Space company SpaceX refueled a fully equipped Starship spacecraft for the first time on Monday, January 23, 2023, marking a major milestone on the path to the ship’s first orbital flight.
Elon Musk’s company held a so-called “wet dress rehearsal” for the launch with a 120-meter-high spacecraft at its base in south Texas. As part of this test, many of the procedures to be carried out on the day of the actual launch were performed, including filling the first and upper stages with liquid oxygen and liquid methane fuel. At the same time, during testing, the engines were not lit, so the ship still has to undergo fire tests.
SpaceX said:
Today, Starship completed its first flight-like full dress rehearsal at the space base. This is the first time the combined ship and booster has been fully loaded with over 10 million pounds of propellant.
The tests were broadcast live:
