Related: Incredible photos of SpaceX's 1st Starship launch SpaceX launched its first full Starship test flight on April 20, but the rocket suffered a stage separation failure, the loss of several of its 33 first-stage Raptor engines and other issues. As a result, SpaceX intentionally detonated the rocket over the Gulf of Mexico a few minutes after liftoff. For the upcoming test flight, SpaceX has modified the stage separation process to use a new hot-staging process in which the upper stage will fire its engines while still attached to its Super Heavy first stage. SpaceX engineers have developed a new vent system for that process as well, which the company showed off in a new video shared on X and YouTube. The second flight will likely follow the same plan as the first test, with SpaceX launching toward a target splashdown site off the coast of Hawaii to test reentry and landing techniques, while the Super Heavy booster makes a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. "Starship's first flight test provided numerous lessons learned that directly contributed to several upgrades to both the vehicle and ground infrastructure to improve the probability of success on future flights," SpaceX wrote in a mission overview. "The second flight test will debut a hot-stage separation system and a new electronic Thrust Vector Control (TVC) system for Super Heavy Raptor engines, in addition to reinforcements to the pad foundation and a water-cooled steel flame deflector, among many other enhancements." SpaceX's first fully integrated Starship vehicle rises into the South Texas sky on April 20, 2023. (Image credit: SpaceX via Twitter) SpaceX has built a new water deluge system to protect its orbital launch pad and the Starship rocket from the immense power of the first-stage booster's 33 Raptor engines. During the test flight on April 20, the booster's engine plume carved a huge crater beneath the launch pad, kicking up debris and chunks of concrete that fell back onto the Starbase facility and surrounding area. That water deluge system is under review by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife to understand the environmental impact it may have on the animal and plant life living in the Boca Chica Wildlife Refuge surrounding SpaceX's Starbase facility.