NASA and SpaceX have completed a new round of wind tunnel tests on the Super Heavy Version 3 booster at NASA Ames Research Center in California, as part of preparations for the Artemis III lunar mission.
Engineers tested a 1.2-percent scale model in two tunnels simultaneously, running speeds from Mach 0.2 to 1.4 in a transonic tunnel and Mach 1.55 to 2.5 in a supersonic tunnel. The tests measured steady aerodynamic forces as well as unsteady loads, including turbulent airflows and vibrations that could affect the rocket’s stability during reentry.
The tests were prompted by significant changes to Super Heavy Version 3, which carries Raptor 3 engines, a redesigned engine bay without a shared heat shield, an integrated hot staging system, and three grid fins instead of four, with each fin 50 percent larger than before.
The booster is intended to form the basis of the Starship Human Landing System for Artemis III, planned for 2027, and a follow-on crewed lunar mission in 2028.
