Next Starship set to fly at SpaceX Boca Chica is about to get a Raptor engine!

Featured Image Source: @austinbarnard45 via Twitter

SpaceX was founded by Elon Musk in 2002 with the ultimate mission to make life multi-planetary. “Consciousness is a rare and precious thing, we should take whatever steps we can to preserve the light of consciousness... We should do our very best to become a multi-planet species, extend consciousness beyond Earth and we should do it now,” he says. The aerospace company has developed some of the world's most advanced rockets and spacecraft, and is now developing its next-generation launch vehicle – Starship.

Developing Starship is the company’s most ambitious project yet; It will be an enormous two-stage vehicle consisting of Starship and a Super Heavy rocket booster, that will be used to propel the spacecraft out of Earth’s atmosphere. Starship will be capable of transporting one hundred passengers and tons of cargo to the moon and Mars. “Starship is the key to making life multi-planetary and protecting the light of consciousness,” Musk said in June.

Source: SpaceX 

The company aims to have a space-ready spacecraft in less than four years. Starship’s first passenger, Yusaku Maezawa, booked a circumlunar flight for the year 2023; And SpaceX aims to launch cargo to Mars before 2024. There is a lot of work to be done to eventually transform humanity into a multi-planet species. SpaceX is currently working around-the-clock to develop Starship at SpaceX facilities located in Boca Chica Beach, Brownsville, Texas. Multiple stainless-steel Starship prototypes are under assembly at the rocket factory. These will undergo a series of tests. Earlier this month, engineers successfully launched and landed the Starship SN5 prototype (pictured above). Now, they are preparing to launch SN6. Yesterday, teams completed a proof-test of the Starship SN6 vehicle that is next in line to attempt a 150-meter test flight above Boca Chica’s sunny beach.

Progress at the South Texas Production & Launch facility is growing rapidly, from High Bay continuing to attain new heights & to the development of the orbital launch tower. Meanwhile StarShip SN6 is undergoing final checks for tomorrow’s test, SpaceX is here to stay!🚀🌌 pic.twitter.com/0XPdN8BjxD

— Austin Barnard🚀 (@austinbarnard45) August 15, 2020

Today, August 18, a Raptor engine was transported to the launch pad where Starship SN6 awaits. Engineers are expected to install the engine in the days ahead to conduct a static-fire test. During a static-firing, the engine will be briefly ignited as the stainless-steel vehicle remains grounded on the launch stand. If that firing goes well, SpaceX will be ready to launch Starship SN6 this month! According to Boca Chica’s Cameron County website that announces beach closures, teams may attempt a static-fire as soon as August 24, with August 25 and 26 as backup dates. Testing windows are scheduled from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Central Time daily.

Raptor Serial Number 29🔥
This full-flowstage combustion cycle engine, will propel StarShip SN6 into the Boca Chica skies during upcoming hop tests.🚀 pic.twitter.com/9RVC1ioAgC

— Austin Barnard🚀 (@austinbarnard45) August 18, 2020

Raptor engines are a new kind of rocket engine developed and manufactured by SpaceX. Unlike any other rocket engines used today, Raptors are powered by a combination of liquid methane and liquid oxygen in a full-flow staged combustion cycle. The Super Heavy rocket will be powered by 31 Raptor engines with thrust capability of approximately 72 meganewtons (MN), which would make SpaceX's Starship the world's most powerful rocket in comparison to the 35 MN thrust of Saturn V rocket that took humans to the moon during NASA's Apollo mission. Starship will be powered by 6 Raptors, including 3 sea level Raptors designed for atmospheric flight, and 3 vacuum optimized Raptors for propulsion in space. Each Raptor engine could produce over 200 tons of thrust at full throttle.

Starship's Raptor engines were specially designed by SpaceX with Mars in mind; the propellant can be made on the Red Planet upon arrival. Carbon dioxide could be extracted from the planet's atmosphere and ice water can be found underneath the soil, to create methane and liquid oxygen through electrolysis and the Sabatier process. Building a propellant plant will be one of the most important tasks future Martians will work on to enable a spacefaring civilization.

Raptor engines are currently developed at the company’s McGregor, Texas, facility. Musk shared this week, a Raptor at the testing facility “reached 330 bar chamber pressure without exploding!” he wrote via Twitter; Adding that engineers are working on Raptor number 40 – “SN40 is about to be tested and has several upgrades over 330 bar engine. For reference, 330 bar on Raptor produces ~225 tons (half a million pounds) of force,” he explained.

Raptor engine just reached 330 bar chamber pressure without exploding! pic.twitter.com/kVKRWksvaB

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 17, 2020