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SpaceX pressurizes the SN4 prototype without detonating it!

After three failed pressurizations which all led to the destruction of the first three precursor prototypes of a Starship demonstrator, SpaceX succeeded in that of the SN4 prototype. A very short "Review flight" of … 150 meters above sea level could take place during the month of May.

In the night from Sunday to Monday, SpaceX successfully pressurized the fourth prototype of a demonstrator of Starship. Oxygen tanks liquid ((LOX) and liquid methane (CH4), After a Review withnitrogen gaseous, were filled with cryogenic nitrogen and underwent pressure well mastered. After three disappointments, a smile is de rigueur at Boca Chica who is now preparing for the next stage with the installation of a Raptor engine. A static shot will be made at the end of the week and will follow a very short Review flight which will consist of a jump of 150 meters above sea level. A Review which is reminiscent of that of the Starhopper, carried out in August 2019 also with a Raptor engine but with a stage very different from the SN4.

SpaceX teams are also working on the next prototype, the SN5 which, according to Elon Musk, will be equipped with three Raptor engines and a cone of nose fairly representative in matter of form and geometry of that of the Starship.

Three prototypes and three explosions

The three previous prototypes, the MK1, the SN1 and the SN3 all exploded or imploded on the ground during the pressurization of the tanks or static tests. Failures which should nevertheless help the development of the Starship for the reason that in development periods, failures are preferable to immediate successes because we can see better where the axes of improvement are, while successes are likely to hide faults Design.

In July 2019, the Starhopper, a prototype suborbital took fire during an engine Review. In November 2019, the MK1 prototype was badly damaged during a explosion on the ground, making it unusable for testing. At the end of February, the SN1, which was to perform suborbital flights, was destroyed during a ground pressure Review. Finally, at the beginning of the month, SN3 also exploded on the ground during an ignition Review of its engine, due to a pressurization fault.

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