Elon Musk and the Second Explosion of Starship Launch

Another failure for Elon Musk’s Starship Launch.

After the failure of the highly anticipated sub-orbital star-ship test, thought to be held on April 17, confirmation had come for the new test date. The April 17 test was aborted 40 seconds before launch:

A pressurization valve appears to be frozen, so unless it starts working soon, no launch today

Elon Musk tweeted.

On Monday, SpaceX postponed the Starship test launch, disappointing some spectators who had crowded observation stations not far from the launch pad. A valve stuck during refueling, prompting the company to abort the attempt, SpaceX said Thursday in its live stream.

The new launch date, today April 20, 2024, was shared on Twitter and on the company’s official website. Inside, the new launch window and the chosen time were also indicated.

A long-awaited test

So here we are at the final test day on which SpaceX successfully launched the rocket. Click here to see the video of the launch.

At 9:30 a.m. this morning, from a launch pad in South Texas, SpaceX’s Starship exploded minutes after successfully taking off during its unmanned test flight. This test ended the maiden flight of a vehicle Elon Musk wanted to use to travel into deep space.

A few minutes after the launch, a trail of flames erupted from the engines installed on the booster used for the first stage of the flight. The rocket then began to rotate in the air. The spacecraft on top of the booster did not separate to the latter and exploded shortly thereafter.

In a tweet, SpaceX stated that the Starship underwent a “planned rapid disassembly.” Elon Musk, on the other hand, said in a tweet that the company learned a lot from the launch, and in addition another flight could be made in a few months.

A spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration said it will provide an investigation into what happened during the test flight. As with other incidents involving spacecraft, SpaceX will not be allowed to attempt another Starship operation.

That is until the FAA determines that nothing can affect public safety. This is because for rocket launches, regulators establish zones where vessels and aircraft cannot enter to try to ensure safe operations.

Elon Musk’s warnings on Starship Launch

Elon Musk himself in recent days had sought to downplay expectations about the launch, speaking of potential flight-related risks and technical challenges. The executive said he was concerned about a problem with a powerful engine installed on the booster. With the possibility of potentially destroying part of the rocket or the company’s launch pad.

Initially, the rocket took off from the company’s launch pad. The vehicle made it through a period called “Max Q,” in which it experienced the maximum stress point as it gained altitude. However, the spacecraft atop the Starship booster failed to separate, the company reported in its live stream.

The company has already made shorter flights with Starship spacecraft and has faced several failures. Two years ago it successfully landed a Starship spacecraft during a short flight. Former employees said SpaceX encourages the possibility of risks to obtain data and improve vehicles. This is in order that safety is not compromised.