SpaceX reportedly swapped a “suspicious” Raptor engine installed on Starship serial number 10 (SN10) in record time, which the company envisioned just 48 hours after the first test. to be an excellent static fire.
In a February 24 tweet, CEO Elon Musk told followers that ‘one of [SN10’s three Raptor] engines are suspected, so we exchange them. The exchange of engines was a regular procedure for SpaceX’s Starship team, as the company is constantly pushing the envelope of both Starship and Raptor prototype fidelity and implementing major design changes and upgrades. Of the five Starship prototypes (Starhopper included) with deliberate flights under their belts, all required at least one engine replacement before launching.
Within ~ 18 hours after the “suspicious” Starship SN10 static fire of Tuesday, SpaceX sent a replacement Raptor from the nearby salvage site. Within ~ 12 hours, the defective engine was removed and a backup motor was installed in its place. Another ~ 12 hours later, SpaceX crews cleared the launch site for Starship SN10 to launch a second static fire and (hopefully) qualify the rocket for flight.
Starship SN10 – which is the sixth prototype to fly – is now part of the elite but scanty group of flightworthy test items. For the most part, the buggy is on schedule: SpaceX’s ability to move and respond extremely fast is what enables the company to progress as fast and start test flights as early as in the development process. The speed of action includes responding to the inevitable errors that arise during testing of the latest missile prototypes.
For example, after Tuesday’s 17:00 CST static fire, it took SpaceX less than 48 hours to complete the test data, concluding that one of SN10’s three Raptor engines was ‘suspicious’, choosing a replacement engine, remove the faulty engine, install replace, and restart Starship SN10 a second time. Even SpaceX’s world – class reusable Falcon rockets will be hard to beat by reversing the engine. After a broader look at the field, NASA’s SLS rocket launcher – equipped with four former Space Shuttle engines – will reportedly require more than three weeks for teams to replace a faulty valve in one of the four engines.
The first SLS Core Stage interrupted early in the first time during the first static fire test. With the release, NASA is now working on a second static fire attempt in mid-March – two full months later. In all likelihood, SpaceX Starship SN10 turned around within 48 hours and performed on February 25 which looked like a nominal static fire of full duration. In contrast to the static fire of 23 February, Starship showed no signs of an abortion immediately after the test, while SN10 started with a major pressure drop, and the second time the birds of prey were switched off on Tuesday.
Unfortunately, everything will remain uncertain until SpaceX official confirms his plans, but Starship SN10 must already be fully cleared for a launch attempt on Monday, March 1, as a data overview of Thursday’s static fire does not raise red flags. . Stay tuned for updates as SpaceX prepares to find out if the third time really is the charm.