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> Compare with steel where you can just hire a bunch of welders and build the damn thing out in the open. I don't really know anything about welding nor about

> Compare with steel where you can just hire a bunch of welders and build the damn thing out in the open. I don't really know anything about welding nor about the forces acting on a rocket, but I remember reading that the effort in welding the Saturn V rocket was a feat in itself. It took a long time to train the workforce to perform the welds and extensive inspection was needed. Does anyone know if this applies to this rocket too? Has welding progressed (or simply kept the skill alive)? Edit: To anyone interested. The excellent book, Stages to Saturn, covered this (and everything else) in quite some detail.

NikolaeVarius 6y ago
Welding has advanced since the Saturn 5. I've read that both TIG and MIG are being used. Inspection is much easier to do with modern equipment
- CarVac 6y ago
  They are also using robotic welding, such as when assembling the domes.
elteto 6y ago
You have to remember that Starship is not going orbital any time soon, this is all for testing and development. I can guarantee you that the final version of Starship will not be manufactured so haphazardly as these ones. And they’ve already seen several failures with their prototypes so even with steel they have learning to do.
- eco 6y ago
  I'm sure it's unlikely now because of the failures you mentioned but Elon said they are aspirationally targeting an orbital flight with SN5 or SN6 before the end of the year. Elon had earlier said he thought it was possible to get orbital flights in 6 months but that was in September and was certainly also aspirational. It looks like SN5 will be doing the 20km test flight (whereas they probably planned on doing that with SN4 originally but then SN3 was destroyed in the pressure test failure).
m4rtink 6y ago
AFAIK Falcon 9 is using automated friction stir welding, which was only invented in 1991 and first used on rockets in 1999 by ULA. So there is definitely considerable progress in welding that has been done since Apollo. As for Starship, IIRC friction stir welding of stainless steel has not really been done, definitely not at scale so SpaceX will have to use more "traditional" welding methods, which have still got a lot of improvements and new techniques as well since the Saturn 5 times, as mentioned in other comments.

NikolaeVarius 6y ago

Welding has advanced since the Saturn 5. I've read that both TIG and MIG are being used. Inspection is much easier to do with modern equipment

CarVac 6y ago
They are also using robotic welding, such as when assembling the domes.

elteto 6y ago

You have to remember that Starship is not going orbital any time soon, this is all for testing and development. I can guarantee you that the final version of Starship will not be manufactured so haphazardly as these ones. And they’ve already seen several failures with their prototypes so even with steel they have learning to do.

eco 6y ago
I'm sure it's unlikely now because of the failures you mentioned but Elon said they are aspirationally targeting an orbital flight with SN5 or SN6 before the end of the year. Elon had earlier said he thought it was possible to get orbital flights in 6 months but that was in September and was certainly also aspirational. It looks like SN5 will be doing the 20km test flight (whereas they probably planned on doing that with SN4 originally but then SN3 was destroyed in the pressure test failure).

m4rtink 6y ago

AFAIK Falcon 9 is using automated friction stir welding, which was only invented in 1991 and first used on rockets in 1999 by ULA. So there is definitely considerable progress in welding that has been done since Apollo. As for Starship, IIRC friction stir welding of stainless steel has not really been done, definitely not at scale so SpaceX will have to use more "traditional" welding methods, which have still got a lot of improvements and new techniques as well since the Saturn 5 times, as mentioned in other comments.