“Today has been incredibly successful so far, including with the super heavy booster RUD,” SpaceX quality systems engineer Kate Tice said on the company’s webcast.
However, before Starship reached orbit, SpaceX Mission Control lost contact with Starship and stopped receiving data. Approximately 12 minutes into the flight, the automatic flight termination system activated, aborting the flight and performing her RUD during the second stage as well.
If Starship had successfully completed its flight, it would have reached an altitude of about 146 miles and splashed down off the coast of the Hawaiian island of Kauai around 8:30 a.m. Central time.
This is the second time that Starship’s test flight has gotten off to a good start, but has failed within minutes of the flight. According to the statement, Company website, SpaceX later determined that propellant leaked from its Super Heavy booster during the first minutes of the April flight, causing a fire that severed its connection to the main flight computer. SpaceX concluded that that was why the upper stage and booster could not be separated. Engineers lost control of the aircraft and had to detonate the rocket with the flight termination system and abort the flight.
The first short test flight on April 20 “yielded many lessons,” SpaceX officials said. stated in a statement An explosion in April destroyed the launch pad, and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said: description A “rock tornado” occurred and debris rained down on the surrounding area. As a result, SpaceX and the Federal Aviation Administration jointly conducted an “accident investigation.” Officials from NASA and the National Transportation Safety Board served as observers. The FAA completed the process on Sept. 8, and SpaceX will have to implement debris mitigation, redesign the vehicle hardware to prevent fires and leaks, and redesign the launch pad before Starship can fly again. He said 63 issues need to be addressed, including:
Subsequent upgrades to SpaceX’s rocket include “a hot stage isolation system and electronic thrust vector control system for the Super Heavy’s engines,” and launch infrastructure improvements include “reinforced pad foundations and a water-cooled steel frame.” Includes deflector. ” according to a Nov. 10 statement.
Meanwhile, as part of the process, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was required to study the effects of the improved Boca Chica Range, located next to a wildlife preserve and public beach, on the local environment. The agency began its review in October. The area is home to several endangered species, including the Gulf Coast jaguarundi, ocelot, five species of sea turtles, and birds such as the piping plover, red-knot, and northern aplomad peregrine falcon.
