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SpaceX has shared dramatic slow-motion footage (below) of a ground-based engine test involving the Starship spacecraft ahead of its fifth test flight.
“Slow-motion view of Flight 5 Starship’s six Raptor engines during static fire,” SpaceX said in a comment accompanying the video.
Slow motion view of Flight 5 Starship’s six Raptor engines during static fire pic.twitter.com/5395Vmq2j4
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) July 27, 2024
The Starship spacecraft forms the upper part of the Starship vehicle, which also comprises the first-stage Super Heavy booster.
The date for the fifth test flight has yet to be set, though recent reports have suggested that it could take place as early as next month, following its fourth test flight in June.
With 33 Raptor engines at the base of the Super Heavy pumping out a massive 17 million pounds of thrust at launch, the Starship vehicle is the most powerful rocket ever to fly.
The plan is to use the vehicle for crewed and cargo missions to the moon, Mars, and even beyond. But first it has to be fully developed and properly tested.
The Starship’s first test flight took place last year from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, but ended just a few minutes into the mission when the first stage and upper stage failed to separate.
The second test achieved stage separation before both parts of the rocket exploded in midair, while the third and fourth tests marked a massive improvement in the rocket’s performance, with both flights lasting much longer and achieving most of the their mission goals.
The upcoming fifth flight is of particular interest as SpaceX is planning to try to “catch” the first-stage Super Heavy booster as it comes in to land after deploying the Starship spacecraft to orbit. The maneuver will use giant mechanical arms attached to the launch tower that will clamp and secure the booster when it returns home.
Catching the booster in this way will allow SpaceX to use the booster for multiple missions, similar to how it reuses its workhorse Falcon 9 booster. Such a system enables SpaceX to drastically reduce the cost of space flights.
