STARSHIP/
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STARSHIP/
Starship SN8 was a test vehicle designed to perform a 12.5 km test flight. It became the first Starship to be outfitted with three Raptors (SN30, SN32, and SN39). After the first static fire, SN39 was replaced by SN36. After the third static fire, Raptor SN32 was removed due to an anomaly and replaced by Raptor SN42. Thus, SN30, SN36, and SN42 are the Raptors that performed the eventual test flight. During the flight, Starship SN8 was lost due to an anomaly with header tank pressure but completed many test objectives.
Starship SN8 successfully flew to around 12.5 kilometers in altitude, demonstrated a controlled descent, successful flip maneuver with Raptor engine relight, but had a hard landing due to lack of pressure in the header tank. The anomaly resulted in the loss of the vehicle.
Starship SN8 successfully performed a triple-engine static fire.
Starship SN8 performed a static fire using the LOX header tank in the nosecone. An anomaly with a Raptor engine (caused by flying debris from the pad) during the test resulted in a loss of vehicle pneumatics. The LOX header tank was thus unable to properly vent until it blew its burst disk.
Starship SN8 performed a static fire using liquid oxygen (LOX) fed from the nosecone header tank. This was the first-ever use of a LOX header tank on a Starship vehicle. As such, this static fire only featured one of the three engines installed on SN8.
Starship SN8 performed a cryogenic proof test with its LOX header tank. The LOX header tank is located inside of the nosecone.
Starship SN8 successfully performed a triple-engine static fire. This was the first multi-engine firing of Raptors.
Starship SN8 conducted a preburner test with all three of its Raptor engines.
Starship SN8 conducted a preburner test with its Raptor engines.
Starship SN8 successfully passed the cryogenic proof test, according to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. The pass came after two previous attempts necessitated a redo. The cryogenic proof test ensured that the vehicle was ready for the upcoming static fire test campaign.
Starship SN8 performed a redo of the cryogenic proof test due to a leak discovered during the previous day's test. Once again, this test was not considered a pass. SpaceX did not confirm the specific issue that occurred during the second test.
Starship SN8 performed a cryogenic proof test ahead of a planned round of static fire testing. The test was not considered a pass, due to a leak that occurred during the testing. The test was successfully redone at a later date.