SpaceX's Mars-bound Starship Spacecraft Is One Step Closer to Its Maiden Flight After Completing a Key Engine-firing Test

Elon Musk's Starship is now one step closer to its first orbital flight after SpaceX engineers conducted a critical engine-firing test, MailOnline reported. Known as the 'static fire,' this critical step took place at a launch pad in south Texas in which 31 of its 33 engines were simultaneously ignited at the base of the $3 billion spacecraft's lower portion.

It was hoped that all 33 Raptors would fire during yesterday's test, but Musk stated in a Twitter post that his team switched off one engine before it started, and another shut down on its own.

Starship Set To Make Its First Orbital Test Flight Next Month

The Mars-bound Starship spacecraft is set to blast into orbit for the first time next month and make history as the most powerful operational rocket system to date.

The mission involves Starship traveling around the Earth once before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii. Scientists said that it will serve as an early milestone in Musk's plan for the spaceship to ferry people and cargo to the Moon and Mars one day.

According to CNN, the development of Starship has been the exclusive focus of SpaceX's work at the Starbase facility outside of Brownsville, Texas, where Thursday's static fire test took place.

Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX's president and chief operating officer, described Thursday's test as "a momentous day for SpaceX" during a conference in Washington, DC, on Wednesday.

Shotwell also stated that the static fire is the last ground test the company will conduct before powering the spacecraft's engines up and going for that first flight test next month, taking the Starship spaceship into orbit for the first time.

However, the company is still waiting for its license from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to move forward with its plan next month. The agency shared a statement saying that they will make a license determination only after Musk's company meets all licensing, safety, and regulatory requirements for their orbital test.

CNN previously reported that FAA given SpaceX last year a list of 75 mitigating actions to undertake for environmental approval since the company plans to launch Starship in its South Texas facility surrounded by wildlife reserves, which elicited fierce pushback from conservationists and locals.

Starship's Raptor Engines

Even though only 31 out of 33 engines were ignited, the number of engines operating together was still significant. As per BBC News, the closest resemblance is probably the N1 rocket constructed by the Soviets in the late 1960s to transport cosmonauts to the Moon. It was equipped with 30 engines grouped in two rings. However, N1 failed on all four of its flights and was finally grounded.

The SpaceX Super Heavy launcher should create around 70% more push off the launch pad than the N1 with all of its 33 Raptor engines. Even NASA's new mega-rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), which launched for the first time in November, pales in comparison to the potential being put into Starship.

Musk intends to utilize it to launch satellites and humans into space and beyond. He has set his eyes on Mars to establish settlements and to make humans a multi-planet species. NASA has already contracted SpaceX to develop a version of its Artemis program to land astronauts once again on the lunar surface.

Check out more news and information on SpaceX in Science Times.