SpaceX completes static-fire test of a Starship SN24 Raptor engine [VIDEO]

Imagine a future where humans are capable of choosing whether to live on Earth, the Moon, or Mars... It would be a future filled with excitement! Creating a spacefaring civilization will offer humanity endless possibilities to advance our technology, as well as enable deeper exploration of the galaxy to expand our knowledge of how life evolved in the universe. For SpaceX founder & Chief Engineer Elon Musk, becoming multiplanetary is important to preserve our species. “The future of humanity is going to bifurcate in two directions: Either it’s going to become multi-planetary, or it’s going to remain confined to one planet and eventually there’s going to be an extinction event,” Musk previously said. He has dedicated his life to creating successful companies that enable him to fund humanity’s future among the stars. “I am accumulating resources to help make life multiplanetary and extend the light of consciousness to the stars,” Musk said in March 2021.

SpaceX aims to manufacture a fleet of 1,000 Starships within the next 20 years that will enable humans to build permanent bases on the Moon and Mars. Engineers are working on Starships development at the Starbase facility in South Texas where dozens of prototypes will undergo testing. This year, they have been working to get the stainless-steel rocketship ready to perform the first-ever orbital flight test during which it will launch from Starbase in South Texas and land in the ocean off the coast of Kauai, Hawaii.

The Starship SN24 and Super Heavy rocket Booster 7 prototypes have undergone multiple pre-flight tests to prepare for the orbital flight attempt. This week, SN24 “completed a single engine static-fire test at Starbase,” announced SpaceX on December 15. The company shared a cool video of the engine roaring to life, linked below. The Raptor V2 engine was ignited for a few seconds as the spacecraft remained grounded to the launch pad mount.

Ship 24 completes a single-engine static fire test at Starbase in Texas pic.twitter.com/gF9beLcarX

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 15, 2022

Starship SN24 underwent a 6 Raptor engine static-fire test on September 8. These brief ignition tests provide engineers with crucial insight to assess the methane-fueled engines’ performance, and overall spacecraft structural integrity. Simultaneously, SpaceX is building more Starships and Super Heavy rocket prototypes at the Starbase factory. Booster 7 already underwent a series of tests, including a 14-engine static fire test in November.  It marked the first time SpaceX ignited over 6 Raptors simultaneously. The rocket booster is equipped with 33 Raptor V2 engines, engineers plan to test ignite all engines at once before taking flight. Today, Starbase teams rolled out Booster 9 to the launch pad, indicating it is ready to begin its individual test campaign, pictured below. SpaceX could soon have two Starship-Super Heavy vehicles ready to lift-off during the first quarter next year. 

Ship 24 single engine static fire: Dandelion Cam. pic.twitter.com/ljWrAwakKM

— Coop (@Cooper_Hime) December 16, 2022

A freshly minted Booster!
Welcome to the world B9! 😎

-@NASASpaceflight pic.twitter.com/W2dUUZsTGu

— Nic Ansuini (@NicAnsuini) December 15, 2022

She’s out of the barn and ready for some testing!

-@NASASpaceflight pic.twitter.com/aBWgTKOx60

— Nic Ansuini (@NicAnsuini) December 15, 2022

Featured Image Source: SpaceX