Booster Pad Staging & Alignment Simulator

Simulate rocket rollout via self-propelled modular transporter (SPMT), launch mount hoist descent, coastal wind overturning moments, hold-down pin radial tolerances, and propellant quick-disconnect (QD) umbilical mating.

Configurations:

Staging Parameters

B21-OLM-A

Hoist Clearance / Elevation 1.20 m Vertical distance above launch mount clamp ring Transverse Alignment Error 3.4 mm Chopstick/crane lateral skew (Tolerance: ±5.0 mm) Booster Axial Tilt (Pitch) 0.12° Cable tension imbalance angle (≤ 0.25° allowed) Coastal Wind Velocity 18.0 kt Crosswind acting on the cylindrical frontal surface Stage Dry Mass 210 t Empty stage structure + engines mass

Height Meters Diameter Meters

REAL-TIME PAD TELEMETRY • Starbase Coordinate Frame

DESCENDING • CRANE HOIST

Overturning Moment 1,248 kNm Wind load at Center of Pressure

Max Clamp Reaction 192.4 kN 20-point radial hold-down ring

Guide Pin Mating IN ENVELOPE Radial error: 3.4 mm

QD Umbilical Port READY Methane / LOX QD Arm delta: 3.8 mm

Mechanical Pad Verification & Load Safety Margin

STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY: VERIFIED

Mechanical Parameter	Calculated Value	Design Threshold	Safety Factor	Condition

Self-Propelled Transporter Rollout

Moving a 71-meter super-heavy booster from build high-bays to the orbital launch site requires multi-axle SPMTs with hydraulic load equalization, maintaining deck leveling to within 0.1° across road grades to avoid excessive bending moments on the thin stainless/aluminum lithium tanks.

Chopstick Lift & Pin Alignment

Orbital launch mounts use 20 conical receiver sockets. As the booster descends, mechanical guide cones funnel hold-down pucks into high-tensile locking latches. A lateral drift exceeding 5 mm risks shearing pin bushings or binding the quick-disconnect umbilical carrier.

Aerodynamic Overturning Moment

A bare rocket booster behaves as a bluff cylinder in coastal sea breezes. Drag force $F_d = \frac{1}{2} \rho v^2 C_d A$ produces an overturning moment about the base ring $M = F_d \cdot (H / 2)$ that must be actively countered by crane cable differential tension or the launch mount hold-down clamps.