SECO, tentative 500 x 180 km orbit.

There is still a scheduled circularization burn.

Fairing separation confirmed.

MECO, stage separation, and upper stage ignition.

Spectrum has passed Max-Q.

Liftoff!

Propellant load is underway.

T-0 has slipped to 20:12 UTC, 22:12 local.

Joint ISAR / NSF webcast is live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUc2d_NPBN0

Cornfinement?

there any other potential sources of energy I haven’t thought of?

Wild card answer: Someone turned the Demon Core into a doorknob.

Is that a chocolate door handle?

Ooh, starting a new saga!

He tends to go on vacation after they successfully launch though

He does? He certainly wasn’t on vacation during Artemis II:

• [Eric Berger] As Artemis II zooms to the Moon, everything seems to be going swimmingly
• [Eric Berger] Artemis II is going so well that we’re left to talk about frozen urine
• [Eric Berger] The Artemis II mission has ended. Where does NASA go from here?
• [Eric Berger] As they got close to the Moon, Artemis II astronauts were eager to land
• [Eric Berger] Artemis II pilot (Victor Glover) talks about what it was really like to fly and land in Orion

I don’t think there have been enough Artemis launches that one can infer a strong correlation to Eric Berger’s vacation days :)

Orbital parameters from Jonathan McDowell: https://bsky.app/profile/planet4589.bsky.social/post/3mupvwwwddk2c

EOS-05 (GISAT-1A) and the GSLV CUS upper stage cataloged by USSF in a 154 x 30963 km x 19.3 deg transfer orbit, confirming successful launch by India

2026-09-04:

• Overnight, S42 completes its 2nd cryo test. (ViX, Blobifie)
• Brownsville Port: Road delay for “Port to Production” is posted for Sep 4th 23:59 to Sep 5th 04:00. (starbase.texas.gov, archive)
• Massey’s: Speculation on some of the structural tests conducted on S43.1. (Killip 1, Killip 2)
• Production site: S43’s A3 section enters Megabay 2. (ViX, Blobifie)
• The launch mount service structure has been stacked and the plates have been bolted together. (Killip 1, Killip 2)
• All four corner sections and all four middle sections of the Pad 1 launch mount are now in place. (Killip)
• Pad 2: Movement of the chopsticks, landing rails, and ship quick disconnect arm are observed. (ViX)
• The tower vent pipe is removed. (ViX)
• Highlight of the bolts used to connect the columns of the tower into the base, likely for protection from Raptor exhaust when gimballing during launch. (Killip)
• McGregor: The previous evening, a sea-level Raptor headed towards the testing area. (SpaceRhin0)
• R3.236 (new highest) returns from the testing area. (SpaceRhin0)
• S40 recovery: Forte still scheduled to arrive at Starbase on Oct 8th. (interstellargw)

2026-09-03:

• Sep 2nd addendum: The S43.1 nosecone performs a cryo test. (ViX)
• Massey’s: S42 begins its first cryo test. (Avid Space, ViX)
• Recent flyover photo of S42. (RGV Aerial)
• Road delay for “Masseys to Production” is posted for Sep 3rd 23:59 to Sep 4th 04:00. (starbase.texas.gov, archive, ViX)
• The booster cryo stand departs from Massey’s. (ViX)
• Production site: The raceways for S43 are staged on the central work area of Megabay 2. (Avid Space, ViX)
• Installation of flight termination systems on B21 and S41 is underway. (RGV Aerial)
• Grading work is observed near Highway 4 and the Brownsville Port access road. (RGV Aerial)
• Pad 1: Installation of pipes for the deluge system is underway. (ViX)
• Pad 2: Additional cladding is installed on the launch tower. (ViX 1, ViX 2)
• Movement of the chopsticks and the ship quick disconnect arm are observed. (ViX)
• McGregor: R3.106 (vacuum engine) and R3.134 head back for more testing. (SpaceRhin0)
• Other: Visualization of various orbital planes for Starship and subsequent RTLS opportunities. (mcrs987)

Still no orbital parameters for this launch, per Jonathan McDowell: https://bsky.app/profile/planet4589.bsky.social/post/3muly5ypiak2z

It is now clear that Space Force will not be cataloging the Pallas-1 (Zhishenxing-1) launch. Galactic Energy have not announced any achieved orbital parameters (perigee, apogee, inclination). So, I must regard success of the launch as not confirmed at this point.

Orbital parameters from Jonathan McDowell: https://bsky.app/profile/planet4589.bsky.social/post/3mulxzhdixk2z

StriX-9 cataloged as 2026-201A (100561) in a 538 x 582 km x 38 deg orbit

EOS-05 separation confirmed!

Mission success.

Stage 3 shutdown confirmed.

Stage 2 shutdown, stage separation, and stage 3 ignition confirmed.