Starship Flight 10 upper stage is ready for static fire

SpaceX has rolled out a new upper stage to the launch site at Starbase to prepare for Starship Flight 10, and it’s ready for the static-fire test after its predecessor exploded last month.

The company has posted visuals of the Ship 37 being carried out on transportation vehicle and picked up by Mechazilla arms to place it on the orbital launch mount. The company has announced that the next step will be preflight testing, but specifics are unknown.

From the current perspective, it appears that SpaceX could go for a single-engine static fire, which is essential for the ship’s in-space operations. The company has completed this test with Ship 36, but the all-engine test didn’t go well; the vehicle experienced an anomaly and ended up damaging Massey’s test site.

Starship Flight 10 upper stage moved to the launch pad for preflight testing (Source – SpaceX)

We’ve seen visuals of Ship 38 moving to the new Massey’s site for cryo testing. It means SpaceX is preparing a ship in advance for Starship Flight 11. The explosion has delayed the Flight 10 launch schedule, which was expected to lift off last month.

The Starship Flight 10 upper stage is likely to follow the same test sequence, including an all-engine static fire, and it will come after the single-engine test.

A static fire sequence verifies all engines’ functionality and thermal capabilities in a launch environment without leaving the launchpad. Specifically for the upper stage, these tests could last up to a minute during a single-engine burn. According to the information, SpaceX could launch Starship Flight 10 in August.

(source)