The Ringwatchers

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Absolute BONKERS. Thanks to the @SpaceX media and engineering teams for bringing this to us. Must watch!

@Jordanguidry6 @FelixSchlang Dark days are coming

The first piece of the Gigadoor being installed! @FelixSchlang

10/33 Installed 3/10 Previously Tracked 1/? Steps closer to launch It's nice to get these diagrams back out. And even more fun to see Raptor 3 finally installed on a vehicle! 📷: nsf.live/starbase 📷: @LabPadre

Major Raptor 3 Milestone! We are officially into the 100's with R102 heading past the NSF Cameras out at McGregor! Keep in mind this is post testing so production is likely well past 102 by now! 📷: nsf.live/mcgregor

Booster 19 is currently undergoing a second Cryo test at Massey's test site. @NASASpaceflight

The Starlink satellite dispenser for Starship 40 was moved into megabay 2 today marking the start of Starship 40 assembly for Starship test flight 13. 1/31/26

.@TurkeyBeaver @Boca_Bill_R Any insight as to what's being tested here? Actual tiles, tracking targets, or?

Something unusual on the Starlink 17-20 mission payload fairing was visible in launch pad video prior to today's launch. The black hexagons look very much like Starship thermal protection tiles.

@MrBeast @Boca_Bill_R We pick apart this and more on our Discord: discord.com/invite/ringwat…

Ringwatching in a MrBeast video wasn't on the bingo card for this year, but there we go. In mid-December last year, @MrBeast toured Starbase along with Starship Engineering's VP @Boca_Bill_R. Video of his visit has finally gone public, and we got some unique views into the Starfactory and Starship. Out of many, many shots, this one gave us some insight into how the Ship changes with V3 - pictured here is the inside of a V3 payload bay. 📸MrBeast Out of all the stringers and stiffeners, this odd pipe structure in the top-left corner catches the eye. It seems to have two butterfly valves attached to a T shaped pipe coming out through the wall. This structure seems to be mirrored on the opposing side as well. 📸MrBeast Orienting it correctly would place it on the edge of the heatshield, where only the ablative layer is installed. Odd, right? Not necessarily. This port, spotted in October '25 on S39, the first V3 Ship, sits right in that spot. 📸@LabPadre We speculate that this valve contraption is used to vent down the payload bay in flight, right before the PEZ door is opened and the payload deployed. Putting these on exact opposite sides would ensure that the Ship doesn't rotate when that happens... and doesn't spin out of control when its methane tank autogen diffuser breaks and leaks several more bars into the payload bay. But that would never happen... right?

@MrBeast @Boca_Bill_R Source (timestamped): youtu.be/pAnGwRiQ4-4?t=…

@David_Ogawa Google material failure

@Ringwatchers This is not necessarily a failure. If the hot staging interstage exceeded design spec, it is a success. Too bad they couldn't reach the truss collapse stress. That would be good to know.

B18.3 fails during crush testing at Massey's - important to note that the ~4 rings below the dome are unpressurized, which wouldn't be the case on a normal Booster. Whether this was an intentional test to failure or not is unknown.

@gwgerrond lol

@Ringwatchers Just to be clear, since you don't know the test parameters, nor the intent, you are speculating at best. If it was a test to failure, then it was successful. I normally expect a little better from @Ringwatchers.

Another angle showing super heavy booster 18's severe LOX tank damage that occured during testing overnight. 11/21/25

4 in a row! R3.65, R3.66, R3.67 and R3.68 have all just rolled past at McGregor, Having 4 seemingly flight ready engines in a row feels like a really good place to be in at the moment! (And yes, for those with a single digit mental age, yes 67 ha ha) 📷: nsf.live/mcgregor

The V3 Booster fwd section, shown on the @SpaceX launch coverage stream yesterday, has been moved out of Starfactory and into Megabay 2.

R3.3 came out to play today! Visible leaving the RS testing area (May have come from RV)! 📷: nsf.live/mcgregor

All, @ChameleonCir, the mastermind behind every single one of the renders you see here and on the Ringwatchers website, is in trouble. Please take a moment to read through her story on gofundme and consider donating - if not - sharing to your spaceflight friends. gofundme.com/f/fsqw59-escap…