Now the focus will shift to Mk1 and Mk2!
On August 27th SpaceX finally and successfully performed the final Starhopper test after an aborted attempt yesterday just 0.8 seconds before ignition of the raptor Engine. Shortly after the missed attempt Musk explained on twitter that an issue with igniters wiring/connector was to blame for the anomaly.
Then about 24hrs later the SpaceX team was back in business and oh boy what show it was. This time the Raptor engine did not fail to ignite, lifting the hopper to a high of about 150 meters before performing a translation/rotation on the Y-axis and finishing with a clean soft landing.
This is was a significant test to evaluate the performances of the raptor engine which is a methane fueled full-flow staged combustion (FFSC) cycle engine, and that is considered the holy grail of rocket engines due to its efficiency. And it is worth noting that to this point the raptor engine is the first of its kind to fly untethered. It’s fair to assume that the SpaceX team collected a bunch load of valuable data to continue the development of the Starship – The Mars rocket!
So now what?
SpaceX is currently working on 2 orbital test rockets dubbed Mk1 and Mk2. The prototypes are being built by 2 different SpaceX teams in what’s been called a friendly competition by Musk. Mk1 is being built at SpaceX’s facility in Boca Chica, Mk2 is coming together on Florida’s Space Coast. Each rocket will carry at least three Raptor engines. The operational Starship will have six engines, and the Super Heavy rocket that will launch the spacecraft from Earth will be powered by 35 Raptors according to SpaceX CEO.
