BN2.1

History

Parts for BN2.1 were first spotted on 20 April 2021 labelled as “B2.1 dome”, before being renamed “BN2.1”.

Construction was completed in late May, as BN2.1 was placed on the nose cone test stand with a thrust simulator fitted beneath, before being moved to the tank test area at the launch site on 3 June.

On 8 June BN2.1 underwent a cryogenic pressure test, the test appeared to be successful as the test tank was observed to be venting on live streams. A second test commenced on 17 June, during the test a large vent was observed to occur.

During the night of 23 June BN2.1 was hooked up to a crane, with preparations underway to remove it from the launch area before being returned to the production area on 25 June and then presumably retired. On 15 July BN2.1 was removed from the test stand, presumably in preparation for being scrapped.

Milestones

All dates & times are local unless otherwise indicated.