Recently, SpaceX conducted its third static fire test on its Starship SN8 prototype. In the test the rocket knew it was about to launch, and then the engine was put to work for a few seconds while the spacecraft was attached to the ground. While the other two static fire tests have gone as planned, this time there were questions.
Reports suggest that as soon as the engine is fired, material can be seen dripping from the base of the prototype, which is not normal for testing and indicates a problem. Fortunately for SpaceX, the spacecraft was not lost. CEO Elon Musk confirmed that there are issues in the test.
Through Twitter, Kasturi notes that the vehicle loses aerodynamics. He also confirmed that the team at the time had no idea why the issue had occurred. Musk noted that the pressure of the liquid oxygen header tank is increasing, and the spacecraft is likely to explode. However, Musk hoped the burst disc would relieve the pressure.
Kasturi then tweeted that the blast disc was working as intended, and the vehicle was found to be OK. In a subsequent tweet, he noted that at least one engine on the SN8 prototype would need to be replaced. Musk also addressed the sparks seen by some observers during the test.
Sparks probably, he said. The pre-burner or fuel of the melted engine was due to a hot gas manifold. He suggested that anything due to aerated damage is a source of sparks. He noted the need to work at the design level on this issue. Ultimately, the starship will be the next pay-generation rocket that will carry supplies and crew to the moon and possibly Mars. The SN8 is the first prototype to feature a trio of Raptor engines. All previous prototypes had only one engine.
