SpaceX is picking up the pace with its Starship Flight 9 in Boca Chica, Texas, shows footage from local media. After a brief pause in testing activities following Starship Flight 8's failure in March, it appears that the next Starship flight might occur soon. SpaceX shipped the upper-stage Starship that can fly on the next flight to the test stand yesterday and filled its tanks with propellant. However, the tanks were then de-filled with no static fire for the rocket, which has proven to be the largest bottleneck for the Starship program since Flight 1's damage to the launch facilities.
SpaceX Appears Ready To Static Fire Troublesome Second-Stage Starship Rocket
SpaceX's upper-stage rocket for the Starship program underwent a significant design upgrade before it flew on Flight 7 for the first time in January this year. The test saw the ship explode during flight, with debris raining over the cAribean. An update from SpaceX after the anomaly revealed that vibrations in the ship's propulsion system had led to a fire in its rear section which led to an engine shutdown.
A little less than two months after Flight 7, SpaceX attempted to fly the second-stage Starship once again. However, Flight 8 ended in a similar manner with the second-stage exploding once again before it could end its ascent burn. While it was forthcoming about the Flight 7 anomaly, SpaceX is yet to share the results of its investigation for the Starship Flight 8 mishap.
Due to the consecutive anomalies, SpaceX taking its time with testing the upper-stage ship for Starship Flight 9. Flight 9 will see the firm re-fly a Starship Super Heavy booster for the first time in the test program. Rocket re-use is at the heart of the Starship program, as SpaceX is relying on a rapid launch cadence to fill its in-orbit propellant depot for long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars.
SpaceX static fired this booster, which first flew on Starship Flight 7, earlier this month. Between then and now, yesterday was the first time that the firm started to test the upper-stage ship for Flight 9. Footage from local media shows that SpaceX had filled its propellant tanks on the rocket to levels typically associated with a static fire. However, filling the tanks is a test in itself, enabling SpaceX engineers to verify their ability to handle pressure ahead of other tests.
SpaceX later proceeded to de-tank the rocket to indicate that yesterday's tests were over. A static fire test is often one of the final tests ahead of a flight as it allows engineers to determine whether the rocket's propulsion system can handle spaceflight stress. Along with the propellant tanks, SpaceX also tested the ship's flaps during yesterday's campaign.
With close to two months having elapsed since Starship Flight 8, SpaceX will be eager to fly the rocket again if it's to meet key objectives for NASA's lunar lander program, which requires the firm to demonstrate the ability to fuel another rocket in space as part of setting up a propellant depot.
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