On Thursday (December 15), SpaceX fired one of the six engines of Ship 24 , a 160-foot-tall version of its Starship Mars rocket, for about seven seconds in the latest “static fire” test at its South Texas facility . It was another step toward an orbital test flight that would mark a monumental advance for the space exploration organization.
Shocking onlookers and fellow engineers, Ship 24 's six Raptor engines ignited at 2:01 p.m. EST (1901 GMT, 1:01 p.m. local Texas time) , as they glowed for seven seconds while the vehicle was still firmly planted on the ground! The remarkable event was captured by NASASpaceFlight and Rocket Ranch Boca Chica on video to ensure this momentous occasion was captured.
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SpaceX 's highly anticipated Starship program is close to its first orbital flight with the launch of Ship 24. According to founder and CEO Elon Musk , this could happen in the coming months. The prototype has already undergone a series of tests, for example when all six Raptors ignited simultaneously last September.
As it prepares for launch, Ship 24 has inevitably been linked to Booster 7 – the prototype of Starship ’s Super Heavy first stage . SpaceX has also been testing Booster 7 recently – on November 29 alone, 11 of 33 Raptors ignited in a remarkable spectacle! Just two weeks before this impressive display, an even more impressive static firing test of 14 engines took place.
When the Super Heavy launches in the coming months, it will be a monumental milestone for space exploration. Delivering an impressive 17 million kilograms of thrust , the rocket is more than twice as powerful as the Saturn V that launched astronauts to the moon 50 years ago and astronomically larger than NASA 's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, which delivered 8.8 million kilograms of thrust on its maiden flight as part of Artemis I last November.
SpaceX is building the fully reusable Starship spacecraft to carry people and cargo to the moon, Mars, and other local missions. As part of its next-stage development plan, SpaceX aims to launch most of its Starlink internet satellites using Starship – according to Elon Musk himself !
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In anticipation of Starship 's upcoming lunar flights , SpaceX has already landed a few customers. NASA selected the vehicle to be the first manned lander for its program Artemis on the Moon , while Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa booked a trip around our Moon with a group of influencers and artists, including "everyday astronaut" Tim Dodd .
The latest test was another step toward SpaceX to send humans farther into space than ever before. While there are still many more tests ahead and potential delays due to technical issues, this successful static fire proves that SpaceX has made significant progress toward its goal of launching Starship into orbit soon.
Source: space.com
