https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2023...testing-phase/
Starship Booster 9 and launch infrastructure moving into critical testing phase
After last week’s testing of Booster 9, the water deluge system, and other important activity at Starbase, the Starship program is now moving into a critical testing phase where Booster 9 will begin static test firings of the Raptor engines with the water deluge in use.
Large test windows have been posted, starting Friday – likely pointing to the dual events on separate days, from the Spin Prime test requirement, ahead of a Static Fire test with an unknown number of engines.
Booster 9 was lifted onto the Orbital Launch Mount (OLM) on Thursday, July 20, after it was rolled out to the orbital launch pad from the production area of Starbase. A large amount of work was done at the OLM and launch pad area prior to the proof test on the booster, which is slated to fly on the next Starship launch.
On Sunday, July 23, Booster 9 was filled with liquid oxygen and liquid nitrogen – in the methane tank – for what SpaceX billed as a propellant loading test. Both tanks reached full capacity as a booster was tested on the OLM for the first time since the eventful Starship first flight on April 20….
Meanwhile, at the former Massey’s gun range now converted to a SpaceX test site, Ship 28 was moved there for proof testing with cryogenic fluids on Friday, July 21. On the same date, Booster 10 was moved out of Massey’s, arriving at the “rocket garden” by the production site after midnight on Saturday, July 22.
Ship 28 was seen with frost lines on its liquid oxygen and methane tanks, after having been loaded with cryogenic fluids on Friday, July 28. The ship, equipped with fins, tiles, and a payload bay, is now expected to roll back to the production site to have its Raptor engines installed, assuming the test was successful.
This ship is expected to be used with Booster 10 on the
third Starship test launch….
Another recent test article is one with a hot staging ring in between an aft ring for the ship and a top section of a booster. This was rolled out to Massey’s on Sunday, July 30 for structural testing.
A hot staging ring will be added to Booster 9 and future vehicles to simplify the stage separation procedure during flight.
While Ship 28 has been undergoing its own preparations for flight, Ship 25 has had missing tiles installed and has been connected to a crane for a future lift.
Ship 25 is being prepared to fly atop Booster 9 for the upcoming
second Starship test flight…..