SpaceX Conducts Starship SN20 Prototype Fire Test Again Ahead of March 2022 Test Flight

The Starship SN20 prototype burned raptor engines during a fixed-time on the ground on Dec. 29 at SpaceX's Starbase location in South Texas.

The purpose of the test is to prepare for the launch of the SN20 prototype during the Starship program's maiden orbital test flight in the coming months. The historic launch was initially slated for January or February. Still, Science Times said the Federal Aviation Administration has now pushed the completion deadline for the Starbase environmental assessment from Dec. 31, 2021, to Feb. 28, 2022. So it will now take place no earlier than March 2022.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk acknowledged per Gizmodo that there is a lot of danger connected with this first launch, and he predicts a disaster. However, he does anticipate that a Starship rocket will reach orbit in 2022 and that up to 12 Starship missions might occur that year. Progress will be critical since SpaceX is working on a rocket that will serve as the landing ship for NASA's forthcoming Artemis Moon missions.

SpaceX SN20 Undergoes Fire Testing

The SN20 prototype has already undergone static fire testing. On Nov. 12, the SN20 launched six Raptor engines. The test, which was broadcast live by NASASpaceflight on Dec. 29, may have included all six engines. Still, SpaceX has yet to confirm the story, according to Space.com.

SpaceX is working on a spacecraft called Starship that will transport passengers and goods to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. The vehicle is made of two parts: the Super Heavy rocket and the Starship spaceship, both of which are planned to be fully and fast reusable.

All Raptor Engines Used

The Raptor engines are used in all stages of the Starship. But Musk said during Space Studies Board/Board on Physics and Astronomy Joint Meeting last month that the engine build rate is now the largest limitation on how many vehicles SpaceX can manufacture. The Super Heavy's current layout necessitates the deployment of 29 Raptor engines, although Musk claims that it will eventually require 33. Six Raptors will be used by Starship, increasing the total number of Raptors to 39. That's a lot, so SpaceX is constructing a factory in McGregor, Texas, to "produce a lot of Starships and a lot of engines in tandem," according to Musk.

If all goes according to plan, Booster 4 will crash into the Gulf of Mexico shortly after launch, while the SN20 will go straight into orbit and land near Kauai, Hawaii.

Many test flights are expected to resume in 2022, as SpaceX intends to bring Starship into service as soon as possible. The Artemis program, which aims to send humans to the Moon by the middle of the decade, has picked Starship as the first crewed lander.

Yusaku Maezawa, a Japanese millionaire who just returned from a 12-day stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS), has booked a voyage around the moon aboard the Starship, with a launch date of 2023.

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