Starship S40 finally Completed Full-Engine Fire Test, Faster Than Expected! Pad-2 in Strange Tests!

If you thought SpaceX might finally slow down for a minute, think again. The company is moving even faster than most of us expected. On the vehicle side, it's been a non-stop whirlwind of rollouts, surprise tests, and rapid progress, with S40 stealing the spotlight. Meanwhile, over at the launch pad, crews have been pushing through an equally relentless schedule of upgrades and testing for both the near future and the long haul. So what's really happening? And just how close are we to the next Starship flight? Let's dive into it on today's episode of Great SpaceX. Everything at Starbase feels like the knockout rounds of the World Cup. Fast, intense, unpredictable, and packed with surprises. Just when you think you've figured out the bracket, something completely unexpected happens. That's exactly the energy we're seeing at Starbase right now. Both the vehicles and the launch infrastructure are accelerating at an incredible pace. But before we jump into all that, if you haven't already, be sure to subscribe to the channel. The next phase of Starship development is shaping up to be the busiest we've ever seen, with more testing, more launches, and more milestones happening in rapid succession. Subscribing means you'll be among the first to hear about every major SpaceX update. Now, let's get into it. Honestly, I was genuinely surprised by what SpaceX pulled off this week. You'll probably remember that S40 successfully completed a single-engine static fire just a few days ago. Normally, you'd expect the next test to follow almost immediately. Instead, S40 headed back to the production site. Naturally, most of us assumed that meant a delay. SpaceX basically responded with, um, actually, no. On June 28th, S41 rolled out to Massey's. It then completed two cryogenic proof tests during the evening of June 29th before returning to the production site on the 30th the next day. That pace alone was impressive, but then came another surprise. If you've been busy lately and haven't been following every Starbase update, you probably won't believe how quickly SpaceX wrapped up S40's next round of testing. After S41 returned to the production site around midday on the 30th, the static fire transport stand unexpectedly arrived that same evening. Within a short time, S40 had been lifted onto the stand and was already heading back to Massey's. Everything happened with almost no warning. There weren't even the usual track closures that normally signal a vehicle move. Either way, either they weren't there or SpaceX managed to sneak one past all of us. Before anyone had time to process it, S40 was already gone. Then by the morning of the 1st of July, Massey's was alive with activity once again. Massive clouds of venting filled the air as propellant loading began. The liquid oxygen tank was filled completely while the methane tank received only a partial load. Preparations continued until 5.01 PM Central. Then came the moment everyone had been waiting for, just much sooner than anyone expected. All six Raptor engines ignited simultaneously. The amount of power unleashed dwarfed the earlier single-engine test. Thick smoke and enormous clouds of dust blasted out of the flame trench, giving everyone a dramatic reminder of just how powerful Starship has become. Together, the six Raptors generated an estimated thrust of more than 1,700 metric tons. Thankfully, the flame trench and upgraded water deluge system did exactly what they were designed to do, directing that immense energy away from both the vehicle and the test stand. Even more impressive, the engines kept running for a full minute. That full-duration burn has become an increasingly important milestone ever since the Massey's test site received its upgrades. Running the engines for an extended period allows SpaceX to evaluate long-duration performance, durability, thrust control, guidance systems, and countless other flight-critical parameters before launch. When the test concluded, no major issues were reported. That strongly suggests S40 successfully completed what may have been its final major standalone test. At the moment, it isn't clear whether any additional testing remains. If SpaceX is satisfied with the results, S40 will likely return to the production site later this week for inspections, final checkouts, and installation of its payload hardware and FTS, or flight termination system. Looking back at the timeline, it's honestly remarkable. S40 first rolled out to Massey's on the evening of June 23, and by the afternoon of the 1st of July, its latest static fire was complete. In just 8 days, SpaceX completed 2 S40 rollouts, 1 S41 rollout, and 3 major Starship test campaigns. That level of activity is unlike anything we've seen in Starship's history. Because of that progress, a July launch suddenly looks much more realistic. S40 now appears to have plenty of time to complete its remaining preparations. That means attention shifts to the rest of Flight 13, especially when it comes to the launch pad and B20. And honestly, the ground infrastructure has been advancing almost as quickly as the vehicles themselves, with one of the clearest signs of that momentum visible around Pad 2. After Flight 12 concluded without causing significant damage to the launch complex, SpaceX wasted absolutely no time getting back to work, and that smooth performance gave engineers the confidence to move straight into preparations for the next mission. Those preparations have focused on two major areas, hardware upgrades and extensive testing. The hardware work has included replacing ball mounts on the OLM, installing new catch rails on the chopsticks, adding protective panels around the base of the tower, driving additional piles around the pad, and expanding propellant storage with new fuel tanks. Once those upgrades were complete, crews