CNET News reports that on March 3, SpaceX “appeared to make a soft landing of” its Starship SN10 prototype, but several minutes after the landing, the rocket “exploded on the landing pad.” SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said Tuesday that the landing was not as soft as it appeared, and that the prototype’s legs and part of the skirt were crushed during the landing. Musk also explained why the SN10 exploded after landing; he said in a tweet, “SN10 engine was low on thrust due (probably) to partial helium ingestion from fuel header tank. Impact of 10m/s crushed legs & part of skirt. Multiple fixes in work for SN11.”
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Tag: SN11
Musk Reveals Cause of Starship SN11 Crash
SPACE reports that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said Monday that the Starship SN11 prototype failed to land in the March 30 test flight because “a (relatively) small CH4 leak led to fire on engine 2 & fried part of avionics, causing hard start attempting landing burn in CH4 turbopump. This is getting fixed 6 ways to Sunday.” A “‘hard start’ refers to ignition when there’s too much fuel in the combustion chamber and the pressure is therefore too high.” SpaceX “has already built the next Starship prototype, known as SN15, and it should take to the skies soon.”
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SpaceX Could Try Test Launch of Starship SN11 Prototype Friday
SPACE reports that SpaceX “may attempt to test fire – then launch – its latest Starship rocket prototype at the company’s South Texas facility on Friday.” Cameron County, Texas, officials “have approved road closures ahead of an engine test and launch of the Starship SN11 vehicle on Friday.” SpaceX “has not stated it actually will attempt an SN11 launch, but its test window opens at 8 a.m. EDT (7 a.m. local time, 1200 GMT) and runs for over 12 hours, according to Cameron County officials.” For the test, the prototype “is expected to launch to an altitude of 6.2 miles (10 kilometers), then flip over for a descent back to Earth and flip over once more for a controlled landing using its engines.”
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