SpaceX Rolls Starship to Pad for Pre Flight Tests Ahead of 10th Mission

SpaceX has moved its Starship upper stage to the launch pad at Starbase for a new round of testing, a key step toward the vehicle’s 10th flight expected next month. The company marked the milestone Monday evening, sharing four photos on X that showed the 171‑foot‑tall (52‑meter) “Ship” traveling to the pad.

Credit: SpaceX

 

A precise target date has not been announced. On July 14, CEO Elon Musk said liftoff would occur in “about three weeks,” before offering a broader “next month” update on Monday.

Starship—the largest and most powerful rocket ever built—stands 400 feet (122 meters) when stacked with its Super Heavy booster. Both stages are stainless steel and designed for full reusability, central to SpaceX’s long‑term goals of Mars settlement and other deep‑space missions.

The Ship now at the pad is the second upper stage prepared for Flight 10. The first was lost in a June 18 test-stand incident during a planned static‑fire; SpaceX traced the likely cause to a failed pressurized nitrogen tank near the vehicle’s nose.

Performance of the upper stage will be closely watched. SpaceX lost the Ship on each of the last three Starship flights in January, March and May. By contrast, Super Heavy aced Flights 7 and 8—boosting to ascent and then returning for dramatic catches by the launch tower’s “chopsticks.” On Flight 9, SpaceX skipped the catch attempt for a planned Gulf of Mexico splashdown, but the booster broke apart just after initiating its landing burn.

With testing underway, SpaceX is aiming to clear the path for Flight 10 “next month,” keeping momentum on the company’s rapid‑iteration approach as it refines Starship for orbital reusability and future deep‑space missions.

 

 

 

 

 

By Azhar

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