The third high altitude test of a SpaceX Starship prototype ended with a successful landing on March 3 – and then, moments later, ended for the second time with an explosion.
Although the SN10, as the prototype was known, joined his two most recent predecessors in the fire world out there, it was still celebrated as a success the first of Elon Musk’s Mars-bound Prototypes of the spaceship to hold the landing. Musk tweeted on Tuesday expand about why the SN10 also came in a bit hot, and explained that a series of corrections were already underway for the next prototype in the series, the SN11.
‘“The SN10 engine was low under pressure (probably) due to partial intake of helium from the fuel tank,” Musk tweeted. ‘Impact of 10m / s broken legs and part of the torso. ”
In subsequent tweets, Musk confirmed that helium intake was likely due to a pressure system it had been added to the CH4 heading tank to correct an error that occurred before with the SN8.
‘If autogenous pressure had been used, CH4 bubbles would probably have returned to liquid, ”Musk wrote. ‘Helium in the headpiece was used to prevent the fall of pendulum by slosh, which occurred during the previous flight. My fault for approval. At the time, it sounded good. ”
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Video image of the SN10’s launch and the subsequent soft landing at SpaceX’s test facility Boca Chica, Texas, shows the rocket that lands quickly before reaching a tilted corner, slightly on fire. Almost a full minute later to successfully complete the test flight, the rocket explodes in a massive fireball.
Musk’s tweet comes as a response to a series of photos tweeted by a photographer. SpaceX employees appear to be testing the landing gear of SN11 in order. to ensure that they will deploy properly as it prepares for its own approaching test flight. Although SN11 is currently launching in Boca Chica, SpaceX has not yet confirm exactly when the next flight test is scheduled to occurs – although some industry experts estimate it may be ready to launch so soon like next week.