SpaceX will load methane fuel and liquid oxygen into the Super Heavy’s tanks during the countdown leading up to the test-firing. If everything looks good, the command will be given to light the 33 Raptor engines mounted in a circular configuration on the bottom of the booster. “Tomorrow...
SpaceX launched its huge Starship rocket on the program's eighth test flight Thursday, but a malfunction of some sort triggered multiple upper stage engine shutdowns and the vehicle failed to reach its planned sub-orbital altitude, breaking apart in a spectacular shower of debris. It was these...
On this flight test, SN5 was powered by a single Raptor engine – a reusable methalox full-flow staged-combustion rocket engine. This test flight was an important step in development of SpaceX’s fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the M...
Based on the test results, propellant feed lines were modified, fuel temperatures were changed and thrust levels were adjusted to avoid any such harmonic responses. Additional vents were installed in the area where the fire broke out and a nitrogen purge system was added to minimize the chance o...
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk took social media on Thursday to address the launch, saying that an oxygen or fuel leak in the cavity could have occurred above the ship engine firewall. "Preliminary indication is that we had an oxygen/fuel leak in the cavity above the ship engine firewall that w...
Additionally, SpaceX is attempting to remove all throat film cooling from the engine; there are several ways that SpaceX could achieve this, including additional head-in film cooling or running the MCC more fuel rich. SpaceX is currently studying if the trade-off of removing throat film coolin...
This is because the preburners have to nurture the conditions necessary for the pumps they power to fuel the main combustion chamber. Much like hot water will cool while traveling through pipes, the superheated gaseous propellant that Raptor ignites to produce thrust will also cool (and thus ...
Raptor Methane-fueled rocket engine RCS Reaction Control System Regenerative A method for cooling a rocket engine, by passing the cryogenic fuel through channels in the bell or chamber wall Retro-propulsion Thrust opposite to the current direction of travel Reused Flight Proven The component,...
Booster 11’s campaign will follow roughly the same path as Ship 29. SpaceX will likely load the booster with fuel and perform a spin prime test, which involves rapidly flowing super-chilled liquid oxygen through the engines to simulate ignition, and then after verifying the data from the tes...
Starship makes use of a new engine, the Raptor, as Starship uses Methane rather than RP-1 as a fuel. This use of Methane is essential, as SpaceX’s goal is for Starship to be the vehicle to bring humans to Mars. Methane can be generated with carbon dioxide and the water from ice ...