SpaceX has begun testing Ship 28 and Booster 10 as they give the impression of being to fly the third Integrated Flight Test as soon as possible once given regulatory approval from the FAA.
Each Ship 28 and Booster 10 were moved from the production facility to the launch last site only one month after IFT 2 which saw Ship 25 and Booster 9 make it through the primary stage portion of the flight with each encountering issues shortly after leading to their automated self destruct systems activating.
![](https://www.teslarati.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/GBpa8bHaMAATIiE-scaled.jpg)
Booster 10 (left) and Ship 28 (right) with the brand new Gateway to Mars sign on the launch site (Credit SpaceX)
Ship 28 kicked off the test campaign with all 6 engines firing for just around 4 seconds. Ship 28 has already undergone a few cryogenic tests at the corporate’s Massey’s Test Facility after which just a couple of days ago performed a spin prime test which is a rapid flow of liquid oxygen through the engines.
Flight 3 Starship accomplished a full-duration static fire with all six of its Raptor engines pic.twitter.com/Mxn8faKcEv
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 20, 2023
This may very well be considered one of the ultimate tests for a Ship on the launch site as SpaceX recently tore down suborbital pad A to make room to construct a second full-size launch tower and will move Ship engine testing to the Masseys facility where they already perform cryogenic testing.
SpaceX was performing tests with Booster 10 earlier today and partially filled each the liquid oxygen tank and liquid methane tank ahead of a possible static fire. The test seemingly entered a really long hold before the tanks were emptied via boil-off and eventually underwent the total depress vent. SpaceX had a test window that ran until 8 PM local time but once the booster was safed, the road was opened back up and teams returned to the launch site to diagnose any issues encountered through the test.
One thing is for certain, SpaceX is just not wasting any time to launch IFT 3, and with the the launch site performing extremely well after IFT 2, the one remaining hurdle can be getting their report back to the FAA and the next approval.