Mars-bound Crash: SpaceX's Starship SN11 meets destruction through explosion, as confirmed by Elon Musk
In a recent development, SpaceX's Mars-bound spacecraft, Starship (SN11), met with a crash and destruction during a test. However, the company is already looking forward with the rollout of SN15 to the launch pad in a few days, as announced by CEO Elon Musk.
The latest test was intended for Starship to take off, come back down, and safely land. Unfortunately, something significant happened shortly after the landing burn start in the SN11 test, leading to its destruction. The explosion was believed to result from a failure during the re-ignition of the second Raptor engine, causing an in-air explosion.
To prevent repeat issues, subsequent prototypes like SN15 will operate two engines at minimum power until just before landing, using a third engine as backup if needed. This strategy improves control and landing stability.
SpaceX implemented over 100 engineering improvements on Starship SN15 to address problems seen in earlier prototypes like SN11. These improvements include enhancements to the thrust puck, which had been a persistent issue, and modifications to the attachment position of the guide to gimbal on the Raptor engine. The structural materials were also improved, with the first use of 3mm stainless steel to lighten the vehicle's weight and increase strength. These changes helped reduce the risk of engine relighting problems and landing failures that had caused explosions in previous Starships.
Despite the setback with SN11, Musk stated that engine 2 had issues on ascent and didn't reach operating chamber pressure during the landing burn. He anticipates knowing what caused the issue once they can examine the debris later that day. Videos taken near the take-off site suggest that Starship was destroyed during the test. However, Musk tweeted that the explosion did not cause any critical damage.
The previous version (SN8) successfully landed on the launchpad but then exploded after, making it further than the current version (SN11). The new versions of the Starship, starting at SN15, have a number of improvements built-in that are intended to prevent similar explosions.
Musk is hopeful about the launch of SN15 in the coming days, with the hope that one of the improvements will address the issue found in the latest test. If the improvements do not cover the problem found in the latest test, a retrofit will add a few more days.
The live stream of the test was cut off by SpaceX without explanation. Elon Musk tweeted that the crater from the explosion is in the right place. He also tweeted that a high production rate can solve many issues, possibly implying that SpaceX can quickly move on from failed tests due to the large number of Starships it manufactures.
In summary, key improvements from SN11 to SN15 focused on engine and thrust puck enhancements to fix ignition and reliability issues, changes in engine gimbal and attachment for better control during flight and landing, use of improved stainless steel alloy for lighter and stronger structure, and updated engine power management strategy during landing to prevent hard or rough touches. These upgrades culminated in SN15's successful flight and soft landing without explosion, marking a major step forward in Starship's development.
[1]: Reference for the improvements from SN11 to SN15 [4]: Reference for SN15's successful flight and soft landing [5]: Reference for SN15's landing without explosion marking a major step forward in Starship's development
Drawing from the recent events, SpaceX's improvements in science and technology have become increasingly evident as they address issues from previous prototypes, such as the explosion of Starship SN11. In the near future, the implementation of these advancements will be showcased with the launch of Starship SN15, as it harnesses the power of space-and-astronomy technology.
