SpaceX's Starship rocket is on track for a March test flight attempt, according to fresh statements from the firm's chief Elon Musk. The second week of February saw renewed activities at the company's test facilities in Boca Chica, Texas, as SpaceX shipped its latest rocket booster to the launch pad. These rockets will make it to the third test flight, called the Starship Integrated Test Flight (IFT-3), and according to Musk, the rocket should be ready for yet another launch in at least three weeks.

根据该公司首席执行官埃隆·马斯克 (Elon Musk) 的最新声明，SpaceX 的 Starship 火箭有望在 3 月份进行试飞。 2 月第二周，该公司位于德克萨斯州博卡奇卡的测试设施恢复了活动，SpaceX 将其最新的火箭助推器运送到发射台。这些火箭将进行第三次试飞，称为星舰综合试飞（IFT-3），根据马斯克的说法，火箭应该在至少三周内准备好再次发射。

Elon Musk Shares Fresh Details For Starship Launch As SpaceX Continues Launch Site Testing

Footage shared by local media and from SpaceX's official social media channels shows that the latest Starship Super Heavy rocket booster and second stage ship are on the launch pad for pre launch activities. So far, after it stacked the second stage on the booster yesterday, SpaceX has removed the rockets and is now working on the top of the booster close to its stage separation ring. This ring is a new addition to Starship's design, and it followed the first test flight in April last year when the rocket's first and second stages failed to successfully separate and led to an in flight explosion.

埃隆·马斯克在 SpaceX 继续进行发射场测试时分享了星舰发射的最新细节当地媒体和 SpaceX 官方社交媒体渠道分享的视频显示，最新的星舰超重型火箭助推器和第二级飞船已在发射台上进行发射前活动。到目前为止，在昨天将第二级堆放在助推器上后，SpaceX 已经拆除了火箭，现在正在靠近其级分离环的助推器顶部进行工作。这个环是 Starship 设计中的新成员，去年 4 月进行了首次试飞，当时火箭的第一级和第二级未能成功分离并导致飞行中爆炸。

While initial speculation after the second Starship test flight late last year had hoped that SpaceX might conduct the next test soon, 2024 has seen few details about Boca Chica testing activities. Among the few things that are confirmed now are the facts that SpaceX will test in space propellant transfer later this year, and that a third test flight, along with subsequent ones, is also on the cards.

相关报道 SpaceX 在第三次飞行尝试之前进行了令人惊讶的星舰测试虽然去年底第二次星舰测试飞行后最初的猜测是希望 SpaceX 可能很快进行下一次测试，但关于 2024 年博卡奇卡测试活动的细节很少。目前已确认的几件事包括 SpaceX 将在今年晚些时候进行太空推进剂传输测试，并且第三次试飞以及后续的试飞也已在计划之中。

A rapid cadence of test flights is the backbone of the Starship program since it enables SpaceX to collect a treasure trove of data to fine tune its rockets and upgrade them for future missions.

快速的试飞节奏是 Starship 计划的支柱，因为它使 SpaceX 能够收集大量数据来微调其火箭并对其进行升级以适应未来的任务。

SpaceX's Starship rocket as it makes its way to the pad in February 2024. Image: SpaceX

2024 年 2 月，SpaceX 的星舰火箭抵达发射台。图片来源：SpaceX

Now, after the brief lull on the Starship front, SpaceX chief Elon Musk is back on X with a fresh timeline for the third Starship test flight. This test was initially expected to take place in February, but the FAA's revelation that SpaceX is yet to submit documents related to the second test flight last week hinted that perhaps IFT-3 would take longer than initially expected.

现在，在星际飞船前线短暂平静之后，SpaceX 首席执行官埃隆·马斯克带着第三次星际飞船试飞的新时间表回到了 X。此次测试最初预计于 2 月份进行，但美国联邦航空管理局 (FAA) 透露 SpaceX 尚未提交上周第二次试飞的相关文件，这暗示 IFT-3 可能需要比最初预期更长的时间。

Musk's latest comments, made in response to the rapper Ye asking him when the next test flight would take place, promise that it should take place "in about 3 weeks"  - effectively confirming that February will not be the month that Starship attempts to fly to the heavens for the third time.

马斯克的最新评论是在回答说唱歌手叶问他下一次试飞何时进行时做出的，他承诺应该“在大约三周内”进行——有效地确认了二月不会是星舰试图飞往的月份第三次上天。

Should the third test flight take place in March, then it will mark nearly a year since the first test in 2023. The new water deluge system installed at the pad following the first test flight took a large bite out of SpaceX's test schedule, and it eventually ensured that 2023 would only see two tests of a rocket that the firm is eager to remind everyone is part of a 'hardware rich' program.

如果第三次试飞在 3 月份进行，那么距离 2023 年第一次测试已经过去近一年了。第一次试飞后安装在发射台上的新水淋系统占用了 SpaceX 的测试时间表很大一部分。最终确保 2023 年只会进行两次火箭测试，该公司急于提醒大家这是“硬件丰富”计划的一部分。

However, SpaceX also appears to be building another launch site at its Texas facilities, hinting that perhaps future Starship launches might see vehicles tested in rapid succession. This will depend on the FAA's clearance, as SpaceX's current Starship launch authorizations limit it to only one test per authorization - as the FAA takes its time to understand each test and ensure that any reasons behind an accident or a failure are addressed before the world's largest rocket can attempt to take to the skies once again.

然而，SpaceX 似乎还在其德克萨斯州的工厂建造另一个发射场，这暗示未来的星舰发射可能会快速连续地对车辆进行测试。这将取决于 FAA 的许可，因为 SpaceX 目前的星舰发射授权限制每次授权只能进行一次测试 - 因为 FAA 需要时间来了解每项测试，并确保在世界上最大的发射机构之前解决事故或失败背后的任何原因。火箭可以尝试再次飞向天空。