SpaceX Starship Full WDR Test Completed to Launch in Days! Here’s What Comes Next until Liftoff…

In 2026, SpaceX is living its best life by finishing major preparations for the first-ever flight of Starship B3. We'll also check on China's intergalactic version of a high-speed grocery run and SpaceX's support of the ISS as NASA manages the ultimate form of property management. Which will work better? Let's find out on today's episode of Great SpaceX. After the shiny new S39 was brought to the pad to stack onto B19 like the world's most expensive game of Tetris, the next milestone to be considered was the full wet dress rehearsal. However, a problem with the venting tube on the tower caused the main ninth attempt to be scrubbed, but the issue was quickly fixed on the tenth. An opportunity opened up on the eleventh. At the scheduled test time, the road was closed and the transport stands left the launch site like they were clearing the room for a dramatic entrance. Chopsticks opened and rose to the launch position, which is easily the most intimidating piece of cutlery ever invented by human hands. That is when the test began and boy was it a show. Strong venting indicated the amount of loaded fuel was more than in any previous test, which is basically the rocket version of a size matters flex. The loading process seemed to start at 9.45 AM, evidenced by the appearance of frost. The process peaked around 10.20 AM, meaning the loading process lasted only 35 minutes, which is the same as the previous record and honestly impressive given how much more work was involved this time. Things were further highlighted when SpaceX released an update that looked like it was directed by someone who really loves lens flares and high definition drama. Images from special footage set up by the company continued to show the impressive results of the test and the internet collectively lost its mind. In the accompanying statement, the company said, Launch rehearsal complete during a flight-like countdown, more than 5,000 metric tons or 11 plus million pounds of propellant were loaded on the fully stacked Starship and Super Heavy V3 vehicles for the first time. Yeah, thousands of tons or millions of pounds of fuel were loaded in just 35 minutes across both stages, which is an incredibly insane capability that makes my car's refueling speed look like a joke. Showing a significant advancement for SpaceX in the pre-flight countdown phase, this clearly increases efficiency and reduces flight risk, which is great because I prefer my rockets to stay in one piece until they're not supposed to. Returning to the test during the fuel loading process, other tests were also conducted including testing the ship's flaps and the deluge system, which is essentially the world's most powerful bidet. When the fuel reached its peak, it was held for approximately 20 minutes to make sure everything was vibing correctly in the cold. At 1040 AM, the detanking process began as fuel was drained from the tanks, evidenced by the gradual disappearance of the frost, which is a very satisfying thing to watch in time-lapse. A few hours later, the chopsticks returned to their original positions to hold the ship like a protective parent. Thus, the test was completed successfully and no further testing will be needed as the scheduled shutdowns on the 12th and 13th have been revoked, which is the space equivalent of finishing your homework early and getting to go outside to play. Therefore, it's time to talk about the final preparations and what will actually happen next. According to the latest update, it appears the ship transport stand has returned near the pad, which is the universal sign for something is about to move. This indicates that S-39 will definitely be destacked from B-19. The question is whether it will move or not, and the suspense is living rent-free in my head. Currently, there are two possibilities for how this drama unfolds. One is that S-39 will be rolled back to the production site for checks, which is something most of us don't want because we're impatient and the two-way movement along the check time would likely cause the current launch window to be missed. The second possibility is that the checks will be performed right at the pad because why go home when you're already at the party? The simple lift is just for convenience during checks at each stage and S-39 may already have all the necessary installations, such as payloads and the FTS system, so rolling back becomes unnecessary. Furthermore, at the time of this video being uploaded, no road closure schedule for movement had been announced, which is a good sign for those of us who hate waiting. More importantly, not rolling would ensure the feasibility of the launch schedule, which is what we all want. SpaceX has several days before the earliest possible launch on the 15th, which is more than enough time for them to conduct thorough checks of the rocket and launch pad. Therefore, I believe the second possibility will occur and there will be no roll. The entire vehicle will remain at the pad until launch because they are ready to send it. Therefore, it's time to count down to the flight we've been waiting for four months. It's closer than ever and the hype is real. Are you ready? Can we go? Respond go now in the comments to let me know if you're as hyped as I am. Then don't forget to like the video and subscribe to our channel to continue following SpaceX's development journey because we are all in this together, especially subscriptions. They mean a lot to us and I'm not just saying that because I like numbers. We've surpassed 199,960 subscribers, meaning we're just a few dozen more to reach 200k, which is a huge milestone for this community. I hope those who watch and like our videos but haven't subscribed yet will do so right now. A simple click of a button can give us great motivation to continue our journey with you and SpaceX while you'll also be among the first to receive updates on SpaceX and aerospace as a whole. Join us now and let's hit that goal together. Meanwhile, let's move on to updates on the cargo mission to Tiangong because