SpaceX is all set to conduct the third test flight of the Starship Super Heavy from its high-tech facility Starbase in Boca Chica. The two components of the spacecraft have been stacked and tested ahead of flight.
SpaceX founder Elon Musk confirmed that the third test flight of the behemoth spacecraft could happen by the end of this week as the company awaits final clearance and weather assessments in the region for the launch.
The spacecraft has undergone two test flights from Starbase with both being unsuccessful, yet delivering critical data to engineers to enhance the vehicle for a full-fledged flight.
SpaceX in a statement said that Starship’s second flight test achieved several major milestones and provided invaluable data to continue rapidly developing Starship. “Each of these flight tests continues to be just that: a test. They aren’t occurring in a lab or on a test stand, but are putting flight hardware in a flight environment to maximise learning,” SpaceX added.
The third test flight is aimed at attempting several ambitious objectives, including the successful ascent burn of both stages, opening and closing Starship’s payload door, and a propellant transfer demonstration during the upper stage’s coast phase.
The private aerospace giant will also attempt to conduct the first-ever re-light of a Raptor engine while in space, and a controlled reentry of Starship.
During the second test flight on November 18, 2023, all 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy Booster ignited successfully for the first time and completed a full-duration burn during ascent. SpaceX said that it also executed a successful hot-stage separation, “the first time this technique has been done successfully with a vehicle of this size.”
The team confirmed that the fatal loss of the flight was likely due to a filter blockage where liquid oxygen is supplied to the engines, leading to a loss of inlet pressure in engine oxidizer turbopumps that eventually resulted in one engine failing in a way that resulted in the loss of the vehicle.
“We have implemented hardware changes on upcoming Starship vehicles to improve leak reduction, fire protection, and refined operations associated with the propellant vent to increase reliability. The previously planned move from a hydraulic steering system for the vehicle’s Raptor engines to an entirely electric system also removes potential sources of flammability,” SpaceX said, ahead of the third test flight.
Shambhu Kumar is a science communicator, making complex scientific topics accessible to all. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
