SpaceX’s Second Gen Starship’s First Test Hints At Major Fuel Capacity Upgrade

As it works towards Starship Flight 6, SpaceX is also testing its next generation Starship upper stage at Boca Chica, Texas. The second generation Starship upper stage features upgrades to avoid fin damage during atmospheric reentry, and footage from local media covering SpaceX's facilities shows that it might also feature larger propellant tanks.

Since the Starship Super Heavy booster and the upper stage ship are made of steel, their propellant levels are visible outside in the form of frost once the tanks are filled. These levels are key indicators of pre flight preparations, and in the case of the second generation Starship upper stage, they also hint at larger tanks in the newer rocket.

SpaceX Tests & Ships New Starship Second Stage Back To Production Site

SpaceX's second-generation upper stage Starship first surfaced late last month with an upgraded forward fin design. These fins are located on the top of the ship and are responsible for maneuvering it as it enters the Earth's atmosphere. During reentry, the ship experiences considerable heat, and during Starship's fifth and fourth flight tests, the forward fins caught fire.

To mitigate this, SpaceX has redesigned Starship so that the fins face away from the atmosphere during reentry. This design change is clearly visible on fresh images of the upper stage Starship spacecraft. SpaceX rolled out Starship to its testing facilities late last month and then tested the ship's tanks by filling them with cryogenic fuel.

These pressurization tests, are key to evaluating a rocket's internal structure and ensuring it can handle high pressure propellants. The tests are typically carried out before a launch attempt, but for the new Starship, it appears that SpaceX is evaluating the new rocket post fabrication.

Footage of the second generation Starship upper stage's first cryogenic pressurization tests also shows that the tanks were filled to a higher level than the first generation spacecraft. A back of the hand visual analysis of the footage suggests that the newer ship might be able to carry 1.5x the propellant of its predecessor. SpaceX's official specifications for the first generation ship list 1,200 tons as its propellant capacity.

Higher capacity on newer ships will not only allow the ship to carry more payload but will also serve a key role in SpaceX's plan to build the first propellant depot in Earth orbit. This depot is central to the firm's $2.9 billion NASA contract to land the first humans on the Moon since the Apollo Program, since it will fuel the ship that will make its way to the Moon before onboarding the crew and landing them.

However, the second generation Starship is unlikely to fly on the next Starship test flight as SpaceX has already secured the FAA's approval for Flight 6 based on the configuration that it flew on Flight 5. Flight 6's timeline is also uncertain, as the firm has shared a few details after a rapid pad turnaround, which saw it static fire a Super Heavy booster at the pad soon after successfully catching Flight 5's booster on the first attempt with the launch tower.

About the author: Ramish is a seasoned technology writer and editor with more than a decade of experience. He specializes in semiconductor fabrication and market analysis. With a background in finance and supply chain management - via his bachelors in Finance and a micromasters in supply chain management from MIT - Ramish combines financial rigor with deep industry insight to deliver accurate and authoritative coverage.

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