removed the scaffolding from the OLM, marking the beginning of the final phase before flight, testing. Since then, SpaceX has been putting nearly every critical system through its paces, including the chopsticks, the SQD, the water dillage system, and everything in between. While much of the community has been focused on S40 and 41, Pad 2 has been quietly running through an intense testing campaign of its own. The chopsticks have repeatedly opened, closed, raised, lowered, and rotated, while the BQD completed its first open-and-close cycle since flight 12. Perhaps most interesting of all, however, is that SpaceX performed not one, but two separate double water dillage tests. Yes, double water dillage tests. That means twice. That's definitely unusual. The first pair took place on the 30th, with the initial test occurring at approximately 5.47 p.m. Central Time, and the second following just seven minutes later at 5.54 p.m. Then, on July 1st, SpaceX repeated the entire sequence, conducting the first test at 5.54 p.m., and another only eight minutes after at 6.02 p.m. Now here's where things get really interesting, because those repeated tests could have been major implications for future Starship flights. But before we get there, let's talk about what they mean for flight 13. The intensity of Pad 2's recent testing strongly suggests that SpaceX is entering its final preparation phase with the back-to-back water dillage tests, potentially indicating that the company is deliberately pushing the system harder than usual to uncover any remaining issues before static fire and launch operations begin. Finding problems now is far better than discovering them on launch day. The timing also makes sense, as B20 completed cryogenic testing back in June, giving SpaceX roughly a month to finish inspections, install its Raptor engines, and prepare for static fire testing. Taken together, the recent flurry of activity looks very much like one final sprint before B20 rolls out to the launch pad. Based on the current pace of progress, I think B20 could roll out during the first week of this month, followed by static fire testing in the second week. Assuming everything goes according to plan, the third week could be devoted to inspections and final preparations ahead of a possible launch attempt during the final week of July. At least for now, a July launch continues to look very promising. Of course, there's still plenty of work ahead as SpaceX must complete extensive inspections and a wet dress rehearsal could also take place before launch. If the company intends to fly this month, pace we've seen recently will need to continue. And honestly, the launch pad deserves just as much attention as the rocket itself, because every mission begins there, and the health of the launch complex determines not only when Starship flies, but how reliably it can continue flying afterward. So, do you think Pad 2 will be ready for Flight 13? Let me know by saying Pad 2, Go! in the comment section down below. Now let's return to those unusual double water deluge tests. Earlier, I mentioned they might reveal something much bigger. Here's why. During the two test sequences, the water didn't follow the normal pattern. Instead of beginning around the flame bucket as usual, water was first sprayed across the upper deck above the OLM before flowing toward the side of the flame trench. That's the opposite of the normal procedure. So, why change it? Well, that suggests SpaceX may have been testing something happening above the launch mount itself. Personally, I think this could be connected to future booster catches. Here's my reasoning. In a typical Starship mission, Super Heavy returns to the launch site roughly 7 minutes after liftoff. That's almost identical to the 7 and 8 minute gaps between the paired water deluge tests. If a booster returns to the tower, spraying water across the top of the OLM, cool the surrounding hardware immediately before or after the catch. That cooling could reduce thermal stress on both the booster and the launch infrastructure after an incredibly demanding flight. Although it's only a theory, it's certainly an intriguing one. Naturally, that raises an exciting question. Will Flight 13 finally include another booster catch attempt? In my opinion, I don't think so. Flight 12 still revealed several issues that SpaceX will likely want to address first. Because of that, I believe Super Heavy will probably perform another controlled splash down instead. That would allow engineers to continue validating the V3 upgrades, including improvements to the engines and grid fins, while collecting valuable flight data without adding the extra complexity of a tower catch. If that's the plan, these new water deluge procedures are probably laying the groundwork for later missions instead. Assuming Flight 13 goes well, Flight 14 and beyond could become much stronger candidates for renewed booster catch attempts. And of course, this isn't just about Super Heavy. Eventually, Starship itself will need to return to the launch site as well. Before that can happen, SpaceX still needs to demonstrate another successful ocean landing after reaching orbit. Compared with the booster, ship's journey is much longer and far more demanding. Fortunately, that also gives ground crews significantly more time, well over an hour to be exact, to prepare the launch site and activate any cooling systems needed before touchdown. I think the first orbital re-entry tests could happen as early as Flight 14 or 15. Even then, the first fully orbital mission may still end with another ocean landing as SpaceX gathers additional re-entry and landing data before attempting a tower catch. But no matter how you look at it, the momentum is unmistakable and everything appears to be moving in a very exciting direction. 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 and until next time, keep looking up!