SpaceX has concluded its investigation into the issues that occurred during the seventh test flight of its Starship rocket. This flight ended with a notable explosion.
On January 16, the flight launched from SpaceX’s base in South Texas. While the mission had some successes—like successfully catching the Super Heavy booster using “chopstick” arms—things went sideways with the upper stage, known as ‘Ship.’ The goal was to launch 10 dummy satellites and have Ship splash down in the Indian Ocean. Unfortunately, Ship encountered problems, broke apart, and debris fell into the Atlantic Ocean, impacting areas near the Turks and Caicos Islands.
SpaceX quickly identified a potential cause. According to Elon Musk, preliminary findings pointed to a large oxygen/fuel leak above the ship’s engine firewall that generated excessive pressure.
Further analysis confirmed that the root issue was a harmonic response during the flight. This response was much stronger than what had been observed in testing, causing significant stress on the propulsion system. The leaks from the propellant exceeded the system’s capabilities for venting, which led to sustained fires.
The area where the fires originated is called the attic. It’s located at the rear of Ship, between the liquid oxygen tank and the heat shield. The six Raptor engines that power Ship use liquid methane and liquid oxygen.
As the fires spread, most of Ship’s engines had to shut down. This led to a loss of communication roughly 8.5 minutes after takeoff. The rocket’s flight termination system then activated, resulting in Ship disintegrating.
SpaceX has acted swiftly to enhance safety for future flights. They performed a thorough 60-second “static fire” test on the Ship vehicle earmarked for the eighth flight, scheduled for February 28. This test helped implement necessary changes to the fuel feedlines and propellant temperatures, along with new targets for engine thrust.
To reduce fire risks in the attic, SpaceX is adding vents and a purge system that uses gaseous nitrogen. Additionally, future versions of Starship will feature the Raptor 3 engine, which aims to simplify the design and decrease potential leak points.
The investigation involved collaboration between SpaceX, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), NASA, the National Transportation Safety Board, and the U.S. Space Force. SpaceX is now working with the FAA to finalize the investigation and secure a safety determination for the upcoming Flight 8.
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