In addition to verifying that the Super Heavy booster is strong enough to support the propellant-filled Starship, the purpose of the first test of the Starship system is to ensure that the propellant delivery system is functioning properly. Photo: Ist
HOUSTON, kilat.com – SpaceX began testing the entire Starship system after stacking a prototype Starship S20 with a Super Heavy B4 rocket booster earlier this week.
While the S20-B4 combination won’t take off, this is the first time SpaceX has tested the full Starship system. The combined Starship system is about 119 meters high, making it the largest and most powerful rocket ever built.
The S20 and B4 are estimated to weigh between 4,000 and 5,000 tonnes when assembled. The 29 Raptor V1’s engine produced about 5,400 tonnes of thrust at launch, more than the previous Saturn V.
In the first test, the test team activated a QD arm (quick link and propellant filling arm) to simultaneously fill S20 and B4 with liquid nitrogen and very low temperature liquid nitrogen, as well as a liquid oxygen mixture.
Giz China reports, low temperature liquid oxygen/liquid oxygen is required for the Starship system. It is an alternative to liquid methane propellants. According to estimates, the first test filled S20 with about 25-50% cryogenic. Next, B4 is filled with cryogenic liquid 10-20% of the entire booster reserve.
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Previously, the S20 had completed five independent low-temperature tests in the field, as well as several successful static firing tests. The B4 also passed several low temperature tests. Therefore, this post-combination test was not too difficult for the team.
In addition to verifying that the Super Heavy booster is strong enough to support the propellant-filled Starship, the purpose of the first test of the Starship system is to ensure that the propellant delivery system is functioning properly. To bring the Starship system into Earth orbit, the crew would need to transport about 1,200 tons of propellant. This is equivalent to the weight of the entire Falcon 9 rocket. They must carry 1,200 tons of propellant to an altitude of 85 meters.
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