Tag: Boca Chica
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Gleaming prototype of SpaceX’s Starship ready for experimental flight
Credit: Isis Valencia / Spaceflight Now SpaceX is gearing up for the next big leap in the development of the next-generation Starship heavy-lift launch vehicle with a test flight to more than 40,000 feet over the Texas Gulf Coast as soon as Tuesday. The 164-foot-tall (50-meter) Starship prototype, made of stainless steel, is sitting on…
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Starship SN8 successfully completes final testing ahead of flight
Following a slightly convoluted engine testing campaign, Starship SN8 is working through the final steps to finalize its pre-flight requirements, which included a triple Raptor Static Fire test on Tuesday. Should this test go to plan – via the results of the data review – the path will be cleared for SN8 to conduct a…
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Starship SN8 hoping for speedy return to testing as additional vehicles line up
Following Starship SN8’s eventful Static Fire test, it was feared the test flight would likely suffer from a lengthy delay. However, thanks in part to a burst disk that avoided a damaging “pop” scenario, SN8 may yet still fly to 50,000 feet this month, albeit with a realigned trio of Raptor engines. While repair work…
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As Starships line up, Musk calibrates expectations for SN8 test
Starship SN8 is expected to complete the second run of Static Fire tests over the coming week ahead of test flight later this month. While SN8 will be aiming for a touchdown on the launch pad, Elon Musk provided clarity on the primary goals of SN8’s flight – with a stable, controlled descent via its…
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SpaceX executive pitches Starship for space debris cleanup
File photo of Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX’s president and chief operating officer. Credit: NASA/Jay Westcott SpaceX could use its Starship vehicles to clear out space debris in Earth orbit, alongside the program’s more publicized purpose of ferrying people and cargo to the moon and Mars, a company executive said. Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX’s president and chief operating…
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Starship SN8 preparing for a second Static Fire test
Following the first-ever triple Raptor Static Fire test, Starship SN8 is pushing through the pre-launch milestones. The nosecone has since been installed – resulting in the first full Starship stack since MK1 – allowing for a second Static Fire test this coming week. The second Static Fire test will involve propellant being fed from the…
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SpaceX Starship: The Continued Evolution of the Big Falcon Rocket
Since 2012, SpaceX has been working on a reusable rocket family, now called Starship, that will eventually replace its workhorse Falcon 9 family. Its design has evolved into a rocket possibly unprecedented in its ambition, being even larger than the venerable Saturn V rocket, but with far more uses. At launch, it will be the…
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SpaceX Starship: The Continued Evolution of the Big Falcon Rocket
Since 2012, SpaceX has been working on a reusable rocket family, now called Starship, that will eventually replace its workhorse Falcon 9 family. Its design has evolved into a rocket possibly unprecedented in its ambition, being even larger than the venerable Saturn V rocket, but with far more uses. At launch, it will be the…
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SpaceX test-fires Starship prototype with three engines
A view of the Starship SN8 prototype with three Raptor engines. Future Starship vehicles will have six Raptor engines, with three vacuum-rated engines with larger nozzles clustered around the three center engines optimized for sea level performance. Credit: Elon Musk/SpaceX SpaceX fired three Raptor engines on a prototype of the company’s Starship vehicle Tuesday, accomplishing…
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SN8 receiving Raptors as prelude to advanced Starship testing
Installation of the three Raptors that will power Starship SN8’s unique test flight began on Sunday at SpaceX Boca Chica. The brand new engines will be the focal point of a test program that will involve at least two Static Fire tests ahead of a test flight to 50,000 feet. Starship SN8: SN8 underwent a…