SpaceX Starship B19’s Big Tests Began right after Rollout! Next Ship V3 Arrived for Stack…

At the most unexpected moment, SpaceX rolled out Flight 12's booster, B19, and testing began almost immediately. What comes next? At the same time, the next ship, V3, has moved into position for stacking, signaling that the pace is about to accelerate. And beyond launch hardware, SpaceX is now setting its sights on building an in-space data center. Let's break it all down in today's episode of Great SpaceX. In our previous update, many people, including our own team, were likely a bit disappointed when SpaceX surprised us by revealing that the scheduled movement from the production site to the pad was simply the booster transport stand making a routine trip between two locations. This led many to believe that B19 would not roll out anytime soon. However, SpaceX delivered yet another unexpected twist. That is right, B19 rolled out last weekend. The signs appeared earlier. First, on the morning of January 31st, the booster lifter arrived at Megabay 1. A few hours later, the booster cryogenic test stand also arrived. Later that day, road closures were announced for January 31st, covering the route from the production site to Massey's, with two time windows scheduled for the afternoon and evening. By that evening, B19 had been lifted onto the transport stand and the Megabay 2 doors were opened. Then, later that same day, B19 made its journey to the Massey test site. SpaceX shared images and videos of the move on X along with the caption, B19 preparing to begin pre-launch testing. This marks the first major movement in months following the B18 incident, specifically after a gap of 72 days. While this is still a strong comeback for SpaceX, it is fair to say that the process could have progressed sooner. Overall, this move helps secure the early March launch window that Elon Musk recently mentioned. It also signals the start of a very busy month at Starbase, with testing now underway for Flight 12 hardware. With B19 at Massey, testing has officially begun. On the afternoon of February 1st, SpaceX conducted an environmental pressure test. During this test, nitrogen was pumped into the booster to check for leaks and to verify the reliability of the fuel tanks and pipelines. A structural test was also likely performed. Hopefully, there will be no incidents like the ones seen a few months ago. Once these checks are complete, SpaceX will move on to cryogenic testing, which will likely take one to two days. Since testing at Massey does not require road closures, these activities will likely occur without advance notice. We'll be closely monitoring the process, so stay tuned to make sure you don't miss anything. During this phase, SpaceX is expected to perform several cryogenic loading cycles. Liquid methane and liquid oxygen may be loaded separately at first, but there will almost certainly be at least one test where both propellants are loaded together. These tests will thoroughly evaluate the booster's fuel tanks and pipelines, as well as the speed, efficiency, and reliability of the pumping systems. If no issues arise, B19 should return to the production site before the end of the week. So what comes next? Well, next is the arrival of the Raptor 3 engine fleet. Each engine weighs approximately 280 tons, for a combined total of more than 9,200 tons. After completing cryogenic testing, B19 will return to Megabay 1 for inspection. Following that, it will be fitted with these powerful new engines. This process will likely take about a week or more. That means that sometime after February 10th, we could see another highly anticipated move. B19 may roll to Pad 2, the new launch pad featuring numerous upgrades for static fire testing. This will be the stage where we witness the debut of three major elements together. The first V3 booster, the Raptor 3 engines, and Pad 2 itself. Mid-month is shaping up to be very exciting. In the latter half of the month, B19 will return once again for post-test inspections. After that, it should be ready to roll out for launch preparations in early March. That covers the booster, now let's turn to the ship. The ship will follow a similar sequence. First, it will undergo its own cryogenic testing. This could begin shortly after B19 returns to the production site. As a result, S39 could roll out for testing sometime between the end of this week and the beginning of the next. S39 has been ready for quite some time, and its launch platform is already positioned at the Sanchez site. One open question is whether the test support structure at Massey's is fully complete. If everything proceeds smoothly, S39 will also return to the production site for inspections and engine installation, similar to B19. This could happen around the 10th of February. That process may take about a week, meaning that by the beginning of the second half of the month, S39 could arrive at Massey for static fire testing. This phase may finally reveal the true purpose of the support structure being built there. These tests will likely wrap up in the third week of the month. SpaceX would then have the final week of February to perform final checks and install remaining systems, including the flight termination system and payload. After that, S39 would roll to the launch pad around the beginning of March to reunite with B19 for launch, ending a long wait. That is the current roadmap for Flight 12's testing and preparation campaign. Hopefully, everything moves forward smoothly and on schedule. I know many of you have been eagerly waiting through months of limited progress from SpaceX. Now is the moment to let that anticipation turn into excitement as these powerful steps finally begin. Show that energy by typing GO 12 in the comments. Then like the video and subscribe to the channel to continue following SpaceX's journey, especially during this critical and exciting month ahead. Back at Starbase and beyond the immediate focus on Flight 12, preparations for the next mission are already taking shape. After briefly staying out of view inside the star factory, the next V3 vehicle, S40, made its official move to Megabay 2 on the morning of the 1st of February. The first section to roll out was the nosecone and payload segment, already