SpaceX ‘goes’ for 50,000-foot Starship launch debut after static fire, says Elon Musk

CEO Elon Musk said SpaceX’s first fully assembled prototype spacecraft is on track for its 15-kilometer (~ 50,000-foot) launch after completing a second three-engine static fire test on Tuesday.

The three Raptor engines of the serial number 8 (SN8) spacecraft fired for a few seconds around 5:30 p.m. CST (UTC-6) on Tuesday, November 24, less than four hours before a record-breaking Falcon 9 rocket launched another batch of Starlink satellites about a thousand miles east. Briefly producing over 600 metric tons (6000 kN / ~ 1.3 M lbf) of thrust, the Starship SN8’s second three-engine static light was actually the first with this particular trio of engines.

On November 13, a static one or two-engine fire nearly ended in disaster when the Raptor’s hypersonic exhaust lifted blade-shaped debris that severed critical control cables and triggered an apparent engine meltdown. With built-in ‘bursting disc’ safety, the Starship SN8 – unable to operate the valves necessary to depressurize – was saved from what could have been catastrophic damage. Deemed to be SN32, the damaged Raptor was then retired on November 14 and replaced by SN42 on November 16.

As such, the SN8 static fire on November 24 was the first with this particular set of three engines, although technically it was the rocket’s second test of three engines. SN42 now (hopefully) proven to be ready for flight, it remains to be seen if SpaceX will attempt more static fires ahead of Musk’s promised 9 mile launch.

As of November 25, SpaceX still has a static rescue window open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST, while the Starship SN8 launch route closures remain in effect from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on November 30 with backups from 8 a.m. at 17 o’clock. December 1 and 2.

After spending more than a month on the launch pad, it is increasingly unlikely that SpaceX will continue to choose caution first for future tests of the Starship SN8. As Musk recently noted and easily visible from the public highway, SpaceX’s Boca Chica factory is developing an extraordinary backlog of giant steel rockets. Just today, November 25, Starship SN9 (with “small improvements”) officially reached its full height of 50 meters (~ 165 feet) after SpaceX launched the installation of the nose section. In simpler terms, if SN8 is destroyed during testing, Starship SN9 will likely be ready to roll to the launch site almost as soon as the platform is cleared.

Meanwhile, Starship SN10 is likely only 7-10 days away from a similar nose-stacking milestone and Starship SN11’s tank section is only one stack away from completion, which likely puts it less than two weeks behind SN10. In other words, since speed is a priority and each prototype is as cheap as Starship’s majority steel nomenclature, SpaceX builds the rockets so quickly that it almost makes no sense to pass. more than a few weeks. work on any ship bugs.

Musk also says the Starship SN15 will host some mysterious “major upgrades,” likely involving substantial manufacturing and design improvements. Considering that large portions of the Starship SN15 (and probably SN16 as well) are already visibly in the works at Boca Chica, it makes even less sense to spend an inordinate amount of time on a much older prototype.

So it’s no surprise that Musk gave SN8 – warts and all – a 33% chance to successfully launch, “skydive” on Earth, reignite one or more Raptors and land in one piece. The only real certainty is that whatever the outcome, Starship’s high altitude launch debut is guaranteed to be spectacular. Stay tuned for updates as we get closer to SpaceX’s November 30 target.