Just to explode then …

Last night, SpaceX launched another prototype of the spacecraft: Elon Musk wants to go to the moon with him. For a moment, everything seemed to be going well. SN10 manages to land on the ground in one piece. But soon after that, the unmanned ship still exploded. Unfortunately …

Test flight
The missile was launched from the launch pad in Texas in Cameron County. Like previous prototypes, the SN10 was powered by three Raptor engines which then shut down one by one before the Starship reached its highest point. Ultimately, the Starship managed to climb to a height of at least 10 kilometers. The Starship’s prototype successfully performed some maneuvering before reorienting itself and initiating a controlled dynamic landing.

Real estate!
When the SN10 slowly returned to the ground, the vehicle was steered by independently moving flaps both front and rear. All four valves were actuated by an on-board computer that controlled the position of the spacecraft in flight. This also allowed precise landing at the intended location. The Raptor SN10 engines were re-ignited while the car was performing its last landing maneuver. And … hit! SN10 successfully and completely landed on the ground.

Starship SN10 flight test live broadcast → https://t.co/Hs5C53qBxb https://t.co/Au6GmiyWN8

– SpaceX (SpaceX) March 3, 2021

Explosion
Unfortunately, it didn’t stop there. Because shortly after landing the SN10 burst after all. The exact cause of this explosion is not yet known. This is the third time a test flight of the Starship’s prototype has ended in a big explosion. Important steps have been taken though. SN8 at SN9 It exploded even before he set foot on the ground. In any case, the SN10 this time managed to land first before the explosion.

Congratulations
However, SpaceX does not get discouraged. “Congratulations to Starship and SpaceX,” the US space company wrote in a statement. “At the complex was a wonderful day. These flight tests are all about improving our understanding and developing a completely reusable transport system designed to transport both crew and cargo on long-haul interplanetary flights. We also want to help humanity return to the moon, Mars, and beyond.”

Starship
Starship is the new offering of SpaceX, through which the company aims to take people to the moon and eventually to Mars. The Starship promises to be the most powerful rocket in the world and should eventually be able to hold up to a hundred people on long interplanetary trips at the same time. Starship offers an affordable way to transport goods and people; “It is necessary to build lunar bases and cities on Mars,” SpaceX said. The missile transport system actually consists of two parts: a spacecraft (also referred to as a spacecraft) and a super-heavy rocket vehicle. Equipped with more than 30 Raptor engines developed by SpaceX, the booster allows the Starship to escape Earth’s gravity and return to Earth unscathed after launch for redeployment. The spacecraft itself is also equipped with 6 Raptor engines.

The company does not waste any time on it. The plan is for the spacecraft to operate at full capacity to capture all airspace by 2023 with Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa on board. This could be the first commercial lunar mission with some space tourists orbiting our natural satellite. If you want to go further, you may be able to! This is Maezawa He quickly searches for eight of his fellow passengers.

Ambition
But what if SpaceX will actually reach this point in a couple of years? This sounds very ambitious. Especially now that the SN10’s test flight has ended again with a fireball and a lot of smoke. Still, SpaceX boss Elon Musk is optimistic. “I am confident that we will put the Starship into orbit many times before 2023 and that the Starship will be safe enough to transport people by 2023,” he said earlier.

This does not change the fact that there is still a lot of work to be done. In particular, the Starship’s landing still needs some fix. In any case, the SN10 manages to land safely. Perhaps the next prototype will also be able to hold it after that.

Cutting