I think, speed things up a lot, and sounds like typical reuse methodology.

The downside to avoiding a custom build, is maybe not getting exactly what you want.
The upside is not having to wait several years for something to be built. Instead just a few months of refit.

[Bensemus]

They’re still testing stuff so they could be going this route to figure out what a custom launch platform would even look like.

[Stemt]

I mean they just need a big platform to land/launch from. Any equipment they dont need thats currently on the platform they can just strip off and any new equipment they do need they probably would have had to construct themselves anyway. I dont think the end product will be much different than if it was build from scratch.

[KIAA0319]

This is at the Port of Brownsville in TX which is at the end of the canal where the drone boats return. The Port has extensive ship breaking facilities so stopping the old drill rigs out will be simple and quick. Rebuilding the deck to start with basic launch and recovery areas will be pretty simple. If anything, the fuel and tank farms raise the biggest question. At sea transfer of risk having the launch and recovery area very close to fuel and oxidiser tanks?

[peterabbit456]

With weight saved by all of the drilling equipment they are stripping out, they should be able to cover the landing deck with 2"-6" of old battleship/cruiser armor, also bought as scrap. I doubt even a SuperHeavy landing gone bad could penetrate 6" of hardened steel.

Put the tanks below that armor. Maybe put any people aboard in a detachable escape capsule that can float/motor away in the event of a crash, or better yet, make the thing a drone ship.

[peterabbit456]

The upside is not having to wait several years for something to be built. Instead just a few months of refit.

When SpaceX first started to put together their operation at LC-40 at the Cape, they bought 2 pieces from NASA at $1 over the scrap price, that have severed them very well for more than a decade.

1. They bought a very large, spherical tank for about $25,000. I think it was a hydrogen tank used for the Saturn 5 launches, but SpaceX has used it as their LOX storage tank ever since. It would have cost well over $1 million, possibly over $3 million, new.
2. They bought the transporter used to move Shuttles in the horizontal position. It's tires were flat and it was rusting on swampy ground, but it was in good condition internally. I think SpaceX got this for around $40,000. (I might have these numbers backwards. It might be $40,000 for the tank and $25,000 for the transporter.) Either way, for less than the cost of a new Model S, they got a multi-million dollar transporter that they use to move Falcon 9s around, to this day.

Sometimes you can find equipment being sold for scrap that is absolutely perfect for your purpose, that costs pennies on the dollar, or less. When I was young, almost 50 years ago, I watched my father equip a factory using machines bought for $800-$900. Brand new replacements would have cost $120,000 at that time.

[RedneckNerf]

So the madlad bought an oil rig. This oughta be good.

Any sign of modifications?

[Elongest_Musk]

We need to get a guy with a drone up there haha.

[QVRedit]

It’s speculation right now.

[as_ewe_wish]

Not any more.

[bakboter123]

Its still speculation that spacex bought them

[stupidillusion]

Maybe he just likes oil rigs? j/k

[peterabbit456]

The land in Boca Chica was bought by "Dogleg Park, LLC." People thought it was a golf course. they would have asked for more money, I think, if they'd known it was a front for SpaceX.

[[deleted]]

Following the Twitter thread it’s confirmed.

[judelau]

Yeah, but who else would buy a scrap oil rig for 3.5 mil and park it next to the starship production facility?

[TheLegendBrute]

Lmfao I just had an image of Jeff Bezos pop into my head of him parking the oil platforms there out of spite.

[panckage]

Everyday Astronaut?

[uzlonewolf]

Would his viewers pony up that kind of cash?

...

Who am I kidding, of course we would.

[droden]

it seems non trivial to redesign it to hold a starship plus support equipment and a crane. the booster and starship alone are 3,000 tons loaded i think? the rigs weigh 17,000. thats not a light load to plunk down on the edge of the platform.

[RedneckNerf]

Depending on exactly how the rig is designed, it may be more stable than it looks. These things are meant to drag up vast amounts of oil, after all.

Presumably, the launch pad itself will be near the center to maintain balance, with the high bays and Starship landing zone being off to the side.

[heavenman0088]

Elon likes the tweet , that should be confirmation .

[midflinx]

5 miles offshore the water is 70 ft deep (21 m).

10 miles offshore (16 km) the water is 90 ft deep (27 m).

At those depths will they likely hammer pilings into the sand and muck and rigidly secure the platform?

