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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: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 27 2019, @07:19PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 27 2019, @07:19PM (#899679)

    This is going to fail. Elon is a sham. This rocket will never take off.

    Says increasingly nervous Boeing shareholder for the hundredth time

  • (Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 27 2019, @07:37PM (4 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 27 2019, @07:37PM (#899685)

    The Saturn V rocket's five F-1 engines produce 3750 tons of thrust and register as an earthquake on a seismometer.

    • (Score: 5, Informative) by KilroySmith on Friday September 27 2019, @08:14PM (3 children)

      by KilroySmith (2113) on Friday September 27 2019, @08:14PM (#899693)

      Super Heavy (the lower stage that the Starship sits on top of) has 31 Raptors, at 200 metric tons of thrust apiece = 6200 metric tons of thrust. One Saturn V F1 = 6770 kN (at Sea Level), 34,000 kN (3400 metric tons) for all 5. The Super Heavy will be a launch to experience...

      • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 27 2019, @11:32PM (2 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 27 2019, @11:32PM (#899731)

        Or about the same as 27,200,000 Estes C6-7 model rocket engines.

  • (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.

    • (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...

  • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Saturday September 28 2019, @07:25AM (4 children)

    by c0lo (156) on Saturday September 28 2019, @07:25AM (#899825) Journal

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

    Come on! Off with the cliff-hanger: was a cloth-hanger expected or a executioner?

    --
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 28 2019, @08:10AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 28 2019, @08:10AM (#899834)

      No decorative strip of cloth

    • (Score: 2) by martyb on Saturday September 28 2019, @06:35PM (2 children)

      by martyb (76) Subscriber Badge on Saturday September 28 2019, @06:35PM (#900000) Journal

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

      Come on! Off with the cliff-hanger: was a cloth-hanger expected or a executioner?

      Ooooops! Great catch and thanks for bringing it to my attention! The correction should appear shortly.

      Maybe I can redeem myself with a link to Elon Musk's starship presentation:

      https://youtube.com/watch?v=sOpMrVnjYeY [youtube.com]:

      Scheduled for Sep 28, 2019

      SpaceX's Starship and Super Heavy launch vehicle is a fully, rapidly reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, and anywhere else in the solar system. On Saturday, September 28 at our launch facility in Cameron County, Texas, SpaceX Chief Engineer and CEO Elon Musk will provide an update on the design and development of Starship.

      You can watch the event live at approximately 7:00 p.m. CDT.

      So, if I have done my math correctly, that should be today (Saturday; 2019-09-28) at 8:00 p.m. EDT (2019-09-29 01:00:00 UTC).

      And, with a little luck, this just might end up being SoylentNews' 900,000th comment!

      --
      Wit is intellect, dancing.

      • (Score: 2) by takyon on Saturday September 28 2019, @07:34PM (1 child)

        by takyon (881) <{takyon} {at} {soylentnews.org}> on Saturday September 28 2019, @07:34PM (#900022) Journal

        Luck, eh?

        --
        [SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]

        • (Score: 2) by martyb on Monday September 30 2019, @11:54PM

          by martyb (76) Subscriber Badge on Monday September 30 2019, @11:54PM (#901039) Journal

          Luck, eh?

          Yes, luck. As well as preparedness and a heaping helping of watchfulness. But, ultimately, luck. All the planning and watching can come to naught by the simple intervention of an unintended, but timely, comment by someone else.

          --
          Wit is intellect, dancing.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 28 2019, @09:17PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 28 2019, @09:17PM (#900049)

    Is the 1940's retro look intentional?

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