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SpaceX has shared new images of one of Starship's biggest upgrades before the rocket's next orbital test flight attempt. The first test flight in April saw several engines shut down immediately after launch, and while Starship successfully cleared the pad and reached the point of stage separation, the remainder of the test was a failure. Now, with momentum gradually building up for the second Starship test flight, SpaceX's latest images show the rocket's hot staging ring installed on a Super Heavy booster, checking another milestone before the world's largest rocket is ready to try to take to the skies once again.
SpaceX Installs Heat Shield On Top Of Rocket Booster As It Prepares Starship For Hot Staging
The first Starship test flight provided remarkable views right from the start when its engines lit up to the test's unceremonious end as the rocket was blown up mid-air. Dozens of rocket engines lighting up on a single rocket is a sight that has not been seen live in decades, and the rings of engines on the Super Heavy booster have become the trademark of the rocket.
After the engines, another stunning set of visuals came when the rocket tried to separate its first and second stages. This saw the nearly four hundred feet tall rocket do somersaults in the air multiple times before it exploded as self-destruct commands were initiated. The system for self-destruct has also come under scrutiny after the April flight test, as it failed to destroy the massive rocket manufactured out of stainless steel immediately.
Soon after the test, SpaceX's chief Elon Musk took to Twitter (now known as X) to share that his company will make more than a thousand upgrades to Starship before the second test flight attempt. These upgrades include upgrading the Raptor 2 engine's hot gas manifold, responsible for sending heated propellants to the combustion chamber for ignition, and a new stage separation mechanism which will see the second stage light up its engines to separate from the first stage.
To prevent any damage to the first-stage booster from the thrust of the second stage, SpaceX will make changes to the Super Heavy booster. These include a new 'ring' at the top to divert the flames away from the rocket's tanks and other sensitive equipment. The first images of what appeared to be a test article of this ring appeared earlier this month, and SpaceX shared the official images of it being installed on the Super Heavy booster 9.
The test article appeared to use the forward bulkhead of a Super Heavy booster with a test article, and today's images confirm this design. SpaceX also uses a heat shield at the top of the Super Heavy booster to provide heat insulation to its rocket. A single Raptor engine is capable of generating hundreds of thousands of thrust. While it's unlikely that the second stage's engines will fire at full thrust at the point of separation, they will nevertheless carry a powerful punch.
Today's images follow a rare Raptor 2 engine test that saw SpaceX angle the engine away from the ground at the horizontal test site. While the purpose of this test was unclear yesterday, SpaceX's chief Elon Musk shared later that the objective was to test the engine for landing. A rocket engine is often designed to move sideways to maneuver the vehicle, which plays an important role both during liftoff, flight and for SpaceX's rockets, during their landing. While SpaceX has landed the second stage Starship during tests in 2020 and 2021, it is yet to land a first-stage booster.
