SpaceX Starship SN8 prototype to attempt a 60,000 feet high test flight

SpaceX’s Starship SN8 is set to be the next Starship prototype from the company to have a test flight next month. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk recently shared a few details about the SN8 Starship and stated that the prototype vehicle with flaps and the nosecone should be completed in just a few days. He also revealed that the vehicle will be flying much higher than the earlier prototypes.

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Starship SN8 prototype to have a 60,000 feet return flight

The Starship SN8 will be attempting a 60,000 feet flight before returning back to earth, which will be another step forward in its goal of sending humans to Mars for the very first time. It is worth noting that this will be a significantly higher altitude compared to the previous test flights of the company’s Starship prototypes. The Starship SN8 is still under construction at the SpaceX Launch Facility in Boca Chica, Texas and will be ready within a week’s time.

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Two full-size Starship prototypes from SpaceX known as the SN5 and SN6, had short test flights recently, where the two were launched at about 500 feet (150 meters) from the company’s Boca Chica test site in Texas. The test launch had been dubbed as short-hop tests by the company and was carried out over the past couple of weeks. The Starship SN6 had a successful 150-meter hop test earlier this month, whereas the SN5 prototype performed a 150-meter test in August.

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It is also worth pointing out that most of the earlier Starship prototypes including the SN4, SN3, SN1 and the Mk1 were met with several hurdles and complications, and therefore, they didn’t have much success. The issues mostly had to do with the prototypes getting damaged at the time of pressure testing or while getting ready for the static ignitions.

The SN5 and SN6 prototypes do not have the huge control flaps on either side of the nosecone. These are wing-like extensions that essentially allow the vehicle better control during the flight. However, the Starship SN8 prototype will have it.

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Image credits: SpaceX