SpaceX ran its latest engines Starship The prototype for the third time on Thursday night (November 12), but the test was a mess.
The Starship SN8 car has performed its third brief “static fire” – a test where engines ignite when a rocket lands on the ground – near the village of Boca Chika in South Texas, SpainX on Thursday.
Within a short time of the test, which was broadcast live by a number of external agencies, the material was apparently removed from the SN8’s base. It seemed strange and the founder and CEO of SpaceX Elon Musk It soon became clear that something off-the-shelf had happened.
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“We lost vehicle airspace at present for unknown reasons. Liquid Oxygen Title Tank Pressure Increased Hope Hope triggers burst disc to release pressure, otherwise it is going to pop the cork,” Kasturi k Said via Twitter Thursday night. (Burst discs are single-used devices that seal various sections or systems of a vehicle, such as valves. Mus releases pressure as soon as they open, Kasturi said.)
The cause of the problem is unknown at the moment, Kasturi said Another tweet on Thursday: “Probably an engine preburner or smelly hot gas has melted too many times. Whatever the cause of pneumatic damage, we need to create this problem.”
That’s the bad news. The good news is that Burst Disc has done its job and the SN8 is still in one piece.
“The burst disc worked, so the car looks fine. We need to remove at least one engine,” Kasturi said. Another tweet.
Burst disc worked, so the vehicle seems to be OK. We need to replace at least one engine.November 13, 2020
The SN8 (“Serial No. 8”) has three reactors, SpaceX’s powerful next-generation engine that carries liquid methane and liquid oxygen. No previous starship prototype had more than one raptor.
SN8’s non-stop fire – the first two occurred on October 20 and 20 November 10 – In the near future 9 mile-high (15 kilometers) are intended to facilitate test flights, it will be much more than any of its predecessors. The Stevie Starhapper crafts and the SN5 and SN6 prototypes reached a maximum altitude of about 500 feet (150 meters) during their flight, which occurred in the summer of 2019 and this past August and September, respectively. (SN8 sports nose cones and stable flaps to help it handle more ambitious incoming flights))
Thursday night’s push will delay SN8’s big leap, but we’ll have to wait and see.
The Starship system consists of a 165-foot-long (50-meter) vehicle called a Starship and a giant rocket known as a super heavy, both of which will be fully and quickly reusable. The final Starship Craft will have six raptors and will run about 30 super heavy engines.
SpaceX sees Starship as the leading transportation system that will transform the Mars colony – Kastur’s long-held ambition – economically feasible. If all goes according to plan, Starship SpaceX will have all the other flight requirements, from launching satellites to clearing space debris to carrying space passengers on a “point-to-point” journey.
Author of “Mike Wall”Over there“(Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Carl Tate), a book about the pursuit of extraterrestrial life. Follow him on Twitter @MachHeldwall Follow us on Twitter @spastotcom or Facebook.
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