After having spent a busy week launching payloads for the U.S. government and private customers, SpaceX is keeping up the pace with its Starship testing activities in Boca Chica, Texas. While SpaceX had to wait for months between its first and second Starship tests last year, the time between the third and second tests is less since it has made the required changes to the pad and secured approval from the relevant government agencies. Now, within days after it shipped its Starship booster and ship for the third test flight to the launch pad, SpaceX kicked off activities at the pad by loading the vehicles with fuel before ending the loading early and opening nearby roadblocks.

在花了一周忙碌的时间为美国政府和私人客户发射有效载荷后，SpaceX 正在德克萨斯州博卡奇卡紧跟其星舰测试活动的步伐。虽然 SpaceX 去年的第一次和第二次 Starship 测试之间需要等待数月，但第三次和第二次测试之间的时间更短，因为它已经对发射台进行了所需的更改并获得了相关政府机构的批准。现在，在将其“星舰”助推器和第三次试飞飞船运送到发射台后的几天内，SpaceX 开始在发射台上进行活动，为车辆装载燃料，然后提前结束装载并打开附近的路障。

SpaceX Loads Up Ship And Booster With Fuel As It Preps Starship For Third Test Flight

While SpaceX doesn't share its Starship test schedule or details on social media before the tests take place, the timelines can often be gauged by the road closures ordered by the authorities in Boca Chica. Since fueling Starship, the world's largest rocket, is a dangerous operation, during some tests and rehearsals, SpaceX closes the roads adjacent to its facilities before any tests.

SpaceX 为飞船和助推器装载燃料，为星际飞船第三次试飞做准备虽然 SpaceX 在测试开始前不会在社交媒体上分享其星际飞船测试时间表或细节，但时间表通常可以根据当局下令的道路封闭来衡量在博卡奇卡。由于为世界上最大的火箭“星舰”加油是一项危险的操作，因此在一些测试和排练期间，SpaceX 在任何测试之前都会关闭其设施附近的道路。

Such closures were planned for today, and after the roads were closed, SpaceX started to load its Starship Super Heavy booster and ship with propellant. Contrary to its general procedures, SpaceX appeared to load the ship with fuel earlier than it does in the timeline today, according to footage from local media. The tests took place in a cloud launch site reminiscent of SpaceX's launches on the West Coast in California that often see the Falcon 9 cut through the clouds before making its way to space.

此类关闭计划于今天进行，道路关闭后，SpaceX 开始为其 Starship Super Heavy 助推器和飞船装载推进剂。据当地媒体报道，与一般程序相反，SpaceX 似乎比今天的时间表更早为飞船装载燃料。这些测试在云发射场进行，让人想起 SpaceX 在加利福尼亚州西海岸的发射，猎鹰 9 号火箭在进入太空之前经常穿过云层。

The Starship Super Heavy during its static fire test in December 2023. Image: Elon Musk/X

2023 年 12 月，超重型星舰正在进行静态火灾测试。图片来源：Elon Musk/X

Before it can be confident in launching a rocket that's hundreds of feet tall into orbit, SpaceX conducts multiple tests on the site. These include static fire tests, tanking tests, wet dress rehearsals and water deluge system tests among a litany of others. The static fires test the rocket's engines to weed out any potential anomalies before launch, and tanking tests are an equally important part of the campaign since they help ensure that a vehicle can sustain the pressures needed to fill it up with thousands of gallons of liquid oxygen and liquid methane.

在有信心将数百英尺高的火箭送入轨道之前，SpaceX 在现场进行了多次测试。其中包括静态火灾测试、水箱测试、湿装排练和水淋系统测试等一系列测试。静态点火测试火箭的发动机，以在发射前消除任何潜在的异常情况，而储罐测试也是该活动中同样重要的一部分，因为它们有助于确保火箭能够承受充满数千加仑液氧所需的压力和液态甲烷。

Today's tests appeared to test the tanks, and since Starship is made of steel, the characteristic frosting was soon visible on the rocket's first and second stages soon after the roadblocks were in place. However, the test itself was brief, as SpaceX proceeded to depressurize its vehicle which indicated that the test would not be a full wet dress rehearsal.

今天的测试似乎是为了测试坦克，由于星际飞船是由钢制成的，在路障就位后不久，火箭的第一级和第二级很快就可以看到特有的结霜。然而，测试本身很简短，因为 SpaceX 开始对其车辆进行减压，这表明测试不会是一次完整的湿装彩排。

As of now, it appears that today's tests are over, and since Monday is a federal holiday, SpaceX will have to wait for some days before it can close the roads again and resume activities. A full wet dress rehearsal was unlikely, but considering SpaceX's rapid pace with Starship development, nothing can be said with absolute certainty.

截至目前，今天的测试似乎已经结束，而且由于周一是联邦假日，SpaceX 还需要等待几天才能再次封闭道路并恢复活动。全面的彩排不太可能，但考虑到 SpaceX 星舰开发的快速步伐，没有什么可以绝对确定地说。

As for the next Starship test's launch date, so far it appears that the test can take place next month. Given the nature of spaceflight and the fact that Starship is nevertheless still under development, it is possible for the test to slip into April.

至于下一次Starship测试的启动日期，目前看来测试可能会在下个月进行。考虑到太空飞行的性质以及 Starship 仍处于开发阶段这一事实，测试有可能推迟到四月。