--- title: "There’s Something Very Different About Tomorrow’s Starship Test" description: "SpaceX is ramping up to launch its third full-scale Starship rocket some time later this week — but this time, the rocket will attempt something new." date: "2021-03-02" modified: "2021-03-03" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/something-different-starship-test" categories: - "Space" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" tags: - "elon musk" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" - "the digest" --- # There’s Something Very Different About Tomorrow’s Starship Test ![SpaceX is ramping up to launch its third full-scale Starship rocket some time later this week — but this time, the rocket will attempt something new.]() *\Image: SpaceX\* ## Third Time SpaceX is ramping up to launch its third full-scale [Starship rocket]() this week — but this time, the company will attempt a new strategy. The prototype, called SN10, could be rocketing high into the sky from its launch pad in Boca Chica, Texas as early as Wednesday afternoon, [*Teslarati* reports](), according to flight restrictions announced by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This time, the strategy will be different. Both predecessors attempted to use only two out of their three Raptor engines to slow their descent before landing — and both exploded when they slammed into the ground. With SN10, though, SpaceX is igniting its third engine for landing. With all three lit, the idea is that the rocket's onboard computers will have enough time to select the two engines it needs to burn to make a safe landing, depending on the angle of its descent. In other words, SN10 will have more redundancy to make sure it has time to figure out which engines to fire in order to land safely. Three lit engines will reduce possible points of failure and ensure the prototype has the best chance of sticking its landing. ## Big Hop SpaceX CEO Elon Musk revealed in early February that all three of SN9's Raptor engines — not just two — should have been ignited to eliminate possible points of failure, something that SpaceX was "[too dumb]()" to do, according to Musk. In fact, one of the two engines SN9 was using for landing failed to ignite as well. Following [some back and forth]() and an [investigation]() into the company's safety practices, SpaceX finally [received permission]() from the FAA to fly the 165-foot stainless steel rocket late last month. SN10 did, however, hit a snag during testing. Its second triple-Raptor static fire test had to be delayed due to an issue with one of the rockets engines. A speedy engine swap brought the space company back on schedule, completing the second test fire within just 48 hours of the first, according to *Teslarati*. **W**ill SN10 come crashing back down to Earth? It's hard to tell. In mid-February, following SN9's epic fireball, Musk [tweeted]() that there’s a [60 percent chance]() its successor will land successfully. **READ MORE:** [SpaceX gears up for Starship’s first triple-engine landing attempt]() \[*Teslarati*\] **More on Starship:** *[Elon Musk: Starship Floating Launchpad to Start Operation by “End of Year”]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()