SpaceX Unexpectedly Rolls Back S40 after SINGLE Engine Test, NO Full engines... Why

S40 successfully completed its single-engine static fire, but instead of moving on to a full six-engine test, SpaceX rolled it back to the production site. Why did they do that? Has Flight 13 been delayed, or is there a bigger plan at work? Meanwhile, a new report reveals NASA spent billions on cancelled Artemis hardware, and NASA has sent an official FIFA World Cup soccer ball to the ISS for a surprisingly scientific reason. Let's dive into today's episode of Great SpaceX to find out more. A lot of excitement swept through the Starship community on June 25th when SpaceX successfully completed Ship 40's full-duration single-engine static fire test. As usual, the company followed it up with some incredible footage, simply titled, Full-Duration Single-Engine Static Fire Test of Starship. And wow, wow, wowie, it looked amazing. You could see the sea-level Raptor roaring to life while frost and chunks of ice blasted out from underneath the vehicle. It's always a good reminder of just how much power these engines produce even when Starship never leaves the ground. More importantly, though, the test went exactly as planned. But if you were watching closely, you may have noticed something a little unusual. There seemed to be a slightly longer pause than normal between T-0 and the moment the engine actually ignited. It wasn't a huge delay, but it was definitely noticeable. Naturally, people immediately started coming up with theories. One idea is that SpaceX was testing new ignition procedures for future in-space engine relights. Another, and probably less exciting, theory is that engineers simply gave the engine a little more time to reach the proper temperature before ignition. Doing that could reduce thermal shock and help improve the engine's durability over repeated flights. For now, though, only SpaceX knows exactly what was happening. Then came the surprise. On the morning of June 26th, SHIV-40 folded its aft flaps into the transport position and rolled back from Massey's to Megabay 2, officially wrapping up its first static fire campaign. And honestly, that wasn't what most people expected. After a successful single-engine test, the next logical step seemed obvious. A full-duration six-engine static fire. Instead, S-40 headed back to the production site. So, what's going on? The simplest explanation is probably the right one. SpaceX just isn't ready for the six-engine test yet. And that's understandable. Lighting one Raptor engine is one thing. Lighting all six, three sea-level Raptors and three vacuum Raptors, is an entirely different challenge. Now, you're dealing with far greater thrust loads, more complex plumbing, engine synchronization, structural stresses, vibration, and thermal management. There are simply many more variables that must work flawlessly. There's another reason for the extra caution. Flight 12 reminded everyone that the vacuum Raptors still need refinement. One failed shortly after stage separation, and onboard footage appeared to show smoke coming from the upper portion of the engine bay. As Starship moves closer to routine orbital missions, engine reliability becomes more critical than ever. That's especially true for the new Raptor V3 engines. Designed to be simpler, more powerful, and more reliable than previous versions, they're still evolving with every flight and every test. When viewed that way, bringing S-40 to Megabay 2 makes perfect sense. Engineers can inspect all six engines, examine the plumbing and surrounding hardware, review the test data, make any necessary improvements, and ensure everything is ready before attempting the much more demanding six-engine static fire. Does that mean a delay? Almost certainly. A thorough inspection could easily take about a week before S-40 returns to Massey's. The good news is that Starbase isn't slowing down. While S-40 undergoes inspections, S-41 appears ready to begin its own testing campaign, with production seemingly complete and several clues pointing toward an immediate rollout. SpaceX recently moved the cryogenic test stand over to the Sanchez site, and road closures scheduled for June 27th and 28th line up almost perfectly with what we'd expect if S-41 is heading to Massey's. It's another example of SpaceX's assembly line approach. Rather than waiting for one vehicle to finish, the company keeps multiple Starships moving through production and testing simultaneously. So while S-40 undergoes inspection, S-41 is already preparing for its turn. As for S-40's six-engine static fire, early June now appears to be the most likely target. That naturally raises the next question. Does this affect Flight 13? Personally, I still think a July launch is well within reach. The key milestone remains the six-engine static fire. If S-40 completes it successfully in early July, there should still be enough time to finish the remaining launch preparations. B-20 is also making steady progress. After completing cryogenic testing earlier this month, it's moving closer to its own static fire campaign. If everything stays on schedule, we could see S-40 conducting its six-engine static fire at Massey's soon, while B-20 tests at the OLM, a major step toward Flight 13. There's still plenty of work ahead. Engineers must inspect the hardware, review test data, install the remaining flight systems, and possibly complete a wet dress rehearsal before launch. So if July is truly the