SpaceX Conducted A Fire Test For Super Heavy Booster 12

SpaceX has conducted a static fire test of Super Heavy Booster 12 at Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas. This test is a critical step in the development of SpaceX’s Starship program, aiming to facilitate crewed missions to Mars.

Fire Test Using Mechazilla’s Chopsticks Conducted

Updated on 16th July

On 15 July 2024, SpaceX conducted a static fire test of Super Heavy Booster 12 in preparation for the fifth test flight of the Starship vehicle. The test involved igniting the booster’s engines.

This test is particularly important as it represents SpaceX’s first attempt to capture a booster using the Mechazilla Chopsticks, a novel recovery system designed to catch the booster upon its return to the launch site.

SpaceX Starship’s Super Heavy Booster test

Booster 12 is set to undergo testing ahead of Starship Flight 5, with Ship 30 also playing a key role in deciding launch readiness. The static fire test is scheduled to take place later this week, marking a significant milestone in SpaceX’s efforts to advance its space exploration capabilities.

Super Heavy Booster is the first stage of the SpaceX Starship super heavy-lift launch vehicle. It functions in combination with the Starship second-stage.

Super Heavy is 71 m tall, 9 m wide, and is composed of four sections: the engines, the fuel tank, the oxygen tank, and the interstage. Elon Musk stated in 2021 that the final design will have a mass between 160 t and 200 t, with the tanks weighing 80 t and the interstage 20 t. The booster uses four electrically actuated grid fins for control, each with a mass of 3 t.

Super Heavy flew for the first time on 20 April 20 2023, during the first orbital launch of the Starship rocket.