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SpaceX conducted the second test launch of its giant Starship rocket on Saturday; Both began exploding over the ocean shortly after the launch vehicle separated from the spacecraft.
SpaceX conducted the second test launch of its giant Starship rocket on Saturday; Both began exploding over the ocean shortly after the launch vehicle separated from the spacecraft.
“Such an incredibly successful day,” a SpaceX announcer said. “We even… took out both the Super Heavy Booster and the ship in an unplanned manner.”
The largest rocket ever built, which Elon Musk hopes will one day be used to colonize Mars, took off shortly after 7 a.m. local time (13:00 GMT) from the company’s Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas. .
Unlike a similar attempt in April, the launch vehicle successfully separated from the megaship but later exploded, and the spacecraft itself exploded shortly thereafter. Bill Nelson, head of NASA, the space agency that is studying a modified version of Starship to get people to the moon, said Saturday’s attempt showed progress.
“Congratulations to the teams who made progress in today’s flight tests,” he said on X, his former Twitter handle. “Space flight is a daring adventure that requires a can-do spirit and bold innovations. Today’s test is an opportunity to learn and then fly again.”
“This was a fantastic partial success,” space researcher Laura Forczyk told AFP. “Exceeded my expectations.”
Following the spacecraft’s first fully assembled flight attempt in April, the Spaceship continued its flight on Saturday, with the launch vehicle separating from the vehicle before it broke apart.
“As you can see, the Super Heavy Buff was recently dismantled in an unplanned manner; But our ship is still on its way,” said the announcer.
When the booster collapsed, the upper stage began a partial journey around Earth – it was supposed to fall into the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii within 90 minutes – but it too exploded. When Starship’s two stages are combined, the rocket is 397 feet (121 meters) long, a comfortable 300 feet longer than the Statue of Liberty.
Its Super Heavy Booster produces 16.7 million pounds (74.3 meganewtons) of thrust, nearly twice that of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), the world’s second most powerful rocket, although the latter is currently fully operational. Both systems are designed to be completely reusable; This is a key element of SpaceX’s design that will significantly reduce costs.
During its first test flight on April 20, SpaceX was forced to detonate Starship four minutes after launch because the two stages could not be separated. The missile exploded into a fireball and crashed into the Gulf of Mexico, sending a cloud of dust over the city several miles (kilometers) away.
After a months-long investigation, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Wednesday finally allowed SpaceX to try again, despite objections from environmental groups that sued the regulator, claiming it did not comply with environmental laws.
SpaceX insists blasts in the early stages of rocket development are welcome and help make design decisions faster than ground tests, but time is running out for the modified Starship to be ready for the planned 2025 moon landing. This time, Starship was modified to use the “hot phase”; This means firing the upper stage engines while still connected to the booster; this is an approach commonly used in Russian rockets, which can unlock much more power.
Other changes included improved vents to reduce the possibility of explosions.
The first launch also caused significant damage to the company’s launch pad at Starbase. It is now reinforced with high-strength concrete and a system that expels tons of water to protect against the tremendous heat and force generated during launch. The US Federal Aviation Administration said it had opened an investigation into what it called an “accident” during Saturday’s launch to “determine corrective actions to prevent this from happening again.”
“The anomaly caused the vehicle to disappear,” the agency said in a statement. “There are no reports of damage to public property or injuries.”
Space researcher Forczyk stated that SpaceX has made “more progress than in April” and that he expects aviation authorities to receive the company’s approval for another initiative sooner than before, adding, “Participation will be faster.” Source
Source: Port Altele
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