SpaceX’s next Starship launch is becoming increasingly popular.
SpaceX launched its next Starship spacecraft in an engine test over the weekend, ahead of the company’s seventh orbital test flight of the giant rocket. Space Exploration Technologies Corporation Starship’s Raptor engine was ignited for about 10 seconds on Sunday, December 15, as part of a series of checks to ensure the spacecraft was in healthy condition before being transported to the launch pad, where it will be integrated with the first stage Super heavy duty booster.
Its next launch is Integrated Flight Test-7 (IFT-7), which is expected to be launched around January 11, Based on communication between NASA The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has not yet issued a launch license for the upcoming test. Once mated, the super-heavy/starship stack will reach a staggering 400 feet (122 meters) tall, with the starship’s upper level alone taller than the Statue of Liberty.
Engine static fire occurred yesterday, with SpaceX Post photos and videos News of the test was posted on the company’s social media with the simple caption: “Static Fire on Flight 7” starship”.
Once it completes its testing and development phases, Starship will be the first fully reusable rocket in history, with both its Super Heavy booster and Starship upper stage designed to return to SpaceX’s Starbase launch and test facility in Texas and launch Go for a quick renovation. SpaceX’s current main launch vehicle is Falcon 9has a reusable first-stage booster and half-fairing, but the rocket’s second stage must be consumed after each mission.
Starbase’s recovery involves a pair of “chopstick arms” on the rocket launch tower, which are designed to catch the stages in mid-air as they descend. SpaceX first tried this novel landing technology during IFT-5, A complete success. As planned, the starship’s Super Heavy booster fired its engines back to the starbase, where it came to rest just above the ground after being perfectly embraced by the launch tower’s chopstick arms.
Unfortunately, SpaceX’s Super Heavy recovery during IFT-6 was forced to enter an abort procedure while returning to the launch pad, failing to meet mission standards for a safe booster return. In contrast, the IFT-6 Super Heavy is splash directly In the Gulf of Mexico.
SpaceX has yet to attempt to recover Starship’s upper stage on the launch pad, but the vehicle has gradually completed milestones on each of its subsequent flights, landing gently in the Indian Ocean off Australia’s northwest coast about 65 minutes after launch. Lift off.
Starship will conduct a total of four test flights in 2024, double the number of launches for the vehicle in 2023. Increase this number all the way to 25.
Starship’s path to operational missions is one NASA is watching closely, and the company has Signed a vehicle contract During this period, astronauts were sent to the moon artemis 3 The mission is expected to launch in 2027.