SPACE reported that SpaceX “closed out 2023 with a fiery double test of its next Starship megarocket booster and spacecraft…, sharing some stunning videos of both vehicles in the process.” The dual test of engines “on the giant Starship and Super Heavy rocket stages at SpaceX’s Starbase proving ground in Boca Chica, Texas on Friday comes as the company prepares for its third Starship launch test, which is expected in early 2024.” The test, which “lasted about 10 seconds, successfully fired all 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy booster, which serves as the first stage of the Starship rocket, the world’s largest and most powerful booster.” SpaceX “confirmed the successful test of the Super Heavy Booster 10, as well as a separate test of one Raptor engine on the Starship Ship 28 that will ride atop Super Heavy Booster 10 during the upcoming test flight.” That Starship test “was aimed at demonstrating the Raptor engine’s restart capabilities in space, the company said.”
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Tag: Starship Testing
SpaceX to Shift Starship Testing to Florida if Environmental Delays Continue
Space News reported that SpaceX “is prepared to shift testing of its Starship next-generation launch vehicle from Texas to Florida if there are extended delays in an ongoing environmental review.” SpaceX founder Elon Musk said, “We don’t have a ton of insight into where things stand with the FAA. We have gotten sort of a rough indication that there may be an approval in March, but that’s all we know.” Musk also suggested that the Boca Chica Starbase is “well suited to be our advanced R&D location, where we would try out new designs and new versions of the rocket.”
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Musk Criticizes FAA After Cancellation of SpaceX’s Starship Test Flight Thursday
The Washington Post reports that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk criticized the FAA after the agency canceled the launch of SpaceX’s Starship test flight Thursday. Musk wrote in a tweet, “Unlike its aircraft division, which is fine, the FAA space division has a fundamentally broken regulatory structure. … Their rules are meant for a handful of expendable launches per year from a few government facilities. Under those rules, humanity will never get to Mars.” On Thursday, the FAA said in a statement to the Post, “We will continue working with SpaceX to resolve outstanding safety issues before we approve the next test flight.”
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SpaceX Prepares for Next Phase of Starship Testing
Spaceflight Now reports that SpaceX is ready to build the “first prototype for the next-gen rocket’s huge first stage booster” after last week’s Starship hop test. The company will also begin testing the Raptor engine model required for orbital Starship missions. On August 31, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said that production of the test vehicle for the Starship’s “Super Heavy” booster could begin as soon as Labor Day weekend, but there are no reports that is has commenced.
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)