After a series of high-altitude tests and landing attempts with Starship prototypes, Elon Musk's company SpaceX plans to conduct an orbital test flight as soon as February or March.
The company said it completed Starship’s first full flight-like wet dress rehearsal, which included loading Starship and the booster with more than 10 million pounds of fuel.
"Today’s test will help verify a full launch countdown sequence, as well as the performance of Starship and the orbital pad for flight-like operations," SpaceX tweeted on Jan. 23. SpaceX said Starship 24 was unstacked from Booster 7 in preparation for a static fire of the Booster’s 33 Raptor engines.
When SpaceX fires up all 33 Raptor engines, they will rock the Texas coast. Before such testing, Cameron County, Texas, officials will announce temporary closures for part of Highway 4 and Boca Chica Beach. The residents in the small beachside community of Boca Chica will also be notified. he believed Starship would reach orbit by the end of 2022. Nearly a year later, SpaceX appears to be approaching this goal.
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