Ship 34
Test Vehicle
Ship 34 is a Starship upper-stage prototype that launched on Starship Flight 8. Similarly to Ship 33, Ship 34 also experienced a RUD (rapid unscheduled disassembly) shortly before engine cutoff and failed to reach the coast phase of its mission.
Destroyed
History
Static Fire
Ship 34 conducted a long-duration static fire of its Raptor engines in preparation for Ship 34's use in Starship's eighth flight. The 60-second firing, the longest in the Starship program to date, was used to test multiple engine thrust levels and three separate hardware configurations in the Raptor vacuum engine feedlines to recreate and address the harmonic response seen during Flight 7.
According to SpaceX, findings from the static fire informed hardware changes to the fuel feedlines to vacuum engines, adjustments to propellant temperatures, and a new operating thrust target that will be used on Starship Flight 8.
Static Fire Stand, Massey Outpost, Texas, USA
Tue Feb 11, 2025
Cryogenic Proof Test #2
Ship 34 conducted another cryogenic proof test to further verify the structural integrity of the vehicle.
Cryostation, Massey Outpost, Texas, USA
Sat Jan 18, 2025
Cryogenic Proof Test #1
Ship 34 conducted a cryogenic proof test to verify the structural integrity of the vehicle.
Cryostation, Massey Outpost, Texas, USA
Fri Jan 17, 2025