SpaceX Starship: Orbital Test Flight (Starship 24 full engine test video)

[Dr Mordrid]

Super Heavy booster rollout to the orbital launch pad. Fully loaded with 33 Raptor 2 engines, this thing is effing gigantic.

Pressure and static fire engine tests soon. Starship #24 will also be preparing for the first launch.

[Dr Mordrid]

Starship S24 static fire test

6 engines (3 sea level, 3 vacuum) - standard pack. Lost 30 tiles; test, learn, repeat.

This should be the vehicle for the first orbital test flight. Booster tests upcoming.



https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1568010239185944576

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/156801296698929971

[Dr Mordrid]

After many bureaucratic delays the launch campaign for Starship has begun. The NASA team should be present for each of the upcoming major events; the wet dress rehearsal, a test firing of all 33 Booster 7 engines, a test firing of Mission 2's Ship 25, and the full orbital launch attempt.

Meanwhile, construction is well along at the Kennedy Space Center LC-39A Starship pad. NASA Artemis program lunar launches will fly from there and LC-39B

+++++++

As soon as Monday, #SpaceX may begin the long-awaited orbital launch testing campaign kicking off with a wet dress rehearsal (WDR). This will include filling #SuperHeavy #B7 and #Starahip S24 completely full of propellant for the first time and simulating the launch countdown.

https://twitter.com/ryanhansenspace/...54342874570755

20230121_232230.jpg

[UtwigMU]

Doc, thank God you're back, I thought I will have to take up the mantle of MURC space editor.

I was going to post this video if you wouldn't have come back:

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/16...vq55P10Yg&s=19

Making the rocket land perfectly is really really hard to achieve, so this makes this even cooler.

[Umfriend]

What Utwig said.

[Dr Mordrid]

I was dog sick for a bit with a flu which wasn't in the vaccine this year. I'll spare you the gory details <barf>

Today SpaceX completed a successful wet dress rehearsal: Starshi 24 and its Super Heavy Booster 7 were filled with almost 10 million lbs/4,535 tonnes of propellants and a practice countdown executed by Starship's flight computers.

If they follow past practice next comes a spin-prime test, essentially they start up the booster engine turbo pumps. After that comes a static fire test followed by launch. With a little luck, by the end of February or March

The team from NASA's Artemis Human Lander System program is usually present for major tests like this, and for the launch they are likely to use NASA's WB-57 reconnaissance aircraft to film the in flight events.

There is another Super Heavy and Starship pair being prepared for a quick follow up flight; Booster 9 and Ship 25.