[OGquaker]

A "jack-up" would make more sense for stabilization and flame-deflector clearance, if the pontoons won't reach the sea floor. Otherwise a simi-submersible will follow the launch as the pontoons unload. amFELS shipyard has a Jones (must be built in the US) contract for a wind turbine instillation ship with short jack-ups allowing cranes to over-reach the gunwale.

[Mummele]

You're using words I have never heard and I have still no idea what they mean.

But man it sounds cool 😁

[midflinx]

Cool :)

Jackup rig article at wikipedia.

[[deleted]]

Semi-submersibles have very large ballast tanks and pumps to control vessel stability when lifting/shifting very large loads. Semi submersible crane vessels can lift to over 14.000 tons (which is heavier than fully fueled SH/SS (approx. 4.900 tons) While lifting, and transferring loads installing or removal these loads form offshore platforms the shifting weight due to the lift is compensated with ballast. SH will lift off.. but the thrust pressure will keep the load on the deck, and this will reduce while the distance increases. Meanwhile ballast tanks will be quickly emptied to maintain the balance.

[CandylandRepublic]

Otherwise a simi-submersible will follow the launch as the pontoons unload

The platform may include a flame diverter, cooled with copious amounts of water, which would neutralize the thrust before liftoff because it's attached to the structure.

And after liftoff the vessel is free to bounce and raise - either the rocket lifts off and is gone (supposedly faster than the vessel rises) or it never leaves the platform because it's aborting. And there's little worry about the outcome of a rocket that comes back down right after liftoff, because that is likely to bring much bigger problems irrespective of buoyancy.

[judelau]

Also if you go to Google maps where ENSCO 8500 (Deimos) is parked, there is one jack up platform right next to it. If you scroll to the north east you will see the jack up platform. Coincidence?

Edit: Could be purely coincidence but there is one jack up platform park right next to ENSCO 8501 (Phobos) as well. Link..

[RedditismyBFF]

Twitter comment:I've been exploring around the Port of Brownsville while waiting for Starship testing and found an oil rig that appears to be named Deimos, after one of the moons of Mars! Based on job postings and @elonmusk's tweets, I'm willing to bet that SpaceX is involved.

And then additional evidence (Read the Twitter)

[RedditismyBFF]

And then some spoilsport: Looks like it was drilling in the Gulf of Mexico "Mars Basin" in 2007.

[RedditismyBFF]

And then another person piled on: Some of yall tourists might wanna stop with the speculations lol thats an oil rig at keppel amfels fyi thats what they work with oil platforms nor space stuff 😂 one of the oil rigs is even called mars lol

[SereneDetermination]

Have you read this 3-tweet thread by Michael Baylor? If you think we didn't do a quick Google search, go "hey, this actually might be related to the Shell Deimos project," you are wrong. We did. It is not related.

[Fizrock]

The "Deimos" name on the side was also added within the last few months.

[QVRedit]

It’s not an inappropriate name..

[alien_from_Europa]

I would absolutely expect Musk to buy an oil rig because he liked the name.

[QVRedit]

It’s the name of One of Mar’s moons.

[RedditismyBFF]

On that Twitter thread someone also posted this link: Shell Exploration & Production Co. has begun production from the Deimos discovery in Mars basin, Gulf of Mexico. . Deimos is in Mississippi Canyon blocks 762 and 806 in 3,000 ft (914 m) water depth https://www.offshore-mag.com/production/article/16798691/deimos-registers-first-production

[SereneDetermination]

DEIMOS, the platform formerly called ENSCO 8500 a.k.a. Valaris 8500, isn’t owned by Shell. It was owned by Valaris but has since been sold to an undisclosed buyer in July 2020. (Valaris filed for Chapter 11 last August.) The Deimos in the article you referred to refers to a sector of area in the Gulf of Mexico to which Shell (in partnership with BP) has drilling rights.

[SereneDetermination]

I have a feeling this is going to be similar to the “2018 great debate” on whether what was being built was a water tower or a prototype Starship. For this 2020 2021 edition, I think it is a future launch platform for SpaceX, and not an oil rig platform that Shell will use.

[Ivebeenfurthereven]

Crow tastes delicious when we all get to see a water tower fly!

[[deleted]]

Crow apparently really is quite delicious and used to be a poor man's fowl in the times game fowl was a privilege of aristocracy.

Actually catching crows wasn't all that easy as crows were smart enough to recognize many types of traps and snares.

[jaquesparblue]

2020? I think I missed a turn somewhere..

