SpaceX conducts first static firing test of all Super Heavy rocket engines in Starship

SpaceX is one step closer to the first orbital test of the Starship spacecraft, the first stage of which is a Super Heavy rocket. The aerospace company conducted the first static firing test of all 33 Raptor engines.

The prototype Super Heavy rocket is called Booster 7. The first attempt to fire all the engines was partially successful. The company deliberately shut down one engine, while another one stopped working on its own. In the end, 31 engines worked normally. Elon Musk, the head of SpaceX, said that this was enough for the rocket to reach orbit.

The Starship prototype is called Ship 24 and is powered by six Raptor engines. It has a height of 50 meters. The total height of the ship and rocket is 120 meters. As part of the test, the company's specialists fueled both stages. The firing test, during which the rocket and ship were left standing on the ground, lasted 7 seconds.

Super Heavy will be the world's most powerful rocket. The 33 Raptor engines are capable of producing more than 8 million pounds of thrust, twice as much as a Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The first lunar rocket has already successfully accomplished its mission, sending the Orion spacecraft into space. Starship is expected to make its maiden test flight in March, and after two years the craft will be used in the Artemis III mission to land people on the moon.

Source: SpaceX