Latest at Starbase with LabPadre: Sept 22

STARBASE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — This week at Starbase, construction continues, and testing begins on the deluge system for Pad Two. Ship 38 is also relocated to the launch site for static fire testing.

Did everything go smoothly and according to plan? Or will there be any anomalies during the test? Is SpaceX still on track for launching the 11th Starship flight test before the end of the year?

Amid the new construction, workers began testing Pad Two's major subsystems.

The liquid oxygen booster, quick disconnect mechanism was extended for the first time and put through a battery of seven extension and retraction tests.

With a blast of displaced air that sent tents flying, the flame bucket deluge system at Pad Two was activated for the first time.

The Flame deflectors' high-power deluge system is designed to protect the steel structure while it guides the exhaust from Super heavies' Raptor three engines out and away from the rocket and launch pad infrastructure.

With the launch and mount reconfiguration complete now, Starship 38 was loaded onto a transport stand and brought out of the launch site for its pre-static fire test at Pad One.

The chopsticks lifted the ship before slewing over the launch table, and after a short wait to let the vibrations dampen out, the ship was lowered onto the ship's static fire adapter.

With the pad clear now, the pad two flame diverter deluge system was tested at high power for the first time.

The flow of high-pressure water was much stronger than in the first test, and water could be seen gushing out beneath the launch table.

Back at Pad One, the orbital launch mount began venting to chill the propellant lines for loading.

After an on-and-off again round of venting, propellant loading was aborted, and testing was finished for the day.

A second attempt began on Friday morning, with the chopsticks moving back up to the ready position.

After the pad was cleared, the pad two deluge system was tested for a third time, churning out a fine spray of water.

A fourth test of Pad Two's deluge system was the strongest yet, with the weir pipe vent pushing a stream of water nearly to the height of the launch tower.

This may have been the first test with the ridge vent at the top of the diverter.

Meanwhile, at pad one, the launch mount vents opened up with cryo load starting on ship 38 shortly afterward, gradually filling the ship's liquid oxygen tank.

However, something went wrong during the process. The test was aborted, and the ship was once again de-tanked.

A few hours ago, SpaceX attempted a third static fire on ship 38, and as usual, the third time was a charm.

It appears that all six engines lit up for about 10 seconds for a nominal test.

If all went well, we could see a launch sooner than you think. LabPadre will keep you updated on the results later this week.

Stay tuned to LabPadre for continued live coverage and other detailed Starbase content. Visit the LabPadre YouTube channel or LabPadre.com.