SpaceX’s third Starship prototype appears to have successfully ignited its trio of Raptor engines at large, increasing the chances of another launch and landing attempt later this week.
After a previous attempt that was aborted before loading the propellant began on February 22, SpaceX managed to turn Starship number 10 (SN10) and launch facilities for a second attempt ~ 24 hours later. Unlike Starship SN9, which went through four torturous weeks of scrubbed, aborted and non-nominal static fire test attempts before finally being cleared for flight; Starship SN10 apparently failed a similar fate and ignited its Raptor engines without a clear problem after just two days of actual efforts.
Of course, it remains to be seen whether the test was really successful. Long-distance observations looking outside leave little to no room for nuanced interpretation, and the difference between a good and a bad test can be too subtle to detect with the naked eye.
Yesterday’s aborted attempt never surpassed it after the tank farm was activated, but could have been caused by Ground Support Equipment (GSE), Starship itself or something else. Regardless, almost exactly 24 hours later, Starship SN10 turned on all three of its Raptor engines after a smooth, flawless test flow. That single static fire simultaneously served as the massive steel rocket’s first wet dress rehearsal (WDR) with live (and flammable) liquid methane and oxygen propellant, making such a clean flow that was more impressive and encouraging.
Nevertheless, one of the last remaining residents of Boca Chica Village reported that they had received a standard safety alert that was spread by SpaceX about 40 minutes after SN10’s static fire. These warnings serve as a reminder for residents to stay away from the windows of their homes during static fire testing by Starship to alleviate the risk of injury if a given test goes wrong and a vehicle explodes.
That could means that SpaceX has quickly determined that Tuesday’s static fire is not satisfactory, although it may just as easily be that SpaceX hedges its commitment if the SN10’s static fire has to rework on Wednesday, February 24th. If Tuesday’s test goes well, SpaceX SN10 could already turn around for a launch attempt, and then move on to Friday if a hypothetical static fire resistance goes well. Stay tuned for updates (and hopefully confirmation from CEO Elon Musk).
