The base of the Starship Super Heavy with the crucial water deluge system is visible during a static fire earlier this year. Image: SpaceX

在今年早些時候的一次靜態火災中，可以看到超級重型星艦的底座以及關鍵的水淋系統。圖：SpaceX

With the year ending, SpaceX is in no mood to slow down its progress towards the highly anticipated third Starship integrated test flight. Starship is the world's largest rocket, and to date, SpaceX has tested several upper-stage spacecraft and two Super Heavy boosters in flight tests. SpaceX's second Starship fully integrated test flight took place in November, and it followed months of anticipation as the firm waited on government agencies to clear its pad for future tests.

隨著年底的到來，SpaceX 沒有心情放慢其備受期待的第三次 Starship 綜合試飛的進度。 Starship 是世界上最大的火箭，迄今為止，SpaceX 已在飛行測試中測試了幾艘上級太空船和兩個超重型助推器。 SpaceX 的第二次 Starship 完全整合試飛於 11 月進行，此前該公司等待政府機構清理其發射台以進行未來測試，因此經過數月的期待。

Now, it looks like the third Starship test will take place much sooner than the second test did, as SpaceX has tested the second stage rocket again today in Texas.

現在，第三次 Starship 測試似乎將比第二次測試早得多，因為 SpaceX 今天在德克薩斯州再次測試了第二級火箭。

SpaceX Runs Static Fire Of Starship Second Stage Again As It Prepares For Third Test Flight

SpaceX's Starship program needs to work as fast as possible in order to test and validate the systems and meet NASA's requirements for the Artemis program. The Starship second stage is a crucial part of the Artemis program as it is NASA's vehicle of choice to land astronauts on the Moon. To prove that the rocket can successfully land astronauts on the Mon, SpaceX has to successfully demonstrate Starship's ability to reach orbit and refuel itself in space before embarking on its lunar journey.

SpaceX 再次對星艦第二級進行靜態點火，為第三次試飛做準備 SpaceX 的星艦計畫需要盡快啟動，以便測試和驗證系統並滿足 NASA 對阿爾忒彌斯計畫的要求。星艦第二級是阿耳忒彌斯計畫的重要組成部分，因為它是美國太空總署選擇將太空人送上月球的交通工具。為了證明火箭能夠成功地將太空人送上月球，SpaceX 必須成功展示 Starship 在踏上月球之旅之前進入軌道並在太空中自行補充燃料的能力。

SpaceX, it appears, is aware of this. After the firm ran multiple vent tests at its launch site in Texas yesterday, it started off the day today by firing the upper stage's engines for a static fire. Since SpaceX has yet to confirm the event itself, it's unclear whether the test was a full-duration run and whether all of the rocket's six engines were tested. Based on an early look at the footage from local media, it appears that only one engine was fired.

SpaceX 似乎意識到了這一點。該公司昨天在德克薩斯州的發射場進行了多次通風測試，今天開始時，它啟動了上級發動機進行靜態點火。由於 SpaceX 尚未證實這一事件本身，因此尚不清楚這項測試是否是全程運行，以及火箭的所有六個引擎是否都經過了測試。根據當地媒體的初步觀察，似乎只有一個引擎著火。

However, the fact that the static fire happened can lead to another test happening today of the Super Heavy booster.

然而，靜電起火的事實可能導致今天對超重型助推器進行另一次測試。

Looking at the local footage, it appears that the second stage Starship's engines were tested for six seconds. This is a typical duration for a static fire test, and it's easier for SpaceX to test the upper stage's engines since it has to load less fuel on the rocket.

從當地的鏡頭來看，第二級星艦的引擎似乎測試了六秒鐘。這是靜態點火測試的典型持續時間，而且 SpaceX 更容易測試上級發動機，因為它需要在火箭上裝載更少的燃料。

With the test, SpaceX continues to fire on all engines. The firm launched its 96th rocket mission yesterday through two quick launches that marked the least time between two launches. SpaceX first launched its largest operational rocket, the Falcon Heavy, to send the Space Force's space plane on another test flight. It then followed up with a Starlink launch, leaving in play only one additional launch, according to details on the firm's website.

通過測試，SpaceX 的所有引擎繼續點火。該公司昨天透過兩次快速發射發射了第 96 次火箭任務，這標誌著兩次發射之間的時間最短。 SpaceX 首先發射了其最大的運營火箭獵鷹重型火箭，以將太空部隊的太空飛機送上另一次試飛。根據該公司網站上的詳細信息，隨後又發射了一次星鏈，僅剩下一次發射。

Starship is integral to SpaceX's future as well since the firm has staked the build-out of its second-generation Starlink satellite internet constellation on the rocket. Recent tests have also shown SpaceX flash the second stage's payload ejector bay that will also be used to launch Starlink satellites via a 'dispenser' like mechanism.

Starship 也是 SpaceX 未來不可或缺的一部分，因為該公司已將其第二代 Starlink 衛星網路星座的建設押在了火箭上。最近的測試還表明，SpaceX 閃現了第二級的有效載荷噴射器艙，該艙也將用於透過類似「分配器」的機制發射星鏈衛星。