The SpaceX Starship spacecraft successfully launched today at 16:25 Moscow time from the SpaceX Starbase site in Boca Chica, Texas. After the separation of the first stage, SpaceX planned to demonstrate the operation of two systems – restarting the Starship Raptor engines and pumping cryogenic fuel. After this, Startship was supposed to splash down in the Indian Ocean. Unfortunately, during the descent after successful tests, communication with the ship was lost and it crashed.
Today's launch, designated Integrated Flight Test-3 (IFT-3), was the third test mission of a fully-powered Starship. The first and second launches of the giant rocket ended in failure, but the data collected from these attempts helped SpaceX engineers prepare Starship for today's success. Improvements included a method of “hot” stage separation, in which the upper stage engines begin firing before Starship's first stage booster, known as Super Heavy, separates completely.
The two Starship stages separated approximately 2 minutes 45 seconds after liftoff, sending the 50-meter Starship vehicle into space while the Super Heavy first stage began preparing to fire its reorientation engines and splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. However, it appears that not all of the Super Heavy's engines fired as planned, resulting in the loss of the booster – during the broadcast, the stage was seen heading towards the water, but during the descent it began to spin violently, with only one engine left running.
The Starship successfully carried out a test of transferring cryogenic fuel during flight. Afterwards, he began to descend and even demonstrated the plasma streams surrounding him, but at an altitude of 65 km, communication with the ship was lost and after some time a message was received about his loss.
Despite the unsuccessful splashdown of the second stage, the Starship flight can be considered a major success for SpaceX. Almost all of the goals were achieved, and the data obtained will allow engineers to correct the shortcomings for the next launch.
SpaceX is betting big on its reusable Starship launch system, positioning it to play a leading role in landing astronauts on NASA's Artemis 3 mission on the Moon in 2026. The company already sells private flights around the moon on Starship and sees Starship and Super Heavy as the core of its Mars and deep space exploration plan. Equally important is the ability to use Starship to augment the Starlink satellite constellation and other payloads.
The number of launches from SpaceX's Boca Chica launch site is planned to increase. Equipment needed to build a second launch tower has already begun arriving at the site, and additional infrastructure to support Starship launches from NASA's Florida Space Center is under development.
The Starship spacecraft is designed with rapid reuse in mind. SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk said the company eventually intends to launch, land and send multiple Starships back into space every day.
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