SpaceX test-launched an early Mars rocket prototype on Tuesday, unnerving inhabitants close to the Texas site and clearing up another important obstacle in the interplanetary aspirations of billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk.
Following the launch, Musk congratulated SpaceX engineers, short for Space Exploration Technologies Corp, and published a picture of Starhopper touching down on its landing pad with dust and sand blowing clouds rising from the floor.
“One day Starship will land on the rusty sands of Mars,” Musk tweeted.
One day Starship will land on the rusty sands of Mars pic.twitter.com/EfENYVdOzM
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 27, 2019
The prototype, dubbed Starhopper, slowly rose approximately 500 feet (152 m) off its launch pad in Brownsville, Texas, and propelled to an adjacent landing platform some 650 feet (198 m) eastward, completing an apparently effective low-altitude test of the next-generation Raptor engine from SpaceX.
The Raptor is intended to power the forthcoming heavy-lift Starship rocket from Musk, a reusable two-stage booster larger than the Statue of Liberty that is supposed to play a key part in Musk’s interplanetary goals of space travel, including Mars missions.
The prototype “hopper” vehicle, resembling a chrome water tower with three landing legs, was originally slated for its test liftoff on Monday. But a “rather embarrassing” wiring issue with the single Raptor engine halted the countdown less than a second before ignition, Musk, the SpaceX founder and chief executive, said on Twitter.
Approximately a dozen residents in the adjacent village of Boca Chica, just over a mile from the test site, had been urged by local authorities three days in advance to vacate their homes in the event of a possible “overpressure event” that could break windows and endanger anyone indoors in the event of an explosive malfunction.
“If it wasn’t right in my backyard I’d probably be fine with it,” said Cheryl Stevens, who plans to retire in Boca Chica, in an interview. “It almost looked like a cartoon or something. … After all the buildup, it was kind of nice to actually see it happen.”
Cameras were set up by Maria Pointer, another resident, and photographers were invited to her home. She said she was reminded of the excitement surrounding the start “feeling like you’re going on a Ferris wheel.”
Other neighbors complained about street closures and government notices that were confusing.
“It’s kind of like a double-edged sword,” said resident Terry Heaton, adding that access to the nearby beach was blocked off every time SpaceX attempted an engine test.
Raptor’s next move will be to carry out extra ground-based motor firings bolted to a stationary test stand, Musk said.