After the successful third test of Starship, SpaceX does not stop there. Now the company is actively preparing for the next flight. Recently, at the test site, SpaceX fired all six Raptor engines of the next Starship spacecraft and shared a video of this exciting test on social networks.
Full-duration static fire of all six Raptor engines on Flight 4 Starship pic.twitter.com/HzS4SeaoEV
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) March 25, 2024
The engine test involved securing the spacecraft to ground before launch. The engines on the Starship, after separation from the Super Heavy launch vehicle, put the spacecraft into orbit, allow it to maneuver, brake, and also allow it to land vertically not only on Earth, but also on the Moon or Mars.
Starship has already successfully made a similar vertical landing during preliminary tests in a single suborbital flight in 2021. But there have been no landings after the tandem launch from Super Heavy, and then the return from an orbital flight.
As with previous test missions, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is overseeing an investigation into the third test flight, which took place earlier this month. If the investigation is successful, SpaceX will receive permission for a fourth flight, probably scheduled for May.
Each new Starship flight demonstrates all the best results. During the third test, a number of initial successes were achieved, in particular, the launch of Starship into orbit. SpaceX engineers analyze the data collected during each mission to improve the systems. It is expected that during the fourth flight, the company will achieve even greater success.
After full testing, the spacecraft can be used to deliver crew and cargo to the Moon and possibly to Mars. But before such ambitious missions, there is still a lot of development work to be done to ensure safety.
Earlier, we reported that the debris from SpaceX Starship was being sold for 7,500 dollars.
According to space.com
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