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<\/p>\nSpaceX rolled out Ship 40 for engine testing, but after completing only a single engine test and what appeared to be an abort, it was rolled back to Mega Bay 2. The full test of all of Ship 40\u2019s engines has yet to be completed, though time remains as Booster 20 appears to still be weeks away from a 33-engine static fire.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, at Pad 2, SpaceX teams have improved the chopsticks\u2019 landing rails and dampers, installed new fuel lines along the tower, and possibly drilled new holes in the water-cooled deck plate.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Ship 40\u2019s single-engine static fire test<\/b><\/p>\n
Ship 40 rolled out to Massey\u2019s on June 23 for engine testing. This comes after spending about six weeks in Mega Bay 2 for preparations and waiting for Massey\u2019s to be ready. <\/p>\n
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Ship 40 Rollout to Masseys (Credit: Colleen Liedtke for NSF)<\/p>\n
Once out at Masseys, SpaceX wasted no time getting the Ship ready for testing, as on June 24, Ship 40 was loaded with propellant to the same levels as all of Ship 39\u2019s tests. This load includes a full tank of liquid oxygen (LOX) and about a ring\u2019s worth of liquid methane (LCH4). Ship 40 then either performed an igniter test or aborted a static-fire attempt. Without further confirmation from SpaceX, the exact circumstances remain unclear.<\/p>\n
Then, on June 25, Ship 40 was loaded with propellants again, but this time it was for a single-engine static fire. For the single-engine static fire, the LOX tank was loaded to about half, and the LCH4 tank to a level similar to that in the June 24 test. This test is a first for Block 3 ships, as the last ship to perform a single-engine static fire was Ship 37 on July 31, 2025, on Pad 1.<\/p>\n
Propellant loading started around 5:45 pm CDT, which made a possible T-0 of around 6:15 CDT. During these tests, the flaps wiggle at around T-10 minutes, which was observed at 6:05 CDT, indicating a 6:15 CDT T0 for a single-engine static fire. However, that time elapsed after a large LOX tank vent, and Ship 40 remained loaded without detanking for another 20 minutes before the single-engine static fire occurred.<\/p>\n
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