SpaceX isn't the only one crushing it in orbit. Specifically, China just launched a cargo spacecraft carrying 7 tons of supplies to the Tiangong space station, which is a lot of space snacks and science gear. The mission, named Tianzhou-10, was launched by a Long March 7 rocket from the Wanchang Space Launch Site on Hainan Island at 8.14pm Eastern on the 10th. Five hours later, Tianzhou-10 docked with Tiangong, the T-shaped three-module space station that China finished assembling in low-Earth orbit in late 2022. As its name suggests, Tianzhou-10 is the 10th Tianzhou spacecraft to take flight. Those freighters, whose name translates to celestial vessel, are disposable, burning up in Earth's atmosphere when their time in orbit is up, which is a bit tragic but very efficient. The spacecraft delivered more than 220 items that have a total weight of about 7 tons according to the state-run Chinese broadcaster CCTV. The cargo haul includes about 620 pounds of scientific experiments in fluid physics and other fields, along with 1,540 pounds of propellant and the last of three new spacewalking spacesuits. The first two of those suits were delivered on the 9th Tianzhou cargo flight, which lifted off last July and departed Tiangong on Wednesday to make room for the new arrival. In general, China is still maintaining fairly stable space station supplies with the current station's configuration. The current Tiangong was built in April of 2021 when this country launched the core module known as Tianhe, which translates to Harmony of the Heavens. The two other modules, Wentian and Mengtian, launched in 2022 to complete the set. Tiangong generally supports three astronauts at a time, and the trio currently living aboard the orbiting lab are Zhang Lu, Wu Fei, and Zhang Hongzhang, who arrived on the 31st of October. But the space station will soon expand, doubling to six modules in the coming years to support more astronauts and research. The Xunxian module will be the station's fourth module, scheduled to launch later this year or early next year. This will put even greater pressure on the cargo supply system, and China will certainly need to expand. Allowing vehicles from private companies to participate in supporting the space station's resupply is likely the next step. So let's see what progress China will make as they build their own orbital empire. Speaking of supporting the space station, SpaceX will also soon have a mission to the International Space Station. In a recent update, the company released images of the Dragon cargo spacecraft stacked on a Falcon 9, which is a sight that never gets old. Both are currently at Launch Pad SLC-40 in Florida, just waiting for the green light. However, the mission may not launch anytime soon, as SpaceX says they are still monitoring the weather and conditions are currently only 35% favorable for launch. This is the 34th cargo mission to the ISS, hence it's called CRS-34. SpaceX continues to demonstrate high reliability in its effort to support the ISS, which is crucial since NASA is still very much in the game of keeping that station running. Recently, the agency decided to maintain a six-month cycle for each mission after considering extending the duration of each mission. Therefore, earlier this month, NASA announced that Crew 13 would launch in September instead of November. Crew 13 also had a fully identified astronaut crew, including NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins, Jessica Watkins, and Luke Delaney, along with Joshua Kutryk and Sergei Tatarinovskyi. NASA did not disclose details about its decision to move up the Crew 13 launch, but it was probably part of efforts to maximize the use of the ISS before its scheduled retirement. NASA started discussing plans last year to extend missions from six to eight months, which would have the effect of flying one fewer mission every two years. When Crew 11 launched in August of 2025, NASA had not yet committed to an eight-month stay. Therefore, before its February launch, Crew 12 was expected to spend eight months in space, but according to the current calendar, it only has seven months left. Bill Specht, the NASA ISS operations and integration manager, said, As Administrator Isaacman has talked about, we're trying to get the most out of station as we can, and so we were able to move up that next mission. We plan to stay on about that six-month cadence as we go forward. It will vary a little bit. Our flight schedule is quite busy, so it might, it may not be exactly six months in between each mission. Specht added. Therefore, the plan to extend the duration of each mission will likely be implemented in subsequent missions in the coming years. Roscosmos, which also had exchange crews on Soyuz spacecraft every six months, began flying missions every eight months in 2024. Overall, regardless of any changes, NASA and the ISS will likely still rely heavily on Dragon for both personnel and cargo resupply. This is especially important given that Starliner is unlikely to launch at least this year while the debut date of Dream Chaser remains uncertain. That role will become even more significant as commercial stations are built and put into operation. Looking further ahead, China's and the U.S.'s space station ventures represent a competition between Tiangong and the ISS. The rivalry is no longer simply a technological story, but has become symbolic of two completely different directions in space development. The ISS represents a decades-long model of international cooperation, while Tiangong demonstrates China's ambition to build an independent ecosystem. As the ISS nears its decommissioning, Tiangong enters a period of expansion reflecting the reality that the modern space race is about lasting influence. That brings us to the end of today's episode. Thank you so much for tuning in and listening to me ramble about the future of our species. As always, this has been Kevin from GreatSpaceX and I am so glad you joined us. Until next time, keep looking up and don't let the gravity get you down. We are heading to the stars and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.