SpaceX Pumps Starship With Enough Fuel To Send It To Space

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Even as it waits for the FAA and FWS to work together for the environmental review of the Starship launch pad, SpaceX is moving ahead with tests of the rocket that should fly if it secures approval. The Starship stack for the second orbital test flight has been at the launch pad for quite some time, and SpaceX has conducted engine tests on the rocket and stacked and de-stacked the first and second stages of the launch vehicle. Now, it looks like the focus is on the rocket's tanks after a static fire of the 33 engines of the Super Heavy booster in August, and footage from local media shows that Tuesday was an eventful day at the Starship launch pad in Boca Chica, Texas.

After a water deluge test that appeared more powerful than earlier ones, SpaceX is focusing on loading Starship's first and second stages with propellants. This is the first time that fuel and liquid oxygen have been loaded on the rockets at the pad at such a scale for the second stack, and if anything, it signals intent to move forward with a second test flight. Even though SpaceX would have loved to have seen Starship make its second try to orbit right now, the rocket's time at the pad provides ample opportunity to test the rocket and ensure that everything is in working condition at launch.

Filling the tanks up with propellants, often part of a series of tests dubbed as a wet dress rehearsal, is one of the few steps before a test rocket can be cleared for launch. Launching a rocket that is Starship's size is not easy, and while often overlooked, the launch pad is an equally important part of the process as the rocket