A critical test of SpaceX’s Super Heavy booster is pushing its Starship spacecraft one step closer to an orbital flight, and eventually to the moon.
Last week the company fired 31 of the booster's 33 engines while the vehicle was bolted down to the ground -- a first for SpaceX and a crucial test of the rocket and its launch pad.
First static fire attempt of 33 Raptor engines on Booster 7 https://t.co/3haor6owfa
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) February 9, 2023
It lays the groundwork for an orbital test soon and eventually will take the first of NASA’s Artemis astronauts to the lunar surface. We'll hear from NASASpaceflight.com's Chris Gebhardt about the test and what's ahead for SpaceX's Starship program.
Then, from robotic missions to human space flights, there’s one critical thing every mission must have -- a patch.
It’s been a long-standing tradition in spaceflight that started decades ago. Each patch is unique to its mission and is adored by both mission participants and civilian collectors. Historian and CollectSPACE.com's editor and founder Robert Pearlman joins the show to talk about the origins of the mission patch.
