During the preparations for SpaceX's fourth Starship flight at its facilities in Boca Chica, Texas, at the SpaceX rocket engine test site in McGregor, also in Texas, it appears that the Starship Raptor engine caught fire.
Local media reported a powerful explosion during testing, with flames engulfing the tower. SpaceX has not yet commented on the incident. The TV channel NASASpaceflight broadcasted the incident live.
The test began shortly after 4:12 p.m. local time and seemed to be proceeding normally. When smoke cleared 14 seconds after ignition, the engine shut down, and the test appeared to be over. However, immediately afterward, fire started to emerge from the lower part of the pad, where the rocket engine's nozzle emits flames characteristic of the Raptor. The new flame was orange and moving upward before the explosion engulfed the entire structure. Despite the incident, Elon Musk announced that the fourth Starship flight will take place in 10 days.
Flight 4 in about 10 days https://t.co/1Fb0ProHjG
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 24, 2024
Unlike most rocket companies that produce a fixed number of engines for specific future rockets, SpaceX is a wealthy company. Before installing a rocket engine on Falcon 9, Starship Super Heavy, or Starship, it undergoes qualification tests at SpaceX's McGregor facilities. Rocket engine types can be distinguished by their exhaust. While Merlin's exhaust for Falcon Heavy is orange, Raptor's exhaust is cleaner and has a blue tint. The Raptor engines are a completely new design created specifically for Starship, using methane as fuel.
SpaceX frequently upgrades the Raptor engines while waiting to be installed on Starship boosters. Currently, Raptor 2 engines are in use. They feature greater thrust and a less complex design. The Raptor is designed to use Mars resources as fuel, particularly liquid methane. It is significantly more powerful than Falcon 9 and Merlin engines.
Sources: Wccftech, Alpha Centauri
Comments (0)
There are no comments for now