Technology

SpaceX conducted the first fire tests of the new Raptor engine for the Starship

The head of SpaceX via Twitter reported onthe first successful burning of the Raptor rocket engine, which will be used on the interplanetary starship for flights to the Moon and Mars. Earlier, Musk said that the development of the Raptor has been going on for several years and during this time the engine has undergone major changes.

Less than a month ago, Musk posted on TwitterA photo of a stainless steel model assembled from a Starship spacecraft installed at the site of the future cosmodrome company in the village of Boca Chica (Texas). Later it was reported that the upper part of the test prototype of the new rocket was seriously damaged by the hurricane. An incident may postpone a previously scheduled first test run to a later date.

The Starship test layout will use three Raprot engines. The full version of the launch vehicle is planned to use seven engines.

“The first burnout of the Raptor engine for the Starship! I am proud of the excellent work of the SpaceX team, ”wrote Musk on Twitter, reinforcing the message with several shots of the test.

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- Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 4, 2019

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- Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 4, 2019

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Recall that the Starship spacecraftthe company plans to use for flights to the Moon, and then to Mars. The first manned spacecraft flight around the moon is scheduled for 2023. The desire to become the first space tourist SpaceX expressed Japanese businessman Yusaku Maedzava. He was given the right to independently select several people who could go on a space trip with him.

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