target, the pace is about to accelerate. Will S-40 complete its six-engine static fire in early June, and does Flight 13 still have a good chance of launching before the end of the month? Let us know by commenting T and L. And if you enjoyed today's update, don't forget to like the video, share it with fellow spaceflight fans, and subscribe so you never miss the latest news from SpaceX and the aerospace industry. Now let's switch gears because another major story has been making headlines, and this one involves NASA. A new report has revealed just how much money NASA spent on Artemis hardware that was ultimately cancelled, and the numbers are staggering. After months of reviewing the Artemis program, NASA's Office of Inspector General released an interim report on June 24th examining several major hardware projects that were scrapped after the agency revised its lunar strategy. Originally budgeted at around $2.9 billion, those contracts had already consumed nearly $5.9 billion before work was halted, and according to the inspector general, the final cost would have been even higher if development had continued. So what exactly happened? Earlier this year, during NASA's Ignition Day, the agency unveiled major changes to Artemis aimed at reducing costs, simplifying the program, and focusing more directly on building a sustainable human presence on the moon. That meant delaying the first crewed lunar landing to Artemis 4, cancelling future upgraded versions of the SLS in favor of a single configuration, and ending development of the Gateway Lunar Space Station. According to the inspector general, nearly all of them suffered from years of delays, cost overruns, and technical challenges. Take Boeing's exploration upper stage. Awarded in 2017 with a contract worth about $962 million, it was originally scheduled for delivery in 2021, but after years of delays, NASA issued a stop-work order in 2026 without receiving a flight-ready stage. By then, the contract had nearly doubled to $2 billion, and estimates suggested it could have reached $3.7 billion before completion. The first flight-ready stage wasn't expected until late 2028, roughly 7.5 years behind schedule. The Universal Stage Adapter followed a similar path. Originally awarded to Dynetics for $131 million, years of redesigns pushed costs to around $353 million before the project was cancelled. Had work continued, NASA estimated the final cost could have approached half a billion dollars, with completion slipping to 2030. Then there was the Mobile Launcher 2. Bechtel received the contract in 2019 for about $383 million to support future upgraded SLS rockets. But once NASA abandoned those upgraded vehicles, the launcher lost its purpose. Meanwhile, projected costs ballooned to roughly $2 billion before cancellation. Gateway's Halo module faced its own setbacks. Built by Northrop Grumman, the habitat was intended to become one of the first modules of the Gateway Lunar Station. But after arriving from Italy in 2025, inspectors discovered widespread corrosion, creating another major delay. By the time NASA stopped development, the contract had grown from about $187 million to nearly $1.9 billion with delivery pushed to 2031. The longer a project takes, the more expensive it usually becomes. NASA hopes its revised Artemis strategy will avoid even larger costs by focusing on a simpler and more sustainable roadmap. Whether that approach succeeds remains to be seen. But one thing is clear. Future contracts will require much tighter oversight if NASA wants to avoid repeating the same mistakes. It'll be fascinating to see how these lessons shape the next chapter of Artemis. Now, after talking about billions of dollars in cancelled hardware, let's wrap up today's episode with something a little lighter. NASA recently sent an official FIFA World Cup 2026 matchball to the International Space Station. At first, it might seem like a fun publicity stunt, but there's actually a fascinating scientific reason behind it. To celebrate the tournament and highlight how space research connects with everyday life, NASA delivered the ball to the astronauts aboard the ISS. Soon afterward, NASA and ESA astronauts shared a fun video of the ball floating through the Kibo laboratory as they played a zero-gravity version of soccer. But there's more to the story. Between 2019 and 2021, researchers conducted the Adidas OS Spin experiment aboard the ISS to study how a soccer ball's internal mass distribution affects its spin, flight, and stability. Why does this matter? Since 2022, official FIFA matchballs have included electronic sensors that help track speed, position, and the exact moment a player touches the ball. Those sensors slightly alter the ball's weight distribution, which can affect its behavior in flight. By studying these effects in microgravity, scientists have gained valuable insights that help improve future ball designs. So while sending a soccer ball to space is definitely fun, it's also another example of how research aboard the ISS continues to benefit life here on Earth. And that brings us to the end of today's episode. Thank you so much for watching. If you enjoyed the video, please be sure to leave a like, subscribe, and turn on notifications so you never miss future updates. We'll continue following S-40, 41, and B-20, Flight 13, Artemis, and all the biggest developments across the aerospace industry. As always, this has been Kevin from GreatSpaceX, and until next time, keep looking up!