So, expect Ship 37 to be rolled back out for another static fire once fitted.

Not sure if the extra time to do the test, remove the test ring again, reinstalled the clamps and then roll out and do a booster state fire will allow a mid-August launch.

VideoIt appears Ship 37's issue may have been with a Raptor Vacuum engine , as one was removed from MB2 last night, being swapped with a replacement.

Not sure what's going on here..... Booster 16 is/was planned for test flight 10 in the next couple of weeks. Unless it's just temporarily parked prior to moving to the OLM once the hold down clamps are reinstalled and they need the megabit for the next booster build.

Booster currently in the Megabit is Booster 18 - the first of the block 3 boosters. Block 3has an integrated hot stage forward dome eliminating the need for a separate ring to be installed before launch, as well as the requirement to jettison and expend the hot-stage ring. With this design change, the grid fins will no longer be located in the interstage, as with current boosters or Falcon 9, but rather in the Liquid Methane (LCH4) tank.
Along with the grid fins moving there are now only three instead of four, and they are spaced in a T shape, with a fin on the port and starboard sides, and then one on the non-tower side or the heat shield side of the ship so that all the grid fins are in the airflow during glide back and descent.

The aft section of the booster is where things change. block 3 uses Raptor 3 engines and has just two booster quick disconnects, one for LOX and the other for LCH4, along with other commodities. This also helps eliminate individual Raptor 2 engine Quick Disconnects, which have been a challenge for SpaceX to refurbish on the current Launch Mount design.

Block 3 are planned to use launch pad B, not sure when that will be ready for use - but booster 16 was planned to be the last block 2 to use launch pad A.


Booster 16 has moved to the Starbase rocket garden joining Booster 17, Booster 12 and Starship 20.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....455c659dee.png

Starship test flight 10 launch window now opens on the ]night of Friday August 22nd between 2330Z and 0134Z according to an updated U.S. Coast Guard local notice to mariners.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....eb3b625fde.png

(* Starship can do point to point without a booster, but would need to use the adaptor ring mounted for the static fire tests for launch and to be caught using the stand under construction at the Cape. This would be a temporary measure until the Megabays at the Cape are ready.)

Two next generation Version 3 Booster QD's have been installed at the V3 Booster cryo test station at Starbase Massey's test site today.

This will soon enable cryo proof testing of the next gen V3 Starship super heavy boosters here.

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Starship 37 placed on Pad 1 for testing yesterday, but static fire postponed, reason explained below.

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Workers replaced a leaking cryogenic flex hose overnight and are now leak checking it ahead of another attempt at Starship 37 engine testing today.

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6 engine Spin Prime test performed. (No engine ignition).

Expectation is that they’ll dismount today, remove the adaptor overnight then start moving the booster onto the pad.

The first grid fin for the next generation Super Heavy booster. The redesigned grid fins are 50% larger and higher strength, moving from four fins to three for vehicle control while enabling the booster to descend at higher angles of attack.

They’ll also be used for vehicle lift and catch, made possible by a new catch point addition and a lower positioning on the booster to align with the tower catch arms. Moving lower reduces the heat they receive from Starship’s engines at hot-staging and places the fin shaft, actuator, and fixed structure inside the booster’s main fuel tank.

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I wonder if the tropical depression moving toward south Texas will have any effect on launch or test schedules.

- Ed

https://www.spacex.com/launches/starship-flight-10

The tenth flight test of Starship is preparing to launch as soon as Sunday, August 24. The launch window will open at 6:30 p.m. CT.

A live webcast of the flight test will begin about 30 minutes before liftoff, which you can watch here and on X @SpaceX. You can also watch the webcast on the X TV app. As is the case with all developmental testing, the schedule is dynamic and likely to change, so be sure to check in here and stay tuned to our X account for updates.

After completing the investigations into the loss of Starship on its ninth flight test and the Ship 36 static fire anomaly, hardware and operational changes have been made to increase reliability. You can read the full technical summary of the investigations here.

