SpaceX has done it again – another ‘hop’ flight in a month for its starship prototype. This was a test flight 150 meters (just under 500 feet) from the Boxa Chika, a Texas development site. The prototype used in this example was the SN6, a more recent model than the SN5 test article that SpaceX used to complete a similar test in early August.
Hope Flight is a key part of its testing program for Starship and its Raptor engine. These prototypes are equipped with only one such engine, but the final product version will have six, three designed to fly in the Earth’s atmosphere, and three to be used when the vehicle is in space.
To accomplish these two flights with controlled, direct landings for the spacecraft’s development program, SpaceX is a very good sign for the spacecraft’s development program, as there have been many previous prototypes that have never reached this point. Previous versions faced failure under pressure when simulating conditions with fuel in the board.
SpaceX successfully flies its starship prototype at an altitude of about 500 feet
These short hops help to consolidate the performance of the Raptor in SpaceX, as well as the performance of a full-size prototype starship (albeit without elements including a nosepiece and a final landing foot). All of these will report subsequent tests, including flying as high as a commercial aircraft, and finally, the first orbital starship launch, which is now expected to take place as early as next year, will include more sub-high orbital atmospheric flights.
SpaceX is pursuing a fast-paced development plan for Starship, building a prototype of multiple pay generations simultaneously on its Boca Chika site, with the goal of quickly testing and improving the design, while also learning from failures. The goal was to fly Starship’s first operational mission sometime next year, but it would be incredibly effective if the company operated it keeping in mind where the rocket is in the development cycle.
