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

在今年早些时候的一次静态火灾中，可以看到超级重型星舰的底座以及关键的水淋系统。图片：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.

随着年底的到来，SpaceX 没有心情放慢其备受期待的第三次 Starship 综合试飞的进度。 Starship 是世界上最大的火箭，迄今为止，SpaceX 已在飞行测试中测试了几艘上级航天器和两个超重型助推器。 SpaceX 的第二次 Starship 完全集成试飞于 11 月进行，此前该公司等待政府机构清理其发射台以进行未来测试，因此经过数月的期待。

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.

现在，第三次 Starship 测试似乎将比第二次测试早得多，因为 SpaceX 今天在德克萨斯州再次测试了第二级火箭。

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 再次对星舰第二级进行静态点火，为第三次试飞做准备 SpaceX 的星舰计划需要尽快启动，以便测试和验证系统并满足 NASA 对阿尔忒弥斯计划的要求。星舰第二级是阿耳忒弥斯计划的重要组成部分，因为它是美国宇航局选择将宇航员送上月球的交通工具。为了证明火箭能够成功地将宇航员送上月球，SpaceX 必须成功展示 Starship 在踏上月球之旅之前进入轨道并在太空中自行补充燃料的能力。

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 似乎意识到了这一点。该公司昨天在德克萨斯州的发射场进行了多次通风测试，今天开始时，它启动了上级发动机进行静态点火。由于 SpaceX 尚未证实这一事件本身，因此尚不清楚此次测试是否是一次全程运行，以及火箭的所有六个发动机是否都经过了测试。根据当地媒体的初步观察，似乎只有一个引擎着火。

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

然而，静电起火的事实可能导致今天对超重型助推器进行另一次测试。

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.

从当地的镜头来看，第二级星舰的发动机似乎测试了六秒钟。这是静态点火测试的典型持续时间，而且 SpaceX 更容易测试上级发动机，因为它需要在火箭上装载更少的燃料。

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.

通过测试，SpaceX 的所有发动机继续点火。该公司昨天通过两次快速发射发射了第 96 次火箭任务，这标志着两次发射之间的时间最短。 SpaceX 首先发射了其最大的运营火箭猎鹰重型火箭，以将太空部队的太空飞机送上另一次试飞。根据该公司网站上的详细信息，随后又发射了一次星链，仅剩下一次发射。

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 未来不可或缺的一部分，因为该公司已将其第二代 Starlink 卫星互联网星座的建设押在了火箭上。最近的测试还表明，SpaceX 闪现了第二级的有效载荷喷射器舱，该舱也将用于通过类似“分配器”的机制发射星链卫星。