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SpaceX Starship Now has Three Monster Raptor Engines Installed

posted by janrinok on Friday September 27 2019, @06:52PM   Printer-friendly
from the Zoom-Zoom-and-Zoom! dept.

martyb writes:

SpaceX Starship now has Three Monster Raptor Engines Installed:

Elon Musk's Mars rocket is really coming together. Construction of the interplanetary spaceship is taking place at SpaceX's Boca Chica facility in Texas and, after giving us a glimpse of the prototype's fins on Monday, the SpaceX CEO has pulled back the curtain on the Starship Mk.1 fitted with three Raptor engines.

The Raptor engines are monstrous liquid-liquid rocket engines which use methane and oxygen to power SpaceX's upcoming launch vehicles. They will be used in SpaceX's next-generation rocket, which contains two stages: The Super Heavy first stage, which lifts it into orbit, and the Starship second stage, which takes it through the void of space.

[...] The SpaceX CEO has discussed the Raptor engine requirements in the past, explaining how the proposed interplanetary Starship requires an engine that can put out at least 170 tons of force. Previous testing showed a single engine reaching 172 tons of force, but it's now pushing 200. The Starship will be attached to the top of the Super Heavy rocket, which will likely have up to 31 Raptor engines strapped to its bottom. Crazy to think about.

Relatedly, SpaceX has filed with the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) an application for Special Temporary Authority (STA):

This STA is necessary to authorize Starship suborbital test vehicle communications for SpaceX Mission 1569 from the Boca Chica launch pad, and the experimental recovery following the suborbital launch. Recovery is limited to 2 functions: (1) prelaunch checkout test of the TC uplink from the ground station at Boca Chica (less than five minutes in duration) and (2) experimental uplink testing from the ground station at Boca Chica during descent. Trajectory data will be provided directly to NTIA, USAF, and NASA. All downrange Earth stations are receive-only. Launch licensing authority is FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation.

Of note is that the Suborbital Test Vehicle Maximum Altitude is specified as 22.5km. (That's just under 14 miles or ~74,000 feet. Long-haul commercial airliners typically cruise at about 36,000 feet; private jets at ~41,000.)

By the way, this prototype is being constructed in the open air without benefit of any kind of hangerhangar or outbuilding to protect it during assembly.

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  • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 27 2019, @08:54PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 27 2019, @08:54PM (#899705)

    https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-elon-musk-best-starship-raptor-photos-yet/ [teslarati.com]

    However, the engine installation milestone and subsequent photos are undeniably spectacular, but signs suggest that some level of pragmatism is in order. Visible in two of the three photos published by Musk, all three Raptors still have their transport rings installed just below each engine’s throat. Hardware at the base of one photo indicates that they were likely taken yesterday, on the evening of September 25th. Musk revealed that the three Raptors were installed late on September 22nd, up to three days prior.

    Combined, the presence of the transport rings – “NOT FOR FLIGHT”, as their labels note – is a strong indicator that their installation is only temporary, likely in support of Elon Musk’s imminent September 28th Starship presentation. Without more information, it’s impossible to read much further into the temporary installation of Raptors. What it does confirm is that – for any number of reasons – flight-ready Raptors are not quite ready to support the Starship Mk1/Mk2. SpaceX has proven that Raptor is capable of supporting Starhopper for almost a full minute of powered flight, but behaviors observed near the end of that flight suggest that even that may have been pushing the engine’s limits.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 27 2019, @10:08PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 27 2019, @10:08PM (#899713)

    So you're saying he needs a bit more money to avoid bankruptcy and is putting on a show? Sounds legit...