SpaceX’s Starship should be the rocket that the next astronaut crews will use for space travel. In theory, it is the chosen ship in which we would travel to the Moon and if the objectives are met, to Mars.
And while a device of this magnitude certainly isn’t built overnight, many are running out of patience with multiple attempts or failed tests.from the initiative of Elon Musk’s company.
SpaceX’s Starship made history by becoming the tallest and most powerful rocket ever built. However, its launch on April 20 did not go as planned. As the vehicle reached 40 kilometers above the Gulf of Mexico, things began to get complicated.
The rocket, built of steel in Texas, ended up self-destructing in an uncontrolled descent, leaving behind a gigantic cloud of dust and a crater on the launch pad, according to a review. Gizmodo.
After several days of silence, Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX, has decided to explain what happened through Twitter Spaces. The takeoff of the Starship turned out to be slower than expected. The rocket took five seconds to separate from the launch pad, which was excessive for the steel structure and concrete floor.
As a result, the rocket drifted slightly horizontally due to the previous shutdown of three faulty motors, which averted a disaster by avoiding a collision with the launch tower.
The five seconds of takeoff caused the expulsion of sand and rocks, damaging the launch area. Despite being made of high-performance concrete, the impact of the engines’ power compressed the sand and cracked the ground.
During the flight, multiple engine failures occurred, including one of them exploding, control systems malfunctioning, and the failure of the Flight Termination System (FTS), which is responsible for destroying the rocket in an emergency. . These issues have called into question the reliability of the Raptor engines used in the Starship.
Despite the setbacks, the Starship proved to have surprising structural strength by holding up intact during the uncontrolled flight. Elon Musk believes that this incident provided valuable data for future releases.
Just for fun, I spent most of the day with our #Starship Flight Test 8K footage, tracking and stabilizing frame by frame (Auto tracking just couldn’t handle it) from the Flight Termination Charge to explosion just to see if we could learn anything else. Shot by @considercosmos pic.twitter.com/LSrDmu9gYi
— Everyday Astronaut (@Erdayastronaut) April 30, 2023
However, the failure in the self-destruct system has led to a suspension of Starship flights until the investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is complete. In addition, NASA, which plans to use the Starship for its Artemis III mission to the Moon, is closely watching the development of the situation.
Despite the challenges and delays, Elon Musk remains optimistic, estimating that there is an 80% chance that the rocket will reach Earth orbit in 2023. SpaceX will continue to invest in the development of the Starship and work closely with regulators. to ensure the safety and success of future releases.
