SpaceX hot fired the engines of its next Super Heavy booster at a newly rebuilt launchpad, which now includes a water-suppression system to help prevent future damage.
The test, which took place from SpaceX’s Boca Chica Beach, Texas, complex on Aug. 6, lasted 2.74 sec.—about 2 sec. shorter than planned. In addition, four of Super Heavy’s 33 methane-fueled Raptor 2 engines shut down early, SpaceX reported during a live webcast.
The company did not provide any details about the early termination.
SpaceX is preparing for a second flight test of an integrated Starship-Super Heavy vehicle. The initial flight on April 20 ended about 4 min. after liftoff after the first stage failed to separate. Exhaust from the rocket also destroyed the launchpad’s concrete base.
SpaceX repaired the pad and added a water-cooled, steel-flame deflector beneath the pedestal. The water-deluge system, designed to mitigate heat and acoustic energy from the engines, was tested on July 28 and used for the first time during the Aug. 6 static fire.
The system appeared to work well, creating huge clouds of steam during the simultaneous firing of the Raptor engines.
The new booster and the repaired and upgraded launch mount are just part of the work ahead before SpaceX makes a second attempt to put the Starship vehicle into orbit. During the April 20 flight test, the rocket’s flight termination system failed to operate as designed, resulting in a 40-sec. delay between the initialization of the destruct command and the wayward rocket breaking apart.
Requalification of the flight-termination system is expected to be the pacing item for SpaceX’s next launch attempt.
The company also is facing legal action from environmental groups that raised concerns about the unexpectedly large debris field from the first flight test.
