Raphael ThysThe Starship SN10 second stage prototype as it successfully reignites its Raptor engines for a landing attempt in March 2021. Image: Elon Musk/Twitter
Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) can attempt its highly awaited 33 engine rocket test tomorrow, according to the company's president and chief operating officer, Ms. Gwynne Shotwell. The company has been slowly building up the momentum to launch the Starship rocket to orbit, but before it can do that, it must ensure that all systems are in a testable configuration. SpaceX kicked off 2023 by conducting a Starship wet dress rehearsal last month, and inklings of a static fire have been evident throughout the first week of this month as multiple road closures have been in effect.
SpaceX's Successful Static Fire Will Be A Significant Milestone For Starship Progress
Reports of a potential static fire became serious last month when diligent coverage by SpaceNews quoted SpaceX's vice president of build and reliability, Mr. Bill Gerstenmaier, outlined right at the end of January that a static fire could take place in the next couple of weeks. Mr. Gerstenamier's comments came as his company was granted several road and beach closures by Cameroon County officials. Cameroon County is in Boca Chica, Texas, where SpaceX's sprawling complex builds and tests some of the largest rockets in the world.
A static fire test is crucial for a new rocket, as it gives engineers copious amounts of data to catch any problems that can very well result in a catastrophic failure. For Starship, this is even more important as the rocket is designed to generate 17 million pounds of thrust and store a massive 4,800 tons of fuel in its first and second stages.
After covering Mr. Gerstenmaier's comments, SpaceNews' Jeff Foust is back today with a spicy report from the Federal Aviation Administration's Commercial Space Transportation Conference held today and tomorrow in Washington, D.C.
An early design of the Starship Super Heavy booster's plumbing. Image courtesy of visual 3D artist Caspar Stanley (@Caspar_Stanley on Twitter)
SpaceX's Gwynne Shotwell, a key figure at the company, gave a presentation at the event and surprised many by sharing that her company can test the 33 Raptor 2 engines on Starship as soon as tomorrow. Quoting her, SpaceNews reports that:
“Tomorrow is a big day for SpaceX. We are going to attempt a 33-engine static fire booster test for Starship,” she said. “It’s really the final ground test that we can do before we light ‘em up and go.”
The executive went on to outline her company's plans for the next step in Starship testing after the test - the orbital test flight. Media hype for this test has been around for years, and Ms. Shotwell believes that it is possible that an orbital flight test can take place next month. SpaceX will need a launch license from the FAA before it can fly Starship, and the executive believes that the flight will take place in the same "timeline" as the license approval.
Additionally, she also shared details about SpaceX's plans for an unbelievable launch cadence for both Starship and the operational Falcon rocket lineup. Mr. Musk has hinted that his company is aiming to conduct 100 launches this year, and SpaceX's rapid cadence so far indicates that the company is well on its way to meeting this target.
However, for Ms. Shotwell, a hundred launches are merely a drop in the bucket regarding SpaceX's Starship ambitions. Not only does she expect Starship to have conducted 100 launches of its own before launching with a crew, but SpaceX would 'like' to aim to fly the rocket hundreds of times in a day - mimicking the operations of a commercial airliner.
Crewed launches are a central part of SpaceX's partnership with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). In December, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson shared that SpaceX plans to launch Starship to the Moon this year. The rocket's second stage will also ferry astronauts to the lunar surface as part of NASA's Artemis program. This launch, dubbed Artemis 3 by NASA, is currently slated for liftoff in 2025 - right in the year when SpaceX can potentially conduct 100 Starship launches, according to the executive.
Road closures in Cameroon County are scheduled until Friday, with today's closure canceled and tomorrow's currently in effect. Starship is the largest rocket in the world right now, and the 33-engine static fire will be the first time any rocket has attempted to pull off such an endeavor. Starship's closest counterpart is NASA's Space Launch System (SLS), which generates 8.8 million pounds of peak thrust during flight - and is the only operational rocket in the world to do so right now.