The upcoming flight will continue to expand the operating envelope on the Super Heavy booster, with multiple landing burn tests planned. It will also target similar objectives as previous missions, including Starship’s first payload deployment and multiple reentry experiments geared towards returning the upper stage to the launch site for catch.

The booster on this flight test is attempting several flight experiments to gather real-world performance data on future flight profiles and off-nominal scenarios. The Super Heavy booster will attempt these experiments while on a trajectory to an offshore landing point in the Gulf of America and will not return to the launch site for catch.

Following stage separation, the booster will flip in a controlled direction before initiating its boostback burn. This maneuver was demonstrated for the first time on Flight 9 and requires less propellant to be held in reserve, enabling the use of more propellant during ascent to enable additional payload mass to orbit.

The primary test objectives for the booster will be focused on its landing burn and will use unique engine configurations. One of the three center engines used for the final phase of landing will be intentionally disabled to gather data on the ability for a backup engine from the middle ring to complete a landing burn. The booster will then transition to only two center engines for the end of the landing burn, entering a full hover while still above the ocean surface, followed by shutdown and drop into the Gulf of America.

The Starship upper stage will again target multiple in-space objectives, including the deployment of eight Starlink simulators, similar in size to next-generation Starlink satellites. The Starlink simulators will be on the same suborbital trajectory as Starship and are expected to demise upon entry. A relight of a single Raptor engine while in space is also planned.

The flight test includes several experiments focused on enabling Starship’s upper stage to return to the launch site. A significant number of tiles have been removed from Starship to stress-test vulnerable areas across the vehicle during reentry. Multiple metallic tile options, including one with active cooling, will test alternative materials for protecting Starship during reentry. On the sides of the vehicle, functional catch fittings are installed and will test the fittings’ thermal and structural performance, along with a section of the tile line receiving a smoothed and tapered edge to address hot spots observed during reentry on Starship’s sixth flight test. Starship’s reentry profile is designed to intentionally stress the structural limits of the upper stage’s rear flaps while at the point of maximum entry dynamic pressure.

Flight tests continue to provide valuable learnings to inform the design of the next generation Starship and Super Heavy vehicles. With production ramping up inside Starfactory at Starbase alongside new launch and test infrastructure actively being built in Texas and Florida, Starship is poised to continue iterating towards a rapidly and fully reusable launch system.

FAA: https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/stateme...ral-statements

August 15, 2025

FAA Closes SpaceX Starship Flight 9 Mishap Investigation, Flight 10 Can Proceed

The FAA-required investigation of the SpaceX Starship Flight 9 mishap is closed.

There are no reports of public injury or damage to public property.

The FAA oversaw and accepted the findings of the SpaceX-led investigation.

The final mishap report cites the probable root cause for the loss of the Starship vehicle as a failure of a fuel component. SpaceX identified corrective actions to prevent a reoccurrence of the event.

SpaceX can now proceed with Starship Flight 10 launch operations under its current license.

Super Heavy booster moved to the launch pad at Starbase ahead of Starship's tenth flight test.

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Elon Musk: Aiming for Sunday.

This evening's launch attempt scrubbed due to "ground systems" problems.

- Ed

Crews are working overnight on the SQD (Ship Quick Disconnect) arm to repair faulty components that caused a liquid oxygen leak during Sunday's launch attempt.

Next launch window tonight from 7:30 p.m. EDT to 8:30 p.m. EDT (2330 to 0030 GMT).

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Next flight attempt, tomorrow, same times (roughly) ... today it was unfavourable weather ... (in Europe by the way it's ~1:30 a.m. CEST)

That's two nights in a row I've stayed up till nearly 2am to watch nothing happen.

Just hope they get it off the ground tonight so I can catch up on sleep.

LOL that sounds like many scene pres or bed watches I've been on over the years.

And all that whilst having to listen to endless "multiplanetary life"-nonsense. That was the hardest part of it. Tomorrow I have to fly, so I guess I will skip the livestream. One can always watch Scott Manley's analysis tomorrow evening, if anything happens tonight.

I watch Everyday Astronaut.

​​​​​​​SpaceX reporting weather only 45% favourable for a launch tonight.