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SpaceX's Starhopper successfully completes its 150m hover test (updated)
Just like yesterday, SpaceX is lined up to attempt its most ambitious launch yet of the water tower-like Starhopper test vehicle. This is all in preparation for its upcoming Starship, but first the Raptor engines and frame need some shorter non-orbital attempts. If all goes well, it will fly to around 500 feet high at about 6 PM ET, but as we saw with yesterday's test, anything can happen, like a wiring issue -- even with just eight tenths of a second left on the countdown. Update: The test went off as planned this time, apparently without a hitch. You can watch the flight below, but we're already looking forward to bigger and better hops.
SpaceX Starhopper 150m hover test aborted (updated)
Ready for the next generation of SpaceX vehicles? Before the Starship launches, it's testing out the new technology on this Starhopper test vehicle, which is scheduled to make its highest jump yet at about 7 PM ET. If all goes well, it will pop up to about 150m / 500~ feet. Check below for a live stream of the test from Boca Chica Beach, TX. Update (7:08 PM ET): After the countdown paused and restarted, this attempt was aborted with .80 seconds left on the clock. SpaceX is currently "evaluating" its next test opportunity, we'll let you know when you have another chance to see Elon Musk's "water tower" fly. Update 2 (7:38 PM ET): The SpaceX stream indicates a second attempt today is "possible," so...stay tuned? Update 3 (9 PM ET): According to Elon Musk, the igniters have to be checked, so that means waiting until at least tomorrow for another attempt.
SpaceX's Starhopper test vehicle successfully makes its first bounce
After completing zero of two launch attempts on Wednesday, SpaceX went two for two on Thursday. Its Dragon spacecraft is making a third trip to the ISS, while its Starhopper test vehicle took a tiny untethered jump from its test pad in Texas (the picture above is from Wednesday's fiery test that was aborted just as it began). Elon Musk tweeted jokingly afterward that "Water towers *can* fly haha!!," then, more seriously, confirmed that a 200m test is scheduled to occur "in a week or two." There's no close up video footage of the attempt available yet, but the South Padre Isle live stream captured the event from a short distance away. To see the smoke and flame, check the stream at about 10:43 PM and let it play from there. This stubby test mule is testing out the Raptor engines before SpaceX flies its first "Starship" spacecraft. In practice, it's similar to the Grasshopper tests we saw years ago before Falcon 9 boosters that could launch and then land themselves became a regular occurrence. Update: If you wanted a close up look then here's one that's about as close you can get. Musk tweeted out video from the "engine cam" taken during the test.
SpaceX's Starhopper test aborted seconds after starting
On the evening of July 24th, SpaceX was supposed to conduct the Starhopper's -- its Starship prototype vehicle made for very short flights or "hops"-- biggest and first untethered test. The company even announced a livestream of the event, which is another step towards its goal of building a massive launch vehicle that can take humans to the moon and Mars. Unfortunately, SpaceX had to abort the test flight only 3 seconds after the vehicle's Raptor engine fired at 80 percent capacity at its Boca Chica test facility in South Texas.
SpaceX’s Starhopper will undergo hover test next week
Next week will see the latest test of SpaceX's Starhopper spacecraft, the test vehicle for the Starship project which aims to create a resuable long-duration spacecraft for carrying passengers and cargo into space. SpaceX hopes to begin commercial launches using the Starship by 2021.
Get an up-close look at SpaceX's latest Starhopper test
Now that SpaceX started test firings and short "hop" tests on the launch pad at its Boca Chica, Texas site, it's apparently comfortable enough to show off the results. Tonight Elon Musk -- apparently unbothered by an internal investigation or ongoing wrangling with the SEC -- tweeted this two second clip of the snub-nosed "Starhopper" test vehicle that's on a short tether with one of the company's Raptor rocket engines mounted underneath. It's still not much of a trip, but the glimpse from up close is a preview of greater things to come. Eventually we should see test flights with the Phase 2 Starhopper that go much higher, similar to the progression of SpaceX's Grasshopper tests for the Falcon 9 a few years ago. All of this is necessary before we see the real Starship fly, so these small bites will have to do for now.
SpaceX's 'Starhopper' test vehicle takes a short Raptor-powered trip
As SpaceX proceeds with development of its Starship vehicle, it's first testing out the spacecraft's Raptor engines. Today a stubby Starhopper test vehicle mounted with a single engine -- as opposed to the more advanced Phase 2 version shown above -- completed its first tethered hop of just a few inches at the Texas launch site, as spotted by nearby observers. Elon Musk tweeted "All systems green" after the test, which may not have gone far but recalls the early days of Grasshopper rocket tests before we got used to the sight of Falcon 9 rocket engines returning to Earth after successful launches. Musk previously said that suborbital test flights would require three of the engines -- the final version of Starship f.k.a BFR will have more -- and we'll be waiting to see when that happens.
