Following the successes of Flight Four in early June, SpaceX is preparing Ship 30 and Booster 12 ready for Flight Five ahead of a launch later this summer. All this is taking place while an incredible amount of infrastructure is being created and worked on at Starbase, including the new office building and the beginning of a second tower. Upgrades to Masseys: SpaceX’s test site at Starbase, Masseys – is also picking up the pace, with Ship 26 conducting a Static Fire test on June 3.
This marked Ship 26’s first-ever multi-engine static fire and the inaugural first lighting of the Massey’s test stand. After nearly two hours from the first signs of venting, Ship 26 lit its engines for six seconds. With this test, Ship 26 has completed four cryogenic proof tests, one preburner test, and two static fires since its first cryogenic test in February of 2023.
Ship 26 lights its engines for the first-ever static fire at Massey’s (Credit: Sean Doherty for NSF/L2) The brand-new test stand held strong under the grueling power of the Raptor engine, projecting the steam and exhaust away from the vehicle and pad and out towards the Rio Grande River. As a bonus, Highway Four stayed open while the static fire roared on, proving that static fire tests no longer require a road closure. This change will result in faster turnaround times for vehicle testing and launches.
Massey’s tank farm is continuing to be upgraded. Foundation work has been spotted to the right of the current liquid .