SpaceX has switched on its latest Starship prototype for the second time, to continue the vehicle’s test flight preparation.
Starship SN10 lit its three Birds of prey engines for a few seconds today (February 25) at 17:57 EST (2257 GMT) in a “static fire” trial at SpaceX’s South Texas site, near Boca Chica Village on the state’s Gulf Coast.
SN10’s first static fire, which took place on Tuesday (February 23), apparently revealed a problem with one of the Raptors of the vehicle. SpaceX fast exchange the engine and SN10 prepared for another static fire, a general pre-report deal for the company’s rockets.
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STATIC FIRE! Starship SN10 launches its three engines after a record turnaround of the Raptor exchange. The big question is whether it was a good test. If so, the launch may be just a few days away. Mary (@BocaChicaGal) and the bots view: ➡️https: //t.co/njq1OHR4VB pic.twitter.com/zz0z6MWJVD25 February 2021
If all goes well today, SN10 (‘Series No. 10’) could be off the ground soon, perhaps in the next few days. The vehicle will fly approximately 10 kilometers in the air of South Texas, a major highlight similar to that flown with the three-engine SN8 and SN9 prototypes on December 9 and February 2, respectively.
These two flights went well until the end. Both SN8 and SN9 hit their targeted landing zones but did not survive the touch, explode into massive fireballs.
SpaceX is developing Starship to bring humans and cargo to the moon, Mars and beyond. The system consists of two completely reusable elements: a 165-foot spaceship (Starship) called Starship and a large rocket known as Super Heavy.
The final Starship will have six Raptors, and Super Heavy will be powered by about 30 engines, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk said.
The final, operational Starship could fly soon, if all goes according to plan. SpaceX is hoping to launch a prototype in orbit sometime this year, and Musk recently said he thinks the system will be people fly regularly by 2023.
Mike Wall is the author of “Out there“(Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a book about the search for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.