Seven Raptor engines from the Super Heavy thruster B7 prototype were tested by SpaceX. In order to get ready for the Starship system’s first orbital flight test, a record-breaking number of Raptor engines were fired simultaneously during the procedure.
The seven engines’ pressure chambers “looked fine,” according to a tweet from SpaceX CEO and founder Elon Musk. He continued in another post, also providing a brief taste of what to anticipate from subsequent tests, “Now Booster 7 goes back to high bay for robustness upgrades, and Booster 8 will travel to the platform for testing.”
The next significant test for the business, according to Musk, will involve installing the Starship spacecraft atop the Super Heavy engine in a “full assembly wet trial.” The two together create what is thought to be the tallest reusable rocket in the world, standing at 120 meters high. The corporation intends to test all 33 of the Super Heavy’s Raptor engines afterward.
This most recent static ignition test, which occurs when the engines are fired but the vehicle is still on the ground, used more engines than were used in recent tests. For example, in August, SpaceX tested a Raptor engine from the Super Heavy and later released a video of the test of two engines from the prototype SN24 of the Starship spacecraft.
These steps are necessary for the Starship’s orbital flight test preparation. The SN24 spacecraft will launch into Earth orbit during the test and then land in the Gulf of Mexico. The spacecraft should continue to orbit the planet and will eventually touch down on the shore of Hawaii.
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