After a brief lull following the FAA's confirmation that the test date for the second Starship flight is now in the hands of the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), it seems like SpaceX is ready to start conducting ground tests of the world's rocket yet again. Starship is currently being developed in Boca Chica, Texas, and the project picked up the steam in late August and early September after multiple static fires and upgrades to the stage separation system. However, while FAA officials initially stated that Starship would be ready for flight this month, it seems that the rocket could face a long delay as it waits for the FWS to approve changes to the launch pad after the first test flight attempt in April.
SpaceX Informs Coast Guard of Starship Tests Scheduled For Tomorrow
Even though its test launch might be delayed by months in the worst case scenario, Starship is still seeing a lot of action at the test site these days. Footage from dedicated observers shows that SpaceX removed and then installed the interstage separation ring on the top of the Super Heavy booster earlier after first stacking the full Starship system at the start of this month. The interstage ring is the latest addition to the rocket, and it follows April's test launch failure, where the two Starship rocket stages failed to separate during flight.
SpaceX has made dozens of system level upgrades to Starship since the April flight, and these primarily involve the rocket's engines, its propulsion system and fire suppression capabilities. Most of the failures during the first Starship test involved its engines and the engine bay, as SpaceX tried to fly a rocket with 33 engines for the first time in its history.
The test also saw serious damage to the launch pad, and while some had predicted that Starship would have to be grounded for more than a year as SpaceX rebuilt the pad, the firm quickly installed a fire suppression system and tested it through a static fire.
Now, SpaceX has informed the Coast Guard that it plans to conduct ground testing on Starship tomorrow. These tests can be of several kinds, such as loading the rocket up with propellant to test its structural integrity, loading the entire system with fuel and running the count down to launch as part of a wet dress rehearsal and a static fire that tests all or some of the rocket's engines to gather data and ensure that no problems are present before a launch attempt.
According to the Coast Guard:
SpaceX has informed the U.S. Coast Guard of ongoing testing at their facility located south of Brownsville, TX, near Boca Chica Beach starting on Tuesday, October 17, 2023. During testing, a hazard area will exist in the vicinity of the SpaceX facility extending into South Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. The area below represents the U.S. waters portion of the hazard area SpaceX identified as susceptible to potential hazards including blast pressure, debris, gaseous leaks, and fires during the tests.
The date also matches road closures granted to SpaceX for its test site in Boca Chica, with October 17th being the primary date and the following two days being backup opportunities. The local government's notice for the closure confirms that the test activities will be "non-flight".
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