On Thursday evening, March 7, the United States time, SpaceX conducted the eighth test flight of the Starship comprehensive test, designed to test the spacecraft to the limit and complete the goal that was not achieved in the seventh test in January.
During this test flight, the superheavy booster used by Starship successfully returned to the ground and was perfectly pinched by the chopstick-like robotic arm on the Mechazilla launch pad, marking the third time SpaceX has successfully accomplished this feat.
Starship's eighth test flight booster recovery success (Source: NetEase Technology report)
However, the engine on the top of the starship failed. At that point, the spacecraft fired its own engines in preparation for a suborbital flight of about an hour. However, SpaceX lost contact with the spacecraft as it was about to complete its ascent burn phase. Live footage showed several engines apparently stalling.
The eighth test flight of the starship was detonated (Source: NetEase Technology Report)
Later, it was witnessed exploding over the Bahamas.
"Once enough of the center engine was lost, the spacecraft lost attitude control," SpaceX spokesman Dan Huot said. "We saw the spacecraft begin to spin, at which point we lost contact with the spacecraft. We can no longer get data from the spacecraft, and it is not clear whether its auto-abort system caused it to self-destruct for safety reasons."
"We have implemented a number of measures, such as a debris response area, and are working closely with air traffic control," Hult said. "We have taken a number of steps to ensure public safety prior to the launch. These measures worked the last time they were launched and are currently in continuous operation."
In January, a Starship on its seventh test flight exploded over the Caribbean, causing a series of flight delays and debris hitting a car on South Caicos Island.
It is unclear exactly where the spacecraft exploded during today's mission. But the Federal Aviation Administration temporarily suspended inbound flights to airports in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach and Orlando because of "falling space debris." The FAA notified that the ground grounding order will remain in effect until 20:00 Eastern Time.
Following the explosion, SpaceX posted an update on the X platform saying: "During the Starship ascent burn phase, the spacecraft experienced an unplanned and rapid breakup and lost contact. Our team immediately coordinated with security authorities to activate emergency plans. We will review today's flight test data to determine the root cause. As always, success comes from the lessons we learn, and this flight will provide more lessons for improving starship reliability."
Breakthrough Max Q
The launch of Starship broke through the Max Q, a critical moment in any rocket launch. Max Q is the moment when the aerodynamic Pressure on a rocket reaches its maximum during flight. At this point, the rocket was already moving quite fast, while the atmosphere was still relatively dense, resulting in extreme pressure on the surface of the rocket.
In simple terms, this is the moment when the atmosphere "tries its best" to crush the rocket. If the rocket structure cannot withstand this pressure, it can lead to accidents such as rupture or loss of control.
A series of upgrades
During liftoff, the super-heavy booster successfully separated from the spacecraft. SpaceX refers to this process as "thermal separation" because the spacecraft uses its own power to push the super-heavy booster away by firing its engines, rather than using pneumatic thrusters like SpaceX's Falcon rockets, which are separated by violent force shocks.
During Starship's eighth test, SpaceX removed a large number of thermal tiles from the ship, the black hexagonal tiles that cover the belly of the ship. The tiles are designed to protect the spacecraft from the extreme heat of re-entry into Earth's atmosphere, which can exceed 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit (about 1,427 degrees Celsius). The aim is to stress test vulnerable areas on the vehicle. In other words, push the vehicle to its limits to determine its point of failure.
SpaceX is also testing some new materials for insulating the shingles, saying in a statement: "A variety of metal tile options, including a metal tile with active cooling, will be used to test alternative materials to protect the spacecraft from thermal protection during re-entry."
The failed test in January prompted SpaceX to make other upgrades and improvements, including new vents and a "purification system" designed to prevent fires. SpaceX said the mission team's experience led them to adjust the lines that feed fuel to some Starship engines and modify the propellant temperature. Another change adjusts the spacecraft's "operational thrust target," the amount of thrust SpaceX wants the engine to generate during flight. The starship is now 6.5 feet (about 2 meters) taller than before and has about 25 percent more propellant, which could allow the craft to carry out longer missions in the future.
The starship's front flaps are now smaller and move up, away from the heat tiles. This design upgrade is designed to reduce the amount of time the flaps are exposed to high temperatures during reentry. At the same time, the super-heavy booster was also upgraded to include a more powerful flight computer.
Simulation satellites are to be deployed
It is worth noting that in this test flight, SpaceX originally planned to attempt to deploy simulated Starlink satellites using starships. SpaceX had hoped to test how the Starship would accomplish that mission during its seventh flight in January, but the spacecraft suddenly exploded about 10 minutes into the flight.
SpaceX said the simulated satellite used in the eighth test flight will be "similar in size" to the company's next-generation Starlink Internet satellite. Since starships are not equipped with payload fairing like most other rockets, these satellites may need to be ejected through a special hatch.
However, the simulator deployed this time won't actually stay in space. Instead, they will travel along a suborbital path and, like the spacecraft itself, are expected to crash in the Indian Ocean about an hour after takeoff. The attempt failed due to an explosion in the spacecraft.
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