SpaceX’s spacecraft goes into orbit and deploys the first next-generation Starlinks

SpaceX has now experienced engine problems on each of three Starship flights using Raptor 3s. On a flight in May, a Raptor engine shut down prematurely on the Super Heavy booster, and another stopped working on the Starship upper stage a few minutes later. Several Raptor engines failed to ignite on the launch pad for the next flight in July, causing a last-second abort. SpaceX replaced two of the engines before conducting a successful launch a week later.

Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX, wrote on his social media platform

“While removing parts sounds easy in theory, understanding how to do it in practice is actually very difficult and requires many iterations,” Musk continued. The interior of the Raptor 3 engine “has very complex geometry that can only be manufactured using highly modified 3D metal printing,” he wrote in another article.

Although the Raptor 3 is still in the works, propulsion issues have not stopped SpaceX from making progress with Starship, and the engine problems experienced during Monday’s flight are unlikely to delay the Starship’s next launch.

The FAA also gives SpaceX the green light for Monday’s flight. The regulatory agency will not require SpaceX to conduct a formal investigation into an accident. An FAA spokesperson told Ars: “All flight events of the Starship vehicle and Super Heavy booster occurred within the scope of activities planned and authorized by the FAA. »

Next on SpaceX’s to-do list will likely be an attempt to bring Starship back to Starbase to be grabbed by the launch pad’s giant mechanical arms, repeating a feat engineers already accomplished with the Super Heavy booster. Returning the Starship to the launch site will require re-entry by land, which will require additional safety reviews to ensure there is no undue risk to populated areas as the vehicle approaches Starbase. Ultimately, SpaceX aims to make these landings sufficiently routine to allow full and rapid reuse of Super Heavy and Starships.

Other near-term goals for Starship include longer duration orbital flights and then the first demonstration of in-orbit refueling, a prerequisite for future missions to land astronauts on the Moon under the auspices of NASA’s Artemis program.

In the meantime, expect Starship to launch many more Starlink satellites. Commercial and government demand for Starlink services, as well as SpaceX’s long-term plans for orbital data centers, will keep Starship very busy as engineers bring the rocket’s most advanced capabilities online.