A new era of spaceflight is about to begin, wherein humans can travel to other planets using reusable rockets. SpaceX recently shared photos on Twitter, showcasing the nearly finished newly installed 33 upgraded Raptor engines that will take the fully reusable Starship rocket to orbit.
The engines are fitted to a Starship rocket prototype called Ship 24 and a Super Heavy booster called Booster 7. Elon Musk's company aims to have an orbital test this summer to launch the Starship rocket to low Earth orbit.
Orbital Flight Test in Summer
SpaceX is busy preparing for the orbital flight test for Starship and Super Heavy prototypes that are estimated to happen this summer. Photos of the two rockets show that SN24 and BN7 are outfitted with all the Raptor engines. The Super Heavy booster got 33 Raptor engines, while the Starship prototype got six, according to Universe Today.
33 Raptor engines installed on the Booster, 6 on the Ship pic.twitter.com/l7K6rH96qa
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) July 2, 2022
The engines of BN7 are optimized for sea level and arranged in two circles with three others clustered in the center. Meanwhile, Starship complement the Raptor engines with three Raptor 2s arranged in an outer ring, and three Raptor Vacuum engines optimized for space are placed at the center.
These photos show that with the recent configuration of the entirely reusable super-heavy launch system, orbital flight tests this season will be possible. According to Teslarati, Musk's company has requested road closure on July 5-7 and again on July 11-12, which would provide the 12-hour window for the orbit flight tests one of these days.
The previous filing with the FCC reveals that the orbital test will see the two prototype rockets lift off from the Spaceport and separate 170 seconds after being launched. Then, the booster part will perform a soft landing at sea about 20 miles (30 kilometers) from Texas.
It is estimated that the SN24 will reach an altitude of approximately 125 miles (9200 kilometers) before its targeted splashdown 62 miles (100 kilometers) off the coast of Kauai island in Hawaii. The total flight time will be about an hour and a half and is expected to validate the launch system for future missions.
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Starship Rocket Almost Ready to Fly to Mars
After passing the Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Elon Musk announced that SpaceX's Starship rocket is ready to fly.
He wrote in a Twitter post that this rocket will be the first-ever capable of establishing permanent human bases on the lunar and Martian surfaces. The Starship rocket is expected to revolutionize spaceflight as it lowers the cost of successive flights, given that the rocket is reusable.
True to his word last March, SpaceX has created a total of 39 flight-worthy Raptor engines that are now integrated into the prototype rockets, which are set for an orbital test flight. Musk said that Raptor engines are more reliable than the V1.5 engines, with an additional 25% maximum thrust equivalent to 230 tons at sea level.
Although the May launch did not happen, SpaceX is hopeful that it will push through this month and see the Starship rocket reach orbit for the first time.
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