This Friday, SpaceX is set to conduct its eighth test flight of the Starship rocket, a crucial step in what may become the most revolutionary spaceflight program since NASA's Apollo missions. As excitement builds, SpaceX has addressed the issues encountered during its previous test flight, which saw the loss of the Starship's upper stage during ascent.
On January 16, SpaceX successfully launched Starship and completed its second successful catch of the lower-stage booster. However, the mission did not proceed as smoothly as planned, with the upper stage failing approximately eight minutes and twenty seconds into the flight. SpaceX has now provided clarity on the cause of this anomaly, attributing it to "flashes" observed after vehicle separation.
During the previous test, a flash was observed approximately two minutes into the burn post-vehicle separation. This flash, along with sensor readings indicating a pressure rise in the "attic"—an unpressurized area between the liquid oxygen tank and the aft heatshield—suggested a leak. “Approximately two minutes into its burn, a flash was observed in the aft section of the vehicle near one of the Raptor vacuum engines," SpaceX explained.
Notably, a second flash occurred two minutes later, accompanied by sustained fires in the attic. These fires prompted a controlled shutdown of all but one of Starship's engines, ultimately resulting in the loss of communication with the ship. Telemetry from the vehicle ceased just over eight minutes and 20 seconds into the flight.
SpaceX clarified that Starship was destroyed and communication was lost before any destruct rules for its Autonomous Flight Safety System could be initiated, stating the system was “fully healthy when communication was lost.” The company identified the "most probable root cause" as a harmonic response significantly stronger in flight than during testing, which placed increased stress on the propulsion system hardware. This stress led to propellant leaks exceeding the venting capacity of the ship's attic, resulting in the sustained fires.
Despite these setbacks, SpaceX is moving forward with its ambitious plans. The eighth Starship launch is on the horizon, with CEO Elon Musk indicating a likely launch date this Friday. This launch could be the second of potentially 25 Starship missions planned for 2025.
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