SpaceX Test Fires Starship SN15 Ahead Of High-Altitude Flight Test At Boca Chica

Featured Image Source: LabPadre via YouTube & Twitter 

SpaceX is preparing to launch Starship SN15 at Boca Chica Beach along the Gulf of Mexico in South Texas. This afternoon SpaceX engineers test fired Starship SN15’s Raptor engines to assess their performance. The three Raptors roared for a couple of seconds as they were ignited at around 4:57 p.m. Central Time. During the static-fire test the stainless-steel vehicle remained anchored to a test stand at SpaceX's South Texas Launch Pad, video below. Today's static firing is one of the final pre-flight checkouts ahead of a high-altitude flight test, which will take the vehicle approximately 10-kilometers above the sandy beach. The test flight could take place later this week.

SpaceX has completed a static fire test of Starship SN15’s Raptor engines. 🔥🚀🔥@NASASpaceflight pic.twitter.com/FHg1mdwH9d

— Mary (@BocaChicaGal) April 26, 2021

According to Cameron County Boca Chica Beach road closure announcements, SpaceX plans to conduct further testing of SN15 on Tuesday and Wednesday from 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. CDT. However, its not clear whether they will attempt a flight test on those days. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) posted a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) notice that states SpaceX could potentially launch Starship SN15 on Tuesday, April 27 or Wednesday, April 28. Dates are subject to change, depending on whether the vehicle is ready to take flight. This article will be updated as an official launch date is confirmed by SpaceX. UPDATE: Elon Musk announced today, April 26, that "Starship SN15 static fire completed, preparing for flight later this week," he wrote via Twitter.

Starship SN15 static fire completed, preparing for flight later this week

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 27, 2021

Brownsville (TX) SpaceX high-altitude flight TFR:
From April 27, 2021 at 1200 UTC To April 28, 2021 at 0100 UTC
Altitude: From the surface to spacehttps://t.co/JSX8eZHxgc pic.twitter.com/MG8Hee44Ry

— Space TFRs (@SpaceTfrs) April 24, 2021

Starship SN15 will be the fifth prototype of the spacecraft to attempt a 10-kilometer flight test in less than five months. The previous vehicles, SN8 through SN11, showcased the spacecraft’s powerful Raptors upon liftoff and incredible aerodynamic surfaces control upon descent during flights that achieved all of SpaceX’s objectives except landing without exploding. SpaceX founder Elon Musk decided to skip production of SN12 through SN14 because SN15 features ‘hundreds of design improvements’ that address issues previous prototypes faced upon landing. If Starship SN15 does not ace the landing, SN16 is already under assembly at the South Texas rocket factory. The company targets to launch the first Starship to orbit by Summer this year. To launch a Starship on its first flight to space, it will require a Super Heavy rocket booster and a giant, 152-meters-tall launch tower from where the fully-integrated, 120-meter-high, Starship will liftoff atop Super Heavy to orbit. SpaceX has an ambitious timeline to develop the launch system, the company aims to have a space-ready Starship in less than three years. NASA awarded the company a $2.9 billion dollar contract to develop a lunar-optimized Starship to land astronauts on the Moon by 2024, and Yusaku Maezawa, a Japanese entrepreneur, booked the first crewed voyage around the moon for 2023. You can watch SpaceX’s Starship development progress in the Livestream below, courtesy of LabPadre via YouTube. Author's note: Thanks for supporting TESMANIAN! Twitter: Evelyn Janeidy Arevalo

Featured Image Source: LabPadre via YouTube & Twitter