Many advances are being made at Starbase, the name given to the SpaceX facilities. Booster 4, the rocket booster with a height of about 70 meters by others almost 10 wide, I finished its development and it is already a reality. According to estimates, this propeller has twice the strength than the NASA Saturn V rocket that launched several astronauts to the moon.
Installation of 29 engines in record time
Best of all, all the people who have worked on the rocket managed to install a total of 29 Raptor rocket engines. Test flights are expected to be done with these 29 engines, but by the time you’re ready for missions, you want to make it have up to 33.
It took very little time to install so many motors and that’s a feat for all engineers working on the project.
First they will be done pressure and static fire tests, all of them very carefully, so as not to damage all these Raptor engines.
Tests still not possible
There is a problem between SpaceX and the Federal Aviation Administration since an environmental review must be carried out And until that is done, none of the SpaceX projects will be able to take off.
For quite some time this body has been working with the company to make an environmental assessment. Therefore, given the situation, it is difficult for SpaceX to conduct a test flight of its Starship rocket before the beginning of September.
However, if these tests cannot be done, why was SpaceX in such a rush to install those 29 Raptor engines? Perhaps it is a strategy on the part of the company to put some pressure to the Federal Aviation Administration to expedite the paperwork to allow testing.
So, we will see what is the outcome of this story and if SpaceX is able to obtain the necessary permits to be able to carry out the pertinent tests of its rockets.