SpaceX is replacing one of the three Raptor engines in its Starship SN10 prototype, probably delaying the vehicle’s high altitude test flight somewhat.
The switching decision was made yesterday (23 February), just after SN10 (“Serial No. 10”) started its engines for the first time during a “static fire” test at SpaceX’s facility in South Texas.
“One of the engines is suspicious, so we are changing it,” the company’s founder and CEO Elon Musk said via Twitter yesterday.
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The static fire was part of the work of preparing the SN10 for a test jump about 10 kilometers high in the skies of Texas, which could have happened already on Thursday (February 25). Changing the engine is likely to delay the flight a bit, but it is unclear how much; Musk did not mention a new timeline.
SN10 will be the third spacecraft to fly so high. The SN8 and SN9 vehicles performed similar flights on December 9, 2020 and February 2, respectively. Both flew well until the end, scoring many milestones before hitting the landing zone.
Like the SN10, the SN9’s flight path included an engine change. SpaceX replaced two of the SN9’s three engines after the vehicle fired three static shots in rapid succession on January 13.
SpaceX is developing the Starship to take people and cargo to the Moon, Mars and beyond. The system consists of two reusable elements: a 50-meter-high spaceship called Starship and a giant rocket called Super Heavy. The final ship will have six Raptors and the Super Heavy will be powered by about 30 of the engines, said Musk.
SpaceX wants a prototype starship to make an orbital test flight later this year. And Musk said recently that he thinks the final vehicle will be operational in 2023.
Mike Wall is the author of “Out there“(Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a book on the search for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.