SpaceX has been testing its rocket hardware ahead of the eighth flight of its Starship megarocket.
The Elon Musk-led company shared dramatic footage and photos showing the 33 Raptor engines on the first-stage Super Heavy booster firing up while fixed to the ground.
“The extended firing tested new hardware and cycled the six Raptor engines through multiple thrust levels to recreate different conditions seen within the propulsion system during flight,” SpaceX said in a message accompanying the imagery, adding that data from the test “will inform upgrades to the ship’s hardware and flight profile ahead of the next launch.”
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The extended firing tested new hardware and cycled the six Raptor engines through multiple thrust levels to recreate different conditions seen within the propulsion system during flight. Data from the test will inform upgrades to the ship’s hardware and flight profile ahead of… pic.twitter.com/MZugcU3jkW
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) February 12, 2025
SpaceX has yet to officially announce a target date for the Starship’s eighth test flight, but multiple reports have suggested that the spaceflight company is aiming to send the rocket skyward by the end of this month.
As with all of the Starship flights, the mission involving the world’s most powerful rocket will launch from SpaceX’s Starbase site near Boca Chica, Texas.
And as with the fifth and seventh flights, an attempt is likely to be made to “catch” the Super Heavy booster as it returns to Earth minutes after delivering the upper-stage Starship spacecraft to orbit. The wild maneuver uses the launch tower’s giant mechanical arms to secure the incoming booster before it reaches the ground.
Perfecting the process will allow SpaceX to use the same Super Heavy boosters multiple times, helping to slash mission costs. The upper stage Starship is also designed to be reused, though during these early tests SpaceX has been sending it into the Indian Ocean.
Once testing is complete, NASA will use the Starship vehicle for crew and cargo missions to the moon, possibly before the end of this decade. After that, it could be used for the first human voyages to Mars, though it’s certain to be some time before such a mission is ready to fly.
SpaceX should be dropping an update soon on when it plans to launch the Starship on its eighth test flight. We’ll bring you all of the details just as soon as we hear.