SpaceX - Starship Super Heavy Test Flight patch.
May 2, 2023
The boss of SpaceX returned in particular to the self-destruct sequence of the spacecraft and its launcher and the prospect of a new test during the summer (if the FAA has completed its investigations and gives its authorization).
Image Credit: SpaceX
In a Twitter audio chat with reporters on Saturday evening, Elon Musk discussed the Starship's test flight that ended in self-destruction after the scheduled separation between the Super Heavy launcher and the Starship failed. "The result corresponds roughly to what I expected, even slightly exceeding my expectations," said the billionaire. He revealed that three of the booster's 33 Raptor engines failed on liftoff because "the system felt they weren't healthy enough to bring them to full thrust."
27 seconds after takeoff, engine number 19 suffered an "energy event" whose origin is still unknown. What appears to be an explosion visible in the images damaged the heat shields of engines 17, 18, 19 and 20.
Another Starship test flight in six to eight weeks (provided the FAA authorizes it)
It was from this point that the rocket lost its ability to steer and began to spin erratically. The flight abort system activated but another malfunction caused a forty second delay before the rocket exploded. This delay did not pose any safety problem because the rocket was above the sea. But the fact remains that this time period is not acceptable under the standards for this type of procedure. Elon Musk has also admitted that the self-destruct device would have to be redesigned in consultation with the Federal Aviation Administration, which gives its approval for each space flight.
Image Credit: SpaceX
Between the modifications to be made to the launch vehicle and the Starship as well as the restoration of the launch pad which suffered significant damage, Elon Musk said he expected SpaceX to be ready for a second attempt at orbital flight in six to eight weeks. “I think this time we have more than a 50% chance of reaching orbit,” predicted the businessman.
SpaceX Starship launch under FAA investigation after raining potentially hazardous debris on homes and beaches
"The FAA will oversee the mishap investigation of the Starship/Super Heavy test mission," FAA officials wrote.
SpaceX's Starship has been grounded by the U.S. government following claims that the rocket's explosive first launch spread plumes of potentially hazardous debris over homes and the habitats of endangered animals.
Image above: Debris surrounding Starship's launch pad at Boca Chica, Texas. Image Credits: Patrick Fallon/AFP via Getty Images.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) — the U.S. civil aviation regulator — has stopped SpaceX from conducting any further launches until it has concluded a "mishap investigation" into Starship's April 20 test launch. The massive rocket’s dramatic flight began by punching a crater into the concrete beneath the launchpad and ended when the giant rocket exploded in mid-air around 4 minutes later.
"The FAA will oversee the mishap investigation of the Starship/Super Heavy test mission," FAA officials wrote in a statement on April 20. "A return to flight of the Starship/Super Heavy vehicle is based on the FAA determining that any system, process, or procedure related to the mishap does not affect public safety. This is standard practice for all mishap investigations."
Dust and debris from the test reportedly rained down on residents in Port Isabel, Texas — a town roughly 6 miles (10 kilometers) from the launchpad — and across Boca Chica's beaches, which are nesting grounds for endangered animals, including birds and sea turtles.
Dave Cortez, a chapter director for the Sierra Club environmental advocacy group, said that Port Isabel residents reported broken windows in their businesses and ash-like particles covering their homes and schools.
Image above: SpaceX's first integrated Starship and Super Heavy launch into the sky from Starbase at Boca Chica, Texas on April 20, 2023. Image Credit: SpaceX.
SpaceX's launchpad was also left with extensive damage that includes charred, twisted metal and shattered concrete. The force from the rocket's engines blew a hole in the launchpad and created a crater beneath it. "Concrete shot out into the ocean," Cortez told CNBC, creating shrapnel that "risked hitting the fuel storage tanks which are these silos adjacent to the launch pad."
Unlike other launch sites for large rockets, SpaceX’s Boca Chica site lacks both a deluge system, which floods pads with shockwave-suppressing water or foam, and a flame trench to safely channel burning exhaust away.
"Aspiring to have no flame diverter in Boca, but this could turn out to be a mistake," SpaceX founder Elon Musk wrote in an October 2020 tweet.
Musk wrote on Twitter that SpaceX began work on "a massive water-cooled, steel plate to go under the launch mount" three months prior to the launch, but it wasn't ready in time.
Related articles:
Starship pad damage; Elon says 1-2 months until next flight
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2023/04/starship-pad-damage-elon-says-1-2.html
SpaceX Super Heavy booster had five engines out and powerful launch damaged the pad
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2023/04/spacex-super-heavy-booster-had-five.html
SpaceX - Starship Super Heavy first launch, explodes in 'rapid unscheduled disassembly'
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2023/04/spacex-starship-super-heavy-first.html
Related links:
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA): https://www.faa.gov/
SpaceX: https://www.spacex.com/
SpaceX Starship: https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/starship/
SpaceX/Space.com/CNET/Stardust-La Chaîne Air & Espace/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.