All articles tagged with #static fire test
NASA and Northrop Grumman conducted a successful static-fire test of the five-segment SLS rocket booster, producing 3.9 million pounds of thrust, with some anomalies observed. The test aims to optimize booster design for NASA's Artemis program, which plans to use these boosters for future lunar missions.
SpaceX conducted a static-fire test of its Super Heavy booster for the upcoming seventh test flight of the Starship megarocket at its Starbase facility in South Texas. The test involved briefly igniting the booster's 33 Raptor engines. While no official launch date has been announced, a NASA email suggests January 11 as a potential target. The Starship, consisting of two reusable stages, is the most powerful rocket ever built, with previous test flights demonstrating successful launches and landings.
SpaceX conducted a static fire test with its Super Heavy booster, the 33-engine Starship first stage, in preparation for the fourth-ever Starship launch targeted for next month. The test, which took place at the Starbase site in South Texas, was announced through posts on social media, sharing photos and a video of the event. The Starship is designed for fully reusable space travel and has been selected by NASA for its Artemis program of moon exploration, with plans for crewed missions in the future.
SpaceX conducted another successful static fire test of Ship 29 at Starbase, using a single Raptor engine fueled by the header tank, moving closer to the fourth flight test. Ship 29 will now undergo final preparations ahead of its flight in a couple of months, with only a few heat shield tiles needing replacement. Booster 11 will follow a similar test campaign, including a spin prime test and static fire test, before being moved to the launch site for a potential launch in May.
SpaceX has completed a successful static fire test of its next Starship rocket, Ship 28, in South Texas. The test of the rocket's six engines appeared to be nominal, and both the rocket and ground support equipment were undamaged. The booster for the next launch attempt, Booster 10, has been rolled to the launch site and will undergo a static fire test soon. The upcoming flight, Integrated Flight Test 3, aims to fly further and perform a controlled landing into the ocean north of Kauai, Hawaii. The launch is expected to take place in the first quarter of next year. Regulatory approval for the launch is still pending.
SpaceX is preparing for a static fire test of the Falcon Heavy rocket ahead of its fifth launch of 2023, which will carry the U.S. military's secretive X-37B spaceplane. The USSF-52 mission is scheduled for liftoff on December 10 and will be the first time the Falcon Heavy is used for the X-37B project. This will be the fifth mission for the Assured Access to Space (AATS) Directorate in 2023. The launch contract was awarded to SpaceX as part of the Phase 1A National Security Space Launch (NSSL) procurement, and the mission is valued at about $155 million.
SpaceX conducted the second "static fire" test of its Starship Super Heavy booster, Booster 9, in preparation for its second-ever test flight. The engines burned for about six seconds, and the data on how many engines engaged will be shared later. SpaceX has made over 1,000 design changes to the Starship following the failed debut flight in April. The company has implemented a "hot staging" strategy and added a venting system and heat shield to Booster 9. The launch timeline is dependent on the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration's review of the mishap report from the first launch.
SpaceX has rolled out its latest Starship upper-stage prototype, Ship 25, to a suborbital pad at its Starbase site in South Texas for a static fire test of its six Raptor engines. The company plans to conduct another full-stack Starship test flight, which will involve the Booster 9 Super Heavy vehicle. Ship 25 is expected to be the upper stage on that mission, though SpaceX has not yet confirmed this.