Elon Musk Marvels At Starship Engine Test Firing: 'One Hell Of A Plasma Beam!'

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Friday expressed awe and excitement at Starship’s Raptor engine following a test fire.

What Happened: SpaceX on Friday posted a 20-second video of a Raptor engine test firing into a water-cooled steel plate.

The video shows the engine’s red-hot flame firing at a steel plate, setting a visual spectacle.

Sharing the video, the CEO said, “One hell of a plasma beam!”

Why It Matters: SpaceX conducted the first test launch of Starship in April. The rocket exploded in less than four minutes after take-off, damaging the launch pad at Starbase and raining down dust on the residents of Port Isabel, Texas.

Explaining the impact, Musk said that SpaceX relied on Fondag for the test launch. Though the rocket manufacturer had commenced the construction of a water-cooled steel plate to go under the launch mount months ago, it was not ready in time for the launch, Musk said.

“Wasn't ready in time & we wrongly thought, based on static fire data, that Fondag would make it through 1 launch,” Musk said. He added that the debris is not toxic and that the company is not aware of any "meaningful damage" to the environment due to the launch.

SpaceX's Starship, composed of the Super Heavy rocket and the spacecraft, aims to create a fully reusable transportation system for crew and cargo missions to Earth's orbit, the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

The Super Heavy rocket relies on 33 Raptor engines, while the spacecraft has six engines, including three Raptor engines and three Raptor Vacuum engines. 

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