SpaceX is set to do a wet dress rehearsal for he Starship launch system, as reported by TechCrunch. It will be launched at the Starbase site in Texas.
(Photo : Keegan Barber/NASA via Getty Images)
LOMPOC, CA - DECEMBER 16: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches with the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) spacecraft onboard, on December 16, 2022, from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Lompoc, California.
SpaceX has already evacuated nearby residents from the launch site. If preparations go well, the company will load the Starship upper stage and Super Heavy booster with cryogenic methane and oxygen. Then, the countdown will proceed toward liftoff but end before the transfer of internal power to the launch vehicle.
This serves as a milestone for CEO Elon Musk, which is a powerful indicator that the Starship's first orbital flight test is coming soon.
Wet Dress Rehearsal
The wet dress rehearsal is a series of prelaunch tests that includes propellant loading of the upper stage and booster. Then, it includes a run-through of countdown to around T-10 seconds or before engine ignition.
When no major issues arise during the testing, de-stacking is the next step. De-stacking is the separation of the Starship second stage and Super Heavy booster. Following this, a full static fire test will be conducted. Engineers would light up all 33 of the booster's Raptor 2 engines. Then, the launch system would be re-stacked prior to the first orbital flight test.
Should everything go to plan, SpaceX engineers will assess the data and if everything looks good, they will proceed to the final major pre-flight test.
The wet dress rehearsal could happen in a couple of weeks. There is also the anticipation of the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to issue the launch license soon. However, the FAA has been quiet about the evaluation status of SpaceX's plan but it's been doing extensive assessments of the Starship launch program for some time.
Also Read: SpaceX Starship Payload: 250 Tons to Orbit As Expendable, 150 for Reusable Rocket Says Elon Musk
Starship's Mission
Musk aims to "preserve the light of consciousness" in the cosmos through Starship. Starship has the potential to put 100 tons into orbit and it seems that it is designed with Mars in mind. Therefore, it's likely that the company will spend billions of dollars to reach their goals.
NASA is also counting on Startup to work. In fact, the agency made Starship a central piece of their Artemis moon program. It can be recalled that in April 2021, NASA awarded SpaceX a contract to develop a version of Starship to land on the moon for the Artemis III mission in 2024. Later on, NASA expanded the contract to include a second crewed Starship mission for later within the decade.
However, before all of these plans come into reality, Starship needs to reach orbit first. And it may happen soon enough.
It's been a long time since the company launched rockets from South Texas. Since then, Musk's companyhas invested in launch infrastructure and production facilities at the Staircase site.
Related Article: Elon Musk: SpaceX Super Heavy Booster to Have 33 Engines, 9 for Starship; 42 in Total, Coming Soon
