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Last week, private rocket company SpaceX successfully approached the soft landing of a reusable heavy rocket it hopes to someday send to the Moon and Mars.
The Starship SN10 launched from the SpaceX facility in Boca Chica, Texas, last Wednesday, ascending to an altitude of over 32,000 feet before returning to Earth in a controlled descent.
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When the spacecraft landed on its airstrip without perishing in a fireball like its two predecessors, it seemed that SpaceX had successfully completed one of the most difficult processes to make a reusable, cost-effective rocket.
A few minutes later, the stainless steel rocket was destroyed in an explosion of fire.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk explained on Tuesday that the rocket landed at too high a speed.
“The SN10 engine had low thrust (probably) due to partial ingestion of helium from the fuel tank. Impact of 10m / s [22 miles per hour] crushed legs and part of the skirt, ”he tweeted.
A closer look at the SN10’s landing shows that it was tilted slightly to one side before it exploded.
Musk went on to explain that the helium ingestion was likely the result of a pressurization system that had been added to the main methane tank to address a problem that arose in a previous spacecraft prototype, SN8.
“If autogenous pressurization had been used, the CH4 bubbles would most likely have become liquid again,” he said. mentionned. “The helium in the head was used to prevent the collapse of the slosh trough, which occurred on a previous flight. My fault for approving. It sounded good at the time.
The test, however, has always been hailed as a success as SN10 landed and stayed in one piece for much longer than two previous prototypes that exploded on impact.
In no time, another Starship prototype dubbed SN11 was deployed to the launch pad this week.
SpaceX has yet to say exactly when the next flight test will take place, but NASASpaceFlight.com projected that the rocket could be ready to go as early as next week.
Before SN11 was placed on the launch pad, SpaceX employees were seen testing the legs of the spacecraft.
“Several fixes in the works for SN11,” Musk tweeted.
Musk said this week that Starship would be ready to launch humans into orbit and beyond here 2023.
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