Starship Booster 19 finally Ignited Raptor 3 after Fixing Problems! Ready Firing in Hours…

Let's light the engines! B-19 now appears ready after resolving earlier issues and completing its first ignition test. So the big question is, will the long-awaited static fire finally happen this time? Meanwhile, NASA is moving ahead with plans for a nuclear-powered spacecraft to explore Saturn's moon Titan. And Russia is preparing a mission that could return to Venus, continuing exploration efforts that began in the Soviet era. Let's take a closer look at these developments in today's episode of Great SpaceX. More than a week passed after B-19 arrived at Pad 2, test opportunities kept slipping, and schedules were repeatedly delayed. Suspicion grew when the booster was briefly lifted off the pad. At first, the issue seemed related to the launch pad. Later reports pointed to a problem with an engine sensor, which would explain why B-19 had to be removed despite earlier successful fueling tests. Fortunately, the issue appears to have been fixed quickly. On the morning of the 14th, the engine guard plates were removed, and a few hours later, B-19 was placed back on Pad 2. Preparations soon moved toward another major test. The liquid oxygen and methane quick disconnect lines were reattached, reconnecting the pad's propellant systems to the vehicle. The transport stand was also removed. Early on March 15th, the water deluge system was tested, and the pad was cleared. Soon after, SpaceX began another fueling sequence, the third within a single week. As before, the oxygen tank was filled fully, while the methane tank was partially loaded. Fueling lasted about 30 minutes, starting around 9.15 AM and finishing near 9.45 AM Central. Then, something new happened. Around 9.48 AM, shortly after fueling ended, a brief spark appeared through the smoke in the flame trench, lasting only a moment. Slowed footage suggests a single-engine ignition. Rather than a full static fire, SpaceX likely performed a short ignition test to verify the igniter system and confirm that the earlier sensor repairs worked. The test appears to have succeeded. The igniter functioned normally, and the propellants were safely drained. Verifying ignition reliability is critical for both ground tests and future launches. With that step complete, the long-awaited static fire now seems very close. Road closure schedules list March 16th as the primary test date, with the 17th and the 18th as backup opportunities. If everything goes smoothly, the test may already be happening by the time you're seeing this. So how likely is it this time? The chances now look very high, perhaps around 90%. Key systems have already been checked, including the tanks, fueling equipment, water dilution system, and engine igniters. Time is also becoming a factor. It's already mid-March, and without a successful static fire soon, B19 will not be ready for its next flight. After the test, it'll still need to return to the megabay for inspections and possible modifications. Another detail that stands out is that this booster currently carries only 10 engines. If SpaceX plans to test all 33 later, that process will require additional time. For this test, caution will be essential. A successful static fire will determine whether the next phase can begin. Testing with fewer engines may also introduce challenges. When all engines operate together, their combined thrust distributes forces more evenly. With only part of the set installed, each engine may experience slightly different stresses during ignition. For now, all eyes remain on this crucial moment. If the test succeeds, it'll mark another important step toward the next Starship flight. Let me know your thoughts in the comments section with fire done and don't forget to like the video and subscribe as we continue following SpaceX's progress. That wraps up the main Starship update for now. Next, there's another major industry development worth discussing. And that is a major update from NASA involving a new mission to explore Titan, the largest moon of Saturn. Titan is one of the most fascinating worlds in the solar system. Covered with thick clouds, icy terrain, and lakes of liquid hydrocarbons, it's considered a promising place to study chemical ingredients that may be related to life. To explore this distant world, NASA is developing a unique vehicle called Dragonfly. Unlike traditional planetary probes, Dragonfly will be a rotorcraft, a flying robotic vehicle designed to move from location to location across Titan's surface. Recently, NASA announced an important milestone. Engineers at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland have begun assembling and testing the nuclear-powered spacecraft. Instead of relying on solar power, which would be extremely limited so far from the sun, Dragonfly will use a nuclear energy system. Nuclear power sources are more complex and require careful handling, but they provide a steady supply of energy and avoid the limitations solar systems would face in Titan's dim environment. Elizabeth Turtle, the Dragonfly principal investigator at the Applied Physics Laboratory, described the moment as a turning point for the project, explaining that it marks the birth of the spacecraft's flight system. The first phase of testing will focus on the spacecraft's electronics module. This system acts as the central brain of the vehicle, handling guidance, navigation, and data management. Engineers will also test the power-switching systems that distribute energy throughout the spacecraft. Testing and integration work is expected to continue into early 2027. After that phase, the spacecraft will be shipped to Lockheed Martin Space in Colorado for additional system-level testing. Dragonfly will later return briefly to the Applied Physics Laboratory for evaluations related to the space environment. Once those steps are