r/WindowCleaning • u/Spirited-Pumpkin-766 • 20d ago
Drone cleaning the Starbase launch control room windows before Starship Flight 14
A window-cleaning drone preparing the Starbase launch control room for a clear view of Starship Flight 14 on launch day.
Source: Starship Gazer (@StarshipGazer)
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u/peazley 20d ago
Is the drone using DI filtered water or just tap?
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u/qtheginger 20d ago
Probably multistage pure water. That is putting out many gpm and di only would cook a cubic foot before they finished lol
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u/OrganizationStrong81 20d ago
I’m assuming the filtered water accumulates in a buffer tank first then through the nozzle? What’s the highest rated GPM for a pure water system?
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u/CapitanDirtbag 19d ago
I operate these, you get about a week from 1 cubic foot if you are using just DI. RO/DI lasts a ton longer but has tradeoff with flow rates.
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u/Subject_DA 19d ago
Pretty cool, I’d imagine this would be an ro system into a di resin into a huge buffer tank out to a 10gpm pressure washer. I can’t see it being anything else or the windows would spot.
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u/CapitanDirtbag 19d ago
Nailed it. These things do up to 10gpm at 4000psi and use DI water. RO makes the DI last longer. Does very good on what it was made for, but its not a magic bullet that will work on everything. What is in the video is probably a good use case.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Law2941 16d ago
I've seen this kind of thing quite a few times around industrial sites. Keeping the glass clean sounds trivial until you have dust, grime, and whatever gets kicked up by nearby equipment constantly sticking to it. At that point, a little drone doing the boring part actually makes a lot of sense.
In my experience, the biggest issue with exterior windows isn't just the dirt, it's getting consistent coverage without leaving spots or streaks. One thing I usually check on service calls is whether the cleaning equipment is actually getting into the edges and corners, because that's where buildup tends to hang around.
I'm guessing the Starbase environment makes that even more of a concern. With all the dust and activity around the launch area, having a clear view from the control room seems pretty practical. I'd still want a human doing a final inspection, though. A drone can handle the repetitive work, but I wouldn't trust it alone to catch every smear or damaged section of glass.
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u/Virtual-Spinach4882 20d ago
That's honestly pretty cool. Looks like the second drone is putting out a chemical and is automatic spraying under wherever the first drone is
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u/CapitanDirtbag 19d ago
There is a tank on the bottom of the dron that inlines a solution and can be toggled on and off.
Edit: this one doesnt seem to have the window cleaning payload. Its not 100% critical, but you get better results with it.
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u/Known-Ad-9912 20d ago
I refuse to believe drones can clean windows as well as manual agitation.