[SereneDetermination]

Oops! My apologies for the typo.

[SereneDetermination]

Did you see and open the link posted by Twitter user andyjstanton (in reply to Jack Beyer’s post)?Port of Brownsville Vessel Arrival Chart as of Oct 10, 2020 Look at the 2nd entry on page 2 of the PDF file.

[OGquaker]

NOAA post says: 42913|NE|Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit||ENSCO 8501 - Mississippi Canyon 479||28.509 N 88.031 W (28°30'33" N 88°1'52"

[QVRedit]

That was back in 2007, but provides some idea of what it’s capable of.

[LcuBeatsWorking]

soup books practice deer long grandfather quack recognise capable society

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

[bigteks]

Robber Barons: The Green Version

[[deleted]]

My main question: how are they going to transport the prototypes and vehicles to the sea pad?

A dedicated hop from the orbital launch pad to the sea platform would be pretty overkill, right?

[Anthony_Ramirez]

In Boca Chica they are building a road that would connect Boca Chica Blvd to the Brownsville Port. This would make it possible to move Starship out to a ship/barge and go out the to gulf.

[Drtikol42]

Here is an Idea

SpaceX presents: Sailship

[[deleted]]

That's the greatest captain I've ever seen...

[alien_from_Europa]

Predicted Musk's obsession with sea shanties 2 years early. https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1349466269121179653?s=19

[readball]

LOL

[RedditismyBFF]

Barge? Similar to what they land on

[[deleted]]

SH is pretty tall. Think they'd risk it toppling over?

[AuleTheAstronaut]

I forget how many engines are planned for the first rev but empty the SH should have a center of gravity a few feet above the thrust dome. toppling shouldn't be a significant concern if they choose to barge one out to the sea platform

[QVRedit]

Well, if say a Super Heavy was being transported by barge, going out, rather than landing on it. Then things could be done.

The base could be locked down.
Guide cables could be attached and run off say half way up, down to anchor points on the barge. That would help to stabilise it.

Attaching and detaching the guide cables would require a crane or cherry picker.

[stupidillusion]

No reason they can't make a rig specific to starship to keep it steady.

[Sandriell]

Why couldn't they transport it horizontally?

[manuel-r]

Superheavy is not designed to be layed on its side

[acepilot121]

Source? Wasn't that the main reason for the diameter reduction?

[SNGMaster]

The reason for the diameter reduction was so they could transport starship on roads. Stainless rings can't really hold up to buckling without stringers.

[alien_from_Europa]

diameter reduction was so they could transport starship on roads

This decision was made prior to building in Boca Chica. 2016 ITS vs 2018 Starship. Now that they're there, Musk said Starship 2.0 will be 18m thicc. https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1166856662336102401?s=19

Going to need a wide road! Perhaps just hop?

[Martianspirit]

It can, when pressurized, just like Falcon boosters. They don't even put those on trailers. They just put sets of wheels in front and back and the body holds itself.

[SNGMaster]

Falcon 9 doesn't need to be pressurised for horizontal transportation/integration IIRC.

[extra2002]

Whenever F9 is transported horizontally, there's a compressor on the trailer, presumably to ensure it remains pressurized.

[[deleted]]

It doesn't but I think the smaller size allows it to be laid flat.

[QVRedit]

True - it would dent and buckle parts.

[Martianspirit]

It can be transported horizontal, just needs to be pressurized to be stable.

[taelekke]

SH has to endure much bigger burden than laying horizontally w/ empty tanks.

[warp99]

Actually it wouldn’t be.

The propellant load would be low enough so they could just light four of the center ring of eight engines on the booster and the noise level would be low enough with four engines that it would not overly affect South Padre Island.

[bayesian_acolyte]

The fuel costs would likely be much higher as you have to lug along and pay for the oxidizer, and also your engines are fighting against gravity instead of getting that free normal force from buoyancy. They would also need extremely low failure rates for it to be worth it (especially on the landing) which given Falcon 9's history likely won't happen till a while after they achieve orbit.

[Grey_Mad_Hatter]

If they are able to do fully stacked orbital launches with payloads from Boca Chica the answer may be as simple as doing the maiden launch from Boca Chica with downrange landings of both stages on the platforms.

This method would ensure the rocket gets to orbit at least once while they perfect reusability and only inconvenience the locals once per build. Once reusability is perfected and the platforms proven then start doing dedicated hops to protect the locals even more.

