Flight 12: Ship 39 rolls out to Masseys to begin testing

Date:
Fri, 27 Feb 2026 16:12:08 +0000

Description:
After spending a few months in Mega Bay 2 fully stacked, Ship 39 the The
post Flight 12: Ship 39 rolls out to Masseys to begin testing appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .

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After spending a few months in Mega Bay 2 fully stacked, Ship 39 the first V3 Ship has rolled to Masseys for cryogenic proof testing. This is a key milestone ahead of Flight 12, with its partner, Booster 19, also in preparations, with engine installation currently taking place.

Ship 39

Since stacking was completed on Nov 15, 2025, Ship 39 which Elon Musk
called V3 SN1 in an X post overnight has remained in Mega Bay 2, waiting for the testing infrastructure to be ready to receive the ship. As of this past week, the new testing truss structure at the Masseys static fire stand was ready to receive a ship.

Ship 39 was placed on the ship static fire stand without engines and then rolled out for cryogenic proof testing on Feb 26.

SpaceX will use parts of the new Masseys tank farm to cryo-test Ship 39,
then use the new truss structure to test the forward and aft flaps, and use a set of chopstick simulators to squeeze-test the ship. This testing is a new thing for SpaceX to do on an entire ship, and it could be related to a new drive system for the flaps.

As for the chopstick simulation, SpaceX intends to catch these ships at some point and needs to know how well the ships structures withstand the
chopsticks squeeze during the catch. Masseys Truss Structure to test Fwd and Aft flaps

As a final test before rolling back, teams might spin up the methane tank farm and run a practice load with the entire new tank farm setup to ensure everything works correctly. Once all testing is completed, Ship 39 will then roll back to the production site.

One of two possibilities could occur after rollback. One, Ship 39 rolls back, then gets placed on a work stand for engine install before rolling back out for static fire testing. Or two, since the current stand Ship 39 is on does not have thrust rams to test the aft dome, teams could swap it to the new thrust sim stand that is being built and roll it back out to test the aft dome.

The ship would then roll back for the engine install, then roll to Masseys again for static fire testing. The second option doesnt add much time to the timeline, as it would likely take only a few days to complete. The first option could allow SpaceX to fly Flight 12 sooner, but would also skip a part of their normal testing regime, which is a risk to take at this point in the program. Ship 39s Quick Disconnect Plate

With Ship 39 rolling out, many differences are evident between Block 2.
First off is the heat shield, where SpaceX has refined the aft section to use standard tiles rather than smaller ones to limit the number of specialized tiles. However, the aft flaps now have even more specific tiles.

But the specific tiles have allowed SpaceX to attach nearly every tile on
the ship with pins rather than glue, which was a serious issue in the past
and on past vehicles like the Space Shuttle. Only the tip of the nose cone
and a few other areas are glued with tiles, and this could certainly change
as SpaceX gets more data on the heat shield. Ship 39 Lower Heat Shield

As for other major changes, the ships quick disconnect has undergone a major redesign, which splits the Liquid Oxygen (LOX) and Liquid Methane (LCH4) plates on the ships side. The tower side is still a single plate; this change is likely to help with future refueling efforts in space.

In order to make refueling happen, these ships also need docking hardware,
and Ship 39 is fitted with a pair of drogue housings. These will house the drogue side of the probe and the drogue system to allow ships to dock
together to transfer fuel.

There are many other changes to go over, but suffice to say, SpaceX has certainly been refining its ship design for Block 3. Ship 39s Nose Cone and Payload Bay

Booster 19

Since completing its cryogenic proof testing and rolling back to Mega Bay 1 on Feb 9, 2026, Booster 19 has been getting prepared for static fire testing. So far, it is known that some raptors have been installed, but it is not exactly how many or how close the booster is to rolling out to the Pad for static fire testing.

It is possible that Booster 19 rolls out with only 13 engines installed to conduct initial tanking tests, spin primes, and low-engine static fires to commission the pad.

If the booster does indeed roll out with fewer than 33 engines, then it will have to roll back and get the rest installed before rolling out again for a full 33-engine static fire. As for indications of when Booster 19 might roll out for a round of engine testing, recently, a grid fin was spotted being lifted in Mega Bay 1. It is possible this was the last grid fin needed. Booster 19 performing a Cryogenic Proof Test

Other indications of a possible booster rollout in the next few weeks
include that crews have dismantled the scaffolding floor that has been on the bottom of the launch mount since construction began. With this gone, and many water trucks showing up at the pad, SpaceX might do another full deluge test before bringing Booster 19 out and starting vehicle testing.

SpaceX is still a ways from Flight 12, with lots of testing still to complete, but ensuring everything works correctly is an important step.

Featured Image: Ship 39 preparing for rollout to Masseys (Credit: Ceaser G
for NSF)



The post Flight 12: Ship 39 rolls out to Masseys to begin testing appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .



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Link to news story: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2026/02/ship-39-masseys-testing/


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