SpaceX conducted a full-pressure test of a new water deluge system for its Starship launch vehicle on Friday, as the company looks to resolve one of the biggest problems that cropped up during the orbital flight test in April.
It’s a major step toward making the launch infrastructure ready to support a second test flight of the world’s most powerful rocket. During the previous test flight, the heat and energy from the Super Heavy booster’s 33 Raptor engines cratered the launch pad and generated chunks of concrete that badly damaged the orbital launch mount.
SpaceX’s answer is what CEO Elon Musk called “a mega-steel pancake.” The water deluge system is composed of a very thick perforated steel plate that sits directly underne …
