SpaceX CEO Elon Musk recently reacted on the micro-blogging platform X after the spacecraft manufacturer successfully conducted the static fire test of a 33-engine booster called Super Heavy at its Starbase site in South Texas.
Musk responded with 'Hell On Earth' after SpaceX posted the pictures on X.
SpaceX has already conducted static fires with the booster's partner, a 165-foot-tall upper-stage spacecraft that will fly alongside this Super Heavy on the fourth Starship test flight.
The Super Heavy booster and the Starship upper stage separated smoothly after a technique called "hot staging," where the Starship's engines ignite while still attached to the booster, making separation more efficient.
This time, the test lasted close to 50 minutes, which was considered a success by SpaceX's Elon Musk and NASA.
SpaceX.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk recently reacted on the micro-blogging platform X after the spacecraft manufacturer successfully conducted the static fire test of a 33-engine booster called Super Heavy at its Starbase site in South Texas. Musk responded with 'Hell On Earth' after SpaceX posted the pictures on X.
Reports suggest that the giant booster will undergo testing in the next few days. SpaceX has already conducted static fires with the booster's partner, a 165-foot-tall upper-stage spacecraft that will fly alongside this Super Heavy on the fourth Starship test flight. According to SpaceX President and Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell, this mission could launch as early as May.
During the third flight, the launch had some success. The Super Heavy booster and the Starship upper stage separated smoothly after a technique called "hot staging," where the Starship's engines ignite while still attached to the booster, making separation more efficient.
The booster was supposed to land in the Gulf of Mexico, while the Starship was headed for the Indian Ocean. However, SpaceX lost contact with the Starship as it approached its destination. Additionally, the first-stage booster broke apart earlier than expected over the Gulf of Mexico after taking off from Texas near the Mexican border.
In previous tests last year, both flights ended in explosions shortly after liftoff. This time, the test lasted close to 50 minutes, which was considered a success by SpaceX's Elon Musk and NASA. The Starship flew higher and farther than ever before. NASA is relying on Starship to transport astronauts to the moon in the coming years.
In related news, SpaceX recently launched 23 additional Starlink satellites into orbi. The satellites were carried into space by a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. After the launch, the Falcon 9's first stage safely landed on the "A Shortfall of Gravitas" droneship in the Atlantic Ocean.
SpaceX later confirmed the successful deployment of all 23 satellites. These Starlink satellites aim to provide high-speed broadband internet to areas where access has been unreliable, costly, or nonexistent.
