SpaceX is gearing up for the 7th examine flight of its Starship megarocket, which might happen in only a month or so.The corporate performed a static-fire examine with Flight 7’s Tremendous Heavy first-stage booster as of late (Dec. 9), in short igniting its 33 Raptor engines at a pad at SpaceX’s Starbase facility in South Texas.The corporate documented the milestone on X as of late, posting 3 pictures and a brief video of the examine.
SpaceX conducts a static hearth examine with the Flight 7 Starship Tremendous Heavy first-stage booster at its Starbase web page in South Texas on Dec. 9, 2024. (Symbol credit score: SpaceX)SpaceX has no longer but introduced a release date for Starship’s 7th examine flight, however the corporate seems to be eyeing Jan. 11; an e-mail despatched via NASA to the U.S. Federal Aviation Management identifies that date as the objective. (Consistent with that e-mail, NASA plans to deploy a Gulfstream V jet to watch the impending flight.)Similar: What is subsequent for SpaceX’s Starship after its a hit sixth examine flight?Starship is composed of 2 chrome steel levels, either one of which can be designed to be absolutely and abruptly reusable. The higher degree is a 165-foot-tall (50 meters) spacecraft referred to as Starship, or simply Send.When Send is stacked atop Tremendous Heavy, Starship stands about 400 toes (122 m) tall — larger that another rocket in historical past. Starship could also be essentially the most robust launcher ever constructed, boasting just about two times the liftoff thrust of NASA’s Area Release Device moon rocket.Breaking area information, the newest updates on rocket launches, skywatching occasions and extra!
A ground-level view of the Dec. 9 static hearth. (Symbol credit score: SpaceX)Starship’s six examine flights so far happened in April and November of 2023 and March, June, October and November of this yr.The megarocket has carried out moderately neatly, particularly on its closing two missions. On every instance, each Tremendous Heavy and Send made it to area as deliberate and survived their commute back off to Earth in a single piece.
Some other aerial shot of the Dec. 9 static hearth. (Symbol credit score: SpaceX)And, on Flight 5, Tremendous Heavy returned safely to its release tower, which stuck the booster the usage of its “chopstick” fingers — the tactic SpaceX plans to make use of in the end for each Tremendous Heavy and Send, to make reflight as fast and environment friendly as imaginable.SpaceX aimed to copy the booster catch on Flight 6, however communique problems with the tower scuttled that check out, and Tremendous Heavy diverted to splash down within the Gulf of Mexico.
