Elon Musk
SpaceX’s latest Starship prototype had another false start Monday, as the engine of the SN5 test model failed to ignite.
Company CEO Elon Musk tweeted that a “hop attempt” was coming as the roughly nine-story-tall rocket could be seen being fueled and venting via webcams trained on the company’s development facility in Boca Chica, Texas.
While the test craft is designed for orbital flight, it will make an attempt at what amounts to slowly rising in the air to about 150-meters (492 feet).
Ten minutes before the launch time announced by Musk, sirens sounded to warn local residents of an imminent launch that never came. About 45 minutes later, Musk announced that the attempt had been scrubbed for the day.
“A Raptor turbopump spin start valve didn’t open, triggering an automatic abort. We’ll figure out why & retry tomorrow,” he said on Twitter.
According to airspace closures issued by the FAA for the area, the hop could happen Tuesday anytime between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. PT.
You might recall that an earlier test craft called “Starhopper” performed such a short flight last year.
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On Thursday, crews at the SpaceX development facility in Boca Chica completed a successful static fire of the prototype’s raptor engine, clearing the path for a hop attempt.
“Starship SN5 just completed full duration static fire. 150m hop soon,” Musk said on Twitter.
Musk said on Twitter last month that SN5 “will attempt to fly later this week,” but Hurricane Hanna had other plans, forcing SpaceX to batten down the hatches at Boca Chica and postpone all major tests.
It’s been a struggle to get the SN series of prototypes off the ground.
So far, SN4 exploded after a static fire test, SN3 crumpled during a pressure test, and SN1 suffered a similar fate.
This, of course, is why you test. SpaceX suffered a similar string of failures before Falcon 9 launches and landings became a routine thing.
And so the company is pressing forward with Starship.
It’s possible we could see the big silver rocket fly Tuesday. Of course, we’ve heard this all before. Fingers crossed.
This page has been constantly updated as Starship’s hop gets closer.