complete, the spacecraft will be delivered to NASA's Kennedy Space Center, where it's scheduled to launch no earlier than spring of 2028 aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. Meanwhile, the other parts of the mission are also moving forward. The protective shell that will carry Dragonfly through space has already undergone aerodynamic testing at NASA's Langley Research Center and is now entering integration and system testing at Lockheed Martin. Engineers are also evaluating specialized insulating foam designed to protect the rotocraft from Titan's extremely cold temperatures. Additional components, including the science instruments and communication systems, are also coming together. Annette Dalbo, who leads Dragonfly's integration and testing efforts at the Applied Physics Laboratory, explained that the team has spent years refining the rotocraft through simulations and laboratory work. Now, those designs are finally being assembled into a real flight system. The Dragonfly rotocraft will be roughly the size of a small car and will become the second flying vehicle ever sent to explore another world. The first was NASA's Mars Helicopter Ingenuity. That small aircraft relied on solar panels for power and operated on Mars from April of 2021 until January of 2024, completing nearly three years of flight operations. Dragonfly builds on the lessons from that mission. Unlike Ingenuity, it will use nuclear power, allowing it to operate for long periods and travel much greater distances. The vehicle will also be larger and capable of carrying a wider range of scientific instruments. This capability comes with a much higher cost. The Dragonfly mission is estimated at about $3.35 billion compared to the roughly $85 million for Ingenuity. If successful, Dragonfly could greatly expand our understanding of Titan. Scientists believe the moon contains many chemical building blocks that may be linked to the origin of life. Despite its importance, Titan has been explored directly only once, when the European Huygens lander touched down briefly in 2005 and transmitted images for a few hours. Dragonfly aims to go much further. After landing, the rotorcraft will travel between multiple locations, studying Titan's chemistry, geology, and atmosphere. By exploring different environments, the mission hopes to reveal how complex organic molecules form and evolve on this distant world. Although launch is still several years away, the beginning of spacecraft assembly and testing marks a major milestone and shows that the mission is moving steadily forward. Now for our final update, let's turn to Russia and its renewed plan to explore Venus. In the last century, the Soviet Union became known for its bold missions to Earth's sister planet. Today, Russia hopes to return to that legacy. On March 10, Russian state media reported that the country plans to launch a new mission called Venera-D in 2036. The project could include several vehicles such as an orbiter, a lander, and possibly a balloon platform floating within Venus' atmosphere. The mission has been in development for many years. Work on Venera-D began as early as 2003, and before Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, it was even considered as a possible joint project with NASA. The mission is expected to become part of a broader set of robotic exploration projects planned by Roscosmos targeting both the Moon and Venus. For Russia, the project is not only about science, it's also about continuing a historic legacy. During the 1960s, 70s, and early 80s, the Soviet Union launched a series of Venera spacecraft that transformed our understanding of Venus. To this day, it remains the only nation to successfully land spacecraft on the planet's surface and operate them there. Russia's first Deputy Prime Minister Denis Metrov recently highlighted that achievement, noting that in 1970, the Soviet Union became the first to land a spacecraft on another planet, Venus. That mission was Venera-7. Launched in August of 1970, Venera-7 became the first spacecraft to land on another planet and transmit data back to Earth. The probe endured temperatures near 900 degrees Fahrenheit or about 480 degrees Celsius and atmospheric pressure more than 90 times stronger than Earth's at sea level. Despite those extreme conditions, it managed to send valuable data about Venus's environment. Later missions expanded on that success. Some returned the first images from the surface of Venus, revealing rocky terrain under dim light filtered through thick sulfuric acid clouds. Over 22 years, the Soviet Union launched more than a dozen Venera missions. Early probes such as Venera-1 and Venera-2 were flybys that failed to return data. Venera-3 reached Venus in 1966 but stopped transmitting before completing its mission. Later probes Venera-4, 5, and 6 successfully entered the atmosphere and returned valuable measurements, helping engineers design stronger landers. That progress eventually led to the success of Venera-7 and the missions that followed. The final mission in the series, Venera-16, launched in 1983. Now, decades later, Venera-D aims to continue that legacy. One of its most intriguing goals will be the search for possible microbial life in Venus's atmosphere. In recent years, scientists have reported controversial evidence suggesting the presence of phosphine and ammonia in the planet's clouds, chemicals sometimes considered possible biosignatures. However, those findings remain debated, and further exploration will be needed to confirm whether they truly exist and what processes might create them. A mission like Venera-D could help answer those questions. After decades of silence, the exploration of Venus may soon enter a new era. And that brings us to the end of today's episode. Thank you so much for tuning in. As always, this has been Kevin from GreatSpaceX. Until next time, keep looking up!