Hmm. We built the whole thing out of wood and slipped the GP medium over it. Called it a strongback. We built a couple thousand of them or so in Cuba.

@EmilieX_2025 @SamMay95462570 @dodgii73 @StuartYoung001 Did you catych the fire on the #TransportErector #Strongback @SpaceX

Backup. #strongshoulders #strongback #shoulder #gymwear #fitgirl #fitback #bigarm #backday #backandbis #backandbiceps #back

Nah your good boss I have framed many roofs solo strongback style like you did here, safer then most people think. Depending on the pitch the birds mouth alone will keep the board steady enough to get to the ridge beam and nail it clean. Many way to skin a cat when working solo

the actual base pad will look exactly like the old one (unless they choose now to redesign it) just without the Strongback on the back

The advantage they may have over Massey's is that the base structure is probably mostly fine. The tower and lighting tower are going to be much quicker to build. That being said, I work with many people that have worked at Blue or know people there and they said the erector/strongback took 9 months just to construct. That seems very slow. Zack, could you give your thoughts on what I just said? Tons of respect for what you do, man.

My guess is a part of the TE/Strongback, there’s a sizable chunk of it next to the lightning tower

From April 19th to May 29th 2026 from Cherie Down Park Cocoa Beach very sad to see the East lightning tower & strongback are gone on SLC-36 after last night's #BlueOrigin static fire test RUD!🔥🚀🔥 📸 by Scott Schilke for sipausa.com & spacenewsfl.com

Sowie der Strongback!

Una de las dos torres ha caido y el strongback ha quedado totalmente destruido. Reparar esto va a llevar meses, por lo que se retrasarán misiones de Artemis y Moon Base.

Ok if they rebuild this in a year this would already be heroic. One lightning tower completely gone, the other structurally damaged, the Strongback is nothing but scrap metal and surrounding ground support equipment is also toast. In 2016 it took SpaceX 1 year to restore SLC-40 after the on-pad failure of a Falcon 9. And that was a smaller rocket.

A closer look at the launch mount area and the tower collapse, where you can see what remains of the strongback and the carnage of that tower collapsing. My heart goes out to the entire Blue family. This is absolutely heartbreaking. 📸 Me for @WeAreSpaceScout

Comparing the before and after of the explosion in New Glenn, it's possible to see that one of the lightning rod towers on LC-36 and the strongback have completely disappeared.

The left one is a reinforced lightning tower, it was shaken violently. The strongback (not circled) holds up the rocket and was destroyed, the middle circle is a lightning tower, it's gone. The right one is a water tower, it's not too close to the rocket, it seems fine.

One Tower gone, strongback obliterated

Strongback gone as well. Absolutely gutted for the team.

The tower is still intact but the strongback isn’t.

Epic angle. Very interesting how this part of the strongback doesn’t get blasted

Starship launch was scrubbed late in the countdown yesterday. SpaceX’s first attempt to fly the new Version 3 Starship (Flight 12) was halted at T-40 seconds due to a hydraulic pin issue in the pad’s Strongback system. The scrub was clean with no damage. The team is now targeting another try **today, May 22**, with the launch window opening at 5:30 p.m. CT / **00:30 a.m. CEST** on Saturday.