They conducted dual engine tests for Starship, the next generation of giant rocket boosters and spacecraft, while preparing for a third Starship launch test, which is expected in early 2024.
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, excitedly shared the moment on social media: "The Flight 3 Super Heavy booster has just completed static ignition. "The test, which lasted about 10 seconds, successfully ignited all 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy booster.
This booster, as the largest and most powerful booster in the world-The successful static ignition of the first stage of the "Starship" rocket is undoubtedly a tremendous impetus to mankind's space industry.
Recall the April test launch, when Starship and its Super Heavy booster failed to separate as planned, and SpaceX deliberately detonated the rocket four minutes after liftoff, a setback that was suffocating.
And this test, not only did the stage separation be successfully completed, but the first stage engine burned normally, as if it was the best response to that setback.
However, like the turn of the Wheel of Fortune, the upper stage of the starship occurred approximately eight minutes after liftoff**, triggering its automatic flight termination system, and the first stage was also ** shortly after the stage separated. Still, this test flight demonstrated several major successes, such as stage separation and normal first-stage engine combustion. Expectations are high for SpaceX's Starship and Super-Heavy Giant rockets, which are designed to be fully reusable and will one day carry astronauts to and from the moon. NASA has already used Starship to send its Artemis 3 astronaut to the moon, and SpaceX has booked private flights around the moon with several customers.
When stacked on top of each other, Starship and its Super Heavy boosters reach a height of nearly 400 feet (122 meters), making it the largest rocket ever built. It is designed to be powerful and powerful, capable of towing cargo weighing up to 165 tons (150 metric tons) into low Earth orbit. While SpaceX is looking forward to Flight3 testing of the Starship system, the exact timing of the test is still unclear. They must wait for a launch permit from the Federal Aviation Administration, which is overseeing the investigation of Flight 2.
The FAA may not grant a license for Flight 3 until the investigation is complete and SpaceX implements any corrective actions that may be required.
Friday's Starship and Super Heavy engine tests were the closing ceremony of an epic rocket launch double, capping off SpaceX's launch year.
Just the day before, on Thursday, December 28, SpaceX launched a Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying a robotic X-37B spaceplane from the U.S. Space Force. This was followed by a Falcon 9 rocket (carrying 23 Starlink satellites) from NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
However, less than three hours later, the **** sound was heard from the nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force station.
This day is undoubtedly a day of mixed joy and sorrow for aerospace fans all over the world. I'm a tech creator[Popular Articles in Previous Issues].
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