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As we wrote a few days ago, SpaceX made one static fire Of super heavy (the first stage of Starship) which should have foreseen up to 33 engines running for a few seconds so as to collect data on how both the space rocket and the ground structures behave. As explained later, despite having budgeted for the use of all Raptor 2 engines (atmospheric) in reality they were used “only” 31.
This was due to one engine shutting down and another being shut down by the ground team. Despite everything, it was the rocket with the highest number of engines ignited simultaneously, surpassing even the famous (but never reached orbit) Soviet N1 rocket which had 30. The test of super heavy (Booster 7) was still considered a success as it lasted as long as expected and, hypothetically, with 31 engines it could reach orbit. Now comes more news on the program Starship.
SpaceX decommissions oil rigs undergoing modifications
As reported after it static fire both from SpaceX same that gives Elon Muskduring the test less than 50% (3600 tons) of the maximum thrust expressible by the 33 Raptor 2 engines at the base of super heavy. With the orbital launch test over the next month, 90% of the effective power will be used. Musk himself also added that the test carried out in recent days has produced a lower acoustic impact than expected.
Recall that the program Starship will have various uses. On the one hand it will be crucial for the profitability of SpaceX itself thanks to private, commercial or government launches. On the other hand, it will be the base of the lunar lander of the Artemis III mission which will bring humans back to the Moon perhaps as early as 2025 (although there could be delays).
Another aspect that had been announced was the construction of two launch facilities Starship from the sea thanks to modified oil rigs. In 2021 it was declared that Deimos And Phobos (names of the moons of Mars) could have been ready as early as 2022, which then did not happen. Now instead SpaceX confirmed through Gwynne Shotwell (President and COO) that the use of this kind of platforms has been postponed and now those being modified have been sold.
The Shotwell he has declared “We bought them. We sold them. They weren’t the right platforms. […] We really need to get this vehicle flying [ndr. Starship] to understand it, to get to know this car, and then we’ll figure out how to launch it”.
In general, therefore, the company will now focus on test orbital launches (both with a dummy payload and with the new generation of Starlinks) to understand how to launch and recover this heavy vector in one of the most complex projects ever conceived for the sector. Once the launchers from Starbase (Texas) and Kennedy Space Center (Florida) are reliably launched and recovered there will be the possibility to evolve towards further concepts (which need funds to be sustained).
Interestingly, Blue Origin, a Bezos company and competitor to SpaceXhad thought (after) and renounced (before) to transform a ship into a marine platform for launching and recovering space rockets. China, on the other hand, uses a marine platform for launching vectors but they are much smaller and less complex than both Starship and New Glenn.
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