The Press Stories
In spacecraft No. 15 (SN15), SpaceX installed at least two of the three raptors that were upgraded before the three-engine stationary fire expected early Wednesday morning, April 21st.
Several unknown delays, originally planned for last weekend, slowed down the installation of three SN15 engines and forced SpaceX to return at least one engine to its construction site for additional work. Already this weekend, SpaceX plans to launch the Starship SN15 on Monday and launch the next day – on April 20. (4/20). Apparently, these plans did not work.
Under SpaceX ‘s protection, parking an SN15 aircraft on board is equivalent to the route of its predecessors, the SN8 to SN11, all of which were delayed several times and lasted an average of 30-40 days before being launched for testing, repair and engine modification. On the publishing site. . Equipped with “hundreds of upgrades” including the design of the new Raptor engine, these upgrades and improvements were expected to inspire pre-launch tests on the Starship SN15, but the vehicle remains on the same boat as everyone else. High-altitude prototypes.
Starship SN11 was able to run its first permanent fire test in a week, while both the vehicle and SN9 conducted the first permanent fire with three engines 14 days after their arrival. If the starship SN15 makes a permanent island on Wednesday, April 21, it will move to the launch site after 13 days. No matter how successful it is, the Texas team produces SpaceX issues and learns about advanced starship and raptor designs that will pay off in terms of increased reliability, ease of operation and installation.
The Raptor SN54, SN61 and SN66 engines, captured by several everyday photographers, were taken to the launch site on April 15. SN61 and SN66 were quickly installed in a few days, but SN54 was finally returned to the construction site for further work before returning to the board on April 19th. SN15 can be successfully installed. The differences between the “new” and old (SN1-SN53) raptors are not entirely clear, but subtle differences in plumbing layout and installed components indicate an overall improvement in pitch change throughout the engine design.
Time will tell how many upgrades in the Starship SN15 and its Raptor engines will help build the most reliable and successful vehicle. In anticipation of a successful durable fire, the SN15 will be the fifth spacecraft to attempt high-altitude flight this weekend or next week.
