SpaceX Next Starship Rolls Out to Launch Pad; Newer Prototype Construction Debuts

To record the maximum altitude test flight from the Boca Chica South Texas launch site on Wednesday, SpaceX recently launched the SN8 (Serial Number 8) prototype.

The Starship rocket of the next century safely soared into the skies, but it did not hold to the landing and plunged into the earth.

Propelled by three of the company's newest Raptor motors, until an unsuccessful landing, the prototype vehicle was able to achieve an altitude of 8 miles. And although the project achieved its target height, installing different Raptor engines in the aircraft was found to have been shut down during the landing.

SpaceX SN9

The SN8 test flight was a promising moment for the private aerospace firm considering the recent accident. The aircraft was able to reach its target height during the ascent. Now, with its prototype being constructed named Serial Number 9 (SN9), the Elon Musk-owned firm would go for a similar attempt. The SN9 has been in production, and it is claimed that its body style is identical in scale to the ones they now have.

SpaceX SN9 Launch Date

The SN9 concept vehicle is ready for tests. In the coming weeks, it is very possible that the business will be able to hold a similar flight test for the vehicle.

SpaceX, though, also needs to make a formal statement as to when we will see the SN9 test trip. The organization is also designing the SN10 along with the SN9. As successors to the SN8, both designs will operate soon.

The SpaceX Starship is a completely reusable device and SpaceX is building it to launch on top of the Super Strong reusable rocket. The corporation is preparing to use these launch vehicles to transport people to the moon, Mars and many other locations. It also aims to use these vehicles to create the low-earth orbit of its Starlink constellation.

SpaceX is now gearing up to deploy the SXM-7 satellite atop a Falcon 9 rocket for SiriusXM. The organization is looking at replacing the XM-3 with the SXM-7 satellite. The mission was expected to take place at 11:20 AM ET on 11 December.

Starship Factory SN10

In the meanwhile, after SpaceX's second full-height Starship concept suffered a mild spill in a construction bay, the Elon Musk's rocket factory started the final touches on SN9's younger sibling's nosecone days.

SpaceX started the final piling work required to complete the nose portion of Starship SN10, consisting of a conical nosecone on top of many steel circles, on December 19.

Unlike Starships SN8 and SN9, the first two flightworthy designs to achieve their maximum height, the assembly of Starship SN10 would be one ring shorter (from five to four) for unexplained purposes, instead of attaching the subtracted nose ring to the top of its tank portion.

The integration team of SpaceX will connect the nose and its rings with one or two circumferential welds if the mission is not already complete, traveling the entire 28-meter (~90 ft) diameter. It would also be appropriate to attach the avionics piping, hydraulic tubing, and liquid oxygen feed lines used to run the cold gas thrusters, flaps, and propellant header tank of the nose in the margins, first from the nose to the nose ring portion and again until the assembled nose of SN10 is stacked on top of the rest of the airframe.

If the output mirrors of Starship SN10 are SN9's, the nose portion of the rocket will be available for final assembly as early as 25 December, give or take a day or two.

Starship SN9, already suffering from a work stand failure that destroyed two flaps, would need to be pushed out of the high bay in which it was assembled in the case that the two processes are largely similar.

As it occurs, SpaceX has unspecified road closures planned for December 21, 22, and 23 from about 9:00 am to 6:00 pm EST that could be required to carry Starship SN9 and the crane needed to lift it to the launch pad.

The tank and engine portion of Starship SN10 will then be rolled to the high bay for nose section assembly from its mid-bay cradle. As shown by Starship SN8, SpaceX could even settle for a less attractive alternative, installing Starship SN10's nose out in the open if SN9 takes more time to launch.

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