Ship 38 (S38) was the sixth and final Block 2 ship prototype. Its was first spotted on the 6th of December 2024 with its LOX header tank and completed stacking on May 27, 2025 in 61 days. On September 22, S38 completed a successful static fire test of all its 6 engines. On October 11, S38 rolled from MB2 to the launch site, then stacked atop the booster. On October 13 2025, it flew in Flight 11 with B15-2, completing all the intended milestones, and then splashing down successfully, exploding afterwards.
History[]
S38 was first spotted with its LOX header tank on the 6th of December 2024. This was then installed into its Nosecone by the 20th of December 2024. Stacking of S38 commenced on March 28th 2025 in Starfactory with its Nosecone stacked on its payload bay section. The Nosecone + Payload Bay stack was moved into Mega Bay 2 to continue stacking operations and pez dispenser installation on April 28th, which were completed with the moving in of the ship's aft engine section of May 27th 2025.
Timeline[]
- 6 Dec 2024: S38 Lox Header spotted
- 20 Dec 2024: S38 Nosecone spotted
- 28 Mar: S38 Nosecone spotted stacked on PL:3 becoming N:3
- 9 Apr: Forward flap installed on S38
- 22 Apr: S38 Pez moved into MB2
- 28 Apr: S38 N:3 moved into MB2
- 28 Apr - 1 May: S38 pez dispenser installed in payload bay
- 1 May: S38 FX:4 moved into MB2 and stacked creating N:7
- 8 May: S38 CX:3 moved into MB2 and stacked creating N:10
- 14 May: S38 A2:3 moved into MB2 and stacked creating N:13
- 20 May: S38 A3:4 moved into MB2 and stacked creating N:17
- 27 May: S38 AX:4 moved into MB2 and stacked completing the stacking
- 31 May: S38 moved to center work stand in MB2
- 27 Jul: S38 rolled to Massey's in the early morning
- 27 Jul: S36 conducted an ambient pressure test and a payloads bay door test.
- 14 Aug: Two Vacuum raptor engines moved to MB2 for installation on S38
- 25 Aug: First aft flap installed on S38
- 27 Aug: Second aft flap installed on S38
- 17 Sep: S38 moved to launch site and mounted on OLM
- 22 Sep: Ship 38 SF
- 23 Sep: S38 dismounted from OLM
- 24 Sep: S38 rolled back to MB2
- 11 Oct: S38 rolled from MB2 to launch site, then stacked with booster
Testing Campaign[]
| Date | Test type | Place | Outcome | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 July 2025 | Ambient Pressure | Massey Outpost | Success | Completed | Ship 38 completed an ambient pressure test. |
| 30 July 2025 | Cryogenic proof test | Massey Outpost | Success | Completed | S38 completed a both tank cryogenic proof test. |
| 30 July 2025 | Cryogenic proof test | Massey Outpost | Success | Completed | S38 completed a both tank cryogenic proof test. |
| September 18, 2025 | Six Engine Static Fire | Orbital Launch Mount (OLM) | Aborted | Aborted | S38 tried a 6 engine static fire, but was aborted before tanking even began due to SQD adapter issues |
| September 19, 2025 | Six Engine Static Fire | Orbital Launch Mount (OLM) | Aborted | Aborted | S38 tried a 6 engine static fire, but aborted halfway through propellant load for unknown reasons |
| September 22, 2025 | Six Engine Static Fire | Orbital Launch Mount (OLM) | Success | Completed | S38 conducted a 6 engine Static fire |
Gallery[]
.jpg "S38 in Megabay 2 (July 2025).jpg (3.09 MB)")
