SpaceX Fires Up Starship Rocket For Key Test Ahead Of Flight 5

After it shipped its Starship booster for the fifth flight to the pad last week, SpaceX has static fired the rocket in its Texas facilities. The test took place at 10:13 am local time in Texas, and it followed earlier tests where SpaceX had evaluated the rocket's fuel pumps through spin prime tests. A Super Heavy static fire paves the way for potentially similar tests for the second stage of Starship, and if the test is successful, then SpaceX will have just a handful of tests remaining before it can feel comfortable to undertake the high risk Starship Flight 5.

SpaceX Test Fires Starship Super Heavy Booster As Part of Flight 5 Preparations

Indications of a potential static fire had started to appear early during the day today after SpaceX positioned its tower catch arms above the booster and roads in the adjacent areas were closed off. The Starship booster's exterior also turned frosty revealed footage from local media, and these culminated in a static fire test that lasted for roughly ten seconds. Since Starship uses 33 Raptor engines to generate thrust, SpaceX starts them in groups to ensure a safe startup. The footage showed multiple flashes during the static fire, indicating that all of the Super Heavy's booster's engines were fired up for Flight 5 testing.

Starship's engines are key to its success, and flights one to four have seen SpaceX gradually improve its performance. The latest flight saw only a single engine fail during lift off, and all engines for Starship's entry and landing burn reignited successfully. These engines are also key for the second stage Starship's performance, especially since SpaceX has to demonstrate in space Raptor ignition at some point during its Starship testing.

An in space engine ignition is a complex process that requires engineers to carefully manage the fuel and tank pressurization. Since a rocket is not vertical while it's traveling in space, the fuel inside its tanks is also more volatile because of a lack of gravity, the chances of an anomaly happening are higher than on Earth. SpaceX had intended to test in space ignition with the third Starship test earlier this year. However, the plans were scrapped at the last moment, and there is little publicly available information on this decision.

Along with the in space ignition, Starship Flight 5 can also see SpaceX attempt a tower catch for the first time. Catching the booster with the launch tower is a central part of Starship's landing profile since it allows SpaceX to rapidly reuse the first stage booster. At the same time, it is also one of the riskiest since even the slightest miscalculation can lead to pad destruction.  This can set the Starship program back not only because SpaceX will have to build infrastructure if a backup pad isn't available, but it might also pause future tests because of regulatory oversight.

Today's test was also notable for the large amount of dust that flew after SpaceX fired up its engines. So far, the firm has not shared any updates for the test, but judging by the pad's appearance after the flight, there was no significant damage. SpaceX is also building a second pad in Texas for launch redundancy, and it aims to eventually fly as many as 25 Starship orbital launches from the site in a year.

About the author: Ramish is a seasoned technology writer and editor with more than a decade of experience. He specializes in semiconductor fabrication and market analysis. With a background in finance and supply chain management - via his bachelors in Finance and a micromasters in supply chain management from MIT - Ramish combines financial rigor with deep industry insight to deliver accurate and authoritative coverage.

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