SpaceX Starship completes static fire before 3rd integrated test flight

SpaceX today shared the visuals of the latest static fire for the 3rd Starship integrated flight test at the Starbase in Texas. The static fire ignited all engines for about 4 seconds.

The latest Starship will be combined with an upgraded super-heavy booster rocket. The latest test shows that the space rocket company is moving fast to complete all of the pre-launch milestones.

“Flight 3 Starship completed a full-duration static fire with all six of its Raptor engines,” SpaceX wrote on social media site X, formerly known as Twitter.

The integrated flight consists of Starship’s main vehicle and a super heavy booster rocket. The Starship uses 6 raptor engines, which are optimized for the orbit and outer space and produce a thrust of 1500 tf. It has a payload capacity of 100-150 tons according to SpaceX’s official website description.

Flight 3 Starship completed a full-duration static fire with all six of its Raptor engines pic.twitter.com/Mxn8faKcEv

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 20, 2023

On the other hand, the Super Heavy booster has 33 raptor engines, which produce a massive 7,590 tf of thrust.

The Starship stacks over the booster which provides the initial liftoff to the entire integrated flight and pushes the Starship into orbit.

Back in April, SpaceX conducted the first integrated flight test, which exceeded the firm’s expectations. The flight successfully lifted off from the launch pad but occurred with Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly (RUD) in mid-air.

Following that launch, the FAA triggered a deep investigation of the entire test and came up with mandatory changes for the rocket design as well as increased measurements for launch safety and environment.

The second test came in November, this time around, SpaceX not only achieved a successful liftoff but also conducted hot staging.

Also, check – the Second SpaceX Starship flight test achieves hot-stage separation with an instant booster blast

SpaceX Starship fires 6 Raptor Engine during Static Fire Test for 3rd Integrated Flight test

However, the second flight also occurred with RUD and the booster blasted off in the air within a few seconds of first stage separation.

Importantly, the Starship fired all of its 6 engines and kept on flying for over 4 minutes before it lost contact with the station.

For now, SpaceX has not shared an exact timeline for this 3rd Starship test flight but it may take about a month for FAA to complete all investigations before allowing a clearance.