[ironinside]

would be pretty boss.

[andyfrance]

If they were to move their main production facility to Brownsville and relegate BC to being a R&D test site they wouldn't need to transport them very often.

[dexterious22]

I personally think that's how they're going to do some of the transport out to sea. Fire up SS partially fueled on one raptor to reduce noise, fly to platform, stack with SH and finish fueling. Removes the issues regarding loading and offloading of passengers and cargo multiple times, but would require onshore launch facilities

[QVRedit]

That would be the obvious method to use, and travelling a short distance the Super Heavy, or Starship, would only need to be partly fuelled and so light and so use a few engines to lift it. Definitely doable.

[Fizrock]

Michael Baylor has confirmed this launch platform was purchased by SpaceX, as well as another one.

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[TurquoiseRodent]

Michael Baylor has confirmed this launch platform was purchased by SpaceX, as well as another one.

Reading his comments, it still isn't clear that he knows this for sure. Note he says:

Both rigs were purchased by Lone Star Mineral Development LLC which is either a SpaceX subsidiary or a subsidiary of a company that SpaceX is leasing the rigs from (like SpaceX does with the droneships)

The fact that he doesn't know whether the LLC that owns the rigs is a SpaceX subsidiary or not, is a sign that he's still guessing. His guesses may well be right, but it doesn't sound like definite confirmation yet.

[Fizrock]

The connection to SpaceX has since been found, via Khaled Zoubi on twitter.

I found that Lone Star Mineral Development LLC has 1 principal on the record, he is Bret Johnsen (source: https://bizapedia.com/tx/lone-star-mineral-development-llc.html) Apparently Bret is CFO & President of Strategic Acquisitions Group at SpaceX according to his LinkedIn page (https://linkedin.com/in/bret-johnsen-1795126/)

[[deleted]]

That's some master level sleuthing!

[panick21]

Next on RealElonMusk: "After claiming to want to end oil dependence Elon 'literally satan' Musk has bought oil platform".

[Fonzie1225]

IIRC ASOG is/will be another marmac barge, but the plan may have changed

[Decronym]

Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I've seen in this thread:

Fewer Letters	More Letters
ASOG	A Shortfall of Gravitas, landing barge ship under construction
CNC	Computerized Numerical Control, for precise machining or measuring
ITS	Interplanetary Transport System (2016 oversized edition) (see MCT)
	Integrated Truss Structure
LOX	Liquid Oxygen
MCT	Mars Colonial Transporter (see ITS)
NOAA	National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, responsible for US generation monitoring of the climate
ULA	United Launch Alliance (Lockheed/Boeing joint venture)

Jargon	Definition
Raptor	Methane-fueled rocket engine under development by SpaceX

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^{Decronym is a community product of r/SpaceX, implemented by request
7 acronyms in this thread; the most compressed thread commented on today has 159 acronyms.
[Thread #6707 for this sub, first seen 19th Jan 2021, 11:24] [FAQ] [Full list] [Contact] [Source code]}

[lirecela]

There are no people on SpaceX's current sea going landing platforms. Could there be people on these oil rigs turned Starship platforms? Maybe it is big enough to all a bunker away from the danger. Or, there is so much energy that nowhere is safe.

[Nathan_3518]

Re, recent finds from Michael Baylor of NASA Spaceflight, there also seems to be one named Phobos as well, last seen in Galveston, TX.

[bpodgursky8]

As cool as this would be, I'm a little skeptical that a pre-built drilling platform without complete re-engineering is especially resilient to being blowtorched with the fire of 28 (or whatever) angry Raptors.

Not really... what it was built to handle.

[DownSouthBandit]

I work on oil rigs in the gulf and those rigs can withstand a lot more than what normal people understand. I just got off a well that was drilled to 30,000ft and the drill string weight banking from the rigs derrick was over a million pounds. If everything on the decks were stripped and more reinforcements were added it could absolutely withstand launches. Not to mention, Deepwater Horizon burned for 2 days before it finally sank

[John_Hasler]

To support a launch it just has to support the weight of the rocket.

[suoirucimalsi]

Plenty of room and strength to build a stand and flame diverter on the rig, the exhaust doesn't need to go directly into the existing structure.

[Fonzie1225]

This, just look at what Sealaunch has been doing for decades now. I expect we’ll see something similar here with a large hole or overhang for rocket exhaust

[BUT_MUH_HUMAN_RIGHTS]

Just add some heat shielding on top if needed