In a flurry of ground activity that underscores SpaceX's relentless drive for launch cadence, engineers at the company's Starbase facility are overhauling Launch Pad 1 while putting the finishing touches on Pad 2.
These parallel efforts—centered on a massive new flame trench, an on-site Air Separation Unit (ASU), expanded propellant storage, and critical tower testing—are explicitly aimed at slashing turnaround times and preparing the site for the next Starship launch, with Flight 12 in the next month or two.
The centerpiece of the Pad 1 transformation is the excavation of a dedicated flame trench, a structural fix designed to eliminate the chronic refurbishment headaches that plagued the original launch mount.
