The Starjump, with its turret torn off by the wind, made its first jump with a Raptor engine, as SpaceX CEO Elon Musk happily announced on Twitter. The cone of the prototype was torn off during a hurricane wind back in January. For the test jump, it was decided not to restore it. In addition, Starhopper, as the prototype of the future super-heavy rocket Starship, created to test the Raptor engine at suborbital altitudes, was called, was tethered to the ground to avoid uncontrolled flight in an unpredictable direction. As you understand, the aerodynamics of a rocket without a fairing leaves much to be desired.
However, in this case it does not matter. The prototype fired its engines and took off from the ground. βAll systems are green,β Musk reported. In other words, the jump went as expected, and the launch and operation systems were normal. It was the first full-scale test of a rocket-like prototype at SpaceX's Texas base. The tests took place at approximately 4 am Moscow time. Musk did not share details, but it is assumed that the prototype was equipped with the second Raptor engine prepared for testing. The Starship rocket to transport 100 astronauts to the Moon or Mars will be armed with 7 such engines.
Let us also recall that it was decided to make Starship and its Starhopper prototype not from composite materials, but from steel. At one time, we reported why the company came up with this material. The Starhopper rocket should confirm or deny the correctness of the choice. This prototype has a diameter of 9 meters and a height (with fairing) of 39 meters. It carries a single Raptor engine and promises to help not only develop technologies for the Starship project, but also in the development of space tourism.
Source: 3dnews.ru