Watch - SpaceX Starship prototype explodes on landing

[Hanno Labuschagne]

Watch - SpaceX Starship prototype explodes on landing

SpaceX performed a high-altitude test flight of its Starship prototype space vehicle yesterday, which ended with the vehicle exploding on landing.

This Starship prototype is the second stage of a super-heavy-lift launch vehicle that has been under development by SpaceX since 2012.

It is designed to be a fully-reuseable, and after development is completed, every stage will be able to land safely back on Earth once they have completed a flight.

 

[Rickster]

Lack of thrust by the looks of it or came in too fast.

Alas, still a prototype.

 

[Messugga]

Lack of thrust by the looks of it or came in too fast.

Alas, still a prototype.

Los fuel pressure somewhere caused lack of thrust, according to Musk.

 

[RandomGeek]

You saw those strange-looking green flames right before the end? Very strange

 

[ScottulusMaximus]

You saw those strange-looking green flames right before the end? Very strange

That's the ignitor fluid trying to relight the engines after they lost fuel, it burns green

 

[Sinbad]

Not explode.
RUD.

(rapid unscheduled disassembly)

 

[RandomGeek]

That's the ignitor fluid trying to relight the engines after they lost fuel, it burns green

...and who said you cannot learn anything from MyBroadBand. Thanks!

 

[ToxicBunny]

Los fuel pressure somewhere caused lack of thrust, according to Musk.

Yeah, lack of pressure in the upper tanks meant the rockets couldn't push enough boost to slow the SN8 down enough to land apparently, which makes sense.

 

[DailyTech]

wow, awesome test !

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

so back to the drawing board then?

for instance, how many Rockets Nasa and von braun blew up before apollo 11 got to the moon.

 

[ToxicBunny]

so back to the drawing board then?

for instance, how many Rockets Nasa and von braun blew up before apollo 11 got to the moon.

Not entirely sure why they would go back to the drawing board as you term it?

That test was a resounding success for SpaceX

 

[garyc]

You saw those strange-looking green flames right before the end? Very strange

That is from a hypergolic fuel, which spontaneously ignites when the two components are mixed. They carry a small amount onboard for engine relights, as mentioned by Scottulus.

More than you ever wanted to know at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypergolic_propellant

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

Not entirely sure why they would go back to the drawing board as you term it?

That test was a resounding success for SpaceX

well it didn't make a graceful landing, on a ship in the heaving ocean.
it exploded, and thats back to the drawing board imo, what if it was manned?

would an Escape tower have worked?
or would some poor widow seen her husband blow up live on TV.

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

That is from a hypergolic fuel, which spontaneously ignites when the two components are mixed. They carry a small amount onboard for engine relights, as mentioned by Scottulus.

More than you ever wanted to know at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypergolic_propellant

but its green, why cant they die it another colour, or isn't that possible?

 

[Sinbad]

well it didn't make a graceful landing, on a ship in the heaving ocean.
it exploded, and thats back to the drawing board imo, what if it was manned?

would an Escape tower have worked?
or would some poor widow seen her husband blow up live on TV.

Why is it back to the drawing board? They know what the problem was, they'll fix it in sn9?

 

[Sinbad]

but its green, why cant they die it another colour, or isn't that possible?

What do you have against green?

 

[Vorastra]

Not entirely sure why they would go back to the drawing board as you term it?

That test was a resounding success for SpaceX

Did you see the explodey part at the end?

 

[ToxicBunny]

well it didn't make a graceful landing, on a ship in the heaving ocean.
it exploded, and thats back to the drawing board imo, what if it was manned?

would an Escape tower have worked?
or would some poor widow seen her husband blow up live on TV.

Ummm it was the first ever flight of a prototype starship platform. The landing would have been the ultimate icing on the cake, and they are probably 30 or 40 prototype flights away from even starting to test flying a "production" version of the Starship platform. Who knows how long before there are manned test flights.

 

[ToxicBunny]

Did you see the explodey part at the end?

Yeah... so?

Every other part of that first flight went practically flawlessly. I'd call the whole test a resounding success and Elon Musk seems to think so as well.

 

[ConfusedR]

This is what testing is all about.............