Photo credit: Space Padre Isle
SpaceX successfully fired up its Raptor-powered Starhopper rocket on Wednesday evening at the company’s facility in southern Texas. The company is in the early stages of developing its Starship rocket, which boasts a large booster called “Super Heavy” that is being built to transport up to 100 people to the moon and beyond. These next-generation Raptor engines, of which the Starhopper is equipped with one, is the second “flight ready” version of the engine that SpaceX has tested. Read more for the firing video and additional information.
“Designed to be a fully reusable launch system, the ‘hopper’ version of Starship is key to proving the design and mechanics of a rocket that will unlock Musk’s vision of making spaceflight more like air travel,” reports CNBC.
