SpaceX Ship 39 returns to Massey’s for next round of testing

SpaceX recently staged the Starship Ship 39 to the test site near Starbase, and performed the next round of testing to prepare this V3 rocket for Starship Flight 12.

So, what happened at the test stand at Massey’s this time? It’s loaded the vehicle with cryogenic propellants, with a methane frost line appearing over the ship structure.

These are the signs of super-cold propellant-filled tank has reached a certain level, chilling the stainless-steel walls enough for atmospheric moisture to freeze into visible white ice. On the bright side, it validates the tank for structural strength, thermal protection, propellant flow, and new V3 design upgrades. So, this first phase was successful.

In the next one, SpaceX apparently performed a Spin Prime, which is a non-ignition engine systems test. Pressurizing propellants from the tanks to briefly spin up the turbopumps inside the Raptor 3 engines, but without fire.

This test is crucial to check the turbopump startup sequence, valve timing, propellant transfer speed, and system stability. If this is the spin prime test, it could be a big step toward performing a static-fire with the new engine assembly. However, we cannot be so sure of such tests until SpaceX formally announces the final results via its social media handle.

Following these events, SpaceX drained the propellants back into storage tanks. The next move is to evaluate the test data and decide when to perform the static-fire. Meanwhile, the company is also testing the Super Heavy booster 19 on Launch Pad 2 at Starbase. The two rockets are now testing simultaneously to meet the schedule for Flight 12.