Watch the tests of SpaceX’s Starship prototypes - The Washington Post
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Watch the tests of SpaceX’s Starship prototypes
Space
See the tests of SpaceX’s Starship prototypes that ended in fireballs
By Christian Davenport and Jonathan Baran | Apr 16, 2023
Perhaps as soon as this week, SpaceX is expected to attempt to launch its fully stacked Starship rocket, the first time the company has attempted to fly the massive Super Heavy booster with the Starship spacecraft mounted on top.
Miguel Roberts/AP
SpaceX has conducted several test flights of Starship without the booster previously, flying Starship prototypes about six miles into the air, and then bringing them back to Earth.
Here’s a look back at those tests.
Miguel Roberts/AP
A starship prototype in Texas in September.
Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post
Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post
In December 2020, the SN8 version of Starship flew several miles high from SpaceX’s launch facility at Boca Chica, Tex., on the Gulf of Mexico.
After its engines shut down, the stainless-steel spacecraft performed a “belly flop” maneuver, falling horizontally toward the ground. Instead of touching down softly, it crashed, igniting a fireball that sprayed rocket shrapnel across the landing site.
Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post
SpaceX
No one was injured, and Elon Musk called the flight “an awesome test.”
SpaceX
In February 2021, SpaceX tried again, this time with prototype SN9.
Again, it flew to an altitude of about six miles. And again, it crash landed, setting off a fireball.
SpaceX
SpaceX
At the time, John Insprucker, SpaceX’s principal integration engineer, called it a good flight. But he added, “we need to work on that landing a little bit.”
SpaceX
On the third attempt, in March 2021, the SN10 prototype launched successfully and landed back on its pad, completing, it seemed, a successful mission.
“Third time’s a charm, as the saying goes,” Insprucker said then. “A beautiful soft landing on the landing pad.”
But the rocket was still emitting streams of smoke and visibly leaning.
SpaceX
SpaceX
Eight minutes and about 20 seconds after landing, it exploded, shooting the vehicle back into the air. A fuel leak was the likely cause.
SpaceX
SpaceX’s luck was no better a few weeks later when the video from SN11 vehicle froze after the engines had reignited for landing.
The craft, which had launched in a dense fog, had exploded, raining debris on the landing zone, its fourth failure.
“At least the crater is in the right place,” Musk tweeted.
SpaceX
SpaceX
He later said that a small methane leak on one of the engines was to blame. He vowed the problem would be “getting fixed 6 ways to Sunday.”
SpaceX
In May 2021, SpaceX finally stuck the landing with SN15, which touched down softly on its landing pad.
SpaceX
SpaceX
The successful flight came just weeks after NASA awarded SpaceX a $2.9 billion contract to use Starship as the vehicle that would land astronauts on the moon.
That paved the way for the first attempt of the fully stacked vehicle.
SpaceX
Workers putting the finishing touches on a Starship prototype.
Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post
Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post
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