![SpaceX conducted a second static fire test of Booster 9 on Friday.](https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/spacex-static-fire-800x416.jpg)
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SpaceX conducted a second hot fire test of its Super Heavy booster on Friday afternoon, likely taking a key step toward the subsequent launch of its massive latest rocket.
Just a few minutes after the test firing, SpaceX founder Elon Musk characterised it as “successful” on the social media network formerly referred to as Twitter. SpaceX later confirmed that every one 33 Raptor engines ignited through the test and that every one but two ran for the total six-second duration.
This Super Heavy booster, the biggest and strongest rocket to ever fly, serves as the primary stage of SpaceX’s mega-rocket, which pushes the Starship upper stage into orbit.
The primary stage in motion on Friday—dubbed Booster 9, as it’s the ninth to be built as a part of SpaceX’s iterative design methodology—underwent its first static fire test on August 6. That hot fire test ended prematurely, after 2.74 seconds. Furthermore, 4 of the rocket’s 33 essential Raptor engines either didn’t ignite or shut down prematurely.
Getting systems able to go
After this test in early August, the primary stage rolled back to the production site, where it was outfitted with a “hot staging ring.” This interstage sits atop the primary stage and below the Starship upper stage. This latest piece of hardware is meant to facilitate “hot staging,” a difficult maneuver a few minutes into the flight at stage separation, through which the Starship upper-stage engines ignite before the Super Heavy first stage has accomplished its burn.
Booster 9 rolled a number of kilometers back to the launch site this week ahead of Friday’s static fire test. If additional data reviews confirm this performance, it appears likely that SpaceX has accomplished the last major hardware test needed before a second flight of the Starship launch system. The Starship upper stage expected to fly on this booster, Ship 25, has previously accomplished a successful static fire test.
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 25, 2023
Moreover, the rocket’s ground systems appear ready. This was an issue through the rocket’s unsuccessful debut test flight in April when the dearth of a sound suppression system led to significant damage, including the rupture of concrete chunks from the launch pad that rained down debris for miles across the Starbase location in South Texas. About 4 weeks ago, SpaceX successfully tested a brand new water deluge and flame deflector installed beneath the Starship launch mount.
A static fire test just like the one accomplished Friday is usually the ultimate rehearsal for a rocket before it takes flight. The bottom systems and propellant handling are all operated like a standard launch, following test-like-you-fly procedures. It’s a chance to make sure that the rocket and ground systems perform as intended.
Still have some paperwork to do
Given the apparent success of the test, the ultimate significant hurdle standing between SpaceX and the second test flight of the Starship rocket is regulatory. The corporate must receive a launch license from the Federal Aviation Administration, which has been reviewing a “mishap investigation report” submitted by SpaceX following the April test flight.
After accepting or modifying this report, the Federal Aviation Administration and SpaceX will discover corrective actions that the corporate must make ahead of its second test flight to make sure the security of individuals, property, and wildlife near the South Texas launch site, which is surrounded by wetlands and the Gulf of Mexico.
SpaceX has not set a public launch goal yet for Starship, and sources indicated it has not yet received any clear indications from the Federal Aviation Administration about when a launch license is likely to be forthcoming. Nevertheless, it seems reasonable to conclude that the second Starship launch could happen as soon as two or three weeks from now. Further delays are at all times possible and, indeed, probable.