Watch SpaceX Starship SN20 Prototype Ignited All Its 6 Raptor Engines in a Brief Static Test Fire [Watch]

SpaceX continues to prepare the Starship SN20 prototype for a landmark orbital test flight from Boca Chica, South Texas. Recently, they showed a video of the Starship prototype under a static fire test at the Starbase, which signals their readiness for the future launch.

The static fire test took place at 1:13 pm EST on November 12 and was broadcast live on NASASpaceflight.com and SPadre.com. Shortly after the test, Elon Musk tweeted: "Good static fire with all six engines!"

(Photo : Wikimedia Commons)
Starship SN20 getting a tile inspection (close-up)

Starship SN20 Prototype

Space.com reported SpaceX is building Starship to take humans and payloads back to the lunar surface and for future space missions, such as building human colonies on Mars and distant worlds. It is comprised of two fully reusable elements, the first-stage booster called Super Heavy and the Starship spacecraft that measures 165ft tall.

Previous Starship prototypes were three-engine vehicles that can reach a maximum altitude of about 6 miles (10 kilometers). But SpaceX said that the latest Starship SN20 prototype will make higher leaps as it is being designed to launch atop a Super Heavy for its first-ever orbital test flight, which might happen in the coming weeks or months.

The November 12 fire test was not the first one as the company has also performed back-to-back static fires on October 21. A static fire test is a trial conducted to test rocket engines that remains anchored to the ground.

During the first static fire test, there were only two Raptor engines installed. But the recent test involved six engines in which three of them were optimized to perform in the vacuum of space.

The company believes that the Starship SN20 prototype might be ready for the orbital test flight with this successful static fire test. The only problem now is that there is no guarantee that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will give their approval, and it is nearly mid-November.

ALSO READ: SpaceX's Starship SN20 Orbital Prototype Blazed Fire for the First Time During Engine Test

FAA Still Contemplating on Allowing Staship SN20 Prototype's Orbital Test Flight

Until now, FAA is still conducting an environmental assessment of the Starbase in Boca Chica orbital launch site. They have yet to file the final report although they have already filed a draft assessment.

The Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment of SpaceX's proposed activities at Boca Chica was released in September, according to Government Technology. It also included public comments submitted via mail and email from two public hearings, which ended on November 1.

A letter to the FAA from concerned groups detailed the possible environmental impacts that the activities in the Starbase could cause the environment, such as the likelihood that the Starship program could affect at least 10 federally listed species.

Concerned groups also question whether the PEA is enough to address the full scope of both direct and indirect impacts of SpaceX's proposed activities in Boca Chica's unique and highly productive natural environments that have been conserved through substantial public investment. They emphasized that nature should not be compromised for a private enterprise.