Join our crew and become one of the 109,000 members that receive our newsletter.
FILE PHOTO: An unmanned Falcon 9 rocket launched by SpaceX, on a cargo resupply service mission to the International Space Station, lifts off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida January 10, 2015. REUTERS/Scott Audette
SpaceX Abandons Plan to Convert Offshore Oil Rigs Into Rocket Launchers
Elon Musk’s SpaceX has ditched plans to use two semi-submersible oil rigs as offshore launching platforms for the company’s next-generation rocket, according to Space News.
SpaceX apparently purchased the rigs in 2020 with plans to convert at Bollinger Mississippi Repair in Pascagoula, where they arrived last March. But space community insiders are reporting that the rigs have started mostly dormant over the past year and they are now due to depart in the next few weeks.
According to the Space News report, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell this month told reporters that the rigs have been sold.
“We bought them. We sold them. They were not the right platform,” Space News quotes her as saying.
While SpaceX's twin former oil rigs, Phobos and Deimos, have received little public attention lately, they are located at the Port of Pascagoula, where their conversion into Starship launch platforms is still in an early stage.
— NSF – NASASpaceflight.com (@NASASpaceflight) June 2, 2022
It seems the rigs were originally purchased to launch SpaceX’s new Starship rocket, the company’s largest and most powerful rocket to date, designed to transport crew and cargo on missions to the Moon and Mars. The rocket is reportedly in the final stages of development Musk says it could take its maiden flight in March.
Shotwell said the company needed to first start launching the new rocket before thinking about building offshore launch platforms, according to Space News.
“We really need to fly this vehicle to understand it, to get to know this machine, and then we’ll figure out how we’re going to launch it,” she said.
Of course, SpaceX is not new to seabase platforms. The company has converted some barges into dynamically positioned drone landing ships to catch its reusable rocket at sea. With that in mind, here’s a rocket crash landing on one:
The Paraná is Argentina’s gateway to global markets. Around 80% of all the country’s crops are loaded on its shores. But the shipping channel hasn’t been deepened since 2006 — even as global soy commerce has doubled in the same period.
Russia may be forced to throttle back its oil output in the coming months as U.S. sanctions hamper its access to tankers to sail to Asia and Ukrainian drone attacks hobble its refineries.
Oil refiners in India — eager to keep importing cheap crude from Russia — are working with merchants, shippers and other middlemen to rebuild supply chains as tougher US sanctions come into effect.
9 hours ago
Total Views: 886
Sign Up Now for gCaptain Daily
We’ve got your daily industry news related to the global maritime and offshore industries.
JOIN OUR CREW
Maritime and offshore news trusted by our 109,000 members delivered daily straight to your inbox.
Your Gateway to the Maritime World!
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.