SpaceX is speeding up tests on the next Starship prototype i.e. Ship 25 to get it ready for the next orbital flight attempt. The first launch with Starship 24 ended in a RUD in Earth’s atmosphere.
Starship 25 went through a successful 6-engine static fire test yesterday at Starbase, Boca Chica, Texas. This static fire test was performed after several prerequisite tests performed during the last two weeks.
While SpaceX coupled Super Heavy Booster 7 with Starship 24 for the first launch test, the next combination is Starship 25 with Booster 9 for the 2nd orbital flight test.
Elon Musk said last year in September that SpaceX was already working on Booser 9 simultaneously with Booster 7.
According to Musk, Booster 9 is an upgraded Super Heavy rocket booster that has many design changes with isolation from full engine RUD (rapid unscheduled disassembly).
However, Booster 9 is still in the development stage and Starship 25 has not been stacked on it yet. But Ship 25 has been getting thoroughly tested.
SpaceX posted the following video and images of Starship 25 going through the 6-engine static fire test. The last time SpaceX performed a static fire test with 6 Raptor engines on Starship 20.
Key milestone completed for flight 2
Elon Musk on Twitter
According to the statements of Elon Musk and NASA administrator Bill Nelson, SpaceX had the possibility of getting ready for the next launch after the April 20 (4/20) orbital flight test in about 2 months.
But now that two months have gone by, SpaceX has only reached the stage of a partial static fire test. A launch attempt is imminent only when the full spectrum of 33 engines is installed on a Super Heavy rocket booster for a static fire test. And Booster 9 static fire tests haven’t even started yet.
By the looks of the progress at Starbase, the next Starship orbital flight test does not look a few weeks away, probably another couple of months at least.
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