SpaceX FIXED Starship Flight 12 WDR Problem, Do Over in Hours! Will This Delay Launch?

That was a disappointing weekend for those of us who live and breathe rocket propellant, spent staring at a grainy livestream of a giant metal silo instead of talking to actual humans. The Flight 12 full wet dress rehearsal was scrubbed, leaving us feeling like we just got stood up for a prom date. Luckily the cause was found and fixed by the teams at Starbase, so keep your snacks ready while we wonder how much longer we must survive on teaser photos and hopeful tweets. Next, Rocket Lab is outlining ambitious plans for Neutron to see if it can surpass the sheer dominance of Starship in the commercial market. Meanwhile, efforts to remove literal decades of space junk from orbit by next year have been officially planned. We're finding out how these high stakes stories unfold on today's episode of Great SpaceX. Clearly, the recent move of S-39 to the launch pad generated an almost unprecedented level of excitement within the global aerospace community. And let's be honest, the subsequent stacking of the full vehicle continued to impress even the most cynical observers of the industry. What we all fully expected to see next was a glorious full wet dress rehearsal featuring the over 120 meter tall vehicle covered in beautiful cryogenic frost and thick white venting. That sight is the universal signal that the rocket is officially loaded with thousands of tons of super chilled fuel and ready to roar. But unfortunately for our weekend plans, that simply did not happen this past weekend as we had originally hoped. The first real test attempt was set for the 9th and perhaps due to the extensive amount of preparation required for a V3 vehicle, it only began near the end of the afternoon. We saw the transport stands being moved away from the launch site, the massive mechanical chopsticks were raised into position, and the venting began to intensify. This was the moment when we all thought the fuel loading had finally started in earnest and the chat rooms were absolutely exploding with hype. But everything just kind of stopped after that which is basically the worst feeling you can have while watching a rocket countdown. There appeared to be no visible frost forming on the stainless steel skin of the rocket which strongly suggested that not much fuel had been loaded or perhaps none at all. A few minutes later, an official abort was issued by the flight director and it became clear that the problem this time was actually with the ground support equipment system. Therefore, the entire test was postponed leaving us all to wander back into our normal lives feeling slightly hollow and very confused. The question that has been burning through the community ever since is, what exactly happened down there at the pad? The answer finally came on May 10th when we saw the crew begin some very specific and visible work on the tower area. One specific venting pipe was removed from the structure and then replaced with another one which sounds like a simple fix but has massive implications. Revelations from people watching the site indicate that the old pipe was a tri-vent type which essentially means it had three different venting manifolds. The new one they installed is a uni-vent design which, as the name suggests, features only a single vent outlet for the gases. This change has some very significant engineering implications for how the launch pad actually functions during a high pressure countdown. In a three outlet pipe, the gas dispersion is split in multiple directions which naturally reduces the velocity and the exhaust forces of the venting gas. By switching to only one outlet, the engineers are increasing the thrust and the airflow in one specific direction. Furthermore, this new configuration reduces the amount of ice buildup from frozen fuel on critical parts like the chopsticks and the ship quick disconnect. This ice often causes blockages that affect the venting process which is exactly the kind of tiny problem that can ruin a multi-million dollar launch day. It's becoming very clear that the new launch pad is having quite a few growing pains as it enters its primary operational phase. It was built over a very long period with the expectation of offering greater reliability and longer term potential compared to the old pad 1 design. However, problems have continuously arisen since it entered operation such as those annoying sensor failures in the flame trench during the 33 engine static fire test. Clearly, SpaceX needs to make many small adjustments to the new pad to determine the absolute best configuration for the future. These lessons will allow them to make timely adjustments to pad 1 and the upcoming pads they are building over in Florida. For the current mission, fortunately, SpaceX was able to detect and fix this specific pipe problem in time to stay on a relatively tight schedule. This ensures that the next test effort can proceed very soon and as of right now, the next test date is officially set for the 11th of May. They also have two backup dates on the 12th and the 13th which gives them a nice little cushion if the Texas weather decides to be difficult again. Overall, this schedule is still technically underway before the main launch date and two days should be more than enough for SpaceX to check everything after the test. But somehow, these little hiccups still raise some legitimate concerns about the actual launch schedule for flight 12. For example, if this test effort is significantly delayed or if another major problem occurs with either the vehicle or the launch pad, we might be in trouble. In that case, SpaceX would need significantly more time to fix the issues both before and after the final round of testing. And don't forget that the Starship usually needs to be destacked from the booster during these kinds of testing cycles if they need to reach specific hardware. That is exactly why the launch window has been extended all the way to May 21st, allowing SpaceX to postpone the launch attempt if it is truly necessary. But for those of us who have waited more than half a year for this flight, obviously no one actually wants to see a prolonged delay. Completing this flight on time will also have a massive domino effect on the schedule of all the subsequent flights planned for the rest of the year. Hopefully, the flight can take place as soon as possible under very careful circumstances to ensure we get that win we all need. For now, I'm personally choosing May 17th as my predicted launch date so we can all have a really exciting weekend together. So, when do you personally think this giant metal beast is finally going to leave the ground? