SpaceX's Starship prototype explodes on landing after test launch

 

SpaceX's first super heavy-lift Starship SN8 rocket explodes during a return-landing attempt after it launched from their facility on a test flight in Boca Chica, Texas U.S. December 9, 2020. REUTERS/Gene Blevins

 

(Reuters) - SpaceX's Starship rocket prototype exploded during a return-landing attempt on Wednesday, minutes after an apparently uneventful test launch from the company's facility in Boca Chica, Texas, live video of the flight showed.

 

The Starship rocket destroyed was a 16-story-tall prototype for a heavy-lift launch vehicle being developed by Elon Musk's private space company to carry humans and 100 tons of cargo on future missions to the moon and Mars.

 

This is the moment SpaceX's unmanned Starship SN8 test rocket prototype exploded on return landing following its launch from Boca Chica, Texas.

 

The self-guided rocket blew up as it touched down on a landing pad following a controlled descent. The test flight had been intended to reach an altitude of 41,000 feet, propelled by three of SpaceX's newly developed Raptor engines for the first time.

 

Musk said in a tweet immediately following the accident that the rocket's "fuel header tank pressure was low" during descent, "causing touchdown velocity to be high."

 

He added that SpaceX had obtained "all the data we needed" from the test.

 

(Reporting by Joey Roulettee in Washington; Editing by Leslie Adler and Stephen Coates)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-12-10

 

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That should sell some tickets.

5 hours ago, webfact said:

He added that SpaceX had obtained "all the data we needed" from the test.

As they say - no such thing as failure, just feedback.

Very difficult problem. Hope they eventually succeed.

That was no 'touchdown' the descent velocity was, clearly, too high and the vehicle crash-landed.

 

I hope they succeed despite the unwanted failures.

11 minutes ago, PETERTHEEATER said:

That was no 'touchdown' the descent velocity was, clearly, too high and the vehicle crash-landed.

 

I hope they succeed despite the unwanted failures.

Landing a rocket in this way is far from trivial, but they already have the next several prototypes lined up. They will succeed; I have no doubt about that. It also took a while until landing their Falcon 9s became routine.

The unsuccessful landing could have fed thousands 

I'm becoming an Elan fan and surely a space x fan.  This mission is to be considered 99% success.   So many firsts.  The raptors worked fine.   Flipped over to belly  flop for the transition to controlled falling rock reentry test.  Nose thrusters worked perfect to upright the ship for landing.  All data to touchdown was retrieved. Just a tad hard landing.   I guess reason was the fuel tank pressure was low for some reason.  Yuu can see the raptor plume looks weak.   It explains hitting the far edge of the pad and landing to fast.   

This is buck rogers stuff.  

Rip SN8.  SN9 is almost ready to roll.  Let's hope not to much damage to the facility as there was a lengthy fire that occurred  quite a distance from the initial crash site.  

I'm stoked. 

2 hours ago, natway09 said:

The unsuccessful landing could have fed thousands 

Military budgets of western countries could solve all the world's problems too... what's your point? Do you live in this world or a fantasy one?

Edited December 10, 20205 yr by mikebike

1 hour ago, Elkski said:

I'm becoming an Elan fan and surely a space x fan.  This mission is to be considered 99% success.   So many firsts.  The raptors worked fine.   Flipped over to belly  flop for the transition to controlled falling rock reentry test.  Nose thrusters worked perfect to upright the ship for landing.  All data to touchdown was retrieved. Just a tad hard landing.   I guess reason was the fuel tank pressure was low for some reason.  Yuu can see the raptor plume looks weak.   It explains hitting the far edge of the pad and landing to fast.   

This is buck rogers stuff.  

Rip SN8.  SN9 is almost ready to roll.  Let's hope not to much damage to the facility as there was a lengthy fire that occurred  quite a distance from the initial crash site.  

I'm stoked. 

Yup, awesome.  The fuel delivery problem will be solved in short order.  The rest of the flight was frikken magic!  I toured the main Hawthorne CA facility a few years ago, that was great.  Brought back memories as I used to work in some of the buildings there in the early 90's when it was Northrop ????  ????  nudge nudge.

47 minutes ago, mikebike said:

Military budgets of western countries could solve all the world's problems too... what's your point? Do you live in this world or a fantasy one?

 

I guess your point is that everything is fine with the world as it is, and that those military budgets are what they should be?

 

 

Ground crew for this project?

Sod that for a game of soldiers!

 

Still, gives a whole new meaning to the phrase " putting something where the sun don't shine"!

Edited December 10, 20205 yr by herfiehandbag

3 hours ago, natway09 said:

The unsuccessful landing could have fed thousands 

A long way to travel

1 hour ago, Susco said:

 

I guess your point is that everything is fine with the world as it is, and that those military budgets are what they should be?

 

 

No. But whinging about how things are does zero. 

 

Are YOU an activist out there every day beating the drum? Or do you just cry on random forums?

Edited December 10, 20205 yr by mikebike

20 minutes ago, mikebike said:

 

Are YOU an activist out there every day beating the drum? Or do you just cry on random forums?

No I'm not, I just have my own ways for not supporting and paying for it.

4 hours ago, natway09 said:

The unsuccessful landing could have fed thousands 

I blame it all on the Wright brothers, just think how much money over the years could have been saved by not building an aircraft industry that could have been given to the hungry if they had not invented flight.

 

Hope you are feeling guilty for cost of the airplane and and fuel that brought you over here, how many could that have fed? 

 

Bet you don't sleep well for all the worry.

Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained! fortunately there were no fatalities.

Feeding millions could also be done by groups like Green Peace. or the Sierra Clubs,

  Space travel may be the next big adventure.  How about those starving people

caused by that fighting in Africa? or in Yemen, or some other places.

  Musk is spending his money the way he wants to.

Geezer

13 hours ago, PETERTHEEATER said:

That was no 'touchdown' the descent velocity was, clearly, too high and the vehicle crash-landed.

 

Indeed, the way Elon stated it sounds less terrible than  'it crash landed"

While reading this I was recalling the images of early failures in the US space program.  So much growth came from those early failures that we ended up walking on the moon.  Thankfully, in this instance, no one was aboard while trying to land.

They’re learning all the time looks like most of the test went well it will improve space flights come a long ways