Is SpaceX Ready to Start Testing Orbital Refilling? - Spaceflight Weekly #198 [9:42]

YouTube ^ | December 21, 2025 | LabPadre Space

[SunkenCiv]

This week at Starbase construction rolls on at the launch site and air separation plant, work continues on Booster 19 and Ship 39, and an interesting new truss structure begins taking shape at the Massey Outpost. Meanwhile, in other space news, SpaceX reaches an important milestone with this week's Starlink launches, Rocket Lab contributes a pair of launches to this week's activities, along with one from ULA and another from Arianespace, and NASA's 15th administrator is officially sworn in. 

Is SpaceX Ready to Start Testing Orbital Refilling? - Spaceflight Weekly #198 | 9:42
LabPadre Space | 250K subscribers | 19,838 views | December 21, 2025

[SunkenCiv]

Ten times in a row? Not nine? Not eleven. Too bad for them you’re the arbiter.

[PIF]

Ten times in a row?

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That’s the NASA metric for a milestone approval, not mine. Stop being so hostile - its pointless. I’m merely relating NASA milestones. If you do not like them, take it up with NASA. SpaceX has far too many milestones ahead to even realistically get to the Moon before the 2030s. Like I said, SpaceX itself does not think it can get them done before late 2028, which, given their mostly static progress toward that goal, is wildly optimistic.

[SunkenCiv]

Stop being so hostile yourself. All you do is bash SpaceX, wearing your Karnac the Magnificent turban, and then blow your top and bash me. Get help.

[PIF]

Civ, I’m not bashing SpaceX - you are shooting the messenger. SpaceX Starship has its troubles, and Isaacman recognized that when he opened the formerly exclusively SpaceX lander contract to competition with Blue Origin’s Blue Moon.

[SunkenCiv]

It happened because of a Bezos lawsuit.