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SpaceX has planned a full week with up to 30 hours of road and beach closures for Starship and Super Heavy tests and is working hard to prepare the first orbital-class ship and booster for several major challenges.
First launched at SpaceX’s Starbase orbital launch site over six weeks ago and first stacked on August 6, the company has spent the last month putting the finishing touches on Starship 20 (S20) and Super Heavy Booster 4 (B4) – ranging from installing a heat shield to plumbing and wiring. Perhaps more importantly, SpaceX has also installed some or all of the Raptor engines which are expected to support the ship’s first static fire qualification tests and boosters.
For a number of reasons, these static fires – and a few more tests that should precede them – could be important milestones for SpaceX’s Starship program.
Earlier this month, after rolling the Starship S20 onto the launch pad for the second time and installing it on one of the two suborbital launch / test racks, SpaceX began the process of installing the engines. Raptor (again for the second time) on the rocket. Starting with two central Raptors optimized for sea level, SpaceX then installed a Raptor Vacuum motor on Ship 20. The implication: When the S20 first starts up, it may do so with two types of Raptor engines – a first for the Starship program.
Since Raptor Vacuums began its first static fire tests at SpaceX’s development campus in McGregor, Texas, around Q4 2020, the company has yet to start an RVac engine on a prototype spacecraft. Starship’s current design includes three gimbaled sea-level Raptors and three vacuum-optimized variants with much larger nozzles – all close together inside a 30ft (9m) wide skirt. .
As such, Starship’s first static shot with all The combination of the Raptor Center and Raptor Vacuum engines will be a milestone for SpaceX. Eventually, this will likely result in the first static shots from a spacecraft (likely S20) with all six Raptors installed – a test that will effectively qualify this prototype for its first orbital launch attempt.
Meanwhile, things are arguably even more complex for Super Heavy. Aside from a single three-engine static fire completed with Super Heavy Booster 3 (B3), Starship’s first stage has never come close to a full static fire with all 29-33 Raptor engines installed. Whenever that happens, Super Heavy will likely become the most powerful rocket ever tested and – as with Starship – will more or less qualify for its first flight if the test goes as planned.
SpaceX already installed 29 complete Raptor engines on Super Heavy B4 last month. After their return to Starbase, these engines were retired and eventually reinstalled a few weeks later, but with a number of replacements. Now, after spending the last 11 days sitting on the orbital platform’s launch pad, SpaceX has started replacing at least one of Booster 4’s 29 installed engines. It’s unclear why, but the fact that SpaceX is replacing the engines. on the launch pad – instead of bringing Super Heavy back to the construction site for the third time – is an encouraging sign that B4 is almost ready for its first proof and static fire tests.
Due to all the recent activity, it’s nearly impossible to say whether the Starship S20 or the Super Heavy B4 will be the first on the figurative saddle for ambient pressure, cryogenic, and static fire resistance testing. What is clear, however, is that SpaceX has five scheduled six-hour test windows each day for next week. Stay tuned for updates on the next steps on SpaceX’s first orbital-class ship and pair of boosters.
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