SpaceX ready for Starship Ship 40 Firing in Days —Progressing Fast Towards Launch!

After months of testing, tanking, and countdowns, SpaceX is finally preparing to light the engines. Ship has begun rolling out for static fire testing, marking a major step toward Flight 13. So what still needs to happen before a potential July launch? Meanwhile, ISAR Aerospace is steadily moving toward its next launch attempt, while activity on the U.S. west coast is increasing as launch infrastructure expands to support a new generation of smaller rockets. Let's find out what's happening on today's episode of Great SpaceX. SpaceX entered June with one clear objective, moving Flight 13 from paperwork to hardware. B-20 has already completed its cryogenic campaign at Massey's, and with both stages now successfully through the cold soak phase, the program has reached a point where the primary question is no longer whether the tanks can safely hold propellant, but whether the engines can deliver the performance required for flight. That shift in focus explains why so much attention has now turned toward Ship 40. S40 is expected to become the first Flight 13 vehicle to undergo static fire testing after completing its cryogenic campaign in early May and receiving all six of its Raptor engines at the beginning of June. SpaceX has also begun preparing the vehicle for transport, and a road closure notice covering the overnight period from June 14th to June 15th, strongly suggested that a rollout from the production site to Massey's was imminent. By the time many viewers watch this episode, that move may have already taken place, and if it hasn't, another rollout opportunity is almost certainly just around the corner. Because right now, the calendar may be SpaceX's most demanding customer. SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell recently indicated that Flight 13 is expected to launch in July, and meeting that target requires static fire testing to begin soon. The reason is simple. SpaceX typically spends days and sometimes weeks reviewing data between major milestones, and several important steps still remain after static fire testing is complete, including payload installation, flight termination system integration, full vehicle integration, and eventually a wet dress rehearsal at the launch site. Anyone who has followed previous Starship campaigns knows that wet dress rehearsals have a remarkable ability to transform a straightforward schedule into a graduate-level lesson in patience. That reality makes the current strategy fairly obvious. Test early, leave time for a retest if necessary, and avoid discovering major issues when the rocket is already standing on the launch mount with a launch date attached to it. Fortunately, the known issues from Flight 12 appear relatively focused. The previous mission revealed two primary areas requiring attention, a problem involving a vacuum-optimized Raptor engine and a coolant leak within the heat shield system. Neither issue is insignificant. One directly affects the journey into space, while the other affects the vehicle's ability to survive the trip home. But both represent targeted engineering challenges, rather than fundamental design flaws requiring a major redesign. And that distinction matters. During the upcoming static fire campaign, SpaceX will likely conduct at least two separate engine tests. The first will probably be a short-duration firing lasting roughly 10 seconds and designed to verify ignition performance, thrust response, and overall system health. After that, attention will shift to a full six-engine firing that could last close to a minute, producing the most valuable data on engine balance, thrust stability, gimbal performance, thermal behavior, and perhaps most importantly, confirmation that the vacuum Raptors are performing exactly as intended. If Flight 12 served as the dress rehearsal, this static fire campaign may feel more like the director's cut. Meanwhile, B-20 is progressing along its own path. Having returned from Massey's, the booster is now entering an inspection phase before eventually receiving its full complement of 33 Raptor engines. And SpaceX has every reason to proceed carefully. Flight 12 demonstrated that even a single engine issue can quickly become the focal point of an entire mission. While the boostback burn produced enough surprises to keep propulsion engineers supplied with coffee for quite some time. Before B-20 reaches the launch site for its own static fire campaign, SpaceX will want confidence that all 33 engines can operate together as a coordinated propulsion system. 33 Raptors leave very little room for improvisation. The encouraging news is that the launch infrastructure itself appears ready. Pad systems emerged from Flight 12 in relatively good condition, while teams have continued upgrading hardware, refining ground systems, and preparing for the next test campaign. As a result, many observers are now hoping for something particularly exciting before the end of June. Two major static fires in the same month, with S-40 testing at Massey's and B-20 conducting its campaign at the launch site. Even without an actual launch, that combination would make June feel like a fireworks display for rocket enthusiasts. Let's be honest, we're the type of people who get excited about frost patterns forming on stainless steel. We've accepted that about ourselves, so the question becomes simple. Are we about to get a double fire month at Starbase? Because if both vehicles successfully ignite their engines before June comes to an end, the road toward a July launch suddenly becomes far more believable. Let me know your thoughts in the comment section down below. If you believe it'll happen, just comment two fire emojis. And as obligated by my contract, I also have to remind you to please like the video and subscribe to the channel in order to follow up-to-date updates on what's happening in the world of aerospace. Now, let's cross the Atlantic and turn our attention to another company working toward orbit. Izar Aerospace has announced its next Spectrum mission, appropriately named Onward and Upward. Following the maiden flight in