SpaceX has positioned its Starship atop the Super Heavy booster in South Texas, marking the advanced stages of readiness for another launch trial of the immense rocket.
Once the assembly was finished, SpaceX’s founder, Elon Musk, announced on X – the platform previously recognized as Twitter – “Starship is ready to launch, awaiting FAA license approval.”
The Federal Aviation Administration is still poring over documents and information from SpaceX regarding Starship’s initial launch effort in April 2023. That maiden voyage was cut short roughly 90 seconds in due to engine complications and additional booster-related concerns. The FAA has been meticulously examining details from that mishap, which encompasses environmental consequences at the launch vicinity and the lag in initiating the rocket’s flight termination protocol.
In August, SpaceX carried out another hot fire test of its Super Heavy booster, marking a crucial milestone towards the second launch attempt.
Shortly after the test concluded, Musk described the test as “successful.” Further details from SpaceX revealed that out of the 33 Raptor engines, 31 sustained the full six-second ignition, confirming the successful test.
The Super Heavy booster, standing as the largest rocket ever to take flight, is the initial phase of SpaceX’s larger rocket system, propelling the Starship upper segment into space.
The booster that was tested on Friday, referred to as Booster 9 — the ninth in SpaceX’s evolving design series — had its inaugural static fire test on August 6. This initial test concluded earlier than expected, at 2.74 seconds, with four out of its 33 primary Raptor engines failing to ignite or shutting down too soon.
Subsequent to the early August test, this first stage was returned to the manufacturing facility to be equipped with a “hot staging ring.” Positioned between the first stage and the Starship upper stage, this novel component is designed to enable “hot staging.” This maneuver, executed a few moments post-launch during stage separation, allows the Starship’s engines to fire up before the Super Heavy’s first stage has finished its burn.
Earlier this week, Booster 9 was transported a short distance to the launch pad in anticipation of Friday’s static fire trial. Given the successful outcomes and pending further data analysis, it seems probable that SpaceX has accomplished the final pivotal hardware testing ahead of Starship’s second launch attempt. The Starship upper segment, labeled Ship 25, had already achieved a successful static fire test earlier.
As reported by arstechnica, the rocket’s on-ground infrastructure now also seems set. During its initial unsuccessful test flight in April, the absence of an efficient sound suppression system resulted in notable damage. At the time, concrete pieces from the launch pad broke off and were sent flying, scattering debris for miles around the Starbase site. SpaceX effectively tested a newly added water deluge and flame deflector situated below the launch platform.
A static fire test usually acts as the final run-through for a rocket pre-launch. Everything from the ground systems to fuel management operates as it would during a genuine launch, abiding by the principle of testing as one would fly. This serves as a chance to ascertain the optimal performance of both the rocket and its associated ground systems.
Now, SpaceX fans await the company’s second launch of its famed Starship. Hopefully, this one doesn’t explode mid-flight.