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A prototype SpaceX spacecraft took off from South Texas on Wednesday, climbed to an altitude of six miles, rolled onto its side as intended, and plunged back to Earth during a high-altitude swan dive, returning to vertical then landing successfully near the launch. buffer. A few minutes later, it exploded into a spectacular fireball.
This was the Starship’s third high-altitude test flight and its first successful landing. But the rocket came to rest with a slight tilt and a fire could be seen at its base near the engine compartment. Moments later, the unmanned prototype – SN10 – exploded, flooding the cushion with flaming debris.
LabPadre webcast
Despite the explosion, the successful landing marked a major milestone for SpaceX founder Elon Musk in his drive to develop a fully reusable heavy-lift rocket, while showing the risks associated with an aggressive testing program.
“The SpaceX team is doing a great job! One day the real measure of success will be that Starship flights are commonplace,” Musk tweeted.
Speaking just before SpaceX wraps up its launch webcast – and before the rocket explodes – company commentator John Insprucker said: “The third time is charm, as they say.”
“We had a successful soft touchdown on the airstrip, capping off a wonderful test flight of the Starship 10,” he said. “As a reminder, a key point of today’s test flight was to gather the data on the vehicle control on re-entry, and we were successful in doing that.”
He concluded by congratulating the Texas launch team, saying that “they steadily increased the test launch rate during the program and delivered some of the most thrilling test flights that many of us have had. seen for a long time “.
Considering three dramatic launches and explosions in a row, few people would argue.
SpaceX webcast
Mirroring the two previous unsuccessful test flights, the prototype of the spacecraft, known as serial number 10 or SN10 for short, took off from SpaceX’s launch site in Boca Chica, Texas, at 6:14 p.m. ET. and climbed into predominantly clear skies using three SpaceXs. – Raptor engines designed.
Take-off took place about two hours after the engines ignited for an initial launch attempt, but stopped on computer command a moment later. Musk said the software engine’s thrust limits were “slightly conservative,” engineers made an adjustment, and the team continued their run with a second launch attempt.
Burning liquefied natural gas and liquid oxygen, the ascent appeared to go smoothly, and when the rocket gained altitude, one engine, then two, stopped as planned.
Reaching a maximum altitude of about six miles four and a half minutes after takeoff, the third engine stopped and the Starship quickly tilted to the side and began to dive toward Earth.
SpaceX webcast
Using computer-controlled ailerons on the nose and tail to help maintain orientation, the Starship performed a horizontal dive, followed to the end by powerful cameras operated by SpaceX and several independent space enthusiasts.
As it neared the ground, the Starship’s engines restarted and the rocket returned to vertical as programmed for a rear wheel touchdown using a single engine. Despite a slight tilt and the flame briefly seen at the base of the rocket, the test flight appeared to be a complete success.
“As we approached the runway, we successfully fired all three Raptor engines to perform this rollover maneuver, then stopped two and landed on the single engine as planned,” Insprucker said. “A nice soft landing from Starship to the Boca Chica landing pad.”
He said the Starship SN11 is “ready for deployment to the platform in the very near future. This is an inspiring time for the future of human spaceflight.”
SpaceX webcast
The rocket launched Wednesday is a prototype for the second stage of a giant rocket consisting of a 230-foot-high “Super Heavy” first stage generating 16 million pounds of thrust with 28 Raptor engines, more than twice the power. of the legendary NASA Saturn. 5 lunar rocket. A first-stage prototype has not yet been completed.
The second stage of the 160-foot rocket, also known as the Starship, will use half a dozen Raptor engines capable of propelling 100 tons of payload into low earth orbit. For comparison, SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket can put about 30 tons into orbit.
As with the last two Starships test flights, the SN10 was a prototype of the Starship’s second stage, the latter using only three Raptor engines.
At least three versions of the Starship are being considered: one to carry heavy payloads in Earth orbit, on the Moon or on Mars; one designed to carry thrusters for in-orbit refueling operations; and one capable of carrying up to 100 passengers at a time.
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