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section down below so we can see who has the best rocket scientist instincts. While the Flight 12 efforts are still very much underway and taking up most of our brain space, perhaps both you and I have forgotten to pay attention to other matters. SpaceX is a giant machine that never stops moving and we really need to take a second to talk about the progress on S40. Yeah, this ship was actually brought over to the Massey's test site earlier this month for its own round of cryogenic testing. Shortly after arriving, it successfully underwent its first cryogenic test on the 4th of May without making any headlines for the wrong reasons. By May 6th, it had already been returned to Megabay 2, which is an incredibly fast turnaround for a prototype of this scale. Besides our excessive and arguably unhealthy focus on Flight 12, the fact that S40's progress hasn't been noticed is probably because it simply isn't being problematic. In the world of rocket development, having nobody talk about your hardware is usually the best news you can possibly receive. SpaceX has indeed handled the production situation very well, making the ship's testing much more reliable than what we saw in the past. They have managed to alleviate many of the concerns that have been lingering in the community since the unfortunate S36 incident. Of course, S40 still needs to maintain that high level of reliability as it moves into the next phase of its own specific challenges. Right now, it's probably undergoing a series of post-test checks to make sure the structure didn't experience any hidden stress during the deep freeze. Once this is complete, the team will begin the engine installation process for static fire testing, which should happen in the next few weeks. I personally think this next step will only happen after Flight 12 is officially completed and out of the way. Now, moving over to B20, the final part of that massive structure was actually rolled out at the end of last month. Recently, especially after the B18 incident, SpaceX seems to have spent a lot more time checking and double-checking their boosters. So, perhaps B20 will only be rolled out for its own round of testing in a few weeks, interspersed with the steps for S40. These two prototypes are going to receive a massive amount of attention from the public because they will mark the first time Starship actually reaches a full orbit. Speaking of absolute importance, the prototypes for Flight 14 are also proving to be equally vital to the long-term success of the program, and the very first steps for that mission have already begun behind the scenes at the production facilities. With B21, parts like the A2.4 section and the common dome were continuously delivered to Megabay 1 on the 7th of May. These two parts will soon be stacked together while other sections will continuously arrive at the bay to be added to the stack. At the current pace of production, the stacking of B21 will likely be completed by around this week or the next. Meanwhile, the first part of S41 actually arrived at Megabay 2 all the way back on the 20th of April. Since then, parts such as the forward dome, the common dome, and the aft section have been continuously delivered to the assembly area. This incredible speed will likely allow the stacking of S41 to be completed before this month is even over. Clearly, SpaceX is still actively working at Starbase to move forward immediately after the dust settles from Flight 12. Are you actually ready to speed up with them, or are you still trying to process the fact that we are living in the future? While SpaceX is making these massive strides with Starship, Rocket Lab has also just outlined some very ambitious plans for its new rocket, Neutron. On May 7th, the company announced its largest deal in their entire history with a secret customer for Neutron and Electron launches between 2026 and 2029. This massive win for long-term stability officially exceeds the company's previous record of a $190 million contract. Peter Beck said, it speaks volumes to the strong and growing demand for all of our launch capabilities and this booking means Neutron's manifest is filling up fast right through the end of the decade. They were originally reticent to sell to avoid heavy discounts, but by late 2024, the demand was simply too strong to ignore. Beck explained, I hope that by now you know that my stance is not discounting flights just to fill up a manifest, so I can confirm that pricing for these Neutron and Electron launches is very much in family with their commercial rates. Despite a tank that unfortunately ruptured during testing in January, they are still holding to a Q4 launch schedule. Beck added that the team has made tremendous strides on the Stage 1 tank design refinements and has improved both the tank strength margins and manufacturability and given us confidence in the structural performance. The company is aiming for three launches next year and up to five by the time we reach 2028 for the highly anticipated Neutron. It features the unique Hungry Hippo fairing and Archimedes engines, providing nearly 1.5 million pounds of thrust at liftoff. We'll just have to wait and see how impressively it performs in the global rocket race with these latest technical advancements. And now, we need to take a moment to talk about the ongoing space junk disposal efforts that are happening in orbit. An innovative approach to Debris Removal as a Service, or DRAAS, is officially emerging from two lesser-known companies, Portal Space Systems and Paladin Space. The service will use Portal's maneuverable Starburst spacecraft and Paladin's Triton payload to capture tumbling debris under one meter. With 130 million pieces of debris in orbit, the need for a clean-up crew has become critical for our orbital neighborhood. Jeff Thornburg, CEO of Portal, stated, This is about making debris removal operational, not security experimental. Satellite data underpins communications, navigation, weather forecasting, and national, maintaining that infrastructure requires active debris management. Harrison Box, CEO of Paladin, added, Most collision-avoidance activity is driven by small debris. Triton is built to remove dozens of those objects in a single mission, which fundamentally changes the cost structure of debris remediation and provides the greatest benefit to satellite operators. They plan to launch Starburst 1 on the SpaceX Transporter 18 mission in late 2026, aiming for commercial operations by 2027. After recently raising $50 million to accelerate development, this dedicated effort is a vital step toward a safer orbital environment compared to earlier Starship concepts. And that officially brings us to the end of today's episode of our spacefaring adventures. Thank you so much for tuning in and for being part of this incredible community of rocket enthusiasts. As always, this has been Kevin from GreatSpaceX, keeping you updated on the future of humanity. Until next time, please stay curious and keep looking up.