SpaceX hot fire tests its Starship vehicle three times in four hours - Ars Technica

On Wednesday, in South Texas, SpaceX fired up its newest Starship prototype not once or twice.

Rather, engineers and technicians fueled and test fired their SN9 prototype and its Raptor rocket engines three times in less than four hours.

Ship is held down by massive pins while engines are fired." After the third test, Musk confirmed that all three tests were completed without a major issue.

The vehicle is already on its launch stand, and Musk and his engineers will now conduct a "readiness" review in advance of what is expected to be another test flight to about 12.5km, similar to the flight performed by the SN8 vehicle in December.

Sources suggested that SpaceX is eager to get on with flying SN9, as it has nearly completed assembly of the next Starship prototype, SN10, at its nearby high bay facilities.

The near-term goal is to demonstrate an orbital flight capability for Starship.

In an interview published earlier this month, SpaceX President and Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell told Ars she thought it was more likely than not that this orbital flight test would occur in 2021.