Elon Musk's SpaceX has recently conducted its static fire test for the Super Heavy rocket, centering on Booster 9's latest developments which is a success for the company.
This test firing saw a mixed performance from the spacecraft, but the good thing is all the Raptor engines fired showed the rocket's capabilities.
However, there are many things to improve on the Super Heavy rocket based on the adverse outcomes of the said static fire test, with SpaceX returning to its facilities for the tweak.
SpaceX Super Heavy Booster 9 Static Fire Test a Success
The folks over at SpaceX conducted its Super Heavy Booster 9's static fire test earlier today, and the company deems this a success for the latest rocket version under the program.
The test event was live-streamed all over X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, with the world seeing the latest performance of the heavy-lift launch vehicle. On a positive note, the rocket fired all 33 Raptor engines strapped underneath it, and no explosions happened amidst or after its firing.
Moreover, the rocket remained intact and in good shape after the test, meaning SpaceX could bring it back and work on it before returning it for another static fire test. It also gave the company the correct information and data to assess its latest performance.
Mixed Outcome for SpaceX's Test with Negative Results
According to Ars Technica, the Booster 9's static fire test run time was supposed to be 5 seconds, but it only fired off for 2.79 seconds, cut short after seeing several issues it encountered.
It was also reported that four of the 33 Raptor engines shut down prematurely in the short run, but the company has yet to release a statement regarding this.
For now, the Super Heavy Booster 9 will see more developments and tweaks to fix the issues to iron out all the problems it encountered in its recent testing.
SpaceX's Development of the Starship Program
Last month, the public finally saw the anticipated return test of the Starship program at Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, but did not expect the explosive ending.
This was with Booster 7, the seventh iteration of the Super Heavy, which saw significant issues with the Raptor engines underneath the launch vehicle, concluding in a fiery demise.
The last incident followed the highly-awaited flight that resulted in an explosion of the Starship's Full-Stack flight test in April, the event that the world thought to be the start of a new age of exploration.
Despite this explosion, SpaceX was determined to get back on track with further development of the Starship for its future use in deep space missions.
SpaceX faced many setbacks for "the world's most powerful rocket" meant for exploring more of the neighboring regions in space.
However, the recent Booster 9 test shows that the company is nearly tweaking out all the kinks and issues found on the rocket. The test shows what needs to be done to make it ready for the next flight test.
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