Featured Image Source: @LabPadre via Twitter & YouTube 

In the heart of Boca Chica Beach, Texas, SpaceX Starbase engineers and technicians are preparing for a monumental moment in the company's history—the first orbital flight of Starship Super Heavy rocket. This ambitious endeavor is set to mark a crucial milestone in the development of SpaceX's next-generation fully-reusable spacecraft, aimed at revolutionizing space travel to return NASA astronauts to the lunar surface and build the first Mars colony. 

SpaceX aims to achieve launching a fully-integrated Starship to orbit this year. Engineers have been working hard to build a more robust launch pad and are manufacturing and testing multiple stainless-steel rocket-ships ahead of the second flight attempt to orbit. The orbital test flight will help engineers speed up its development because they will see how the spacecraft operates at orbital velocity and in microgravity as it circles the planet and attempts a return by reentering Earth’s atmosphere. It is something space enthusiasts have been waiting to witness for years. 

On July 18, SpaceX performed the first cryogenic proof test of a Super Heavy rocket that could propel Starship to orbit -- if all tests go smoothly. According to multiple spaceflight communicators that have 24/7 cameras at the Starbase site, SpaceX performed the proof test on a prototype identified as Booster 10. Engineers have also been working on Booster 9, it is unclear which of the two will perform the flight this year; it all depends on which of the two passes all pre-flight tests.  

During the cryogenic test, engineers loaded Booster 10’s massive propellant tanks with ultra-cold liquid nitrogen, mimicking the conditions the rocket would face during an actual launch. Cryogenic temperatures are employed to increase the density of the propellants, allowing more fuel to be stored within the limited tank space and providing greater thrust for the ascent. The cryogenic proof test was a critical assessment to evaluate the rocket's structural integrity under extreme conditions. As the liquid nitrogen filled the tanks, the rocket underwent intense stress, simulating the forces and pressures experienced during liftoff. The test aimed to identify potential weak points in the rocket's structure and ensure it could withstand the rigors of space travel.

The 69-meter-tall rocket was tested at Massey's testing location which is around 15-minutes down the road from the Starbase factory. In January, SpaceX founder Elon Musk shared that SpaceX acquired a gun range near Starbase to use the land. “Massey’s gun range is being turned into a rocket test facility. Perfect match,” he shared. 

Looks like SpaceX is performing its first cryo test on Booster 10 this evening

📸: @LabPadre pic.twitter.com/QAZzdWgsgK

— Zack Golden (@CSI_Starbase) July 19, 2023

Everything Everywhere All at Once!

Now the Tower is venting during this tank farm/launch site checkout. And FireX joins in!

I dare say we might be seeing Booster 9 on there sometime soon!https://t.co/e3xbqPnwZ5 pic.twitter.com/Nr4T2cysyo

— Chris Bergin - NSF (@NASASpaceflight) July 19, 2023

Booster 10's time to shine, undergoing cryogenic proof test at SpaceX Masseys.https://t.co/e3xbqPnwZ5 pic.twitter.com/VuScnOxqqr

— Chris Bergin - NSF (@NASASpaceflight) July 19, 2023

Starship's new water deluge system finally comes to life! Find out all about it and more in this week's Starbase update! https://t.co/aiSXlaqil3#Starship #Starbase #SpaceX #Spaceflight pic.twitter.com/JvDbQpBpDU

— LabPadre (@LabPadre) July 16, 2023

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Featured Image Source: @LabPadre via Twitter & YouTube