To commemorate their greatest achievement to date with the spaceship, SpaceX has released a retrospective video of the SN8 soaring. This was the 12.5 km long hop test that took place on December 9, 2020, during which the SN8 prototype climbed to an altitude of 12.5 km, performed a “belly flop” maneuver and returned to the launch pad. Although it didn’t quite hold the landing, the test was an important milestone in the development of the spaceship.
The flight test was conducted after running several static fire tests on previous prototypes (SN1 through SN5) and a series of 150 meter hop tests on SN5 and SN6. Another successful static fire test with three Raptor engines was carried out on October 20, 2020 with the eighth prototype (SN8). After the engines and design were validated, the company prepared to conduct its first altitude test in December.
The two minute and twenty-second video captures the highlights of the test by merging footage from the many different cameras that were captured that day. This included a number of external cams (including a drone cam that follows the SN8 as far as it will go) in the engine bay, one cam mounted on the landing pad and on the fuselage.
First, the engine ignition and ascent are shown, with all three Ratpor engines producing a trail of orange-blue flames – the result of the combustion of liquid methane and liquid oxygen (LOX). This is followed by the engine shutdown, during which the three Raptor engines switch off (individually) when the SN8 approaches its peak of 12.5 km.
In slow motion we see how the SN8 turns on its side and watch how its fins adjust to the “belly flop” maneuver. This part of the test was intended to validate the aerodynamic surfaces of the prototype that the spaceship will rely on to maneuver and lose speed upon atmospheric re-entry. The descent is recorded from several angles with the drone cam and the fuselage cam.
Then comes the “flip maneuver,” where two of the raptors reignite and gimbal to land their tails. This is shown both from the side (drone camera) and from the ground. The engines they burn for landing burn, but they can’t slow the SN8 down enough to make it land smoothly. The installation and the quick unscheduled dismantling (RUD) – also known as. Explosion – follow.
The rise of the SN8 shows how the three Raptor engines fire. Image Credit: SpaceX
This was due to a fuel line pressure problem that the ground teams quickly identified after the test was completed. Shortly afterwards, Musk took to Twitter to share what they’d learned:
“The pressure in the fuel tank was low during landing, resulting in a high touchdown speed and RUD, but we have all the data we needed! Congratulations SpaceX Team Hell yeah !! ”
Despite the fiery ending, all key systems and surfaces involved were validated. This included the ascent, the switch from the stern to the collection tanks (as soon as the SN8 has reached its peak) and the precision flap maneuver that enabled a controlled descent. In the meantime, the crews received all the data they needed on the problem that was preventing smooth landing and will use it to inform them about the next round of testing.
The video then ends with the headline repeating the successes of this very first high-altitude test:
“SN8 DEMONSTRATED FIRST CONTROLLED AERODYNAMIC DESCENT AND LANDING FLIP maneuver. TOGETHER, YOU ENABLE LANDING WHERE THERE ARE NO RUNWAYS, INCLUDING THE MOON, MARS AND MORE.
“NEXT UP: SN9.”
The SN8 begins its “belly-flop” (flip) maneuver. Image Credit: SpaceX
Speaking of which, all the signs are that Musk plans to do a hop test on the SN9 and others in the coming weeks. These include Airline Notices (NOTAMs) issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for Brownsville, Texas airspace and road closure notices issued for Cameron Country around the Boca Chica test sight.
These have since been expanded and new NOTAMs released for Wednesday and Thursday (January 13th and 14th) from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. local time (CST) – or 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. PST. 9:00 am to 7:00 pm EDT. Similar new road closures have been announced for State Highway 4 and Boca Chica Beech in Cameron Country for Monday through Wednesday (January 11-13).
The SN9 has now been rolled out to the landing pad and carried out its first static fire test earlier this week (Wednesday, January 6). Unfortunately the test was canceled after a very short shot and another is expected to take place in the coming week before attempting any hop tests. In the meantime, the SN10 has been stacked and integrated into the High Bay and can be rolled out immediately once the SN9 has been put through its paces.
The SN11 and the SN12 are also installed in the mid bay of the system, the SN11 is almost finished and only needs its nose cone. Musk has also indicated that he and his crews at the Boca Chica plant will test the SN9 and SN10 (and subsequent prototypes) at the same time. This was in response to a tweet from RGV Aerial Photography (@RGVaerialphotos), which is doing weekly flyovers to snap photos of the Boca Chica facility.
The image in the tweet shows the SN9 on the landing pad, with an earlier image of the SN8 (with Photoshop) added in the adjacent field. The picture has a question for Musk: “With the SN10 almost finished and repairs going on at the landing pad, do you think we’ll see this in the next few weeks?” Musk then tweeted a “yes” reply.
2021 will be an exciting time for SpaceX, commercial space, and space exploration in general! While the year has already brought some bad news, it looks like some serious bright lights are on the horizon!
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