SpaceX has installed at least two of three new upgraded Raptors on Starship serial number 15 (SN15) ahead of a three-engine static fire already scheduled for Wednesday, April 21st.
The unknown delays, which were initially scheduled for late last week, delayed the installation of the SN15’s three engines and forced SpaceX to send at least one to its construction site for further work. Recently, it seemed that SpaceX was planning to shut down Starship SN15 on Monday and launch the rocket the next day – April 20 (4/20). Of course, these plans did not work out.
In defense of SpaceX, stopping SN15’s progress toward flying was similar to the course for predecessors SN8 to SN11, all of which had several delays and took an average of 30-40 days of testing, repairs and engine replacement at the launch site. before it was put away. . Equipped with ‘hundreds of improvements’, including a new design of the Raptor engine, there were hopes that the upgrade and refinement would enable the Starship SN15 to accelerate through the previous testing, but the vehicle is about the same boat as all other high-altitude prototypes.
Starship SN11 managed its first static fire attempt just a week after it rolled onto the road, while both it and SN9 finally carried out their first three-engine static fires ~ 14 days after arrival. If Starship SN15 runs a static fire on Wednesday, April 21, it will be 13 days after it rolled to the launch site. With any luck, SpaceX’s Texas team is just working out the kinks and becoming familiar with upgraded Starship and Raptor designs that will eventually bear fruit in the form of improved reliability and ease of operation and installation.
The Raptor engines SN54, SN61 and SN66, captured by several unofficial photographers, were transported to the launch site simultaneously on April 15. SN61 and SN66 were quickly installed within a few days, but SN54 was eventually returned to the building site for additional work before returning to the road on April 19 for a successful installation on SN15. The differences between these ‘new’ birds of prey and older engines (SN1-SN53) are not entirely clear, but subtle differences in plumbing layout and installed components indicate a general refinement throughout the engine design.
Time will tell whether the many upgrades to Starship SN15 and its Raptor engines together will make for a more reliable and successful vehicle. In anticipation of a successful static fire, SN15 will be the fifth spaceship already attempting to make a major flight at the end of this week or next week.
