It has been a rough start to the year for Elon Musk, with lawsuits, plummeting stocks, and failing experiments. All of his ventures have been going through a turbulent patch. Twitter’s ad revenue has plunged, Tesla’s new model of price reduction has made investors unhappy, and on top of all that, Musk’s Starship launch was an unsuccessful experiment as well.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX was all set to witness a successful launch of its deep space rocket system through the first flight test. The gigantic rocket was ready for this enormous feat at the Boca Chica, Texas, launch pad. When the rocket soared high, it successfully launched into the sky, but after flying for 39 kilometers, it went haywire, making the team explode it for safety. The federal government has grounded the Starship endeavor after deeming it a “successful failure.”
The Federal Aviation Administration Has Launched A Probe Into SpaceX’s Starship Endeavor
The United States government has halted any further attempts at test launches after the not-so-successful attempt at testing the heavy launch of Starship at SpaceX.
They called upon the move after the explosion sent debris into the sky and neighboring areas, proving fatal to the endangered species in Boca Chica, Texas. One of the most endangered species in the area is the Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said that it would launch a probe into the mission, saying that, “return to flight of the Starship/Super Heavy vehicle is based on the FAA determining that any system, process, or procedure related to the mishap does not affect public safety.”
One of the problems highlighted was the launchpad, which was made of concrete material, deeming the failure “catastrophic.” The gases in the engine entered the concrete beneath, eroding the material for further launch, and it created a big crater along with dust and debris that spread out, affecting a nearby vehicle.
The FAA further said, “Although no debris was documented on refuge fee-owned lands, staff documented approximately 385 acres (156 hectares) of debris on SpaceX’s facility and at Boca Chica State Park.” It sent a “plume cloud of pulverized concrete” up to 6.5 miles northwest with no harm to the wildlife.
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Elon Musk-Led Space Venture Had Failures Before This
The spacecraft business has implemented trial-and-error techniques for a long time. It allows scientists and engineers to eliminate any further harm to humans and other species with its final spacecraft. Starship is a mammoth task that Elon Musk’s SpaceX has shouldered. It went through many failures before the launch of the final spacecraft.
In February 2020, during the liquid nitrogen test, SpaceX’s SN1 prototype exploded. After a successful SN2 flight, the SN3 prototype met the same fate as the first prototype. During the cryogenic pressure test for low temperatures, the SN3 prototype tank collapsed to the ground in April 2020.
This was due to leaking valves due to super-cold fuel, as per Elon Musk. The most successful prototype was the SN15 in 2021, which launched and landed successfully without exploding. With more such prototypes, Musk and SpaceX have learned more valuable lessons, preparing them for the final spacecraft orbital launch.
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