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Elon Musk has been at SpaceX's test site for its rocket engines in central Texas this weekend. The facility near McGregor is where the company both tests Merlin engines for Falcon 9 flights, and also performs some experimental firings.
Due to a variety of reasons including financial pressures, SpaceX is pushing hard on the development of its next-generation Super Heavy rocket and Starship spacecraft. This was evidenced this weekend when, at 1:15am Central Time on Sunday morning, Musk shared a nighttime picture of himself on the test stand at McGregor, saying "with engineering team getting ready to fire new Raptor rocket engine." It was the dead of night on Super Bowl weekend, and they were working on an engine that won't go into space for a few years. But that didn't matter.
The test itself appears to have taken place later on Sunday. Eyewitness reports in Central Texas noted a large pop on Sunday evening, and more later Sunday night. Musk himself tweeted a photo shortly before 10pm local time, and thereafter a video. The test firing itself lasts for a few seconds, and was evidently successful. "First firing of Starship Raptor flight engine! So proud of great work by @SpaceX team!!" Musk wrote.
Also at Fox News.
Previously: In New Starship Details, Musk Reveals a More Practical Approach
Related: Elon Musk: Why I'm Building the Starship Out of Stainless Steel
(Score: 3, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 06 2019, @04:13AM
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1092270756715737088/video/1 [twitter.com]
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Wednesday February 06 2019, @05:22PM
Now, THIS is a proper flamethrower !
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 06 2019, @10:43PM (1 child)
Because the comment count is only at 2 and the article is about to fall of the page. Wouldn't be good for Elon's money-guzzling ventures if investors start to think people are losing interest.
(Score: 2) by RandomFactor on Thursday February 07 2019, @12:10AM
Your post, and this reply, double the post count.
It's just a milestone marker article, but still, I actually find this more interesting than the APPLE SNEEZED article currently wallowing in everyone has an opinion posts at the top of the page :-p
В «Правде» нет известий, в «Известиях» нет правды
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 07 2019, @08:04PM
That the author of this article chose to bring up the Superbowl as if it means anything at all by comparison. Oh boy I can go watch some boy cheerleaders, handegg, and play the will the rags to riches millionaire choose to dis the national anthem because, well you know - people just can't make it in this nation. Or I could take part in testing groundbreaking new rocket technology. Hell even if it wasn't ground breaking. Rockets are frippin awesome. They're big, loud, can send shite (and people) to entirely different planets or even, eventually, star systems. Even as an observer, given the choice between a front row seat to the firing of this engine and a front row seat of the superbowl? Oh come on. It wouldn't even be close.
And the financial troubles are suddenly a spur to innovation? Give me a GDMF break. SpaceX extends a ridiculous amount of money pursuing R&D. If they were driven by financial concerns they'd drop all progress, softly agree to get into Boeing/Lockheed's sweet pricefixing gig they had going on and open their mouth to the government teet. Oh right, let's pretend Musk already does that. I mean after all his handful of companies after nearly two decades in operation got like $4 billion in subsidies that weren't even actually subsidies in most cases but things like consumer-tax rebates or local cities offering tax incentives in exchange for joooobs. Let's just ignore that Boeing/Lockheed were literally getting a billion dollar check from the government year after year to do, again literally, absolutely nothing. Seriously, it was known as a launch capability contract. That finally came to an end [fool.com] in this fiscal year. That, my dear readers, is sucking on the government teet.
There's no need for rocket engines. We could get to Alpha Centauri on all the hot air Arstechnica blows all by itself.