outfitted with forward flaps, a complete heat shield, and propellant refilling hardware similar to what was installed on S39. One notable difference is that S40's PEZ dispenser arrived much earlier. That component was moved into Megabay 2 on the morning of the 31st of January. Immediately after S40's first section arrived, it was lifted and installed onto the PEZ dispenser. Shortly afterward, the Megabay 2 doors were closed, setting the stage for a potentially surprising reveal when they open again. Overall, these steps suggest that S40 may follow a different operational path compared to S39. The early placement of the PEZ dispenser likely provides additional time for system adjustments in preparation for a critical mission. Based on the current schedule, once Flight 12 completes testing of the V3 upgrades, Starship is expected to reach orbit on Flight 13. As a result, S40 will likely be tasked with validating the system's performance in orbit. One open question is whether SpaceX will attempt to launch a real payload right away. As stacking continues, additional sections are expected to roll out in steady succession. By the end of this month, S40 should have enough sections to be largely stacked, effectively completing its main structure. This would allow testing to begin shortly after Flight 12 concludes. At the same time, S40's counterpart, B20, is also expected to roll out soon. With B19 spending less time in Megabay, the facility is now far less occupied. If SpaceX can maintain a similar 28-day production pace as seen with B19, another booster could be ready for testing early next month. If everything proceeds smoothly, this would position SpaceX for a launch in early or mid-April. However, that is not the ultimate goal. Ideally, SpaceX will roll out many more prototypes in the coming months to support continuous stacking and testing. If progress continues as planned, SpaceX could launch multiple Starships this year. After validating the V3 upgrades with S39 and B19 and achieving orbit with S40 and B20, the next steps will include deploying real payloads, supporting two-stage landings, and conducting the first propellant refilling missions. To reach those milestones, the pace will need to increase even further. While the exact path forward is still uncertain, expectations are sky high after the long-awaited movement of Flight 12 and 13 hardware. After months of quiet, momentum is finally returning. The question now is simple. Are you ready to follow what comes next? And with that, we arrive at the final update in today's lineup. Turning to SpaceX's ambitious plan for a space-based data center, on January 30th, the company submitted a filing to the FCC, or Federal Communications Commission, outlining a proposal for an orbital data center constellation of up to one million satellites in low-Earth orbit, a concept Musk has been openly discussing throughout the past year. According to the filing, the satellites would operate at altitudes between 500 and 2,000 kilometers using both 30-degree and sun-synchronous inclinations. This configuration is designed to maximize time spent in sunlight, which is essential for continuous solar power generation. In the document, SpaceX stated, by directly harnessing near-constant solar power with little operating or maintenance cost, these satellites will achieve transformative cost and energy efficiency, while significantly reducing the environmental impact associated with terrestrial data centers. The company also added, launching a constellation of a million satellites that operate as orbital data centers is a first step toward becoming a Kardashev Type II civilization, one that can harness the sun's full power, while supporting AI-driven applications for billions of people today and ensuring humanity's multi-planetary future among the stars. Yes, that number is correct, one million satellites. If realized, this would represent an unprecedented scale, creating a massive data center in orbit that would far exceed previous proposals. For comparison, China submitted plans to the International Telecommunication Union in late December for two constellations, totaling nearly 200,000 satellites. In 2021, Rwanda filed ITU plans for constellations exceeding 300,000 satellites, which were associated with the startup eSpace, a company that no longer appears to be pursuing that concept. From an operational standpoint, the system would rely primarily on the inter-satellite optical links to move data between satellites and to Starlink spacecraft, which would then relay the information to the ground. The satellites would also operate in the Ka-band, mainly as a backup for telemetry, tracking, and command functions. SpaceX noted that these Ka-band communications would occur on a non-interference and unprotected basis, and would require FCC approval. The filing does not include a deployment timeline or a cost estimate. SpaceX also requested a waiver from standard FCC milestone requirements, which typically mandate that half of a constellation be deployed within six years and the full system within nine. The company argued that these rules are intended to prevent spectrum warehousing and are unnecessary in this case because the Ka-band spectrum would be used on a non-interference basis. Much of the filing highlights the potential advantages of orbital data centers. SpaceX argues that rising energy costs and increasing power demands on Earth combined with falling launch costs could make space-based computing economically attractive in the future. If this plan moves forward, it presents a clear long-term role for Starship. Deploying satellites at this scale would be possible only with Starship, while Falcon 9 would likely play a more limited supporting role due to payload size constraints. That said, SpaceX would also need to address the growing concern of orbital debris. With such a massive number of satellites, managing space traffic and preventing long-term congestion would become even more critical. For now, this proposal remains a bold vision. How it progresses will be something worth watching closely. And that brings us to the end of today's episode. Thank you so much for tuning in, and as always, this has been Kevin from GreatSpaceX. Until next time, keep looking up!