SpaceX is making significant progress in its preparations for the upcoming manned flight to the moon. The company’s engineers recently conducted successful “cold” tests of the Raptor engine, which is specifically designed for the Starship spacecraft. These tests focused on determining the engine’s ability to restart in outer space after it exits the Earth’s atmosphere.
The primary objective of these tests was to ensure the safe transportation of astronauts to the lunar surface. The public has shown great interest in this event, prompting SpaceX to release a video of the tests on the social networking platform X. The video showcases the Raptor engine in action, enveloped in a cloud of vapor, operating for a duration of three seconds at the Marshall Space Flight Center.
NASA, the United States’ national space agency, is involved in various projects related to scientific exploration, aeronautics, astronautics, planetary research, space technologies, and education. Among its most renowned missions are Apollo, which successfully delivered the first humans to the moon, Voyager, which extensively studied the outer planets of the solar system, Hubble, which captured groundbreaking images of distant galaxies, and the International Space Station (ISS), an international orbital laboratory.
Collaboration with other space agencies, such as the European Space Agency (ESA), Roscosmos, and the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA), is also a significant aspect of NASA’s mission. By expanding humanity’s understanding of the universe, NASA aims to utilize this knowledge for the betterment of mankind.