Latest news with #staticfire
Yahoo
02-08-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
SpaceX fires up Starship spacecraft ahead of 10th test flight (video, photos)
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. SpaceX just fired up its newest Starship spacecraft on Thursday (July 31), to help prep the vehicle for an upcoming test flight. The company conducted a "static fire" trial with the 171-foot-tall (52 meters) Starship upper stage at its Starbase site in South Texas on Thursday, briefly igniting one of the vehicle's six Raptor engines. "Starship single-engine static fire demonstrating an in-space burn complete on Pad 1 at Starbase," SpaceX wrote in a Thursday evening X post that shared two photos and a video of the milestone. The test is part of the prep work for Flight 10 of Starship, the huge, fully reusable rocket that SpaceX is developing to help humanity colonize Mars and do a wide variety of other spaceflight work. Starship consists of two elements — the upper-stage spacecraft, called Starship or simply Ship, and a huge booster known as Super Heavy. Both are made of stainless steel and are powered by Raptors (33 of them in Super Heavy's case). This particular Ship is the second that SpaceX has earmarked for Flight 10. The first exploded on a test stand at Starbase on June 18 just before a planned static-fire test. The Super Heavy that will fly on Flight 10 has already passed its static-fire test, igniting all 33 of its engines on June 6. Related Stories: — SpaceX's Starship explodes in Texas during preparations for 10th test flight — SpaceX reached space with Starship Flight 9 launch, then lost control of its giant spaceship (video) — Starship and Super Heavy explained SpaceX has not yet announced a target date for Flight 10, but we may not have to wait long for it: company founder and CEO Elon Musk has said the test mission will launch in August. A fully stacked Starship first flew in April 2023. The huge rocket has launched three times so far this year, in January, March and May. On all three flights, SpaceX lost the upper stage before its planned Indian Ocean splashdown.
Digital Trends
01-08-2025
- Science
- Digital Trends
Watch SpaceX blast Starship engine ahead of its 10th flight test
SpaceX has successfully completed a single-engine static fire test of its Starship spacecraft, taking it another step closer to the 10th flight test of the entire rocket, comprising the Super Heavy booster and Starship spacecraft. The test took place at SpaceX's Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, on Thursday, and lasted a matter of seconds. The company shared several image and a video of the test on X. Starship single-engine static fire demonstrating an in-space burn complete on Pad 1 at Starbase — SpaceX (@SpaceX) July 31, 2025 Next up is the spacecraft's six-engine static fire, which is expected to take place on Friday. The last time it carried out this particular test, the Starship went up in a massive fireball. Recommended Videos The spectacular explosion was attributed to a failure in a nosecone-based pressurized tank containing gaseous nitrogen. The failure caused a catastrophic chain reaction that destroyed the vehicle and damaged the test site. No one was hurt in the incident. SpaceX has yet to announce a specific target date for the 10th test flight of the Starship — the world's most powerful rocket — but the company's CEO, Elon Musk, said recently that the vehicle would head skyward from Starbase in August. Shortly before the launch, Musk will give a presentation to update everyone about the progress of the Starship project, with the CEO expected to focus on areas such as engineering, production, and SpaceX's future launch plans. The Starship first flew in 2023, and the nine flights have produced mixed results for the team developing the 120-meter-tall rocket. But each flight gives engineers a lot to work with, allowing them to refine the design and performance of the rocket. NASA is planning to use a modified version of the Starship spacecraft to land two astronauts on the moon in the Artemis III mission, which is currently targeted for 2027, though that date could slip. Much depends on the progress made with the Starship's upcoming test flights. The Starship might also be used for the first crewed mission to Mars, which NASA could launch in the 2030s, though a firm timeline has yet to be announced.
