S22

Ship 22 (S22) is a former Starship prototype that has since been scrapped. In the construction of Ship 22, SpaceX deviated from the standard 4-ring nosecone barrel section and instead utilized a 5-ring design. However, this particular section was repurposed as a pathfinder for payload doors, rather than being incorporated into the final structure. Consequently, the entire nosecone from Ship 21 was reassigned to Ship 22, resulting in the unfinished state and ultimate scrapping of Ship 21.

As of 2023, Ship 22 has been scrapped, but the nosecone has been preserved and repurposed as a mockup for the Starship Human Landing System (HLS). The mockup, located in the Rocket Garden, features a white paint finish reminiscent of SpaceX's Starship HLS concept art. Additionally, the nosecone is equipped with a sealed cloth door, providing access to the interior of the mockup.

## History

A first section was spotted on 11 September 2021. Stacking in mid bay started on 24 November 2021.

In February, stacking was complete and Ship 22 got the nosecone from Ship 21. On February 20th, it was moved to the PPS/rocket garden. In 2023, it was destacked and scrapped.

## Timeline

* 11 Sep 2021: S22 cmn dome sleeve has apparently been spotted [L2?]
* 26 Sep 2021: S21 cmn "comm" dome section (3-ring) spotted; previously slated for S22
* 05 Oct 2021: S22 cmn dome on sleeving stand; a fwd dome in front of it
* 06 Oct 2021: Cmn dome being worked on on the sleeving stand
* 06 Oct 2021: Cmn "comm" dome sleeve (3-ring) placed on a stand
* 06 Oct 2021: Cmn dome section sleeved
* 09 Oct 2021: Cmn dome section seen
* 10 Oct 2021: Common dome section in tent 1 (3-ring)
* 11 Oct 2021: S22 [sic! it's S21] in mid bay likely 6-7 rings tall
* 14 Oct 2021: Comm dome sleeve [according NSF, not sleeved yet?](3-rings) outside of tents
* 18 Oct 2021: Ship aft dome sleeved [S22?], then removed from sleeving stand
* 25 Oct 2021: Ship [S22/23?] leg skirt spotted in tent 3, a cutout is visible for the quick disconnect plate
* 30 Oct 2021: Mid LOX section spotted outside tent 1
* 30 Oct 2021: S22? aft dome section flipped
* 01 Nov 2021: Common dome section (sleeved, with methane header tank and lead-ins) spotted
* 01 Nov 2021: Mid-LOX section (4-rings): thermal blanketing attached
* 02 Nov 2021: Mid-LOX section still outside tents, no TPS tiles attached yet
* 04 Nov 2021: Nosecone barrel section; **5 rings** tall and **3.6 mm steel** according to label!!
* 16 Nov 2021: Cmn dome section shown (3-ring, TPS tiles, lead-ins)
* 17 Nov 2021: Cmn dome work continued; extra vent with strange nozzle added (Potentially for a new thruster configuration?)
* 18 Nov 2021: Cmn dome lifted into mid bay
* 20 Nov 2021: New Starship segment [S22?] spotted next to S21
* 23 Nov 2021: Ship [S22?] fwd dome section with many TPS tiles worked on
* 24 Nov 2021: **Stacking has begun** in mid bay; cmn dome section identified; next to S21
* 29 Nov 2021: Fwd dome section (sleeve?) spotted
* 02 Dec 2021: Fwd dome section spotted infront of tents
* 03 Dec 2021: Fwd dome section shown outside tents
* 04 Dec 2021: Fwd dome section moved into tent
* 06 Dec 2021: Fwd dome section lifted into mid bay
* 10 Dec 2021: Barrel section infront of tent 3 (the one hooked to crane) is S22 thrust section
* 17 Dec 2021: S22 inside mid bay at least 10 rings tall
* 20 Dec 2021: Ship nosecone barrel section (5-rings!!) [S22/S23/S24?] [add: S22]
* 23 Dec 2021: S22 nosecone barrel section (5-ring) [cf. Dec 19] in windbreak "It looks like this could be repurposed for another cargo door pathfinder"
* 28 Dec 2021: S21 nosecone still being worked on, S22 nc barrel section (5-rings) infront of it
* 09 Jan 2022: S22 5-ring nosecone barrel; possibly **payload door prototype**
* 18 Jan 2022: Nosecone barrel section (5-ring) as payload door prototype closeup; work continued, more of the door has been cut
* 19 Jan 2022: Smooth nosecone moved out of tent 3, next to S22 nc barrel section (cargo door prototype)
* 22 Jan 2022: Thrust section moved from high bay into mid bay (moved in and out several times)
* 25 Jan 2022: Thrust section (5-ring with lead-ins) spotted in mid bay
* 26 Jan 2022: Tank section in mid bay (now full height, 16 rings)
* 27 Jan 2022: Disconnected from crane in mid bay at 20:03
* 29 Jan 2022: Ship aft barrel [S22, S24? [likely S24]] spotted outside tents, **ship QD panel has moved upwards by one ring**
* 31 Jan 2022: Flap attachment jigs installed
* 01 Feb 2022: Raceway (preassembled) lifted into mid bay for installation, installed; work through access hole
* 02 Feb 2022: Tank section work in mid bay continued, raceway has been installed, some of the TPS tile covering visible; work through acces hole
* 08 Feb 2022: Work continued in mid bay; aft flap aerocover moved into mid bay
* 11 Feb 2022: Tank section: work platform added at fwd dome section ahead of potential nosecone stacking
* 14 Feb 2022: S21 and S22: S22 tank section moved to high bay; S21 nosecone **reassigned** to S22; nosecone lifted and **stacked** onto S22 tank section in high bay
* 15 Feb 2022: Nosecone (ex S21) welded to its tank section
* 16 Feb 2022: Welding work continued, still connected to high bay crane
* 16 Feb 2022: Foundation work next to S16 possibly for another display/storage pad [add: for S22]
* 17 Feb 2022: Has been disconnected from high bay bridge crane
* 19 Feb 2022: Moved out of high bay; flap installed; moved into high bay and out again
* 20 Feb 2022: Outside high bay; **moved to rocket garden (PPS)**
* 22 Feb 2022: TPS tile work on aft flap at PPS, received aft aerocaps
* 23 Feb 2022: Work continued (especially TPS tiles) during the night
* 23 Feb 2022: SN15, S22 and SN16 at rocket garden
* 26 Feb 2022: Work through access hole
* 28 Feb 2022: Work through fwd hatch continued at PPS
* 01 March 2022: Aft flap work continued
* 02 March 2022: Work at rocket garden/PPS continued around aft flaps
* 03 March 2022: Single TPS tile attached
* 06 March 2022: Work continued at PPS
* 16 March 2022: Red tape added on TPS tiles around aft flap
* 31 March 2022: NSF update: "nobs and holes for booster/ship integration reversed: since S22 and B7, holes are on booster (negative side) and nobs on ship (positive side)"
* 10 January 2023: Scrapped.