SpaceX shared more details of its record-setting rocket test yesterday that saw the firm fire up the most rocket engines simultaneously on a rocket in human history. The company’s Starship Super Heavy booster, capable of generating a massive 17 million pounds, stands at 230 feet tall – the same height as a fully stacked Falcon 9. After yesterday’s test, SpaceX chief Mr. Elon Musk, and soon the company, confirmed immediately afterward that they had test fired 31 rocket engines.
However, details about the engines’ thrust remained unclear, especially as SpaceX is yet to build a noise suppression system at the base of its launch tower in Boca Chica, Texas. True to form, SpaceX shared these details earlier today, confirming that while Starship Super Heavy did set the record for the most engines fired, it is yet to generate the highest thrust for a rocket.
SpaceX’s Starship Super Heavy Booster Generated Less Than Half Of Total Thrust In First Hot Fire
While the catchiest part about a rocket launch is the vehicle itself and the stream of flames, a wide variety of systems must be in place before a test can take place. One of these is the launch tower and the pad, which had created problems for SpaceX in its early history when it tested the Falcon rocket lineup. At that time, SpaceX was an untested company and found the U.S. Air Force (now the Space Force) allegedly unwilling to risk its launch facilities for a rocket whose launch could end up in a catastrophe. This turned out to be a wise decision, as the first Falcon 1 flight ended up with the rocket crashing only a couple of hundred feet away from the launch site. Since it couldn’t find a third party pad, SpaceX had to build its launch pad in the Marshall Islands to launch the Falcon.
Fast forward to 2023, and the firm has built another launch facility in Texas. However, this time around, SpaceX is testing a rocket nearly six times taller and a whopping 170 times more powerful than the Falcon 1. Testing Super Heavy requires a complex sound suppression system and special concrete, and reports from the site suggest that a suppression system is yet to be installed.
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SpaceX’s launch pad suffered some damage last year after a booster fire, and this time around, the company seemed cautious not only because it wanted to take things slow with a 33-engine rocket but also to save time by avoiding damage to the pad. The latest details show that yesterday, the Starship test generated 7.9 million pounds of thrust, which translates into roughly 46% of the rocket’s thrust. The record for the most thrust generated by a rocket belongs to the Soviet Union’s N1 rocket, which generated 10.2 million pounds during its test flights – all of which failed.
Yet, even though it did not fully fire up the Super Heavy, the static fire was a success since it completed the time duration allotted to the firing. In fact, SpaceX also drew an accolade even from NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, who took to Twitter to congratulate the firm and stated:
It was great to see@SpaceX take a big step forward with Starship’s hot fire test! Starship is integral to@NASA’s Moon to Mars architecture and helping us land astronauts on the Moon. SpaceX’s success is NASA’s success is the world’s success.
As for the next step, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) extended SpaceX’s orbital test flight authorization from March until September. This license is for the frequencies that the company will use to test the rocket. To actually launch it to orbit, SpaceX has to secure approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as well.
Until the launch occurs, here’s a video of the first Falcon 1 test flight.
The post SpaceX Shares Fiery Images, Details Of Record Test As NASA Chief Praises Firm! by Ramish Zafar appeared first on Wccftech.
