A prototype of the SpaceX spacecraft exploded Wednesday in South Texas, rose to an altitude of six miles, capsized on its side as planned and plunged back into Earth in a swan-to-large dive. altitude, turning vertically and then successfully landing near the pad release. A few minutes later it exploded into a spectacular fireball.
It was the company’s third high-altitude Starship test flight and its first successful landing. But the rocket rested with a slight tilt and a fire could be seen at the base near the engine compartment. Moments later, the unmanned prototype – SN10 – exploded, showering the pad with remnants of flames.
LabPadre webcast
Despite the explosion, the success of the landing was an important milestone for SpaceX founder Elon Musk in his attempt to develop a fully reusable heavy rocket, although it showed the risks of a test program. aggressive.
“The SpaceX team is doing a great job! One day, the real measure of success will be that spaceship flights are common,” Musk posted on Twitter.
Speaking just before SpaceX finished its launch webcast – and before the rocket exploded – company commentator John Insprucker said: “The third time is the charm, as the saying goes.”
“We had a soft touch successfully on the landing pad, which ended with a nice test flight of spacecraft 10,” he said. “As a reminder, a key point of today’s test flight was collecting data on the control of the vehicle as it re-entered and we were successful in doing so.”
He closed by congratulating the Texas launch team, saying that “they have steadily increased the test launch rate throughout the program and delivered some of the most exciting test flights that many of us have seen in a long time.”
Given three dramatic releases and explosions in a row, few would argue.
SpaceX webcast
Reflecting the previous two unsuccessful test flights, the Starship prototype, known as serial number 10 or SN10 for the abbreviation, left the SpaceX launch site in Boca Chica, Texas, at 6:14 p.m. ET and climbed through a mostly clear sky with three SpaceX -Raptor Engines designed.
The takeoff occurred about two hours after the engines started for an initial launch attempt, but shut down the computer control a moment later. Musk said the software engine’s thrust limits were “slightly conservative,” engineers made an adjustment, and the team advanced with a second launch attempt.
By burning liquefied natural gas and liquid oxygen, the ascent seemed to go smoothly, and as the rocket gained height, one engine and then two stopped as planned.
Reaching the maximum altitude of about six kilometers four and a half minutes after takeoff, the third engine shut down and the Starship quickly tilted to its side and began to retreat to Earth.
SpaceX webcast
Using computer-controlled fins on the nose and tail to help maintain its orientation, the Starship made a horizontal dive, completely crawled by powerful SpaceX-operated cameras and multiple independent space enthusiasts.
As it approached the ground, the spacecraft’s engines restarted and the rocket returned to the vertical as scheduled for a first touchdown on the tail with a single engine. Despite a slight tilt and the flame that was briefly seen at the base of the rocket, the test flight appeared to be a complete success.
“As we approached the runway, we successfully ignited the three Raptor engines to perform this upside-down maneuver, and then we closed two of them and landed on the single engine as planned,” Insprucker said. “A beautiful soft Starship landing on the Boca Chica landing platform.”
He said Starship SN11 is “ready to launch on the platform in the very near future. It’s an inspiring moment for the future of human space flight.”
SpaceX webcast
The rocket launched Wednesday is a prototype for the second stage of a giant rocket consisting of a first stage “Super Heavy” 230 feet high that generates 16 million pounds of power with 28 Raptor engines, more than double the power of NASA’s legendary Saturn 5 moon rockets. A prototype of the first stage has not yet been completed.
The second stage of the rocket, also confusingly known as Starship, will use half a dozen Raptor engines capable of increasing 100 tons of payload to a low Earth orbit. In comparison, the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket can put about 30 tons into orbit.
As with Starships ’two most recent test flights, SN10 was a prototype of Starship’s second stage, which used only three Raptor engines.
At least three versions of the Starship are planned: one to carry large payloads into Earth orbit, the moon or Mars; one designed to transport propellants for orbital fueling operations; and one capable of carrying up to 100 passengers at a time.