SpaceX’s latest Starship prototype has just gone viral.
The Starship SN10 (“Serial Number 10”) aircraft performed its first “static firing” test on Tuesday (February 23), lighting up its three Raptor engines at 6:03 pm Eastern Time (2303 GMT) A few seconds. South Texas site, near the Gulf Coast settlement of Boca Chica Village.
A static fire is a common pre-flight inspection for SpaceX. In this case, the engine will ignite briefly while the rocket stays on the ground. If all goes well in today’s test, SN10 is still expected to be launched into the sky of 6 miles (1
Starship and super heavy: The SpaceX Mars colonization vehicle in the picture
Starship SN10 static shooting! Hope this is a great test. NAS @ NASASpaceflight pic.twitter.com/J6cVUypRgY February 23, 2021
Following the similar harassment of SN10’s two immediate predecessors, SN8 and SN9, in December 2020 and February 2 this year, this will be the third high-altitude test of the Starship spacecraft. Until the last minute, both flights went smoothly. SN8 and SN9 slammed their landing pads and exploded in a fierce fireball.
This kind of flight is a key part of Starship’s development path, and SpaceX believes it is a tool to make Mars colonization economically viable. The interstellar spacecraft system will consist of two fully reusable parts: a 165-foot-tall (50-meter) spacecraft called the “interstellar spacecraft” and a huge rocket called the “super heavy”.
SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk said that the final “starship” will have 6 Raptors, and the “super heavy” will be equipped with about 30 engines. The interstellar spacecraft will be strong enough to launch it from the moon and Mars, but the spacecraft will need a super heavy spacecraft to leave the earth.
Regardless of the launch of SN10, we may see more starship test flights in the coming weeks and months. Musk recently stated that SpaceX plans to launch prototypes into Earth orbit this year, and he envisions regular crewing by 2023.
Mike Wall (Mike Wall) is “outside“(Grand Central Press, 2018; Karl Tate illustration), this is a book about the search for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow him on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook we.
