Latest at Starbase with LabPadre: Nov. 10

STARBASE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — This week at Starbase, the demolition of Pad 1 and the surrounding area continues.

We see crews begin testing Stage 0 at Pad 2 and much more.

Down at the launch complex, SpaceX continues demolishing the outdated parts of the Pad 1 infrastructure.

Crews began dismantling the Pad 1 launch mount piece by piece.

This is a labor-intensive project that involves cutting sections of the mount free and removing them one by one.

This process was not limited to the mount's structure, but also included the booster quick disconnect structure on the top deck.

It was cut into several sections that were then lifted free and lowered to the ground.

The roof over the drawworks hoist was also removed from the base of the tower to make way for the pad reconfiguration.

Later in the week, the massive powerful drawworks winch itself was removed from the base of the tower and was later seen being driven away from the pad.

It will likely undergo some maintenance and eventually be reinstalled later in the reconfiguration process.

Crews were also seen cutting on the chopsticks, as the original Mechazilla arms are far longer than the newer iterations and will likely be replaced or, at the very least, be heavily modified.

Across the site at pad two, crews continue to button up the new launch mount, installing additional shielding on the infrastructure to protect it from the violent forces of a super-heavy launch.

Venting was also observed on the PAD-2 side of the tank farm as SpaceX looks to ensure everything is functioning properly ahead of the first testing campaign for their Block III vehicles.

Later in the week, testing was also observed on the PAD's deluge system, with water shooting up in the air and flooding the flame trench.

An interesting structure was moved down the launch complex on Thursday, bearing a label reading IB-proofing.

This appears to be a new apparatus to test and verify the booster clamp arms on Pad 2's function as designed.

The next day, the structure was lifted to the Pad 2 launch mount to begin qualification process for the clamp arms.

In other space news, the FAA announced restrictions it is imposing on the American commercial space industry due to the ongoing federal government shutdown.

Commercial spaceflight activity is being prohibited between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. local time, which could limit super-heavy launches to late-night hours.

For continued live coverage and other detailed Starbase content, visit the LabPadre YouTube channel or LabPadre.com.