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The major upgrade to SpaceX's Starship rocket before it can take flight again is a new hot staging mechanism that will see the second stage fire its engines to separate from the first stage Starship Super Heavy rocket booster. SpaceX is rapidly progressing with testing the first-stage booster for preparations leading to the second orbital test flight (or the integrated flight test or IFT as it's known otherwise).

These have seen the booster make its way to the rebuilt launch pad for a tanking test without the mechanism that will diver the second stage's thrust away from the top of the first stage during hot staging. The piece of equipment SpaceX calls the 'hot stage load head' has been spotted at the firm's production facilities in Texas by dedicated observers. The item's design reveals several clues regarding its performance, with most of the load head being built from components of scrapped Super Heavy and upper-stage Starship rockets.

SpaceX Might Have Started Working On Hot Staging Starship Mechanism In January

Courtesy of some great photography by Starship Gazer, we can confirm that a portion of SpaceX's first test item for the Starship Super Heavy booster hot staging upgrade has finished fabrication. The hot stage load head uses several items from previous Starship boosters, such as the clamps that were already part of a previous booster and the top and bottom rings that have been cut off from both a booster and the upper stage Starship.

So far, SpaceX has cut off the forward dome section of a decommission booster and joined a vent on its top. This vent will prove crucial in ensuring that the hot staging test is a success and that the thrust from the upper stage Starship spacecraft does not damage the top section of the rocket.

New Hot Staging test section rolled out today. Label on it says "Hot Stage Load Head".

7/30/23https://t.co/qn7TnVyZhR@elonmusk @SpaceX pic.twitter.com/WvzgIgAi9q

— Starship Gazer (@StarshipGazer) July 30, 2023

This vent ring, seen in the image above, has staging clamps on the top and receivers at the bottom. Those at the bottom will fasten it to the top of the Super Heavy booster since the forward dome section is still present on the latest rockets that SpaceX rolled out to the pad.

The forward dome section is visible on SpaceX's Starship. Super Heavy booster in July with the grid fins attached. The section part of the hot staging lead does not have the grid fins. Image: SpaceX

On top of the vent ring, SpaceX will add another ring primarily for structural support. This portion of the load head will be joined with the second stage Starship with a series of clamps that SpaceX might have already tested as part of an interstage test conducted late last year.

The primary concern surrounding the new test article is how it will protect the top of the Super Heavy booster from the thrust of the second stage. SpaceX had attempted first to separate the second stage Starship and then fire the engines during the orbital test flight in April. However, considering that the firm might have started to prepare the interstage for a hot fire in January, the booster may be designed to accommodate a later iteration of hot staging.

Starship is, after all, an experimental vehicle, and SpaceX's chief Elon Musk was quick to announce the change to the staging mechanism, so it was a quick decision rather than one that took months of deliberation as is the case with traditional rocket design. The hot stage load head will most likely be used for further ground testing to ensure it is strong enough to withstand the massive forces at stage separation. If these tests meet SpaceX's data models, the firm will most likely pair it with the rocket and the ship for the second orbital test flight.