Elon Musk, the chief executive officer of SpaceX, stated that the recent test flight of the company’s Starship rocket was “roughly what I expected.” Musk stated that damage to the company’s private spaceport in South Texas was minimal in his first extensive comments on the test flight. The rocket, which flew faster than the speed of sound and successfully traversed the most aerodynamically difficult segment of the voyage, also reached several significant milestones. Despite three first-stage engines failing to ignite on the launch pad and a few others failing during the flight, the rocket reached an altitude of approximately 24 miles.
System for Automatic Flight Termination
Elon Musk noted that the automated flight termination system required an excessive amount of time to ignite, which could necessitate recertification by the Federal Aviation Administration. In addition to requiring a steel plate cooled by water to replace the fractured concrete, the launchpad also requires reinforcement. The Starship is consequently grounded while SpaceX investigates the incident under FAA supervision. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson was unconcerned about the test flight and anticipated that SpaceX would launch the rocket again within a couple of months.
Danger to the Public
The FAA requires SpaceX to demonstrate that any ground safety and flight hazards do not pose an intolerable risk to the public during licensed operations. Additionally, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service coordinates with the FAA. The Service stated in a statement that the rocket launched “numerous large concrete chunks, stainless steel sheets, metal, and other objects… thousands of feet away along with a plume cloud of pulverized concrete that deposited material up to 6.5 miles northwest of the pad site.” The explosion also ignited a 3.5-acre fire south of the pad, but according to the Service, no deceased birds or wildlife were discovered on refuge-owned or -managed land.
The Future of Spacecraft
The two-part rocket, composed of the Super Heavy projectile and the Starship spacecraft, will transport astronauts to and from the lunar surface as part of NASA’s Artemis program, for which it was awarded a $2.9 billion contract in 2021. Later, it receiveds a $1.15 billion contract for a second moon mission. Musk stated that if the FAA grants SpaceX another launch license, the company has a high chance of flying again and entering orbit. He added that the next booster to fly will have substantial reliability improvements, giving the rocket a greater chance of success, and that he believes there is a nearly 100 percent chance of reaching orbit within 12 months.
Source: ©PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images ; Washingtonpost
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