March 2025, which lasted roughly half a minute before ending prematurely, this second launch carries tremendous sacrifice for the company and for Europe's growing commercial launch sector. It's not simply another test flight, it's a qualification mission that could determine how quickly Spectrum transitions from a developmental vehicle into an operational launch service. Spectrum is a two-stage launch vehicle powered by liquid oxygen and liquid propane, a propellant combination chosen to balance performance, efficiency, and operational simplicity. The rocket stands approximately 28 meters tall, measures 2 meters in diameter, and relies on 10 Aquila engines developed entirely in-house by Izar Aerospace, developed entirely by Izar themselves. Nine of those engines power the first stage, while a single vacuum-optimized Aquila engine propels the second stage once the vehicle reaches space. Spectrum is designed to deliver approximately 1,000 kilograms to low-Earth orbit or around 1,700 kilograms to sun-synchronous orbit, placing it squarely within the growing market for small and medium-sized satellite missions. For small and medium-sized satellite missions. For this mission, Spectrum will carry five CubeSats developed by European Universities, European Universities, along with a technology demonstration mission operating under ESA's Boost program. In practical terms, this is the flight that could transform Spectrum from an interesting prototype into a genuine commercial launch service. If the vehicle successfully completes stage separation, ignites its second stage engine, and deploys its payloads as planned, Izar will have crossed a threshold reached by only a small number of European launch startups. The implications extend well beyond the company itself. Europe has spent years pursuing greater launch independence, and while Ariane 6 is primarily focused on larger missions, a successful Spectrum could become an important domestic launch option for small and medium-sized payloads that currently have fewer regional choices. Izar is already preparing for that future. Its manufacturing facility near Munich was designed with production rates in mind. That would have sounded remarkably ambitious for a European startup only a few years ago, reflecting the company's belief that demand for independent European launch services will continue to grow in the years ahead. Recent funding rounds have also strengthened the company's plans for future launch operations in both Canada and French Guiana, positioning Izar Aerospace for a broader international presence if Spectrum proves successful. Of course, before any of those plans can become reality, the rocket still has to fly, and as every launch commentator eventually learns, weather, range availability, and the unforgiving laws of rocket physics always get a vote in the final outcome. And finally, let's look at a development that could significantly reshape the launch market on the U.S. West Coast. The U.S. Space Force is opening the door to a new launch facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base known as SLC-9 or Space Launch Complex 9. Unlike the larger pads used by vehicles such as Falcon 9 or Vulcan, SLC-9 is specifically intended to support small and medium-class launch vehicles. The Space Force defines this category as launch vehicles capable of delivering anywhere from less than 2,000 to roughly 20,000 kilograms of payload to orbit. That may sound modest when compared with Starship's enormous lift capacity, but it represents one of the most important segments of the commercial launch market. Earth observation satellites, military spacecraft, technology demonstration missions, and constellation deployments rarely require a 100-ton super-heavy launcher. Instead, these customers are looking for something far more practical. Reliable, affordable, and responsive access to high-inclination and polar orbits from a role that Vandenberg is uniquely positioned to support. And that is precisely what Vandenberg offers. The Space Force is currently seeking companies capable of funding pad development and beginning operations within three years. That requirement immediately narrows the list of potential candidates to more mature launch providers. Firefly Aerospace appears to be an obvious contender. Stokes Space and Relativity Space could also show interest if they decide to expand beyond Cape Canaveral. Rocket Lab remains another intriguing possibility, although the company has not publicly announced plans for a Neutron launch site at Vandenberg. What makes this development particularly fascinating is how quickly the launch ecosystem continues to evolve. A decade ago, discussions about orbital access largely revolved around a handful of government operated rockets. Today, the Space Force is actively developing infrastructure designed to support an entire generation of commercial launch vehicles that did not even exist when many of these launch pads were originally built. That represents a remarkable transformation and highlights just how dramatically the launch industry has evolved over the past decade. And it brings us back to the bigger picture. While SpaceX is racing toward Flight 13 with a July target, Eyesore Aerospace is preparing for a make or break qualification mission, and Vandenberg is expanding to accommodate the next generation of launch providers. These may be three very different stories, but they all point to the same conclusion. The space industry is moving faster, becoming more diverse, and creating more pathways to orbit than at any other point in its history. If all those pieces come together, Flight 13 could become the next major step toward routine orbital operations and the increasingly ambitious milestones that lie beyond, including payload deployment, orbital refueling, lunar missions, and eventually journeys to Mars. And if June delivers the double fire month that many observers are hoping for, don't be surprised if Starbase suddenly starts feeling a lot closer to liftoff. That brings us to the end of today's episode. Thank you so much for tuning in. As always, this has been Kevin from GreatSpaceX, and until next time, keep looking up!