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SpaceX is preparing to test the ninth prototype of its large, shiny rocket, Starship SN9 on Wednesday, January 20, firing its engines for what should be the last time before its maiden flight. The test is scheduled before 5 p.m. central time.
The rocket will go nowhere during this “static fire” test. (Or at least it’s not supposed to.) But if all goes according to plan, this test should pave the way for a launch in the near future, although SpaceX hasn’t set a date. NASA Spaceflight is broadcasting the test live from the Boca Chica, Texas site where SpaceX builds and tests its spacecraft.
Related: Here’s every spacecraft that has ever carried an astronaut into orbit
This will be SN9’s second static fire test, after a trio of Jan. 13 tests ended inconclusive with the engines failing to fire for their full duration as NASA Spaceflight Report. The company has since replaced the engines used in previous tests.
Starship is SpaceX’s moonshot – literally. The company has suggested that the 160-foot-tall (49-meter) and 30-foot-wide (9m) vehicle could one day land large groups of people on the Moon or Mars. He also sold tickets to board a future spacecraft for an orbit around the moon. To do all of this, a much larger “Super Heavy” booster rocket will be needed to smooth Starship into space, and that rocket has yet to be built.
For now, SpaceX is focused on developing the Starship vehicle itself. The latest prototype, SN8, demonstrated impressive capabilities during a test flight in December 2020. This test saw the SN8 climb to the cruising altitude of an airliner and perform a controlled approach to its site landing before exploding on contact, such as LiveScience reported at the time. SpaceX has not specified what its goals are for this next launch, although a successful landing of the mammoth vehicle could be on the menu.
Originally posted on Live Science
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