Starhopper is the Starship prototype designed by SpaceX to make very short flights or “hops”. The test due for July 24 was billed by SpaceX as the biggest and first untethered test, for which a live stream had been arranged. The SpaceX Starhopper program is another step towards achieving Elon Musk’s ambition of building a massive launch vehicle capable of ferrying 100 passengers to the Moon and eventually Mars. Unfortunately SpaceX’s aggressive timetable has to again be pushed-back after the private space company was forced to abandon the test flight after only three seconds.
The test saw Starhopper’s Raptor engine fire at 80 percent capacity at SpaceX’s Boca Chica test facility in South Texas.
The Starhopper was supposed to lift off for a short, 65ft-high flight.
However, the prototype vehicle failed to move, even after its rocket fired flames and smoke.
The test was supposed to happen last week, but it was postponed because Starhopper was engulfed in flames during an engine fire test.
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However Starhopper emerged pretty much unscathed from the incident, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk.
Mr Musk tweeted: ”Yeah, big advantage of being made of high-strength stainless steel: not bothered by a little heat!”, in responce to a Twitter follower asking if Starhopper was OK.
“Post-test fuel leak, but no major damage,” Elon Musk added in another tweet.
SpaceX gas previously conducted successful hop tests in the past, proving Starhopper works and can lift a few inches from the ground.
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It remains unclear whether last week’s unplanned trial by fire in connected with what occurred during the latest trial attempt.
SpaceX certification engineer Kate Tice said the following during a webcast: “It appears as though we have had an abort on today’s test.
“As you can see there, the vehicle did not lift off today.
“This specific test is one in a series of tests, designed to push the limits of the vehicle as quickly as possible, to learn all that we can as fast and safely as we can.”
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That suggests SpaceX will attempt more hop tests in the near future despite this latest setback.
The hover test is similar to the hop tests performed on SpaceX’s Grasshopper rocket years ago, when the craft rose up to 840ft in the air and using a vertical takeoff and vertical landing.
The Grasshopper prototype eventually developed into the reusable Falcon 9 rocket which the company uses for many of its launches today.
The next stage of testing after the hover test is a 12 mile (20km) test which Elon Musk announced is aimed for a few months time.
