A significant test of Elon Musk's SpaceX company's massive new Starship rocket system has been completed.
Engineers ignited 31 of the 33 engines at the base of the vehicle's lower segment simultaneously in a maneuver known as a "static fire.".
Everything was clamped in place to prevent any movement during the brief firing.
After its first flight, Starship will surpass all previous operational rocket systems in terms of power.
If SpaceX is happy with the results of Thursday's test, this may happen in the upcoming weeks.
At SpaceX's Randamp;D facility in Boca Chica, close to the border with Mexico, a static fire broke out.
Elon Musk claimed on Twitter that there were 31 engines operating overall after one engine was turned off by the team prior to the test and another engine shut down by itself.
But, he continued, "there are still enough engines to get into orbit.".
Even though there were fewer engines present than usual, the number of engines that were cooperating was still noteworthy. The Soviet Union's N1 rocket, which was created in the late 1960s to carry cosmonauts to the Moon, is likely the closest analog.
It had two rings of thirty engines. However, all four of the N1's flights ended in failure, and they were all cancelled.
With 33 modern power units, the SpaceX Super Heavy booster should launch with about 70% more thrust than the N1 rocket. The capability being built into Starship dwarfs even the latest mega-rocket from the US space agency Nasa, the Space Launch System (SLS), which made its maiden flight back in November.
The car holds a lot of promise for Mr. Musk. The businessman plans to use it to launch satellites and people beyond Earth orbit.
To help NASA's Artemis program, which aims to send astronauts back to the Moon, SpaceX has already been hired to develop a version of the technology.
The focus of Mr. Musk is Mars. He has long wanted to travel to the Red Planet, settle there, and, in his words, turn humans into "a multi-planet species.". Point-to-point travel, which whisks passengers quickly from one side of the globe to the other, has also been discussed.
Not just because of the amount of weight it will be able to launch into space, but also if Starship can be made to function, it will change the game.
Both the Super Heavy booster and the ship on top of the concept are intended to be completely reusable, allowing them to return to Earth and fly repeatedly.
It could therefore function very similarly to an airliner. The long-term financial savings over traditional, one-off rockets would be enormous.
Now that the 33 engines couldn't be fired at once, SpaceX will examine its data to determine why. Additionally, it will examine the launch pad to determine whether any damage was done during the brief firing. The concrete beneath the launch mount had to be repaired after being fractured during earlier, smaller-scale engine tests.
In late February or early March, Mr. Musk has mentioned attempting to orbit the entire Starship system.
In case the booster failed disastrously during the test on Thursday, the ship, or upper stage of the rocket, was removed.
