Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

On Tuesday, August 25, local time, SpaceX again sent the No. 7 super-heavy booster with 33 Raptor engines to the launch pad at the starship base in southern Texas, as the company prepares for the first orbital flight test of the starship system.

On August 23, SpaceX used the Mechazilla giant robotic arm to place the No. 7 super-heavy booster to the 143m-high launch tower. The company's CEO, Elon Musk, celebrated the work on social media Twitter. He posted a photo of the robotic arm clinging to the No. 7 super-heavy booster, with the caption saying that "Mechazilla has loaded the starship to the launch pad."

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The No. 7 super heavy booster was previously placed on a giant launch tower. Earlier this month, SpaceX conducted two static ignition tests on the No. 7 super heavy booster.

The tests were conducted on August 9 and August 11, respectively, and only one Raptor engine was ignited. The No. 7 super heavy booster tested at the time had not yet been fully assembled, equipped with only 20 Raptor engines, and most of the engines were dormant during the test.

After testing on August 11, SpaceX removed the No. 7 super heavy booster from the launch tower and transferred it to a facility inside the starship base to continue assembly. Technicians installed 13 more Raptor engines for the super heavy booster and were ready to return to the launch pad.

The company is about to conduct more static ignition tests on the No. 7 super heavy booster, which is expected to ignite 33 Raptor engines at the same time. This will help SpaceX complete the first orbital test flight of the starship system in the coming months.

The starship system includes a 50-meter-high starship at the top and a super heavy booster at the bottom. Both parts are designed to be fully reusable and are powered by Raptor engines, of which the starship will be equipped with six Raptor engines.

SpaceX plans to use the 7 super heavy booster and the 24 starship prototype to complete the first orbital flight test of the starship system. The prototype of starship 24 is also being tested in preparation for launch. On August 9, the prototype starship 24 conducted a static ignition test at the starship base and ignited two Raptor engines.

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