China's New Way to Recover the First Rocket on the Sea BUT SpaceX Starship Going Next Level...
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#greatspacex #spacex #spacexlive #starship
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00:00: Big surprises
00:48: B20’s static fire test
04:52: Process until lift-off
07:13: Isar Aerospace’s new launch pad
09:30: Blue Origin investment mobilization plan
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China's New Way to Recover the First Rocket on the Sea BUT SpaceX Starship Going Next Level...
Fast and furious!
SpaceX has just taken Super Heavy testing to the next level.
Its latest static fire set a new record and moved Booster 20 one step closer to Flight 13.
But the story didn't end there.
Booster 20 is already heading back to the Production Site, raising one big question: what's next before Starship flies again?
Meanwhile, Isar Aerospace is expanding to Canada, while Blue Origin is preparing to raise billions of dollars for its next phase of growth.
What do these developments reveal about the rapidly evolving space race?
Let's dive in on today's episode of Great SpaceX.
It's been about a month since Booster 20 completed its cryogenic proof test and more than a week since Ship 40's full-duration static fire, giving anticipation plenty of time to build ahead of Super Heavy's turn.
Of course, this test is just one milestone in Starship's much larger development journey, so if you want to follow that progress day by day, make sure you're subscribed to the channel, where one click helps you stay among the first to hear about the latest SpaceX and aerospace developments as they happen.
Even if the wait has felt long, SpaceX has been moving at an incredibly aggressive pace behind the scenes as it pushes to stay on schedule for the current July 15 launch window.
After arriving at the launch site on the afternoon of July 9, Booster 20 was lifted onto the Orbital Launch Mount, where engineers immediately began preparing for its scheduled static fire the following day.
China's New Way to Recover the First Rocket on the Sea BUT SpaceX Starship Going Next Level...
From there, the team worked through a carefully choreographed sequence of pre-test operations that involved connecting the Booster Quick Disconnect, venting the vehicle, moving the transport stand away from the launch mount, and raising the chopsticks into position, all in preparation for what would become the most ambitious Super Heavy static fire yet.
As countdown operations continued, propellant loading got underway, with clouds of venting vapor surrounding the booster while frost steadily spread across both propellant tanks.
As expected, the liquid oxygen tank appeared fully loaded, while the liquid methane tank carried a smaller—but still sufficient—load to support the planned engine ignition.
Then, at approximately 9:54 a.m., the moment finally arrived as all 33 Raptor engines ignited simultaneously, producing more than 9,000 metric tons of thrust and shaking Starbase with extraordinary force.
SpaceX captured the event from nearly every angle imaginable, releasing breathtaking footage from drones, ground cameras, side perspectives, and distant tracking shots, while summarizing the achievement with a simple statement: "Full-duration, 33-engine static fire of the Super Heavy V3."
The sheer power was impossible to miss, as the ground trembled violently and nearby cameras visibly shook, with some even tipping over under the immense force.
Yet perhaps the most impressive performance wasn't the booster itself, but the launch pad, which endured one of the most powerful static fires ever conducted while the Orbital Launch Mount and flame trench performed exactly as designed.
China's New Way to Recover the First Rocket on the Sea BUT SpaceX Starship Going Next Level...
But the biggest surprise came after engineers checked the clock.
A typical 33-engine Super Heavy static fire lasts around 14 seconds or less, yet this one continued for roughly 25 seconds—nearly twice as long as previous full-engine tests—making it the longest Super Heavy static fire ever conducted.
The extended burn wasn't simply about breaking a record; it demonstrated SpaceX's growing confidence in the improvements made to the Raptor engine fleet following the issues encountered with Booster 19 during Flight 12.
A longer firing allows engineers to evaluate engine durability under sustained high-power operation, observe longer thermal cycles, verify thrust stability, monitor gimbal performance, and collect significantly more data than shorter tests can provide.
If that impressed you as much as it impressed us, comment "Wow" below!
Perhaps the best part is that the test appears to have gone exactly as planned, with SpaceX reporting no significant anomalies following the firing.
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