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

On Wednesday, local time, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk (Elon Musk) posted more information on the progress of starship system development on social media Twitter. He said SpaceX is expected to conduct the first orbital flight test of a prototype starship by the end of October or early November this year.

SpaceX is currently developing starship systems at its facility in Bokachica, Texas, and recently completed its largest engine static ignition test since the starship was built. Musk hopes SpaceX will put the starship into orbit by early November at the latest. In order to speed up the development and manufacturing process, two super heavy booster prototypes will be prepared for testing. Once launched successfully, the lift-off booster will become the largest rocket launched by human beings.

Musk tweeted earlier Wednesday that the starship's first orbital flight test would be tried at the end of October or could be delayed until early November.

SpaceX is currently testing the No. 7 super heavy booster for the entire starship system. Earlier this week, the company conducted the largest static ignition test on the No. 7 booster, with seven Raptor engines started at the same time. The scene showed that the whole test process lasted a few seconds without any accident.

After completing the test, SpaceX will continue to upgrade the No. 7 booster, which Musk's statement indicates will be the first attempt to get a starship into orbit. The upgrade of the No. 7 booster is designed to improve "reliability" and protect the most valuable engine on the rocket in the event of an accident.

"our focus is on upgrading the No. 7 booster and completing the flight reliability verification of the No. 9 booster," Musk said in a tweet on Wednesday. "this involves many design adjustments, focusing on how to effectively isolate all engines in the event of an unplanned rapid disintegration."

Musk also admitted that the first orbital flight test with the upgraded booster 7 was a bit risky because the upgrade was not part of the rocket design.

In a subsequent tweet, Musk revealed when the starship system would be tested for the first orbital flight. "it may be at the end of next month, but November is very likely," he said. by that time, we will have two boosters and starships ready for orbital flight. at present, a full-stack starship system can be produced about every two months. "

Last year, SpaceX conducted a flight test of the starship. At that time, the starship in the upper layer of the system landed successfully after completing the suborbital flight test. After that, the company focused on the research and development of the lower super heavy booster and the new Raptor engine.

Since the beginning of this year, SpaceX has had to make some adjustments to the design of the booster after some glitches, but the company's technical team managed to turn things around very quickly. These failures first caused the rocket's fuel tube to deform, and then caused the booster base to explode after the engine started the ignition test. As the No. 7 booster did not take into account relevant factors in the initial design, the explosion prompted the company to speed up the durability upgrade of the super heavy booster. There is a view that the No. 7 booster may be the lucky booster that puts the starship into orbit for the first time.

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