fedoratheexplorer8465

Big milestone unlocked at Starbase! SpaceX has officially wrapped up the initial activation campaign for the first Super Heavy V3 booster (likely Booster 19) on the brand-new Pad 2—a huge step toward getting the upgraded Starship system flying again.Over several intense days of testing, the team achieved a critical first: successfully loading cryogenic methane fuel and liquid oxygen (cryo propellants) onto a V3 Super Heavy booster for the very first time. This proved the booster's tanks, plumbing, and systems can handle the extreme cold and pressures under real pad conditions.Then came the big moment—a 10-engine static fire using the powerful new Raptor 3 engines. All 10 engines lit up successfully and roared to life... though the test cut short earlier than planned due to a ground support equipment (GSE) hiccup—not any issue with the booster or engines themselves. Still a clear win: clean startups across the board for these next-gen Raptors!SpaceX is already charging ahead: the booster is being prepped for the ultimate challenge—a full 33-engine static fire that will push this beast to its limits and pave the way for the next Starship flight (potentially Flight 12).This rapid, iterative testing on the shiny new Pad 2 shows SpaceX's relentless pace—debugging ground systems, validating hardware upgrades, and building toward fully reusable, high-flight-rate operations.The future of Starship is looking brighter (and louder) than ever. Mars is getting closer, one fiery test at a time!(Images: Recent shots of Booster 19 on Pad 2, Raptor 3 engines firing, cryogenic loading ops, and the dramatic static fire plume—capturing this exciting chapter in Starship's evolution.)

Rollout of Soyuz-2.1a with Progress MS-33 spacecraft is happening at the Baikonur cosmodrome right now

This morning, Soyuz-2.1a rocket with Progress MS-33 spacecraft was installed on Baikonur's Pad 31/6, which was fully repaired recently. The launch is scheduled for March 22, at 14:59:51 Moscow Time.