The SpaceX starship prototype has just made its first smooth touch.
SpaceX
One month later The SpaceX SN9 flew over 6 miles (10 kilometers) high, his successor, SN10, doubled the feat, flying high above Texas before hitting the landing – the first time for the prototype.
SN10 is the third development prototype of the starship, Elon Musk’s next generation rocket destined for the moon and Mars, to do a high altitude flight from the mesmerizing flight and the explosive end of the SN8 in December 2020. SN9 flew high and then landed and exploded on February 2nd.
The third attempt was the charm for SN10.
The SN10 reached its target altitude of 6 miles, shutting down each engine in series on the way to slow down and reach the desired heyday. The rocket then began an extensive and picturesque period of free fall – a “spike”, as it became known – before turning the engines back on to perform its turning maneuver to make a vertical landing. After a six-minute journey, SN10 stopped on the pad at SpaceX’s facilities in Boca Chica.
It didn’t look like one Perfect landing and there seemed to be a slight tilt to the starship’s massive stainless steel frame, but it didn’t tip over. Then, approximately 10 minutes after landing, the ship exploded. Flames erupted from the bottom of the vehicle and sent him on a second unscheduled trip to heaven.
SpaceX founder Elon Musk said the SN Starship series was designed to eventually reach orbit, with luck sometime next year. The last two high-altitude flights of these prototypes sparked investigations by the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA said SN8 was launched in December without the agency’s official green light. This led to an investigation and corrective actions that delayed the flight of the SN9.
A picturesque flop made by SN10.
SpaceX
The forced landing of the SN9 was considered an “accident” by the FAA and initiated a routine investigation. Last month, the FAA announced that all investigations had been completed and it was comfortable that the launch of the SN10 could proceed safely.
The rockets that flew during the last three high-altitude tests are small-scale versions of the final spacecraft that Musk hopes to send to the solar system. For a trip to Mars, a final spacecraft will be placed on top of a huge Super Heavy booster that will do the serious lifting to stay beyond Earth’s gravity range as well.
In other words, if the starship’s development program continues to advance, we haven’t seen anything yet.
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